The case of the imaginary sensei

[DdlR]

Modern purveyors of Bullshido could learn a thing or two from this guy:

http://www.bartitsu.org/index.php/20...ginary-sensei/

[Lebell]

DdlR: plus rep for you, you always have the coolest historical links and finds, you do not get enough credit for that.

[LThornton]

I am just as glad that Sensei Ashikaga is imaginary, as I find his refusal to wear pants in that ad perturbing.

[DdlR]

Wearing shorts with a gi jacket was pretty typical of early European jujitsu practice:

YouTube- "Textbook of Ju-jutsu" (1905) re-animated

[Styygens]

I've heard of "no-gi" jiu jitsu, but "top-half-gi" jiu jitsu?

Although this is giving me an idea for these upcoming, sweltering summer months... Hmmm...

[Yoj]

I expect no gi pants, or rather, very short gi pants was probably common, it's not so much they aren't wearing pants, it's more they aren't wearing hakama.

[TheMightyMcClaw]

I've heard of "no-gi" jiu jitsu, but "top-half-gi" jiu jitsu?

You mean Sambo?

[cuatro76]

Is there any record of these old school Judoka, Bartitsuka, Savateurs, Boxers etc ever getting together for UK throwdowns? Or at least to compare mustaches and shorty-shorts?

[DdlR]

Is there any record of these old school Judoka, Bartitsuka, Savateurs, Boxers etc ever getting together for UK throwdowns? Or at least to compare mustaches and shorty-shorts?

Yes, inter-style challenge matches were pretty common. Jujitsu vs. wrestling contests were promoted by E.W. Barton-Wright around 1900-01 and there were also jujitsu vs. boxing, jujitsu vs. savate, etc. challenges in Japan, the US, Hawaii and France.

Barton-Wright's Japanese champions (Yukio Tani and Sadakazu Uyenishi) made sports headlines by taking on much bigger men in their bouts, and they almost always won. OTOH the European wrestlers were kind of set up to lose by being required to wear gi jackets and fight according to the then-novel jujitsu (submission) rules.

[cuatro76]

Yes, inter-style challenge matches were pretty common. Jujitsu vs. wrestling contests were promoted by E.W. Barton-Wright around 1900-01 and there were also jujitsu vs. boxing, jujitsu vs. savate, etc. challenges in Japan, the US, Hawaii and France.

Barton-Wright's Japanese champions (Yukio Tani and Sadakazu Uyenishi) made sports headlines by taking on much bigger men in their bouts, and they almost always won. OTOH the European wrestlers were kind of set up to lose by being required to wear gi jackets and fight according to the then-novel jujitsu (submission) rules.

So they weren't exactly "fixed" but the promoter always set up the rules to favor their fighter. I wish Guy Ritchie would make a movie about this.

[Styygens]

You mean Sambo?

Touche.

Kinky Russians.

[DdlR]

So they weren't exactly "fixed" but the promoter always set up the rules to favor their fighter. I wish Guy Ritchie would make a movie about this.

While we're waiting for that happy day, this upcoming documentary will at least touch on the early mixed-styles contests:

YouTube- Documentary preview: "Bartitsu - the Lost Martial Art of Sherlock Holmes"

From Barton-Wright's POV, or at least his argument in favor of using jujitsu rules in mixed JJ/wrestling challenges, jacketed submission wrestling was a better simulation of actual self-defense than was wrestling to a throw or pin.

[CrackFox]

Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but what do you guys usually do in a Bartitsu club? Do you have regular training or is it more that you have occasional seminars?

I ask because I've had it at the back of my mind to try and set up a Bartitsu thing for a while now. If I set something up, it would probably be unashamedly LARPy, and geared more towards people who already do judo/boxing/whatever and want to have a laugh, or history buffs who want to try things out.

So yeah, what do you do, and how do you get started?

[DdlR]

It' still early days for the practical revival, but there are a few clubs and ongoing courses here and there, and quite a number of seminars. http://www.bartitsu.org/index.php/bartitsu-today/ lists pretty much everything going on training-wise and if you scroll down the page it also offers some suggestions for setting up study groups.

Best if you're serious would be to join the Bartitsu Forum - http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/Bartitsu_Forum/ . Almost all the serious enthusiasts are members and it's a notably active, positive group.