Bartitsu: The Way of the Gentleman Warrior
Bartitsu — an MMA Victorian England Style
Mixed Martial Arts has become one of the most popular sports the world over. After humble beginnings and critics that once called it barbaric and/or “human cockfighting,” it has evolved into a massive moneymaker with massively attended arenas and purchased pay-per-view events televised across the globe.
Fighters have been training in multiple disciplines likely since the advent of martial arts, always evolving and searching for new methods to be a more effective fighter. Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do is itself a mixture of Chinese Kung fu, French Savate, Western-style boxing, fencing, and even with various jiu-jítsu joint locks and chokes interspersed as seen during the introduction portion of the classic movie, “Enter the Dragon”.
Each combination of styles is unique to the time and place where it is developed and the conditions that must be taken into account when it is devised and thus applied for maximum effectiveness. This brings me to a Victorian-era English gentleman by the name of E.W. Barton-Wright, his creation of “Bartitsu”.
How Bartitsu Came About
During his time living in Japan for a period of three years, he learned jiu-jítsu and judo. Sadly, there is no information that reveals his level of knowledge or rank, but he did, at the minimum, have a basic knowledge of the arts. Having previously studied boxing, French Savate, fencing, and la canne(a Swiss-style of stick fighting), he set about combining them all into a defense system designed for the English gentleman.
Like any good entrepreneur, Mr. Barton-Wright saw an opportunity to make money on his new idea and set about opening a Bartitsu club catering to the well-to-do of Victorian London society. Politicians, military men, and other citizens of some renown submitted applications of membership and paid seemingly exorbitant membership and tuition fees for the privilege of learning the skills to be proficient in Bartitsu.
Accounts of the club suggested that it was well worth the membership process and fees. Barton-Wright suggested that all members master all four of the areas that combine to form Bartitsu(boxing, cane fighting, Savate, jujitsu/judo) to the point that he brought in recognized practitioners to teach at the club. Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo sent a few of his pupils to teach, and Pierre Vigny, a master of la canne and noted French Savate fighter was the instructor of those disciplines.
The Fight Theory of Bartitsu
Bartitsu’s main areas of the attack were stick fighting and jujitsu/judo with boxing and Savate being a bridge between the two. Stick fighting may seem to be a curious choice until one considers that an umbrella was more or less part of everyday dress in England at the time and it makes an excellent weapon. It can be used for striking, choking, hooking(with the curved handle), or just plain distracting. As such, Barton-Wright modified la canne for the unique purpose of the use of an umbrella, as unique conditions require unique modifications. What a genius!
The Decline and Resurgence of Bartitsu
By 1902, Bartitsu was all but gone, having lasted just four years. It would likely have become only a footnote or answer to a trivia question if not for its inclusion in the Sherlock Holmes story, “The Adventure of the Empty House”, thus giving it some measure of immortality.
In 2002, precisely hundred (100) years after the Bartitsu club shuttered its doors, a group of enthusiasts formed the Bartitsu society and began reimagining the art. They practice both the original form from Mr. Barton-Wright’s teachings but have also begun to evolve it to the unique conditions of our time.
Takeaways from Bartitsu
Nothing ever stays static and I fully believe that Mr. Barton-Wright would be proud not only with the practice of the art that he developed but also with the evolution of it to more modern times. You can’t solve modern problems with outdated solutions after all.
“Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.”-Bruce Lee
So while none of us may ever use an umbrella to fight off a ruffian on the streets of Victorian England we can honor the legacy of E.W. Barton-Wright by remembering his contributions to the evolution of mixed martial arts and if we’re lucky, we can one day dress impeccably, grow a glorious mustache and know that we can handle anything that life throws at us.
⬇️Your thoughts are encouraged. Follow me (JMN) 😉 on Medium and check out my most popular article below! Please 👏🏽 this article to share it!
- The Positivity of Negativity (Medium-Curated)
