The Bartitsu Club of New York City

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans!

>>Walt Whitman, widely considered to be one of America's greatest poets, extolled the virtues of self-care and the mind–body connection. In a series of thirteen newspaper installments, written in 1858 for The New York Atlas under the pseudonym Mose Velsor - unearthed more than 150 years later by a University of Houston graduate student — Whitman adopted the role of advice columnist. Velsor dispensed tips on "manly" health issues, including alcohol use, depression, diet, exercise, physical beauty, s*x, socialization, and a host of other subjects.

Happy Easter!

Great news! A third volume of the Bartitsu Compendium has been published. This is an invaluable resource for practitioners. A photograph of our NYC club appears in the final pages.

The Bartitsu Compendium, Volume 3: What Bartitsu Was and What it Can Be The Bartitsu Compendium, Volume 3: What Bartitsu Was and What it Can Be

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today in literary history, Sherlock Holmes fell to his death at Reichenbach Falls... but he was resurrected eight years later, revealing that he survived thanks to his knowledge of "baritsu, or the Japanese system of wrestling." The spelling (and the characterization) were not entirely accurate, but nevertheless, Bartitsu might have been forgotten without this famous literary incident. https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/05/may-4-1891.html #.YnLq_IfMIdU

I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere: May 4, 1891 While Star Wars fans mark the day with "May the 4th be with you," to Sherlockians, May 4th has always held a sad memory of Sherlock Holmes's tussle with Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls.

“If you are a student,” Whitman writes, “be also a student of the body . . . realizing that a broad chest, a muscular pair of arms, and two sinewy legs will be just as much credit to you, and stand you in hand through your future life, equally with your geometry, your history, your classics, your law, medicine, or divinity. Let nothing divert you from your duty to your body.”

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/want-to-work-out-like-walt-whitman-or-henry-viii-try-these-historic-fitness-regimes-180979961/

Want to Work Out Like Walt Whitman or Henry VIII? Try These Historic Fitness Regimens Travel through time by lifting like passengers on the Titanic or swimming like the sixth U.S. president

Happy Boxing Day!

Interesting article about the “Unwillingness to Fight” rule in competitive fencing.

Fencers Refused to Fight. Then Came the Rule That Changed the Sport. After fencers spent too much time dancing around doing nothing, the sport introduced a new way to force the action—and it has already introduced new thrills at the Olympics.

Some people have emailed me to ask when NYC Bartitsu classes will resume. A few of the rental studios have re-opened, but they have strict policies about distancing. Outdoor classes are a possibility, but we can't practice Vigny cane (or any other weapon) unless we meet in a remote area of Central Park, as we did back in 2011 - but we were often rained out.

I am hoping the policies will be relaxed in the fall because practicing martial arts while remaining six feet apart at all times is pretty much impossible.

MASKS: Covering the mouth and nose are mandatory to enter the studios and in all common areas.

SOCIAL DISTANCING: Rule of six feet distancing to be maintained at all times in reception area, hallways, and studios.

50% OCCUPANCY: Limited Room Capacity provides proper social distancing of 6 feet.

HALLWAYS & LOBBY: Must be kept empty. Please plan accordingly.

Happy Independence Day!

Great news: after a long hiatus, the official Bartitsu Society Web site is back online! This is the best place to go if you are new to the study of Bartitsu, and it offers a slew of resources for practitioners. http://bartitsusociety.com/

bartitsusociety.com Since a catastrophic technical failure of the original Bartitsu.org site in April of 2019, we have been working behind the scenes to recover and restore the site, primarily via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.

On this day in 1891, Sherlock Holmes fell to his apparent death at the Reichenbach Falls - but he returned three years later.

"We tottered together upon the brink of the fall. I have some knowledge, however, of baritsu, or the Japanese system of wrestling, which has more than once been very useful to me. I slipped through his grip, and he with a horrible scream kicked madly for a few seconds, and clawed the air with both his hands. But for all his efforts he could not get his balance, and over he went." - Sherlock Holmes in "The Empty House"

https://sherlockology.tumblr.com/post/49584885446/reichenbach-date

Sherlockology On this day in 1891, Sherlock Holmes fell to his apparent death at the Reichenbach Falls, as depicted in the pages of 'The Final Problem'. From wikipedia: Out of many waterfalls in the Bernese...

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Here's a nice overview of Irish stick fighting by instructor Maxime Chouinard. https://hemamisfits.com/2015/02/03/what-is-irish-stick-fighting/

What is Irish stick fighting? All about the art of Irish stick fighting or Bataireacht.