DarrylZero wrote:
There was at least one story (I can't recall the title) where reference was made to Holmes' abilities as a boxer, and that he was good enough to have done it professionally and been successful. In "The Adventure of the Empty House" (I think that's the name) Holmes mentions that he had studied baritsu, which is believed to be a typo of bartitsu, a Victorian-era version of mixed martial arts.
In fact, Holmes credited his expertise in "baritsu" for his ability to wrestle Moriarty off the edge of Richenbach Falls. He was also noted as an excellent single-stick fighter (the reason he carried a cane with him), and Watson said (in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band") that Holmes was an expert swordsman, although we never actually got to see Holmes fence. On the other hand, while he knew the trigger from the barrel, Holmes was apparently only a mediocre shot, and depended on Watson for anything to do with pistols (Watson having learned how to shoot both revolvers and rifles while in the army, in the Second Afghan War).
Interestingly enough, Holmes' personality traits and ability to find evidence not readily apparent to others were reportedly based on one of Arthur Conan Doyle's professors at university, a man dedicated to the practice of logical thought in all things.
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