Bartitsu's Sister Weapons

There are many weapons contemporary with Bartitsu, but not included in the canonical system. Bartitsu was developed for personal defense in the street, using only what the gentleman would have at hand: the walking stick or bare hands.

The personal weapons popular with proper men at that time were mainly used in the duel: the pistol and the smallsword. Other weapons were used by scoundrels and ruffians: the knife and the garotte. And I also include the bullwhip, mainly because it is awesome.

At the original Bartitsu Club, the members also studied and practiced historical swordplay, but since that's what we do at Academie Duello anyway, I won't mention here the Bartitsuka's skill with Rapier and Dagger, Longsword and Quarterstaff.

The Duelling Pistol

The History Channel has a fine documentary on the pistol duel and the evolution of the flintlock pistol:

The Smallsword

The direct precursor to modern fencing, the duel with the epee or small sword declined with the rise of the pistol, but remained an option for many gentlemen.

For the enthusiast, here are some famous books on the subject:

• The School of Fencing by Domenico Angelo (1763)
• The Dueling Sword by Claude La Marche (1884)
• New Short and Easy Method of Fencing by Sir William Hope (1707)
• The Small-Sword in England by J.D. Aylward (1960) - A modern overview of the historical use

The Duellists, a Ridley Scott film, features the best small sword duels I've ever seen:

The Knife and Garotte

There are no books from Victorians on how to use these villainous weapons, but plenty on self-defence from them. In part, Bartitsu became popular precisely because ruffians were using these implements in street violence.

Many readers will think of piano wire as the material for a garotte, but a short length of rope was just as effective for incapacitating a victim, and more easily disposed of as an innocent everyday object.

The Bullwhip

To be honest, the bullwhip is not an effective weapon except against cattle. However, that doesn't take away from the popularity garnered by Indiana Jones and other adventuring tales.

And who better to watch demonstrate better than Anthony DeLongis, arguably the world's finest whip artist:

The Website

Check out my new website focusing on Bartitsu, with schedules of next workshops and class content:

Fight Like a Gentleman: Bartitsu and Neo-Bartitsu for the Modern Citizen

The Bartitsu Workshop

Don't miss our Introduction to Bartitsu: Fight Like Sherlock Holmes workshop this Saturday, 28 April. We won't be using the alternative weapons from this article, but plenty of walking stick and umbrella for the concerned Victorian or Steampunk fighter.