Sherlock Holmes...the martial artist
A look at Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous private detective and his connection to the arts of self-defence.
"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."
The Adventure of the Empty House by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
My dear readers, please listen. Hear the sounds of horse-drawn carriages, moving proudly, over cobbled streets of Victorian London... a peak-capped newspaper boy, shouting out dramatic headlines... a street trader, announcing the bargain price of a bag of roasted chestnuts... a policeman's screeching whistle, as a bunch of heckling street urchins run wild and soon out of range, of the ruddy-faced bobby.
Now, drift into the warm interior of a study, situated above the bustling street. With its long, ever so dusty curtains, ever so slightly open for the ever so occasionally needed, undetected glance out. The room has a high ceiling.
On an ornate, low table is a chess board, conveying an unfinished game played by one person possibly playing both sides, and a reserved silver tea set.
There is a sturdy oak desk, full of newspaper cuttings, and letters some opened; some lying defiantly neglected.
A saber perches, valiantly on the wall. An embroidered, faded armchair is angled next to a fireplace, and on the floor, an almost anarchistic assortment of stacks of books; lots of books...
Now, try to hear the somber crackling of flames from the fireplace and a faint piece of violin music, played at measured yet expressive pace.
Let’s enter the world of that Victorian detective, master of deduction, lone gentleman, and skilled exponent, in the martial arts. Yes, that's right, in at least one of his books, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, conveys that Holmes has skills in the arts of self-defence.
It begins with an engineer....
In Victorian England there existed a man, by the name of Edward William Barton-Wright, who was actually teaching the gentlemen of London, how to protect themselves.
As a mining engineer, Barton-Wright had worked in Japan, and whilst in Kobe, he had studied Ju Jitsu and Judo.
No doubt, the principles of leverage, force redirection, body mechanics and structural integrity, would have appealed to his engineer's mind. He had also worked in The Straits, and perhaps even during this time in Malaysia and Singapore, he may have developed some further awareness of the Eastern arts.
In 1899, he developed his own system called Bartitsu. He was, in some ways, ahead of his time.
Before W. E Fairbairn developed his fighting method, for the SOE, which combined elements from multiple, gritty fighting styles, before Bruce Lee, with his 'absorb what is useful' approach, known as Jeet Kune Do; Barton-Wright was combining Eastern and European methods, to make up his well-rounded art.
He took aspects from English boxing (most likely bare knuckle) and wrestling( Great Britain has a history of various wrestling styles and there is a French style, I was once shown, called Parisian Wrestling).
He absorbed from the French foot fighting art of Savate and La Canne, a stick fighting method. The latter art being something well suited to the cane carrying gentleman of Paris or London.
As someone who has spent much of his life, developing this combined portal of practical personal safety knowledge that is Tri-Tier
I have spent much time researching these earlier pioneers, of eclectic combative systems and many others. It was fascinating to learn that it was Barton-Wright's art that gave inspiration for the method, Sherlock Holmes states he studied, called Baritsu.
A dangerous city...
Victorian London certainly had it's fair share of street crime and violence; as it still does today. It would make sense that Holmes, as a crime fighting sleuth, to have a grounded interest, in all manner of self-protection.
Holmes is an intelligent, thinking man's hero. He is a gentleman; though not unperturbed by the hard edges of street life and he also is perhaps drawn to adventure and visceral, wilder realms and states of being.
Holmes is someone fighting his own demons and sometimes, the shadows get the better of him. Yet Holmes, with his intellectual prowess, logic and sharp observation skills, is unlikely to see much appeal in a wild, pugilistic slug fest.
I could imagine Holmes, seeing value in that which gets the job done quickly. He would embrace efficiently, to get him out of fixes... when facing gang scenarios or facing the lone yet dangerous antagonist.
Given the way he is portrayed in terms of build and manner, he most likley respond without reliance, on the type of physical, domineering brawn of the life hardened, pugilistic, bull dog like street thugs.
Flow don't clash...
Holmes refers to Baritsu as 'the Japanese wrestling system' and the way he defeats masterful villain Professor Moriarty, implies his ability to use the yielding ways that Japanese arts, such as Ju Jitsu and Daito Ryu Aikijutsu, make use of. He uses timing and his nemesis's incoming momentum, to send him over the Reichenbach Falls.
In other words, he played water to the Professor's fire. Holmes's opponents were often diverse- from different cultures or layers of society.
Sometimes it was the skilled, unorthodox individual, or the scheming plotter, quick to draw a pistol or cast a trap, or gangs from the underbelly of criminal worlds.
Multiple attacks don't allow for complex joint locks to be administered, as you're too exposed, to other parties. Yet they might be used to restrain a fleeing suspect or gain the upper hand, on the lone attacker.
That being said, old Japanese warrior arts of the samurai, were designed to survive multiple opponents, on the battlefield, but this would have involved continuous movement and good footwork.
Different occasions require different evasions...
It could be assumed that Holmes did know the full repertoire of arts that were merged, to form Bartitsu.
He might have seen merit in some of Savate's low level kicks to slow down, distract or immobilise a thug, wielding a street cudgel, bottle or granite fists.
Savate was actually taught to French gentleman to handle ruffians, with the toe end of the pointed boot or shoe, often delivering the blow. Holmes might have adapted La Canne to any implement at his disposable, from stick, umbrella or cane.
A deft fist fighting combination may also have come in handy, in more scrappy, up- close affairs. The boxers of that era were more adept at striking bare knuckle, often using a more precise vertical fist.
Interestingly, Robert Downey Jr's on screen portrayal of Holmes, saw him using the vertical fist, at times, and this may relate to Downey Jr's dedication to Wing Chun Kung Fu.
Holmes would also have seen worth in Ju Jitsu's rolling techniques for those moments when needing to soften a landing, or negotiate an urban obstacle or if thrown, pushed or flung.
Reimagining Holmes...
Someone once asked me, what other arts I thought, Holmes might be drawn to. The fact that he was a private investigator, often needing to be in stealth mode, I think Holmes would have found use in the arts of the Shinobi.
Even today, as I continue to work in the private investigation sector, the great priority is often to go unnoticed. Guile and blending in would be of much use to one, in Holmes's profession.
In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Sign of Four, the movement of Holmes is described as: ‘swift, silent and furtive’, conveying some of his own stealth like prowess.
Taijutsu, the hand to hand and movement skills of the Shinobi, with it's elusive and natural body movement principles, might also captivate Holmes.
Along with techniques to evade, confuse and surprise the enemy, old Japanese arts also had sneaky tactics- targeting bone, muscle, nerve and morale, that he could have put to good use, especially when up against a stronger adversary. I imagine Holmes would be intrigued, by the history at the very least.
Holmes is portrayed as a keen observer into unusual cultures and worldly affairs. His innate curiosity would likely draw him into many obscure fighting methods, with a more esoteric nature. It would be no surprise to see Sun Tzu's The Art of War, on his book shelf or Musashi's Book of Five Rings.
Holmes, applying Sun Tzu's advice, on knowing your enemy would invariably make an effort to research everything from: the assassination techniques of the Indian Thugee cult to improvised street weapons of Industrial England to the duelling Fencing methods, used across Europe or the knife fighting ways of gypsy gangs.
(I recall a Romanian security associate sharing with me the deceptive blade tactics of their gypsy gangs and a Russian expert in hand to hand, showing the ruthless kidnapping tactics of criminal gangs, over there. So in Tri- Tier, we also believe in being aware of global methods of unleashing violence).
The probing, knowledge thirsty private detective would also perhaps have been intrigued, by the be like water fluidity of Taoist arts and their vast knowledge, regarding the energetic body, especially if it furthered his ability to read situations or people.
Though the attire worn of someone in Sherlock Holmes circles may limit some of the more expansive Eastern movements.
Being from a traditional English upbringing, where body movement would inevitably be expressed in a more reserved manner, unless on the sports field, Holmes would probably have found less appeal in some of Eastern arts which tended to embress acrobatic or animalistic movements or mindsets.
Holmes, with his discerning manner, would also quickly see, what methods would be of little use to him and he would know that, even with his fascination with the arcane and physical, that one should not underestimate or unduly expose them self to pistol, rifle or more subtle methods of hostility.
Further insights on Holmes…
We might also consider that Holmes, through different stages of his life, might have been moving based on his physical capabilities, at that time and, as his experience developed, with age, maybe he’d have become more subtle and cerebral.
I also suspect that a younger Holmes would have been even more keen to interact and learn from others, from all facets of society and the world of that era, provided they could offer something intriguing, to his alert mind.
Later, the character, perhaps based on his challenges, tribulations and encounters, seems enter further into the terrain of the isolated loner.
For Holmes, curiosity gives him power; yet sometimes it also has a damaging impact on him. Also, with such powerful observation skills, he could no doubt read many potential threats in advance and often avoid them.
Tis almost time for us to leave 221b Baker Street and this dip into the fictional world, finely crafted by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. One more point though, before the night carriage arrives...
This feature has focused on Holmes and his martial art connection, along with his abilities to defend himself and others. Holmes, however, is also portrayed as being resourceful.
Throughout the streets of London, he has his eyes every where, from street orphans to other colourful contacts that merge into his surrounding London landscape. A useful skill even for the modern investigator.
This I believe is something else that can come out of this seemingly base yet eclectic training martial craft. These arts provide a way to better perceive one’s surroundings, to interact more freely with people, and allows one to offer service, where we can.
To echo the quote listed at the start, I also trust that the training we do, or the knowledge shared, within these notes, 'has more than once been very useful...' to you dear reader.
Aran
About the author
Based in London, Aran Dharmeratnam is the founder of Tri-Tier. He specialises in personal safety, unconventional tactics and resilience training. With experience in various areas of the security sector, Aran also works with global security companies involved in private investigations and strategic intelligence. He has been deployed on the ground, in numerous cases. Aran’s insights have featured in The Financial Times, The Spectator, Aviation Security International, and Security Management Today.
For consultations or training contact: office@tri-tier.com