the consensus is that it’s extremely difficult to accurately learn any martial art solely via books or DVDs. I’d certainly recommend studying with a qualified instructor in the first instance; the styles most directly applicable to Bartitsu (and reasonably likely to be widely available) would include judo, any of the various traditional forms of jiujitsu, (kick)boxing and Filipino stick fighting. The aim would be to develop the skills of co-ordination, “tactical instincts” etc. that you could eventually transfer into learning Bartitsu if that still took your fancy.

If you’re interested in Bartitsu generally then I recommend the two volumes of the Bartitsu Compendium, which cover a wide range of historical and technical information.

I live outside U.K. and am completely uninitiated in any martial arts, although I have been thinking of learning one for quite some time. While doing some research on what I should start with, I came upon this page and was immediately hooked.

Should I learn certain other martial arts before trying on Bartitsu? And is there a book, DVD, or any other resource that might help me along?

I’m sure this could be arranged. However your best bet will be to post this on the Bartitsu Mailing List – http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/Bartitsu_Forum/.

James Marwood, who co-moderates this site, teaches regular classes in modern Bartitsu.

If you’re in London or able to travel, we are currently planning a major Bartitsu conference there in April of next year.

No sé de ningún Bartitsu maestros en la Argentina. Si usted lee Inglés, usted debe obtener los libros Bartitsu Compendio y usarlas para desarrollar un plan de estudios.

see the classes listed at http://www.bartitsu.org/index.php/bartitsu-today/ .

If there are no classes near you, you might consider setting up your own study group.

Cheers,

Tony