Shillelagh or Irish Stick Fighting

St. Patrick's Day was this week, so let's celebrate the shillelagh, or blackthorn walking stick and its fighting style. As Jon Mills explained in his post, the general Irish term for stick fighting is Bataireacht. The shillelagh itself is a single piece of blackthorn or oak about three feet long. Longer sticks were called wattles…

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The Legacy of Irish Martial Arts

My blood began to boil, my temper I was losing. And poor old Erin's Isle, they all began abusing. "Hurrah! my boys," says I, my shillelagh I let fly. Some Galway boys were by, they saw I was a hobble in; Then with a loud "hurrah !" they joined me in the fray.      …

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Mind in Bartitsu

Our four-session introduction to Bartitsu includes the four component disciplines of the art: Jujitsu, pugilism, savate and walking stick self defence. However, there is a critical fifth component: the mind. Your brain directs your body in voluntary actions, and control of your focus, awareness and choices is critically important in dangerous situations. Your assailant likewise…

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Beginners Courses for Next Year/ January

A new year is coming so get into our next round of Beginner's Courses! Prepare for swinging swords and pulling punches. We offer three different courses which cover different avenues of Western Martial Arts: Fight Like Sherlock Holmes Bartitsu is a complex martial art with many interlocking skills. Our four-week Fight Like Sherlock Holmes course gives students…

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