'Sparring exercises ensure that our Bartitsu training stays rooted in what is combatively practical, rather than evolving into “fantasy fighting”. That said, again, free-play (sparring and stick fencing) should be balanced with scenario-based self defence exercises, acknowledging that the artificial conditions of athletic competition only mimic some of the circumstances of a real fight. Barton-Wright was adamant that Bartitsu itself was primarily a method of practical self defence.'
From Bartitsu.org