In Holmes' spare time, he had more than a few hobbies. In addition to constantly studying the latest news, he honed his various skills and tracked the latest developments in the many fields he studied to aid him in catching criminals.

In STUD, Watson notes that Holmes "[i]s an expert singlestick player, boxer, and swordsman." Singlestick is a martial art related to fencing and stick fighting using a wooden weapon; and stick fighting is the use of a a small staff, cane or walking stick as a blunt hand weapon -- a skill that would assist Holmes in his line of work a great many times, to be sure - and it is certainly why Holmes made certain his walking stick was with him or Watson in times of danger when hand to hand fighting was likely instead of gun play. His interest in fencing and boxing is again noted in GLOR.

Holmes mentions in EMPT, "I have some knowledge, however, of baritsu, or the Japanese system of wrestling, which has more than once been very useful to me." Baritsu, as it has been noted by other scholars, is not a Japanese word. But, there is a word for a martial art developed in England during the late 1890s and early 1900s that drew on older forms of Jiujitsu, a Japanese martial art (for use in close quarters) using grappling and joint lock techniques, basic strikes and sweeps, and ground fighting. This new martial art drew not only from Jiujitsu, but also boxing, wrestling, French Savate (kick-boxing), and stick fighting. Surely a Holmes that was already interested in boxing, singlestick, and fencing would have been interested in the combination of these techniques and the addition of the close quarters defensive style of Jiujitsu. This new art's founder, Edward William Barton-Wright, gave a series of demonstrations or “assaults at arms” at various London venues between 1898 and 1904; and he was the first to bring the Japanese art to England. The name of this new art: Bartitsu. Can there be any question that this is what Watson meant? I thought not. The difference of one letter seems rather silly, in hind sight. Surely if one found the original manuscript (and could decipher the good Doctor's writing), one would find the missing "t".

Holmes' grisly interest in detective arts led him to some interesting pursuits. In BLAC, he said, “If you could have looked into Allardyce's back shop, you would have seen a dead pig swung from a hook in the ceiling, and a gentleman in his shirt sleeves furiously stabbing at it with this spear. I was that energetic person, and I have satisfied myself that by no exertion of my strength can I transfix the pig with a single blow.”

In GLOR he proves a capable bird hunter, shooting ducks and as a fisherman in GLOR and SHOS.

It has been suggested that Holmes might have been a golfer from a Canon discussion of golf clubs GREE. However, knowing that Watson had more of a natural turn toward outdoor sports than Holmes, it is more likely that Watson initiated the conversation. Holmes certainly made some study of golf clubs but rather in regards to its effects as a blunt instrument upon the body and skull instead of mere sport (much like the spear experiment described above).

Holmes also passed a great deal of time studying organic chemistry (GLOR). In fact, he created a new blood test in STUD. Many of the objects found in his 221B lab are described in the Sitting Room.

As for matter regarding the divine, Holmes did attend chapel during his time at university. But (so far as we know) never after that.