“Robert Downey, Jr. (Sherlock Holmes) is himself a passionate student of the martial arts, specifically Wing Chun kung fu. Stylistically, there is comparatively little to call between Wing Chun and the transitional London Prize Ring/early Queensberry Rules method of English boxing, which was likely what Conan Doyle had in mind for Holmes and which was incorporated into Bartitsu by (the style’s founder, E.W.) Barton-Wright. Both styles emphasize linear punching with vertical fists and protecting the central line of the body via skillful defense, including both percussive blocks and deflective parries. The two styles are so technically similar that it has even been speculated that Wing Chun may have been influenced by bare-knuckle boxing via European travelers visiting China – an intriguing, but unprovable theory.” (The Bartitsu Society, “The substance of style: A review of the martial arts action in ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’”)
Nifty!