Bartitsu from the story of Sherlock Holmes really existed. This is the progenitor of European self-defense, one hundred years ahead of its time and once again confirming the statement "everything new is well forgotten old." They practiced situational trainings, learned to work against the group, trained in casual, street clothes and observed personal safety rules. Who invented all this?
By Sergey Viktorovich Mishenev - General Director of the International Academy of Fencing Arts, President of the Russian Bartitsu Club.
General issues:
1. Description of style (school, direction) in one sentence
- You can even in one word: self-defense. It sounds trite now, but at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries it was a completely new concept based not on the idea of sports or class, aristocratic martial art, which was then fencing, but on the idea of street safety and elementary protection from robbers and aggressive vagrants. And this self-defense, according to the idea of the founding father, was to be available to everyone: both law-abiding gentlemen far from sports, and weak women.
2. Style motto (schools, directions)
- I really like the statement of the character of Boris Akunin, Japanese Masiharo Shibato: "… I have never heard of the deadly struggle of baritsa, I can not even imagine what hieroglyphs such a word can be written in." It is not very similar to the motto, however, in my opinion, it very accurately reflects the essence of the "Japanese" struggle, its adventurous nature and a kind of degree of mystery surrounding this original art.
3. Origins (beginning) directions (when and who founded)
- The founder of bartitsu is well known. This is the English master Edward William Barton Wright. Actually, his name is encrypted in the name of the school "bartitsu": the first part of the word (bart) from the name of Barton, and the ending (itsu) - from the popular jiu-jitsu in those years.
Barton Wright was born on November 8, 1860 in India, in the family of a railway worker. The colonial policy of Great Britain forced the family to constantly move from place to place, but this was only good for the future martial artist. He spent his childhood in exotic countries, the last of which was Japan, where, according to his own statement, he was tempered in incessant street battles with the local population.
This is how Edward William received his first self-defense lessons. Subsequently, his exotic skills became one of the foundations of bartitsu.
Another component of this type was European techniques - French and English boxing, as well as fencing with a cane, which became the main weapon of bartitsu.
In addition, Barton Wright added elements of Swiss wrestling on the Schwingen belts to bartitsu, and an original physical training system.
4. The ultimate goal of the classes (the ideal to which the student goes), the physical and mental qualities that he must acquire
- The original concept of bartitsu - self-defense - is still relevant to this day. Absolute safety - this is exactly the goal proclaimed by Barton Wright, stating that an adherent of bartitsu can always protect himself on the street, regardless of the number and weapons of ill-wishers. To achieve this goal, the master must not only master the techniques of self-defense, but also always remain calm and attentive. In addition, Barton Wright has developed a whole program of the correct behavior of a gentleman on the street. For example, when approaching an intersection, one should bypass the corner of a house along the largest radius in order to avoid a surprise attack from around the corner; It was recommended to simply put the cloak over the shoulders, without putting your hands in the sleeves, so that you could easily throw it off and use it as a weapon … It is interesting that, after several decades, Bruce Lee gave practically the same recommendations to his students.
5. Teaching methodology
- The teaching methodology at the Bartitsu Academy was based on modeling street situations. At the same time, all classes were conducted in street clothes in order to be as close as possible to the potential street situation. Bartitsu techniques were studied in peculiar sketches: a master walks down the street, a robber attacks, etc.
In addition, students had to study four additional disciplines, on the basis of which bartitsu was based: jiu-jitsu, English boxing, French savat boxing and cane fencing. Each direction at the Bartitsu Academy was taught by a separate specialist. For example, jiu-jitsu was led by the famous Japanese master Yukio Tani, and fencing with a cane was led by the Swiss fencer Pierre Vigny.
Also, an additional class of ancient fencing was opened at the Academy, where students experimented with medieval swords, Renaissance rapiers and other antique weapons. This section was headed by the English captain Alfred Hutton.
6. Used technique (percussion, wrestling, breaking, etc.)
- The concept of bartitsu initially stated diversity and the absence of restrictions. Therefore, in theory, an adherent of this direction should have equally mastered the entire arsenal of martial arts. However, an analysis of the techniques that have survived to this day in the form of photographs with descriptions demonstrates the predominance of throws and creases. The punches and kicks are, rather, of a preparatory nature and do not look crushing. It can be said that the striking technique in bartitsu was concentrated in the area of the weapon (cane). It is the cane that is most often used for striking the head. At the same time, Barton Wright considered the cane with a heavy knob, and not with a hook, to be the best for self-defense, although the latter provides many opportunities for various holds and throws.
7. Directional tactics
- The main tactical model of bartitsu is provocation. That is, using the enemy's aggression and managing it. Most techniques start with this tactical element. For example, if the opponent is armed with a cane, the Bartitsu adept, as it were, accidentally puts his left hand forward excessively. The opponent strikes this hand, but anticipating such an attack, the master easily pulls back his hands and, in turn, strikes himself a crushing blow to the head.
Or, the fighter puts his head under the blow, bounces to the side in time, and catches the attacker by the front leg, carrying out a sweep.
8. Presence of training fights (sparring). In what form, according to what rules are they carried out?
- Competitions are not practiced in bartitsu at all. The idea of a competitive (initially equal) sports duel generally contradicts the concept of bartitsu, based on a surprise attack, unequal numbers, unequal and diverse weapons.
9. Physical training (general and special) - including work with weights, free weights, own weight
- Bartitsu developed in those years when various gymnastics such as Swedish, German, Czech were gaining popularity … Therefore, historically, the Bartitsu master had the opportunity to practice body training with the help of appropriate equipment. First of all, such apparatus were a ladder and a bench (Swedish gymnastics), as well as a gymnastic horse and rope (German gymnastics).
Also, the bartitsu system included its own physical training system, but there is practically no information about it. It can be assumed that she was based on using her weight, and on exercises with a partner.
10. Working against the group
- Working against a group of attackers is one of the components of bartitsu. Counteraction to the group was mainly built with the help of maneuvering. The fighter tried to line up opponents in such a way as to be able to hit each of them in turn, avoiding simultaneous attacks from different lines.
11. Work against weapons / with weapons
- Also one of the key topics of bartitsu.
Initially, not only the main, but also the only weapon of bartitsu was a cane. However, very quickly the knife entered the arsenal, as the decisive argument of the majority of attacking robbers.
Then the arsenal continued to expand, adopting more and more unusual items as weapons. First, Barton Wright added the umbrella tricks, then the chair appeared. Finally, in 1903 (the last year of the Academy's work), a completely unprecedented self-defense weapon appeared - a bicycle. Barton Wright himself said that this idea came to him from practical experience. Allegedly, once during a bike ride, ill-wishers attacked him. Edward William, of course, managed to fight back, but was unable to hit his opponents, who escaped safely. To prevent such troubles from happening again, he developed several tricks with a bicycle.
12. Work on the ground (in the parterre)
- In theory, this section should have been developed into bartitsu. However, there are no such devices in the works of Barton Wright. Apparently, the idea that a gentleman might end up on the ground during a battle has not yet been formed.
13. Work in non-standard conditions, from non-standard opponents (in water, in the dark, confined space, from a dog, etc.)
- Non-standard conditions are close to the concept of bartitsu. Confined space or limited visibility (darkness) should have played a large role in the training of a versatile fighter. But, apparently, such exercises remained behind the scenes, and were not included in the arsenal of bartitsu known to us.
14. Psychological preparation
- I think that the very idea of self-defense, which was new, unprecedented and unusual, was partly responsible for the psychological preparation of the bartitsu fighter at the beginning of the 20th century. Now, every second (and even more) man in one way or another in his life came into contact with martial arts. And in those days it was quite a rare occurrence. Moreover, not martial arts in general, but self-defense. That is, an idea that allows a gentleman to remain completely safe in any situation. This formed a special image of the Bartitsu adept - strong, fearless, calm, attentive. In January 1901, journalist Mary Nugent wrote about the Academy: "A huge underground hall, white-tiled walls, electric lights and champions roaming like tigers."
15. Other effects from classes (wellness, developmental, etc.)
- It is known that apart from, in fact, martial arts, Barton Wright was seriously fond of healing. The bartitsu system included therapeutic procedures involving the use of heat, vibration, light and various radiation.
Later, after the closure of the Academy, Barton Wright continued his professional career as a healer. Moreover, he also called his methods of cure bartitsu …
16. Unique features of the direction (style, school)
- At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, almost every feature of bartitsu was its unique feature. A new, unprecedented phenomenon was the very idea of self-defense, a new step was the unification of the styles of the East and the West, the use of improvised objects as weapons turned out to be new, the treatment of the history of martial arts (the class of ancient fencing by Alfred Hutton) was new. However, now it is impossible to surprise with any of the above. In the modern world, bartitsu is more of an original hobby that combines martial arts, love of history, trendy steam punk and detective motives in the style of Sherlock Holmes.
Perhaps that is why the modern bartitsu has noticeably departed from the original ideas and even gave rise to a new phenomenon - neabortitsu. The authors of this trend argue that neobartitsu is the kind of bartitsu it could become now if the Academy had not been closed in 1903 and would have existed to this day. The idea is interesting, but not indisputable. In any case, the main form of neobartitsu embodiment today is stage combat. Technically, this may be close to Barton Wright's ideas of diversity, but ideologically it is unlikely.
17. Application in life (a case of self-defense, when the student was able to defend himself in this direction)
- But there is such an example in our practice. And, oddly enough, it is connected precisely with the practice of neobartitsu, that is, with the stage direction.
One of our teachers - Galina Chernova - after a rehearsal of a staged battle, was attacked by a raider who snatched her mobile phone. Galina caught up with him and entered the battle, during which, unconsciously, she used one of the techniques that she practiced during the rehearsal. She jerked him by the shoulder, turning him forward, and grabbed his Adam's apple with her left hand, and with her right she swung for a specific straight in the nose and shouted: "Give me my phone!". The reception brought victory. What's most interesting is that we practiced that technique at that rehearsal.
There is also an example from the legend of Barton Wright. It was illustrated by another instructor of ours who did not practice bartitsu. He was attacked while cycling. Further - all according to the scenario of the founding father. He was able to repel the attack, but the bicycle prevented the enemy from hitting. The attacker left unpunished.
Add. questions:
18. Why has such an interesting and innovative Academy closed?
- On the closure of the Academy. Here is a snippet from my article on bartitsu:
Bartitsu Academy could not stand the competition with more traditional and (importantly) cheaper clubs. Additional difficulties arose from several unsuccessful demonstrations, where Barton-Wright's henchmen tarnished the reputation of Alma Mater. To top it all, the academy's most reputable instructors, such as the Japanese masters Yukio Tani and Sadakazu Uyenishi, and the Swiss authority Pierre Vigny, suddenly opened their own schools, the first of which they were, as expected. in such non-gentlemanly cases, clients who came from the advertising campaign of Barton Wright.
The founder of the school could not bear this blow. Already in 1903, the Academy of Weapons and Physical Culture was closed forever …
