The Bartitsu Club – The Home of Bartitsu
Welcome to the home of Bartitsu. The Bartitsu club webpage seeks to preserve, extend and promote the art of Bartitsu. Here you will find pages about learning Bartitsu, it’s history and a selection of resources around the art. We also promote the community with our directory of Bartitsu clubs and related events.
The Core Tactics of Bartitsu, What Are They?
The art of Bartitsu is one which the practitioner utilises both their mental and physical capabilities.
The system, in Barton-Wright’s own words, has been carefully and scientifically planned. It with this in mind that the practitioner must employ surprise, distraction, adaptability and intellect.
Yoga in Bartitsu
To the unacquainted, some may think Yoga and martial arts are philosophies of opposites, chalk and cheese to say. But if we dive deeper, both Yoga and martial arts contain some core concepts which are common throughout.
Where To Learn Bartitsu
Are you looking for Bartitsu clubs near you? Wanting access to great Bartitsu materials? Want to meet like-minded people at a Bartitsu Event? Well look no further, we have pages dedicated to the pursuit of learning Bartitsu.
About Bartitsu
Find out more about Baritsu, the eclectic victorian martial art, its founder, Edward Barton-Wright and the mission behind the Bartitsu club.
Four Pillars of Bartitsu
Find out more about four core pillars of Bartitsu and how they unite to become the canonical form of Bartitsu
Principles of Bartitsu
1. To disturb the equilibrium of your assailant.
2. To surprise him before he has time to regain his balance and use his strength.
3. If necessary to subject the joints of any parts of his body to strains that they are anatomically and mechanically unable to resist.
List of Bartitsu Books
We have compiled a list of books for your Bartitsu library, this article will become a living document as we add more to our records.
Bartitsu Club & Instructor Directory
We have compiled a list clubs and instructors who teach, practice and coach the art of Bartitsu.
Latest Events
Oxford – Learn to Fight Like Sherlock Holmes
Oxfordshire Theatre Makers Present Learn to fight like Sherlock Holmes: Bartitsu, the gentlemanly martial art of the cane, the grapple, boxing and bicycle. Simon Mandarino is an historical martial artist, pugilist, fencer and Master Instructor at the Linacre School of...
The Latest Articles
Oxford – Learn to Fight Like Sherlock Holmes
Oxfordshire Theatre Makers Present Learn to fight like Sherlock Holmes: Bartitsu, the gentlemanly martial art of the cane, the grapple, boxing and bicycle. Simon Mandarino is an historical martial artist, pugilist, fencer and Master Instructor at the Linacre School of...
The Hunt for Moriarty
For anyone interested in Sherlock Holmes, Bartitsu, or both, this is a superbly crafted production. The hunt for Moriarty delivers the kind of excitement and immersion that only live theatre can provide.The storytelling and acting are of the highest caliber, intelligent, engaging, and faithful to the spirit of the characters. Furthermore, the fight scenes, though few, are executed to an exceptionally high standard. Seeing such technical choreography performed live adds a layer of tension and authenticity that truly honors the “Sherlockian” martial arts tradition.
The Masters’ Next Moves: What the Bartitsu Club Instructors Did After Soho
The Bartitsu Club of Arms and Physical Culture, founded by E.W. Barton-Wright in 1899, closed its doors in London’s Soho around 1902. But the closure was far from the end of the story. It served as a launchpad for the principal masters and their associates, who went on to spread their respective arts—Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, and cane fighting—across Britain and Europe, shaping the early 20th-century martial arts landscape.
The legacy of Bartitsu wasn’t just the club itself, but the decentralized propagation of its core disciplines by these pioneering instructors.