FOREWORD This This docu document ment is an attem attempt pt at a fait faithf hful ul transc transcri ripti ptio on of the the original document. Special effort has been made to ensure that orig origin inal al spel spelli ling ng,, line line-b -bre reak aks, s, odd odditie itiess of type typessetti etting ng,, and and vocabulary are left intact, and when possible, similar fonts have been used. used. This This may include include langua language ge which which could could be deeply offensive or considered “politically incorrect” by modern standards as well as apparent errors in spelling such as “ shapely,” which is
ass assumed med to have inte ntende nded to be “shar harply” on pp44 or “themelves” on pp73. This has has been left left intact, intact, unmodi unmodified, fied, in in order to preserve preserve the historic nature nature of the text. The text contains contains original formatting and and image scans. All rights are reserved reserved except those specifically granted herein. he rein. You may distribute this document in whole, provided that you dist distri ribu bute te the the enti entirre docum ocumen entt incl includ udiing this this disc discla laim imeer, attributions, transcriber forewords, etc., and also provided that you charge no money for the work excepting excepti ng a nominal nominal fee to t o cover the costs of the media on or in which it is distributed. You may not distribute this document in any for-pay or price-metered medium without permission. SPECIAL THANKS Special thanks to Professor Bruno Cruicchi, collector and life-long Martial Artist for providing the original of this book for me to republish. DEDICATION Special dedication to my energetic and enthusiastic son Christop Christopher her,, my stunnin stunningly gly beauti beautiful ful daught daughter er Alliso Allison, n, and my lovely and understanding wife Mylinda. -Kirk Lawson
THE
STRAIGHT LEFT AND
HOW TO CULTIVATE IT
JIM DRISCOLL, RETIRED UNDEFEATED FEATHER-WEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD.
THE THE
STRAIGHT LEFT AN D
HOW TO CULTIVATE IT BY
JIM DRISCOLL ( Retired Retired Undefeated Feather-weight Champion of the World)
FOURTH EDITION, REVISED
LINK HOUSE 54 & 55 FETTER LANE
LONDON
CONTENTS CHAP
PAGE
I.— W HY H Y T H E S TR T R AI A I GH G H T L EF E F T H AS AS OLD
R E PU P U TA TAT I ON O N —T —T H E
CESSFUL
F I RS RS T
BOXING—THE
A US U S TR T R AL A L I AN AN DENC E;
L OS O S T M UC U C H O F I TS TS E S SE S E N TI TI A L T O
CONVERSION
S U CC-
OF
AN
E X PE P E RT RT —C — C IR I R C UM U M S TA TA NT N T I AL AL
AND
ITS
F A U LT S — T H E
E V II-
BRUTE
FORCE
GAMBLE——THE CLUB OR RAPIER COMPARISON—THE E VO V O LU L U TI T I ON ON
O F T HE HE
S WO W O RD R D - PL P L AY AY A ND ND
I TS TS
C LO L O SE SE
CONNECTION VVITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF BOXING —A II.— T HE HE
P R O F I TA B L E
C UL U LT
QUENT
OF
T HE HE
EF FEC T
A S PI P I RI R I NG NG
-
“COFFEE
F EN E N C IN IN G
I M IT I TAT OR OR S P U NC NC H
HAND T HE HE THE
AS L EF EF T
T HE HE
A
OF
J EFFR I ES ’
B OX O X IN IN G A ND ND
H IT I T TI T I NG NG ,
FOR
PROFIT
NELSON
AND
LOSS
B O DI D I LY LY
P U NI N I S HM H M E NT N T —W — W H EN EN
IV.— O N
TH E
THA N
ARM
BILITY T HE HE T HE HE
OF
W I NN N N I NG NG THE
VA S T
-
-
OF AR E
AIMING
S TR T R AI A I GH GH T
BE
A
AND
T HE HE
PAY —
S ER E R V ED ED —
7
-
P H YS Y S I O LO LO G I ST ST S GO
-
-
-
THE -
-
-
H I TT T T IN IN G —
FA R
LES S
F O R C EF EF U L
P R A C TI T I C AL AL
I M P O S SI SI -
28
A C C U R AT E LY —
A DV D VA NT N TA GE GE S
S TR T R AI A I GH GH T
L EF EF T
E D G E W I SE SE IN
AND
S TR T R AI A I GH GH T
O TH TH ER ER
WEAPON—THE I NC REASE
-
SWING
L EF E F T— T — TH TH E
21
ACCOUNT—THE
-
-
-
F OR O R CE C E FU F U L— L—
-
-
-
R IG I G HT HT
TO
ALL
LOOK—THE
E C ON O N O MI M I ES ES
-
DAGGER —
DEC EIV E—TH EY
SWINGS
T H EY EY
-
F O O T W O R K — FA C I A L
C U LT I VA VAT IO IO N
ROUND
A ND ND
A LW LWAY S
OF
S AM A M E WAY H OM OM E
-
HAD
W IL IL L
SPEEDY
-
ROC K
S WO W O RD R D —B — B EA E A RR - CA C AT S— S—
VA L U E
TO
-
ON
W EL EL S H
B ED ED
THE
FA NC N C IF I F UL UL
W HI H I CH CH
F L AT T E R E D
-
- 15
S L AV I SH SH
F R ED ED D I E
-
-
C ON O N SE SE -
M A XI X I M— M— T H E
T HE HE
B AT T L I N G
Y OU O U TH TH
-
COOLER”
C RA RA Z E— E— T H E
SUBSTITUTE
H AN AN D
PRICE
S TR T R AI A I GH GH T
A ND ND
-
B O X E R S —O —O T H E R
O F B O T H AT TA TA C K A N D D E F EN EN C E III.— T HE HE
-
C OO O O LE L E R” R ” —T — T HE HE
THE
B R I TI T I SH SH
K I DN DN E Y
-
“ CO C O F FE FE E OF
I M I TA TAT I ON O N S —T —T H E —THE
STUDY
DAMAGED
AS
OF A
S TA N C E— E— HANDS
40
8
LIST OF CONTENTS
CHAP
PAGE
V.— T HE HE BE
P LA L AT FO F O RM RM
P UN U N CH C H BA B A LL L L —A — A ND ND
T RE R E AT AT ED E D —R — R EG E G AR AR D
AV OI OI D
A LL LL
F RI RI L L S F IG I G HT HT
IT AS A
T EM E M PT P TAT IO IO N
IN
YOUR
H OW OW
F OR OR
L IV IV E
Y OU OU R
S HA H A DO D O W - BO B O XI X I NG NG
F RE RED
W EL E L SH S H IS IS
S TR T R AI A I GH GH T
Y OU OU R
P RA R A CT C T IC IC E
W O RK R K —W — W OR OR K
S PA PA RR R R I NG NG
P R A C TI T I C E— E—
W ER ER E I N T HE HE S ER E R IO I O US U S LY LY —
P RA R A CT C T IC IC E
O UT UT
OR
S Y S T EM E M W H I C H W I LL LL S U I T Y O U B E S T VI.— S TU T U DY DY
A ND ND
P U N C H B A L L — T R EA EAT
S HA H A DO D O WW- BO B O XI X I NG NG
L EF EF T
W OR OR K
B A L L - P U N C HI H I NG NG
“ C A M PB PB E L L ”
S HO H O UL UL D
O PP P P ON O N EN E N T— T—
FA NC NC Y
T H E B A LL L L A S T HO H O UG U G H Y OU OU
R I NG NG — T H E
IT
-
F OR OR
A DA D A PT PT
-
-
PA RT RT NE N E RS R S —T — T HE HE
-
-
A -
-
45
D EV E V EL E L OP OP -
M E NT N T O F F O RC R C E I N P U NC N C H I NG N G P OW O W E R— R — A CC C C U RA R AT E T I MI M I NG NG
IS
TH E
REAL
S EC EC RE R E T —T —T H E
“ C AR A R P ET ET-
D R I V E ” PA R A L L EL EL — T H E S T R A I G H T P U N C H A N D T H E “ HA H AY MA M A RK R K ET E T ”— ” — AD AD . — WH WH Y WH Y
I
T HE HE H AV E
W OL O L GA G A ST ST ’ S
S WI W I NG N G ER ER
M I SS S S ES ES
O C C AS A S IO I O NA N A LL L LY
B RO R O KE KE N SO
B ON O N ES ES
F RE R E QU Q U EN E N TL T LY-
S W UN UN G
P UN U N C HE HE S
M Y SE S E LF L F — TH T H E O N LY LY E XC X C E PT P T I ON O N T O T H E R U LE LE VII.— T H E
STRAIGHT
E SS S S EN E N TI T I AL A L —S — S TO TO P
LEFT
IN
-
-
52
D E F EN EN C E— E — A C CU CU R A C Y
S UD U D DE D E NL N LY
A ND ND
H IT IT
S TR T R AI A I GH GH T
59
VIII.— T H E S T RA R A I GH G H T L E FT F T I N AT TA TA C K— K — T HE H E R I GH G H T C R OS OS S C OU O U NT N T ER E R —T —T H E
L E FT FT
C OU O U NT N T E R —T —T H E
O F P U N C H D E V EL EL O P M E N T
-
-
-
-
M ET ET HO H O DS DS -
-
-
-
69
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Page
JIM
DRISCOLL,
WEIGHT
CHAMPION
POSITION. JUST
RETIRED OF
DRISCOLL FAR
AWAY
ENOUGH
FROM
ENOUGH
TO
LEFT
ON
A BE
TO
THE THE
TO
FACE
ABLE
TO
OR
IS
TO
LEAD,
LEFT
AND IN,
STEP
BODY
Frontispice
WORLD
RIGHT
BE
ABLE
FEATHER -
UNDEFEATED
STANDING PULL
BACK
YET
NEAR
AND
IF
LEAD
HIS
A
OPPONENT
17
HESITATES
PACKEY
MCFARLAND
THE
SIDE
TO
DELIVERY
PROHIBITION
IS
RIGHT
THE
A
OF
FOR
AS
TION
OF
(N.B.—THIS
KIDNEYS
OR
LATTER
THE
THE
POSITION
HEAD,
FRED
OF
TURNING
HOME WELSH’S ROUND,
SENDING
FEINT.
A
OF
THE
READY
HOOK
TO
BE
PRIOR
EITHER
HAND
HOOKED
RIBS TO
FOR
PUNCH)
THE
DEFENSIVE
POSI-
AND
THAT
LEFT
EITHER
TO
TIME
THRUST.
TURNED
CHECKED ATTACK
JIMMY TO
AN BY
STEPPING
THE THE
HEAD
INTENDED
TO
AND THE
9
23
WILDE
THE
IN
18
DELIVERY
BODY
BACK
LEFT
OR THE
OR
THE
TO HALF-
KIDNEY
NOTE
RIGHT
LEFT
PREPARATORY
TO
WAS THE
LEFT
A
HIS (WITH SPECTATOR ) HAS DOUBLE-HANDED SHOOTING
HIS MOUTH
24
10
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
A
TIME BACK ,
SHOT.
DRISCOLL RETREAT,
FEIGNING
DENLY
STOPS
WITH
A
HAS AND
DRAWING
TIMED
SUD-
NOW
OPPONENT’S
HIS
PERFECTLY
BEEN
LEFT
ADVANCE
SHOT
TO
THE
37
MOUTH
A
STRAIGHT STOMACH,
COUNTER
AFTER
HAVING
OPPONENT’S
YOUR
FRED
DYER ’S
ABOUT TO
LEFT
THE
OPPONENT
PIT
LEAD
FOR
POSED
HIS
LEFT;
AND
HOOKING
ARM
ATTEMPTS
TO
OF
AND
HOOK ,
SWING
BENDING
THE
DRAWN
LEFT
LEFT
TO
TO
DUCKED
THE
FACE
AS
STEP
THE
THOUGH
PREPARATORY IT,
AS
WITHOUT
AN ITS
47
CIRCLE
JIMMY
WILDE,
RARELY
OR
“TYLORSTOWN
THE
USES
EITHER
ARMS
PURPOSES,
DEFENSIVE
SWERVE
PACKEY
A N
BACK
INCIDENT
WILL
MCFARLAND’S FACE
WITH
BODY
WITH
TIME
HAS
BOMBARDIER LENGTH
IN
HIS HIS HIS
BILLY OF
ARM, LEFT
WELLS
REACH
AND
AND READY
IN
MEETING
FREDDIE,
DUCKED
RIGHT
A EASE
UNDER
COVERING
HIS
GLOVE,
HIS
AT
48
LEFT
WELSH. IS
OPEN
OWN
SWAY ATTACK
THIRD
HAS
AND
RIGHT
TO AN
THE
AND
LEAD,
FOR
OPEN-GLOVED
NOTICED,
BE
GLOVES
FROM
MCFARLAND
BETWEEN
OR
TERROR ,” ,”
PREFERRING
MCFARLANDIS
HAND.
IT
38
THE FOR
SAME ACTION
POSE
SHOWING
OF
ACTION.
53 54
PREFACE I hav have been een aske asked d to prod produc ucee this his lit little tle trea treattise ise in the hope (at least, that is the way the proposition was was made made)) that that its its appe appear aran ance ce and and exist existen ence ce gener gener-ally ally migh mightt tend tend to pres preser erve ve,, or rath rather er to revi revive ve,, the old old Brit Britis ish h scho school ol of boxi boxing ng,, whic which h so many many peop people le seem to think is in a very bad state of health. We hav have lost lost two two of the the three hree World orld Champ hampio ionnships we held a few years since, and can to-day boast of but one, ne, namely, the Fly-w y-weight title, held by Jimm Jimmy y Wilde ilde.. Even ven this this may may not not rema remain in long long with with us, sinc sincee it is common know nowledg edge that hat the great litt little le Jimm Jimmy y is cont contem empl plat atin ing g reti retire reme ment nt,, and and since since,, when he does retire, his title will assuredly be claimed by Johnny Buff, it would be idle to suppose that we can turn turn to any any of our own boxe boxers rs now now bef before ore the public in the belief that any one of them could keep the Cham Champi pio onshi nship p on thes thesee shore hores. s. Worse orse stil still, l, our our repr repres esent entat ativ ives es have have fail failed ed to cove coverr them themse selv lves es with with any any supe supera rabu bund ndan antt glory lory 1n comp compet etit itio ion n with with ConContinental boxers. It is true that we are better off, for the time bei being, than han we were. ere. We do hold hold the Midd Middle le,, Welte elterr, Ligh Light, t, Banta antam, m, and, and, of cour course se,, the Fly-w y-weig eight Europ uropea ean n Cham hampio pionshi nships ps (Ted (Ted [Kid [Kid]] Lewis holds the first two), but we have no Heavy or Cruiser-weight whom we could venture to send against Georges Carpentier with any prospect of success, nor, even presuming that Joe Fox, or some other featherweight we could turn out, might wrest the European crow rown in his his div divisi ision fro from the pres presen entt holder lder,, the Belgian, Arthur Wyns, could we hope that he would be 11
12
PREFACE
able to hold it agains ainstt that hat brillia liant French nchman, Eugene Criqui. When hen wri writing ting my pref prefac acee to the firs firstt edit editio ion n of this book, I expressed the hope that with the practicall cally y univ univer ersa sall instr instruct uctio ion n in boxi boxing ng enjo enjoyed yed by the the millions of men who joined up for the war, we should at least be able to produce some boxers who would restore our old prestige, but this hope has been doomed to disappointment. It has been a bitter disappointment too. The oppor pportu tuni niti ties es were were ther there, e, but but the the boxe boxers rs who have have “come up”—i ”—if one can apply the term erm to them— during the past few years have shown an utter disregard for the one essential to true success in the ring, ing, the old old Briti ritissh styl style, e, whic hich, despi espite te a not notion ion far too prevalent, is superior and will ever be superior to all others. Its supremacy was derided at one time, say ten or twelve years ago, when most of the world’s titles were held eld by men who prid prided ed thems hemsel elve vess on bei being real real Ameri erican “huskies. es.” Thes hese men were ere great “infigh fighte ters rs.” .” They They soug sought ht clos closee quar quarte ters rs inva invari riab ably ly and and reli relied ed for for thei theirr succ succes esss on thei theirr abili ability ty to assi assimi milat latee pu punis nishment and to deal it out. They hey scorned the use of the the strai traig ght left left,, or els else prof profes esssed to do so. Some of them actually did, relying on swings, hooks and particularly on rough tactics, to batter their way to vict victor ory y. They hey wer were succ succes essf sful ul over over the the “str “strai aigh ghtt left efters” ers” who went up agains ainstt them hem, however, not because their style was superior, but because they hey were ere str stronger and tougher men physi ysicall ally, and because the British stylists whom they met and and defe defeat ated ed were were only only halfhalf-ed educ ucat ated ed pugi pugilis listic tical ally ly.. These might have been able to hit straight, but were ignorant or indifferent to the necessity of putting real force into their punches as well as accuracy of aim.
PREFACE
13
Supr Suprem emac acy y, worl world d supr suprem emac acy y, has has depa depart rted ed from from the swingi nging husky bri brigade ade to-da -day. All the real champ hampiions ons and and firs firstt figh fighte ters rs to-d to-day ay,, Ameri merica can n and and Frenc rench, h, are are “str “strai aig ght-l ht-lef efte ters rs,” ,” disci iscip ples les of the old British school. Jack Dempsey, Tom and Mike Gibb Gibbon ons, s, Harr Harry y Wells ells,, Geor Georg ges Carpe arpent ntie ierr, Benny enny Leonard, Mike O’Dowd, Pete Herman, Eugene Criqui, Johnny Kilbane, Johnny Buff, Ted (Kid) Lewis, Jimmy Wilde, etc., are all men who hit straight, use the left hand as it should be used, are fully aware of the fact act that hat the feet eet are are as impor mporta tant nt as the the hand handss in the boxing game, and are first irst,, las last and all the time, boxers first first and and fighters afterwards. afterwards. They can fight and do. They would not be champions if they didn’t. But when punching they send all their weig eight alo along behi behind nd thei heir delive liverries. ies. If they hey hapap pen pened ed to be Engli nglisshmen men or Welsh lshmen, en, or had not not built up most of their reputation in the United States, the good good old old Engl Englis ish h styl stylee woul would d not not have have suf suffere fered d in repu repute te;; but but becau because se they they are are Ameri America cans— ns—wi with th the the except eption of Wilde lde, who is regar egard ded fondl ndly, but erroneously, as a freak, and Lewis, who is supposed to have learned his boxing in the States, our own misguided youths persist in contemning the advice of the old-t ld-tiime inst nstruc ructors tors,, the “bac “back k num numbers bers”” as they hey consid nsider er them hem to be, be, who coul could d rea really lly teach each the them something. As a res result ult, the yout youths hs who ought to be maki aking good in this country are content to fall into clinches, to hold and to wrestle, to slap and to dab freely to the discredit of the game itself and to the wreck of their own opportunities for self-advancement. It is with the earne arnesst hope of changi nging all this his that hat I have evolved this treati atise. For I am a convinced believer in the straight left. I know that it is the winning card to play, and I want all British boxers to play it.
14
PREFACE
My remarks will not teach you; they may not even help help you you to bec become ome expe expert rt boxe boxers rs,, but but they hey will will at least, or rather, I hope that they will at least, underline some of the faults you may be thereby able to avoid, and they may further faintly indicate now and then hen a few useful moves, punch nches and defensi nsive measures, which may prove profitable. If a perusal of these pages will only do half of these things, then the labour of writing them will not have been in vain.
THE STRAIGHT LEFT CHAPTER I Why the Straight Left has lost much of its old Reputation. The goo good old old str straig aight lef left, whic hich one beli belieeved ved to be be an almo almost st sacr sacred ed insti institut tutio ion, n, has has falle fallen n upon upon evil evil days ays and and in cert certai ain n circ ircles almo almosst into nto disr disreepute pute.. That hat the the las last-m t-ment entioned ned fate fate shoul hould d have ave befa befall llen en it can be somewhat eas easily unde nderst rstood, when one reme rememb mber erss that that the the vast vast major ajorit ity y of stra straig ight ht left lefter erss in these degenerate days are but the feeblest of pu pushers ers, and are conse nsequentl ntly doomed to defeat every time they have the misfortune to run up against a real fighter. The First Essential to Successful Successful Boxing. The Conversion of an Australian Australian Expert. A long succession of these calamities has convinced the majority of Ameri erican boxing “fans ans” that the old Brit Britis ish h fait faith h in the effi effici cien enccy and and soun sound dness ness of the stra straig ight ht-l -lef eftt styl stylee is an expl explod oded ed fall fallac acy y whic which h can never hope to succe cceed agai agains nstt a deter etermi mine ned d double-handed attack. Even such a sound and expe experi rien encced crit critic ic as the the lat late Mr. Mr. W. W. Naug Naught hton on declared that the old English school had been proved to be obso bsolete ete and that hat its methods and teaching bel belo onged nged pro properl perly y to the museum, eum, and and in supp upport ort of his argument he quoted numerous recent contests in which recognised exponents of the stra straig ight ht left left scho school ol had had gone gone down down to defe defeat at befo before re
15
16
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
swinging, hit from the hip fighters. This was the Mr. Mr. Naug Naught hton on who had had know known n the the Larr Larry y Fole Foley y Austr ustral alia ian n type type of boxe boxerr, when when that that type type was was at its its bes best, t, the the man man who had had seen seen Pete Peterr Jack Jackso son n and and Jim Jim Hall in their prime. The man who had known Australian Billy Murphy and Griffo, and who yet was of the opinio nion that rushin hing, teari aring, head down, smothe otherr-up, up, shou houlder lder and elbo elbow w scra scrap ppers pers of the Bill Billy y Papk Papke-B e-Batt att1i 1ing ng Nels Nelson on type type,, beca becaus usee they they had bee been n succ uccessf essfu ul of late ate years ears,, must nec necess essari arily be superior to all their predecessors. On the line liness of his his arg argument, nt, his his concl nclusio sions appea ppeare red d to be the only nly poss ossible ble ones. nes. The fau faulty lty bo boxers ers of the past few years have lost fight aft after iight where they have been pitted against the Battl Battling ing Nelso Nelsons, ns, the Wolgas olgasts ts,, the Papkes Papkes,, the GunGun boat Smiths, the Frank Klaus, the George Chips and all the other members of the Bear-Cat and Tiger tribe who confidently rely for their success on their brute force and—varying degrees of ignorance. Circumstantial Circumstantial Evidence; and its Faults. But the success of the “Bear Cats” has been due rather to the feebleness of the opposition than to any outstanding merit of the ursine-feline family. The The head head down down,, doub doubly ly-s -smot mother hered ed,, wide wide-s -stra tradd ddli ling ng hit from the hip boxer would have found himself in a help helple less ss,, hop hopeles elesss bunc bunch h roun round d abou aboutt the the tail tail end end of the the pugi pugili list stic ic race race,, if the the Fates ates had had decr decree eed d that that he should have been born in the ages made famous by such men as Jim Corbett, George Dixo Dixon, n, Jem Jem Mace Mace,, Pet Peter jack jackso son, n, jack jack MacA MacAul ulif iffe fe,, and other thers. s. Mr. Naught ughton on and the othe otherr so-c o-calle alled d experts who have lavished praises on the more recent American schools, and who, in order to bu buttress ess thei heir adu adulati ations, ns, have ave gone out of their way to sling ling mud at the the schoo hool whic hich rea really lly made ade the game of boxing a popular sport, rt, shou hould have
POSITION
Driscoll, on the right,is stand anding back just far enough to be able able to pull pull back back away away from from a left left lead lead,, and and yet yet near near enou enough gh to be able to step in and lead a left to face or body, if his opponent hesitates. 17
S ’
H S L E W E H D T E R O F T F R O O E T A D R I S A P E E H R T P O D T N T U F O E R L R A E T E T A M L O H E H G T N I G D N N I E N S R U D T N A F L L R A A H F C D M N A Y E D K A C E A H P
.
18
. ) h c n S u Y p E y N e n D d I i K k R e O h t S f B o I R n o E i t H i T b i h O o T r p T e H h G t I o R t r A o F i r O p Y s R a E w V i s I L h E T D — . B . N (
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
19
know nown bette etterr. The men men they hey hav have eleva levatted to undeser eserve ved d ped pedesta estals ls may have have been been sing singul ular arly ly ener ener-getic and vigorous. They may have cultivated a physical fibre which is tougher than any brand pr previ evious ously know nown, and the they may may hav have devel evelo oped pu punchi nching ng power wers whic hich were ere unsu nsuspec specte ted d bef before ore thei heir time. But they hey have fail ailed to disp isplay either real real accu accurac racy y in thei theirr offe offens nsiv ive, e, or inte intell llig igent ent antic anticii pation in their strategy and tactics. The Brute Force Gamble. One has to confess that they follow a certain plan of camp campai aign gn and and that that thei theirr pet pet punch unches es are are usua usuall lly y desig esigne ned d as tact tactic ical al oper operat atio ions ns,, whic hich will will secu secure re openi pening ngss for for furt furthe herr and and eve even more hig highly hly priz prized ed thump humpss whic which h they hey trus trustt will will “hac “hack k a way way thro throug ugh” h” —and which have far too often succeede eded in so doing oing.. But when hen one has has admi admitt tted ed this his much uch, one has given them all the credit to which they are entitle itled d. The heavy avy thumper, the man who picks his his punc punch h up fro from what whatev ever er posi positi tion on his his hand hand may happen to find itself in, and who brings it over with the pio pious us aspi aspira rati tion on that that it may may prov provee to be a succ succes ess, s, is taking a big gamble. The “Bear-Cat” brigade are fond of boasting that hat they pick their eir punch nches up from the floor. This is just boast (for, as I trust to be able to show later on, all punches should be picked up from the floor), but they omit to mention that their arsenals are almost entirely occupied with the manuf nufact acture ure of giant howi howitz tzer erss and that hat their attacks are consequently only of real use when they hey are are dir direct ected agai agains nstt a more more or les less stat statio iona narry and exposed fortification. The Club or Rapier Comparison. Whic hich remi remind ndss me that hat I ought ught to apo apolog logise ise for for the use use of milit litary ary metap etapho horr, but but in thes hese days ays of war one cannot well help doing so. To put my argume gument nt in othe otherr word ords, the “Bea “Bearr-Cat -Cat”” brig brigad adee
20
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
are are blu bludgeon eon figh fightters ers, who disd isdain ain the use use of the rapi apier, er, for for the the simple mple reas reaso on that that they hey are are utte utterl rly y ignor norant of the lin liner points nts of the game. Yet the whole hist histor ory y of sing ingle comb combat at refut efutes es their heir arg argument. nt. Man did did not aban bandon the club lub as a weapo apon because he preferred the rapier as a parlour pastime, but but beca becaus usee the the sword word prov proved ed itse itself lf to be the more more usefu sefull weap weapo on. And it was by a simil milar proc proces esss of disco iscove verry that that the axe, xe, whic hich had super upersseded eded the club, gave way to the sword and buckler, then to the cse cse of swor sword ds, unti untill even even the bro broads adsword word and and sabr sabree were abandoned in favour of the rapier. rapier. The Evolution of the Sword-play and its Close Connection with the Development of Boxing. A Profitable Study.
This his evolution of the sword is well worthy of stud study y, since since it form formss an exac exactt para parall llel el to the the hist histor ory y of the list as the weapon of single combat. For thoug hough h the ing ingeni enious ous nove ovelist listss have have perha erhaps ps frefrequent uently ly stra straiined ned the trut truth h when hen they hey have ave rela relatted how their heir acad academ emic ical ally ly trai train ned her heroes oes have have pro prostrate rated d some half half a dozen zen uncou ncoutth bull bulliies wit with the great greates estt ease ease,, owin owing g to thei theirr know knowle ledg dgee of the the fisti fisticc art, ther here has nevert erthel heless ess been a foundat ndatiion of bo both truth and plau lausibili bilitty for thes hese adventu ntures. es. Fist Fistic ic scie scienc nce, e, if back backed ed by stre streng ngtth and and inte intell lliigence, ought always to beat brute force, and will even triu triump mph h in a roug rough h and and tumb tumble le,, alth althou ough gh when when the rough and tumble arriv rives the sci scienti ntific hero ero will find that it is necessary to employ rough and tumble methods as well as the more refined practice of the ring ring and and the the gym. ym. Scie Scienc ncee wins wins beca becaus usee the the rapie apier r can be made to get home more frequently and more acc accurat urateely than han the club. lub. But it must ust get get hom home to good ood purp purpos osee Must ust dra draw blood lood,, and conseq nsequ uent ently must must be bot both int intelli ellige gent ntly ly and and forc forcef eful ully ly dire direct cted ed..
CHAPTER II The Cult of the “Coffee Cooler.” Now, it is neither easy nor safe to fix a date for any par parti ticu cula larr happ happen eniing, ng, but but all all the the evid eviden encce poin points ts to the arri arriva vall of the the “Cof “Coffe feee Cool Cooler er”” (Fra (Frank nk Crai Craig) g) as the the inci incide dent nt whic which h rais raised ed the the curta curtain in on the the Decl Declin inee and Fall all of Briti ritissh Boxin oxing. g. The Coffee fee Cooler ler, a colour loured ed gent entlema leman, n, endo ndowed wed by nat nature ure with ababnorm normal ally ly long long arms arms,, and and an unus unusua uall agil agilit ity y of foot foot,, used to pick up a flail-like punch from the region of his his heel heels, s, which hich carr carrie ied d him him triu triump mpha hant ntly ly thro throug ugh h a seri series es of quic quick k knoc knockk-ou outt vict victor orie ies, s, culm culmiinati nating ng in the demolition of Ted Pritchard. It was this fina finall crow crown n of glor glory y whic which h capt captur ured ed the the imag imagin inat atio ion n of the budding ding British boxer. er. Ted Pritchar hard had bee been n knock nocked ed out out in a rou round by the the gum-c m-chewi hewing ng “Cooler ler,” and though Frank Slavin ave avenged nged the insu nsult to our boxing reputati ation by rever everssing the compl complim iment ent with with one punch punch,, the “Coole “Cooler’s r’s”” metho methods ds had established a new fashion. The aspiring British boxer carefully noted that the “Coffee Cooler oler”” made ade a prac practtice ice of chew hewing gum when hen he entere ered a ring, ng, and, further, that hat he conti ntinue nued to chew hew gum thro hroughout every ery contes ntestt in whic hich he enga engage ged, d, and and by some some curio curious us proc process ess of reas reason onin ing g the aspi aspiri rin ng one came ame to the conclu nclusi sio on that hat gum chewi hewing ng was was an ess essenti ential al ingr ingred ediient ent in the the manuanufacture of a champion boxer. The Consequent Effect of the “Coffee Cooler” on Aspiring British Boxers. These copied the "Cooler’s r’s " methods in other directions, that is, as far as they were able. But they were ere phys hysical ically ly unab nable to deve evelop lop eith either er his his long
21
22
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
arms or the whipcord muscles which would seem to be be a pecu peculi liar arit ity y of the the colo colour ured ed race races. s. They hey for forgot, got, to notice or to realise that the coloured men are generally flat-fo -footed, and they also forgot that coloured men are by no means so sensible to pain as are are thei heir whit whitee bret brethr hreen of the ring ring.. Craig aig used used to leave himself to all appearances as wide open as any street, but his imit mitators omitted to notice that hat he had a peculia liar knack ack of swayin ying or swerving his body out of danger whenever this threatened. What they did notice was that the “Coffee Cooler’s” most most telli telling ng punc punches hes were were deli deliver vered ed with with a full full arm arm swing, before which man after man went down. Thos Thosee swin swingi ging ng blow blowss appe appeare ared d to be ever ever so much much more forcible than any straight or hooked ones could possibly be, and for these reasons the rising generation of would-be champions started right in to culti cultiva vate te the the swin swingi ging ng style style of deli delive very ry.. They They foun found d it easier to las lash out wildly in this his fashi ashio on than han to cultivate a really powerful straight punch, and as the opponents they ran up against were, as a rule, would be exponents of the same wide-open pose and heavy swin swingi ging ng styl stylee (tho (thoug ugh, h, of cour course se,, with withou outt eith either er the the splendid judgment in timi timin ng and dist distaance nce of the man they were trying to imitate), the ultimate issue of any meetings was usually decided either by chance or by brute force—with skill not even coloured on the card. Other Slavish Imitations. One One coul could d mult multip iply ly inst instan ance cess such such as this this,, inde indefi fi-nitely, if one cared to do so, but only one calls for any any part partic icul ular ar atte attent ntio ion, n, as it will will,, I beli believ eve, e, serv servee to rub home more distinctly than any other, my cont conten enti tio on that that the the decl decliine in boxi boxing ng,, both both in Engngland and and Americ ericaa, may be trac raced to a slav lavish ish and and unco uncons nsid ider ered ed imit imitat atio ion n of the the outs outsta tand ndin ing g pecu peculi liar ariities of style which have distinguished certain success-
POSITION
FOR THE
LEFT
HOOK
EITHER
FOR DELIVERY
OR AS
A
FEINT.
Not Notee the the defe defens nsiv ivee posi positi tion on of the the righ rightt hand hand and and that that the the left left is ready to be hooked either to the head or body. body.
23
THE TIME THRUST.
Jimm Jimmy y Wilde ilde (wit (with h his his back back turn turned ed to the the spec specta tator tor)) has has chec checke ked d an inte intend nded ed doub double le hand handed ed atta attack ck by step steppi ping ng in and and shoo shooti ting ng his left to the mouth. 24
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
25
ful boxers. For, mark you, the imitation only exte extend ndss to the the pecu peculi liari ariti ties es,, the the depa depart rture uress from from the the orthodox. In many cases they may actually be faults in style and method. But the imitators never ever stop to cons consid ider er wheth hether er the they are are virt virtue uess or defects. The only point they do notice is that in cert certai ain n resp respect ectss a part partic icul ular ar boxer boxer has eith either er a manmannerism peculia liar to himself elf or a cert ertain ain punch of which ich he is rat rather her fond fond,, and prov provid ided ed he wins his his cont contes ests ts,, his his admi admire rers rs at once once seem seem to imagi magine ne that that his success is due to that very peculiarity and to that alone. The Imitators of Freddie Welsh.
Take the case of Freddie die Welsh, lsh, for inst nstance nce. No particular notice was taken of him by the general run of boxers when he paid his first visit home. He had won rec recogni ogniti tio on in Ameri merica ca and was cononsidered in the States to be quite in the first flight of light-w ht-weeights. Yet his first irst return home created ated very very litt little le sens sensat atio ion. n. The The Engl Englis ish h pape papers rs only only bega began n to take ake specia cial notice ice of him him aft after he had beate aten Abe Atte Attell ll,, draw drawn n with with Packe ackey y McF McFarla arland nd and and was was looked upon as a legitimate challenger for the world’s championship. Then, when he came home to beat Young Joseph, Henri Piet, Joe Fletcher and Johnny Summers, everybody sta started in to talk alk about him. The talk, too, too, centr centred ed round round his his part partic icul ular ar pred predil ilec ecti tion on for for the the kidney punch. nch. It was not a new punch. nch. Everyo eryon ne had seen een it in act action ion befor efore, e, but but Wels elsh, perha erhaps ps,, employed it more freely than any predecessor. The Kidney Punch Craze.
By some peculiar process of reasoning the budding box boxer er and and even even seve severa rall who had had had had a fair fair amou amount nt of experi experienc ence, e, arriv arrived ed at the conclu conclusio sion n that that Welsh’ elsh’ss
26
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
success was entirely or, rather, mainly due to the use of this punch. And so we had an army of kidney pu punche nchers rs.. No othe otherr punch nch was so cult ultivat ivated ed,, and and bo boxing xing cont contes ests ts,, for for a seas seaso on, dege egener nerated ated int into a seri series es of scra scramb mbles les in whic which h both both oppo oppone nent ntss soug sought ht to get into clinches, where they could hold each other, whil whilee exch exchan angi ging ng thum thumps ps on the the back back,, some somewh wher eree arou around nd the the base base of the spin spine. e. None None of thes thesee boxe boxers rs seem seemed ed to reme rememb mber er that that kidn kidney ey punc punche hes, s, or inde indeed ed any punches delivered on the back, could not possibly count on the score sheet and that the only advantage, if any, to be gained by them, was a possible weakening plu pluss a pro probabl bablee irri irrita tati tio on of one’ ne’s adv advers ersary ary. The whol wholee art art of boxi boxing ng was was for forgott gotten en,, or rath rather er,, flun flung g to the winds. And since no one, or scarcely anyone, attempted seriously to attack in any legitimate scoring fashion, the science of self-defence seemed to have passed away for ever. This, I believe, to be the whole secret of the recent decad ecadeence nce in boxing. Our Our boxers ers have forgotten that hat it is pri primari marily ly and almo almosst enti entirrely ely “the “the nob noble art of self-defence,” though it has always borne that name, and though its practice and study is still reco recomm mmen ende ded d on this this sole sole plea plea.. Ther Theree are, are, howe howeve verr, not wanting signs that our memories have been jog jogge ged d in this this resp respec ect, t, and and that that the the new new gene genera rati tion on of boxers, together with a few of the younger mem ber berss of the the old old-est -estab abli lisshed hed ord order, er, are are reme rememb mber erin ing g that hat the the art art and sci science ence of boxi oxing is, is, after fter all, all, the art art of selfelf-d defe efence nce firs first, t, las last, and all all the time, ime, and and that success is only to be won by remembering that defence is not only the chief thing to be considered, but that attack can only be allowed to come into the picture at all when it is employed as an auxiliary to defence, and in the old sense that the strongest form defe efence nce is a vigorous attack ack, carried out main ainly and almost entirely with a view to the minimising of the risk, or the repulse of all counter attack.
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
27
The Bed-Rock of both Attack and Defence.
And this is where the straight left comes in. Not, as is usually supposed, mainly as a mode of attack, but rather as a more effective and valuable means of keeping an opponent at a respectful distance. I have have rema remark rked ed else elsewh wher eree that that the the scie scienc ncee of mod modern bo boxing xing,, as inst instit itut uted ed by Figg igg and and Broug rought hto on was, as, and has always remained, a material development of the art art of fenc fenciing. ng. It is prac ractica ticall lly y sword word fenc fenciing without a sword, and follows in all its movements, or, rather, should follow, the same principles.
CHAPTER III The Fencing and Boxing Maxim. No Now, as most people are are aware are, the very ery fir first principle of fencing is that the student must learn to “keep keep the line line..” For as long as he can can cont contri riv ve to preserve a straight wall of steel in a direct line from his shoulder down to his arm, so long will his body be impregnable to attack. The whole aim of attack in sword play is to get past this line, for until it is passed no point can be made. In earlier sword play, where a buckler, second sword, dagger or cloak was held held in or wrap wrapp ped rou round the left left hand and, there here used to be a second line of defence, but it was always intended that the sword should be the principal bar barri rier er of prot protec ecti tion on,, and and it is, is, I beli believ eve, e, gener eneral ally ly admitted that the science of the sword never appr appro oache ached d perfe erfect ctio ion n unti untill the the swor sword d beca became me the sole weapon of both attack and defence. defen ce. The Right Hand as a Substitute for the Dagger.
Boxing does differ in this respect, inasmuch as the elim limination of the rig right hand for either her att attack ack or defen efence ce is prac practi tica call lly y unt unthink hinkab able le.. But for for all all that that,, the right hand should be invariably regarded as quite uite a seco second ndar ary y affa affair ir.. It is a rein reinfo forc rcin ing g weap weapon on pur puree and simple mple,, one that that shoul hould d be used used in much uch the same style as the dagger is, or, rather, as it used to be in the old days of sword and dagger, combat, save and exce except pt that hat the righ rightt hand hand is, is, and and must nece necess28
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
29
sarily be, more frequ equentl ntly employed to give the coup oup de grac gracee than the dagger ever used, to be. There have been and always will be boxers (?) who will win contests almost “solely by the use of their right ight”” hand handss, but thes hese vict victor oriies can only nly be won over opponen nents whose left hand play lay is of such a disti istinc nctl tly y infe inferi rior or orde orderr, or the the forc forcee of whic which h has has been sapped by a series of fierce aggressions which have worn down their owners’ ers’ stamina. Lucky, or socalle alled d luc lucky, right ight hand and punche nchess need need not not be cononsidered, for unless these get home on a man who has had had the misf misfor ortu tune ne to slip— lip—sa say y on a porti ortion on of the the ring where water has been accidentally splashed—there are really no such things as lucky punches. It is true that a boxer may quite frequently send home a winni nning wallo allop, p, the res result ult of which hich will surpr urpris isee him as well as it surprises the recipient, but any and every succes ccesss of this his desc escription can only occur through some defect or failure of the loser’s defence. The so-called lucky punch, however wild or unorthodox it may may be, be, shou should ld,, and and can can alwa always ys be, be, guard uarded ed agai agains nst. t. Even Even the the righ rightt cross cross,, whic which h has has been been just justly ly and gen genera erally lly held held to be the most most effe effect ctiv ivee punch nch in the whole catalogue, can only be effectively br brought into opera eration after prelim liminar nary skilful play with the left. The left hand must prepare a way for it, either by a seri eries of feint eintss or sta stabs— thou though gh foot foot work work,, swer swervi ving ng,, clin clinch chin ing g and and slip slippi ping ng (all branches of foot work by the way) will exert thei theirr infl influe uenc nces. es. All All othe others rs are, are, howe howeve verr, subs subsidi idiar ary y to the work of the left hand. For the right hand winni winning ng punc punches hes (“the (“the auct auctio ione neer ers, s,”” as Tom Saye Sayers rs used to call them) can never be sent home until the recei eceiv ver has has been been dra drawn insid nsidee the spher here of their heir opera perati tio on, or, in othe otherr word ords, unti ntil the line of his his defe efensiv nsivee, est establi ablisshed hed and maint aintai aine ned d by his his left left arm, has been carried.
30
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
The Left Hand and the Sword.
In this his res respec pect more ore than han in any othe otherr, the com par paris iso on bet betwee ween the case ase of the the left left hand hand and that that of the the swor sword d in swor sword d play play hold holdss good good.. The fenc fencer er is taught to keep the line, and has to learn that nothing else matters so much as this. In fact, that hat nothing hing else lse really matters ers at all. For if the line be alw always preserv erved, he cannot not be touched. And as with with the fenc fencer er,, so with with the the boxe boxerr. So long long as the latter maintains his line, i.e., keeps that straight left of his shooting in and out, and his opponent at the business end of it, the other fellow will be pow power erlless ess or prac practtica ically lly powe powerrless less to do him him any any harm. arm. One must ust eith either er circ ircumvent vent a str straigh aightt left eft, or else force one’s way through its defence, and the first rst of thes hese feats ats can only be accompli mplisshed by compelling it to deviate from the straight line, or, in other words, to cease to be a straight left, while if one wants to break through, one can only do so by running a most serious risk of being knocked out oneself, or in any cas case, under ndergo goiing a ver very sever everee and almos lmostt cert certai ain n punis punishm hmen entt for for one’ one’ss reck reckles lessn sness ess—a —alw lway ayss pro provi vid ding ing, of cou course, rse, that hat the the stra straiightght-le left fter er land ands a real punch with this weapon. For that is as import portaant an ess essenti entiaal to lefteft-ha hand nd play lay as its its acaccuracy. For no matter how straightly it may be used used,, nor nor how how freq freque uent ntly ly it may may shoot hoot out, out, the left left hand hand punc unch is of prec precio ious us litt little le use use as an offe offens nsiv ivee weap weapon on,, and and even even abso absolu lutel tely y usel useless ess as a defe defens nsiv ivee one unles nlesss it is capa apable ble of chec check king ing an att attack ack and and even of stopping most attack acks. I would give the same advice to boxers ers as that whic hich Lord Fisher laid down as a rule to be obeyed in all naval combats ats, viz., to hit hit firs irst, hit hard, and hit hit often, with the add addendu ndum I that they should always, or practically always, “hit straight.”
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
31
“Bear-Cats.” The char chargi ging ng,, swin swingi ging ng box boxer, er, who who reli relies es on his his indifference to punishment, the fury of his onslaught and and the the trem tremen end dous ous power ower of his his punc punch, h, can can neve never r hope to get home successfully on any opponent who emplo mploys ys a swift wift,, strai traig ght and hard hard stabbi abbing ng left left to keep eep him out. Frank Klau laus, “the Pitts ttsburg BeararCat,” might be able to boast that he was able to force his way in close to Carp arpenti ntier and to batter him him down when he did manage to get close, but then it has never been quite certain that Klaus would have ave actu actual ally ly succ ucceeded eded in scori oring a knoc nock-ou k-outt if Desc escamps mps had had not not lost ost for for his his ido idol by ent enterin ering g the ring ring—a —and nd it has has to be reme rememb mber ered ed that hat Carp Carpen enti tier er had had had the the bes best of matte atters rs durin uring g the majori joritty of the the roun rounds ds.. Furt Furthe herr, even even if Desc Descam amps ps trans transgr gress essed ed the rules deliberately, and as the sole method of saving his pet from certain defeat, it has also to be remem ber bered ed that that Carp arpenti entier er had had not not then hen come come to his his full full growt rowth h and was thus thus les less well ell fit fitted ted to end endure ure the famo famous us Pitt Pittsb sbur urge ger’ r’ss batt batter erin ing g than than he woul would d have have bee been n able able to do to-d o-day. For Carp arpent entier ier was a lig light middle weight in those days, be it remembered. The Price Battling Nelson has had to Pay. And Neme Nemesi siss over overto took ok Klau Klaus, s, as it over overta take kess all all these hese “Bea “Bearr-Cat -Catss,” even ven “Dur “Durab able le Danes nes” amo among the the rest. rest. Klaus Klaus and and Nels Nelson on took took so many many batt batteri erings ngs,, ram rammed med thei theirr head headss forw forwar ard d and and offe offere red d their heir jaws jaws for for so much much puni punisshmen hmentt that that their heir nerv nervou ouss ener energy gy bec becam amee prac practi tica call lly y shat shatte tere red d in the end end, and and when when the knock-outs began to arrive, they came in a flood. It is the the com common lot lot, and has has been been evid videnc enced, ed, not not by Klaus and Nelson alone, but by poor Harry Lewis, by by Hugh Hughie ie Mehe Mehega gan, n, by Jim Jim Jeffr Jeffries ies hims himsel elf, f, if you you will, though it was rather age and total loss of condition that beat Jeffrie ries than anything else. And spea speaki king ng of Jef Jeffrie friess remi remind ndss one one that that here here was was
32
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
possibly the one isolated case of a really great cham pio pion n who who was was nev never part partic icul ular arly ly dist distiingui nguisshed hed for for outst utstan andi ding ng ski skill as a stra straig ight ht left left-h -han and d boxe boxer— r—in in spite pite of the the fac fact that that Jeff’ eff’ss lef left was his his most punishin hing weap eapon. As a boxer Jef Jeffri fries was neve ever in the same street with such men as Corbett, Fitzsimmons or Peter Jackson, and yet he triumph mphed over them all. How and why? Straight Hitting, Fanciful and Forceful. Well, ell, in the firs firstt plac place, e, Corb Corbet ettt had had long long pass passed ed his best days when he met that “mountain of a man” (as Bob Fitzsimmons has called his conqueror), and Fitzsimmons was too old. Yet Corbett came within an ace of winning back his old title, simply by sheer forc forcee of his his sple splend ndid id foot foot-w -wor ork, k, coup couple led d with with fine fine,, straight, left-handed play. Pompadour Jim was well well ahea ahead d on poin points ts by the the end end of the the twen twenty ty-f -fir irst st round, and had indeed succeeded in staving off defeat so well that when his knock-out arrived in the twentythird, rd, it was a matter of general surprise. It had bee been n seen een that hat his his stre streng ngtth was fai failing ling,, but it was gener general ally ly beli believ eved ed and hope hoped d that that he woul would d be able able to stay the distance. There were only two more rounds to go and he was a certain winner if he could only nly mana manag ge to last ast thro throug ugh h them. hem. Indee ndeed d, it was the luc luckies kiestt of thi things ngs for for Jeffr effriies that hat the cont ontest est had been been fixe fixed d for for twen twenty ty-f -fiv ivee rou rounds nds and not not for for twent wenty y. For For Corb Corbet ettt must must have have won won othe otherw rwis ise, e, and and woul would d undou ndoubt bted edly ly have have won won as it was, was, but but for for the diffe iffere renc ncee betw betwee een n his his age age and Jeff’ eff’s. s. Those ose nine nine extra years beat Corbett. The Youth which will always be Served. And it was age, too, and age only which beat Fitz Fitzsi simm mmon onss in both both his his figh fights ts with with the big big fell fello ow. Thir Thirty ty-s -six ix years years had had to go down down befor beforee twent twenty-f y-fou ourr, as they nearly always will, and in fact always must when eve everythi ythin ng else lse is at all on the same plane.
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
33
Yet, in spite of the extra twelve years’ burden which Fitzsimmons carried (and in comparative weight it was near nearer er twen twenty ty,, beca becaus usee ever every y year year over over thirt hirty y may be be said aid to count unt as two two at leas leastt—as —as I hav have reas reason on to know) and the three stone odd which he was giving away in weight, he was still able to carve Jeffries up for eig eight or nine nine roun round ds. The carvi arving ng,, by the the way, was worse when the two met again some three years late laterr (tho (thou ugh Fitz Fitzsi sim mmons mons was was then then ver verging ging clos closee on forty); though the fight did not last so long. Yet for all that, Jeffries’ seconds begged their man to give in, to allow them to throw up the towel, as early as the seventh round. They warned him that if he went on he would inevitably lose the sight of his eye, if he persisted, and it was only because Jeff begged to be allowed to try his luck for one more round that they held the towel back. It was nip and tuck, but but Jeffr effriies was the bet better ter jud judge of the the situa ituati tio on. He knew that he was the younger and that he could ban bank k and bank ank safel afely y on his his yout youth. h. Poor oor old old Bob beg begaan to go to piec pieces es in the eig eighth hth rou round and collapsed in the ninth; but so far as boxing ability was was conc concer erned ned,, Jeffr Jeffrie iess simp simply ly wasn wasn’t ’t on the the scen scenee at all. Jeffries’ Profit and Loss Account. And yet yet Jeffr effrie iess was by no means eans a bad bad boxer oxer.. His His repu reputa tati tion on gai gained ned and and suf suffere fered d by the the peri period od in which he flourished. He came at the end of perhaps the greatest heavy-weight era the world is ever likely to see. An era which began with John L. Sullivan, and which saw such men as Charlie Mitchell, Jem Smith, Jake Kilrain, Frank Slavin, Peter Jackson, Jem Corbett, Gus Ruhlin, Bob Fitzsimmons, Tom Sharkey, Bob Armstrong, Joe Goddard ard, Joe Choy hoynski nski,, and host hostss of othe others rs,, who might all have been world champions if they had not had the misfortune to clas lash. It has to be remem be bered that all all these ese men’s n’s form could be closely
34
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
compared ared.. If they did did not all all meet each other her, at least they had intermingled, and when the cards were sorted it appeared that Jeffries was king of them all. I may appea ppearr to be in oppo opposi sittion ion to the popu popullar idea, but I do not think that Jeffries was the best— in spit spitee of the the fact fact that that he beat beat Peter eter Jack Jackso son, n, who who had beaten Goddard, rd, Smith and Slav lavin—i n—in spite ite of the fact that he beat Corbett, who had beaten Sull Sulliv ivan an,, Kilr Kilrai ain n and and Mitc Mitche hell ll—i —in n spit spitee of the the fact fact that hat he beat beat Fitz Fitzsi simm mmon ons, s, who had had beat beaten en Corb Corbet ett, t, Ruhli hlin, Shark harkeey, Demps mpsey, ey, and and Hall—i ll—in n spite pite of his own wins over Armstrong, Ruhlin, Sharkey, Munro and the rest. For Peter Jackson was but the the wrec wreck k of his his form former er self, self, Fitz Fitzsi simm mmon onss and and CorCor bett were just battered down by the superior weight, strength, and, nd, abov bove all, by the youth of Jeff Jeffri ries. es. Shark arkey has alway ways maint aintaained that hat he actuall ally bea beatt the the big big fell fellow ow and and has has been been stro strong ngly ly supp suppor orte ted d in that that conn connec ecti tion on.. Again, ain, Corbe orbett tt was so plai lainly nly Jeff’ Jeff’ss mast master er for for twen twenty ty roun rounds ds of thei theirr firs firstt cont contes estt as to make the then world’s champion appear a veritable novice at times, while Fitz was only beaten on bot both occa occasi sio ons beca becaus usee his his aged aged and and war war-wor -worn n body was unable to withstand the battery to which it was subjected. The Value of Speedy Footwork. Jeffries was singularly quick on his feet for such a moun mounta tain inou ouss man, man, and and woul would d pro probabl bably y have have give given n even ven Corb Corbet ett, t, Fitzs itzsiimmons, ns, Sulli llivan, van, Jacks ackso on, or Slav Slaviin a trem tremen end dousl ously y hard hard batt battle le at any any peri period od of their heir care career ers, s, at any any rate, ate, after he had had been een taug taught ht how to box. But he was never at any time a really finished boxer, for the simple reason that he was never able to cultivate really scientific left-hand play. play. It is true that he relied more on his left than on his righ right, t, but but then then thos thosee left left-h -han and d punc punches hes of his whic which h drove rove his his oppo oppone nent ntss to defea efeatt were were usua usuall lly y or most most freq frequ uentl ently y smas mashed hed home home to the the bod body, and and at clos closee
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
35
quart uarter ers. s. Jef Jeffrie friess woul would d forc forcee his his way way into into clin clincches hes whenever he could do so, and would then hen with a pow power erfful push ush of his his righ rightt shoul hould der pris prisee a spac pace throu hrough gh whic hich he could ould drive rive in a shor shortt left left-h -han and d jab to his opponent’s body. It was by the succession of these that he sapped Fitzsimmons’ strength. “Ruby Ruby Robe Robert rt”” migh mightt admi admini nist ster er the the most most terr terrib ible le pu punis nishme hment to Jeff’ eff’ss face face,, so terr terriible ble that that the big big fellow’s seconds implored him to give in and to allow them hem to thro hrow up the spong ponge, e, but but Jef Jeffrie friess refu refussed bec becaus ausee he knew knew that that he was was mash mashin ing g Fitz Fitzsi simm mmon ons’ s’ body to a jelly. He could see that he was doing this his when hen he noti notice ced d that that the the frec freckl kled ed warr warrio iorr was was refu efusing to sit down between the rounds nds and was compel pelled led to rec receiv eive the atten ttenttion ion of his his seco econds nds standing up in his corner. Poor Bob was afraid that if he sat down, his bruised and battered stomach muscles would fail to raise him again. Facial and Bodily Punishment. There is a tale that on the day after their second bat battl tlee when hen the the two two men met, met, Fitzs itzsiimmons burs burstt out laug aughing hing at the sig sight of his his conq conque uero ror’ r’ss face face,, which was swathed in bandages, while the conquered was scarc arcely ely marke arked d. Jef Jeff grow growle led d his his anno nnoyanc yancee at Fitzs Fitzsim immon mons' s' amusem amusement ent,, whereu whereupo pon n Bob Bob soothe soothed d him him with with the the assu assura ranc ncee that that he coul could d well well affo afford rd to let him him (Bo (Bob) laug augh, “bec because ause,” ,” he add added, ed, “if “if you you could only see the state of my ribs and stomach you would have the laugh on me, and yours would be a loud louder er laug laugh. h. Anyw Anywaay, it woul would d hurt hurt me too too much much to laugh as I should like to do.” You see, that in spite of his great size and great reach, Jeffries simply could not keep his men at the righ rightt dist distan ancce. He had to tak take heav heavy y punish nishme ment nt if he wanted to give it. There is still an idea, as ther here has has alwa lways been, een, that hat this his is the most most her heroic form of fisticuffs. Probably the idea is more popular to-d o-day than han it ever ever was befor efore, e, thank hankss to the sucuc-
36
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
cesses gained by such men as Stanley Ketchel, Papke, Batt attling Nelson, Frank Klaus and other hers. The “cast iron men.” as they were pleased and pro proud ud to be call called ed.. But But all all these hese cast cast iron iron men men had had more or les less short hort care areers ers—whil hile it may may be add added that hat they hey won thei theirr cha champio pionshi nships ps owing wing to thei their r luck luck in flou flouri risshing hing at a time time when hen real really ly scie scient ntif ific ic bo boxing xing was cons onspicu picuo ous main ainly by its its abs absence nce in thei heir respect ective divisi isions. ns. Batt attlin ling Nelso lson, it is true, managed to hand over knock-out blows to Joe Gans, “the Old Master,” on two separate occas ccasio ions ns.. But then, hen, Gans, ns, who could uld stand tand com par paris ison on wit with any any boxe boxerr in the the hist histor ory y of the the game game,, was a worn out man, or at all events nts, very nearly worn out, ut, with the seeds eeds of cons onsumpti mption on alr alread eady sown in him when he met the “Durable Dane.” When the Physiologists Flattered to Deceive. Nel Nelsson, on, perh perhap aps, s, plum plumed ed hims himsel elff more more than than any any othe otherr boxe boxerr in hist histor ory y on this this dura durabi bili lity ty of his. his. He was was intens intensel ely y prou proud d of his his soub soubri riqu quet et,, “the “the Dura Durabl blee Dane, ane,”” and and woul would d loud loudly ly boas boastt that that he coul could d neve never r be worn down and that he was and always would be imma immall llea eabl blee to even even the the fierc fiercest est and and most most pers persis iste tent nt human hammering. The Battler had himself thor thorou ough ghly ly exam examin ined ed by phys physio iolog logic ical al expe experts rts,, and would would publi publish sh the the resu result ltss as a glee gleefu full selfself-ap appr preci eciaation, in which he suggested that he was not only the very very hard hardes estt and and toug toughes hestt comb combin inat atio ion n of bone, bone, fat. fat. sinew and muscle ever discovered, but that he migh mightt even even prov provee to have have been been immo immort rtal ally ly and and immutably endo ndowed with these ese attributes. What is more wonderful still, quite a number of people were dispo ispose sed d to beli believ evee that that the the Batt Battle lerr was was just justif ifie ied d in his insi nsinuat nuatiions. ns. Until he had the misfortu rtune to encou ncount nter er Ad. Wolgas lgast, t, a man who was almo almosst as hard hard and and toug tough h as hims himsel elf, f, full fully y as hard hard a punc punche herr, and, above all, a decidedly faster and cleverer boxer, if not not exact xactly ly a pastast-ma masster ter in eith either er depar eparttment ent.
A TIME SHOT.
Drisco Driscoll ll has been been drawin drawing g back back feigni feigning ng retrea retreatt and now sudde suddenl nly y stops tops his his oppone ponen nt’s t’s advan vance with with a perf perfec ectl tly y tim timed left left shot hot to the mouth. 37
A
STRAIGHT
HAVING
LEFT
DRAWN
COUNTER AND
TO
DUCKED
THE YOUR
PIT
THE
OPPONENT’S
LEAD FOR THE FACE
38
OF
STOMACH STRAIGHT
AFTER LEFT
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
39
Even ven then hen Wolga olgast st had had to puni punissh Nels Nelson on for for fort forty y round oundss befo before re the the refe referree felt felt hims himsel elff impel mpelle led d to inter nterve vene ne,, desp despit itee Ne1s Ne1so on’s n’s prot protes ests ts—a —a fact fact whic which h eit either her goes goes far far to supp suppor ortt the the Batt Battle ler’ r’ss clai claim m to the the pos posse sess ssio ion n of supe supera rabu bund ndan antt toug toughn hnes esss and and almo almost st inex inexhau haust stib ible le stam stamin ina— a—or or else else cons consid ider erab ably ly lowe lowers rs Wolgast’s claims to a very great boxing ability. That defeat marked the close of the Battler’s r’s care career er,, and and shoul hould d have have demo demons nstr trat ated ed to the the worl world d that hat boxi boxing ng skil skilll will will alwa always ys beat beat mere ere brut brutee forc force, e, when the other qualities which go to the make-up of a succ succes essf sful ul pugi pugili list st are are at all all equa equal. l. For fro from that hat time time on Nels Nelso on was was doo doomed med to defea efeatt when whenev ever er he met met a real really ly cleve cleverr oppo oppone nent. nt. Owen Owen Mora Moran n knoc knocked ked him out for the first time in his career, and the Batt attler was force rced to realis lise that hat his powers as a drawing card had almost departed. They all go the Same Way Home. All the then great thumpers and rough-house scra scrapp pper ers, s, the the “Bea “Bearr-Cat -Cats” s” and and “W “Whi hirl rlwi wind ndss,” the “Once nce Round” nd” So-andnd-so’s o’s or the “Knock-Ou -Out” Thing hingum umaj ajig igs, s, are are goin going g down own the the same same road road.. Poor Poor Stan Stanle ley y Ketc Ketche hell was was murd murder ered ed by a farm farm hand hand,, but but Papke and Klaus had to taste the bitters of repeated defe efeats ats, while hile the men at the top top of the the tree tree thes thesee days, ays, suc such as Benny enny Leon Leonar ard, d, jack jack Britt ritton on,, John Johnny ny Kilb Kilban ane, e, Ted (Kid (Kid)) Lewi Lewis, s, Euge Eugene ne Criq Criqui ui,, Geor George gess Carp arpenti ntier, Jimmy Wilde, lde, etc., are all famed far more for their skill than for their potency as battering rams. Boxers to-day are losing, where they have not already lost, their old faith in “BearCat Man-E n-Eati ating” tact actics, cs, and the stra traight left eft is coming ing back back to its its own; That hat it may real really ly retu return rn to its old kingdom, and that it may for ever henceforward hold its own, has been to a large extent the inspi nspira rati tio on of thi this lit little tle trea treati tise se.. For the the left left-h -han and d pla play y, the the true true strai straight ght left left-h -han and, d, can can never never be oust ousted ed as the supr suprem emee weap weapo on, prov provid ided ed it be alwa always ys em ployed both straight, hard and often.
CHAPTER IV On the Cultivation of Straight Hitting. There is surely no need to refer to Euclid for confi nfirmat mation ion of the the obvi bvious fact fact that hat the the short hortes estt dista istanc ncee betw betwee een n any any two two poi points nts must must of nece necess ssit ity y be be the str straig aight line line betw etween them. Every boxer, no matter matter how small small his intell intellige igence nce otherw otherwise ise,, must must at once once admi admitt as much much—w —wit ith, h, of cours course, e, the the natu natural ral sequ sequel el that that a stra straig ight ht punc punch h must must alwa always ys get get home home before a round arm swinging one, provided of course that both start at the same time. That a strai traig ght punc punch h can can also lso eve even giv give a swing wingiing one at start as well as a beating in time, is a point on which any boxer can satisfy himself after a very ery few experiments. These two propositions are, I bel beliieve, eve, gene genera rall lly y acce accept pted ed as fact acts, but but there here is a third hird over whic hich the majority of modern boxers would appear to have stumbled pretty badly; at leas east, one must assume that hat they hey do stu stumble and have stumbled over it, if one is to form any conclusions from their practice, and that third point is the relative power of straight and round arm hitting. Round Arm swings are far less Forceful than they Look. It seems so certain to them that a round arm blow must necessarily be ever so much more forceful than a stra straig ight ht one. ne. The sens ensati ation of vig vigour our sugg sugges estted by a full revolution of the arm and the further sensation that every ounce of the weight of the body is bei being ng carr carrie ied d behi behind nd it as thoug hough h it wer were bein being g all all recipi pieent, nt, is so fasci ascina nati ting ng that hat they hey thrown at the reci cannot resist the notion that their swinging deliveries are are pow powerfu erfull enoug nough h to knock nock down own a bric brick k wall. all.
40
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THE STRAIGHT LEFT
As ther theree are are no simi simila larr sens sensat atio ions ns acco accomp mpan anyi ying ng a straight lead or jab, or even a hook (which is, after all, bu but a variant of the straig aight punch nch) they into ntoxicate themselves with the lust of the swing, and forgetting all about the need for accuracy, both in timing and aim, the risk of injury to their hands, or even the value alue of econ econo omy of time time and and bala balanc nce, e, cont contin inu ue to swing wing with ith more ore or les less succe uccess ss at the the expe xpense nse of othe otherr swing winger erss or of feeb feeble le stra straig ight ht punc punche hers rs,, unti untill they hey have have the the misf misfor ortu tune ne to run run up agai agains nstt a real really ly accu accura rate te and and force forcefu full stra straig ight ht hitte hitter—a r—and nd then then they they also lso meet with dis disast aster withou hout being able in the least to understand why or how. The Practical Impossibility of Aiming a Swing Accurately.
For quite apart from the loss of valuable time wasted by by the the swin swingi ging ng deli delive very ry,, it is also also prac practi tica call lly y im po possi ssible to aim aim a swing acc accurately. The swinger can only let one go in the hope that it will land there or thereabou bouts, ts, while than hanks part artly to the tim time a swing occupies in starting and in delivery, the boxer who is temporari arily fillin ling the role of a targ arget, et, is given many more opportu rtunities of avoiding its arri arriva val. l. The path ath of a swing wing can be gaug gauged ed almo almosst with certitude, and consequently the man at whom, it is aimed has the option of either jumping back out of its reach, of stepping in within its reach (so that the glove will pass round behind the back of his head), or of ducking under it. Either of these alternative cour course sess will will tend tend to dist distur urb b the the swin swinge ger’ r’ss bala balanc nce, e, and will therefo efore render nder him more or less at the other her fell fello ow’s w’s merc mercy— y—at at leas leastt for a time— me—a disdisadvantage attending the swing which can never attach to any straight punch, since whether the latte atterr be avoi avoid ded by ste steppi pping bac back, by ducki uckin ng or by a parry, the straight hitter can or should be able C
42
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
to rec recover over his his grou ground nd or posi osition ion for for att attack ack or defenc fencee wit without hout the the loss loss or wast wastee of any any appr apprec ecia iabl blee time. The Vast Increase in Damaged Hands.
That the modern boxer suffers far more from damaged hands than his predecessors used to do, is, or should be, a well-known fact. But the reason for this phenomenon would seem to have been disregarded or unnoticed. It has in some quarters been ascrib ribed to the extra force imparted to the modern ern punch, nch, but but thi this is abs absurd on the face face of it, it, and is unsu nsuppor pporte ted d by the sligh lighte tesst evid videnc ence. The old-t ld-tiime priz prizee-fi figh ghtters ers and and boxer xers alwa lways made ade a pr pract actice ice of hitt hittiing stra straig ight ht,, land landiing their heir punche nchess fairl airly y and and squar quarel ely y with ith the knuc nuckles les of the hand hand,, and of ther hereby eby taki aking the the jar jar of the the impac mpactt on the par partt best best fitt fitted ed by natu nature re to supp suppor ortt it. it. A swing wingin ing g punch may land anyhow, and by no means infrequently with an open glove (which will, of course, minimise the effect of the blow, though it may incr ncreas ease—u e—unfai nfairrly—th —the length of the reach) ach).. It may arri arrive ve in such such wise wise that hat only only the the thumb humb come comess into contact with the head of the body at which it is aime aimed d—and —and in no poss possib ible le inst instan ance ce can can it arri arrive ve in such wise as to enable the pain ain or penalty lty of the impac impactt to be prop proper erly ly dist distri ribu bute ted— d—as as it shou should ld be— throughout the whole length of the arm. All the bones, sinews and muscles of the hand and arm have been so placed by nature as to support the damaging effects of a hard punch when this is delivered straight and accurately, whereas the, full jar of the impact of a swing has to be borne by the hand and wrist alone. The The swin swinge ger’ r’ss hand handss or wris wrists ts must go in time and in short hort tim time at that that.. And this his is sure urely an almo almosst over verwhel whelmi ming ng argu argume ment nt in fav favour our of the the stra straiight delivery as opposed to the swing.
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
43
The Economies and Other Advantages of the Straight Left. With ith the stra straig ight ht left left’’s supe superi rior orit ity y as a forc forcef eful ul weapo apon, I propose to deal more fully lly in another chapt hapter er,, but but a litt little le cons consid ider erat atio ion n will will show how that that a blow which is delivered home, with all the support of the arm arm behi behind nd it, it, must must natu natura rall lly y be more more effe effect ctiv ivee than one which has the support of the hand and wrist only. In fact, the power of the swing is vastly more apparent than real, whereas that of the straight punch is exactly the reverse—more real than appar ppareent. nt. It is, is, in fac fact, not not only nly more ore eco econom nomical ical both of time and effort, more certain of reaching its targ arget, et, more easy asy to reco ecover positi ition fro from if its its aim and force rce have been miscalcu lculate ated, but it is final inallly bot both les less injur njuriious ous to the the hand handss and more ore effective in its results. But in order that it may poss posses esss all all thes thesee adva advant ntag ages es,, it must must nece necess ssar aril ily y be accurate in its delivery, and it should, above all, be a real eal punc punch h and and not not merel erely y a pus push. The lat latter ter may score a few points, provided it is sent home, but it can never by any chance succeed in winning a contest if one’s opponent is at all resolute. For no matter how unpolished or unscientific he may be, he can can alwa always ys affo afford rd to disr disreg egar ard d a push pushin ing g or tapp tappin ing g left left,, and with withou outt wast wastin ing g time time or ener energy gy in defe defence nce,, can force his way in to certain victory. The Straight Left as a Winning Weapon. But if the straig aight left is to be rega egarded as the winning weapon, it must necessarily be—first of all— hat is to say, acc accurate ately aimed, ed, and this his straight , that quality, simple and natural though it appears, would seem eem to be one whic hich the ave average modern ern boxer seems incapable of arriving at. Yet, if he has ever received a boxing lesson in his life, if he has eve ever even loo looked at the prescri cribed pre preli limi mina nary ry pose pose,, reco recomm mmen end ded by ever every y text textbo book ok
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THE STRAIGHT LEFT
or arti articl clee on the subj ubject ect of boxing xing,, he wou would, ld, one woul would d imag imagin ine, e, quit quitee natu natura rall lly y acqu acquir iree the habi habitt of strai traig ght hit hitting ting.. For For a box boxer who mere merely ly assu assume mess the pose, whic hich has has been een acce accept pted ed not not only by all the aut authori horiti ties es as the the clas lassic sic model, el, but has even even been tacitly acknowledged to be such by those box boxer erss who avoi avoid d or aban abando don n it in acti action on,, yet yet who who nevertheless ess patr atronis nise it when faci acing a camera era, canno annott fail ail to real realis ise— e—if if he think hinkss at all—t ll—tha hatt in so doing oing he is shapi haping ng hims himsel elff to deli delive verr a stra straig ight ht left hand as his initial assault. The Edgewise Stance.
The novice is carefully instructed to stand as near nearly ly as poss possiible ble edge edgewi wise se to his his oppo oppone nent nt.. He is inst instru ruct cted ed to pois poisee his his weig weight ht even evenly ly dist distri ribut buted ed on either leg and to keep erect on the balls of his feet, with his left arm advanced, both as an offensive and as a defensive measure, held loosely enough to enable him him to chec check k his his oppo oppone nent’ nt’ss atte attemp mpts ts at aggr aggres essi sion on with a shap hapely ely delive livere red d punch nch and whic hich he can alte altern rnat ativ ivel ely y use use eith either er by feints feints or actu actual al offe offens nsiv ivee movements as a means of opening a breach for attack on its own part. Yet all all this his earl early y ins instruct ructio ion n would uld seem to be speedily forgotten by the majority of both our pr profess essional and amate ateur boxers ers as soon as they hey embark bark on thei heir seri erious ous car careers eers.. Too impat mpatiient ent to study udy or prac practtise ise the the art arts of fein feintting for for openi penin ngs and consequently forced to experience the difficulties of forc forciing a pass assage age thro hrough the defen efencce of their heir oppon pponen ents ts,, they they try try to disc discov over er a path ath roun round d them, hem, while they further permit themselves to be led astray by by the the appar apparen entt extra extra forc forcef eful ulnes nesss of the the roun round d arm arm or swinging delivery.
CHAPTER V The Platform Punch Ball. I am incli ncline ned d to susp suspec ect, t, too, too, that that the decli ecline ne of the str straigh aightt punc punch h may be in some some meas easure ure trac raced to the general use of the platform punch ball. Mind you, I am not proposing to insinuate anything against the use of this form of training, but rather to criticise the way in which it is employed. For, or, I supp uppose, ose, wit with the view iew of making king sure ure of being able to punch the ball at all, and with a quite under nderst stan anda dabl blee desi desire re to avoi avoid d maki making ng thems hemsel elve vess look ridiculous to any casu asual spect ectators in thei heir earl early y ball ball-p -pun unch chin ing g disp displa lays ys,, they they fall fall into into the the habi habitt of “tap “tappi ping ng”” the swing wingin ing g ball ball fro from a shor shortt rang range. e. They stand close up to the ball and they rare arely if ever ver shift hift their heir pos positio tion. Then, hen, sinc sincee it is, is, or at all even events ts,, sinc sincee it seems to be less ess diffic ficult to hit hit the bal balll and and to keep keep it swin swingi ging ng,, with with a full full rou round-a nd-arm rm swing wing,, or with semic emicir irccular lar blo blows, ws, it is somew mewhat natu natura rall that that the the ball ball punc punchi hing ng novi novice ce shou should ld perf perfect ect the half hook or half swinging style of ball punching; with the result that ball punching as an item of the trai traini ning ng curri curricu culu lum m migh mightt almo almost st as well well be cut cut out out altogether. And How it Should be Treated. Yet when all is said aid and done, ball punch nching, pra pract ctis ised ed as it shou should ld be prac practtised ised,, will will do mor more to develop straight hitting perhaps than any other means ans. I would ould ther theref efor oree stro trongl ngly rec recommend end the aspi aspirring ing boxe boxerr to disre isreg gard ard cri critici ticissm, eith either er selfelfcons consci ciou ouss or from from onloo nlooke kers rs.. He is prac practi tisi sing ng with with the ball with a view to develop his boxing abilities, and and shou should ld cons conseq eque uent ntly ly firm firmly ly reso resolv lvee to keep keep this this
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THE STRAIGHT LEFT
main ain objec bjectt in vie view. The punc punch h ball ball was inven nventted for the primary ary purpose of deve eveloping a boxer’ er’s abili bilitty to hit both both hard hard and stra straig ight ht.. After fter all, all, it is easier to punch even a swinging ball than a dodging, ducki ucking ng,, side side-s -ste tepp ppin ing g and and danc danciing oppo oppone nent nt.. The rang rangee can can be calc calcul ulat ated ed with with grea greate terr cert certai aint nty y, and and the ball ball is inca incapa pabl blee of ward wardin ing g off off or parr parryi ying ng the punches aimed at it. Regard it as a Live Opponent.
Stand up to it, therefore, at about the distance you would stand from an opponent whom you were facing in the ring, and punch at it straight with the left left hand. hand. Pract Practis isee punc punchi hing ng it, with with simp simple le,, strai straigh ghtt lead eads, and practis ctisee no other style of punch nch until you you are are quit quitee sati satisf sfie ied d that hat you you can can hit hit it when whenev ever er and however you want so to do. Then, but not till till then, hen, vary vary your your stra straig ight ht lead leadss or jabs jabs with with righ rightt ones. Only see that they are right crosses, that is to say say, righ right-h t-han and d punc punches hes,, whic which h woul would, d, in a cont contest est,, shoot over your opponent’s left shoulder to his face. These hese bei being sent sent alon along g a sligh lightt diago iagona nall will will vary ary the angle of the rebound from the platform and will enab enable le you you to deve develo lop p an addi additi tion onal al accu accura racy cy with with your stra straig ight ht lefts efts,, whic hich can be shot hot home eit either her alter lterna nattely ely or in varyi aryin ng inter nterm mission with your righ rightt cros crossses and, and, there hereby by,, two punc punche hess have have been been mastere ered—and and here let me adv advise ise you to regar egard d your your ball ball punc punchi hing ng prac practi tice ce simp simply ly and sole solely ly in its its relat elatiions to your box boxing prac practtice. ice. Avoi void with with the utmost care all all temptati ations to indu ndulge in fancywork work.. Remem emembe berr that that you you are are not not tryi trying ng to beco become me a fanc fancy y ball ball-p -pun unch cher er,, unle unless ss you you have have ambit mbitio ions ns in that hat dire direct ctio ion. n. But if you you have have,, you you woul would d be well well advi advise sed d to surr surren ende derr your your boxi boxing ng ambi ambiti tion ons. s. Ther Theree have been men who could make a living either in the ring ing or as exper xpertt fanc fancy y ball ball-p -pu unche nchers rs,, but but the two professions do not mix well as a rule.
FRED DYER ’S LEFT HOOK .
Pose Posed d as thou though gh abou aboutt to swin swing g his left left,, prep prepar arat ator ory y to bend bendin ing g the the arm arm and and hook hookin ing g it, it, as an oppo oppone nent nt atte attemp mpts ts to step step with within in its circle. 47
JIMMY WILDE.
The “Tylors orstown Terro rror” rar rarely uses eith ither arms or gloves for defensive purposes, preferring to sway or swerve back from an attack. 48
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
49
Avoid all a ll Temptatio Temptation n for Fancy Fanc y Work Work and a nd Frills Frill s in your Ball-punching Practice.
You have made up your mind to become a boxer, so forget that the ball can possess any greater fasc fasciinati natio on than han that that wiel wield ded by the the wall wall mach machin ine. e. Cut out the fancy tricks just as you have already, as I hop hope you you hav have, cut cut out all all incli nclina nati tio ons to reg regard ard your ball punchi nchin ng exercises as a lig light and eas easy per perfo form rman ancce whic which h you you can can run run thro throug ugh h in any any old old way way. You will will prob probab ably ly,, ind indeed eed almo almost st cert certai ainl nly y, be persuaded, or will persuade yourself to take thre hree-m e-minute ute spell pellss at the ball ball.. It isn’t n’t a bad bad idea idea,, but if you are going to treat these spells as rounds in time, why not go the furthe rtherr step and make them rounds in very essence, as far as it is possible to do so. For example, don’t n’t be conte ntent with the ordina dinarry method of tapping the ball and of interspersing your taps taps wit with occa occasi sio onal nal blow blowss with with your your full full stre streng ngtth. This system of exercise will admittedly develop your wind wind,, stay stayin ing g powe powerr, hitt hittin ing g musc muscles les and and the the powe power r of your your punc punch—t h—to o some some exte extent nt—b —but ut there there are are other other exercises which will produce these ese results lts with greater benefit to yourself. Regard the punch ball rather as an aid to accuracy and straight hitting, not forgetting, of course, such punches as will develop your abil bility to hit hit forci rcibly fro from as many various angl ngles and and posit ositio ions ns as you you can can imagi magine ne.. Be very ery certa ertain in that hat it will will be scar scarccely ely pos possible ible for for you you to imagine too many variations in this direction. For in the course of a serious contest, you may find yourself most cur curious iouslly situa ituatted at time timess, and if you you hav have trai traine ned d your yourse self lf in the pres preser erva vati tion on of bala balanc ncee and and the arts of accurate and forceful aim, no matter how pla place ced, d, you you will will freq freque uent ntly ly be able able to send send home home a surpr urpris isee punch nch which hich may eas easily carr arry you you a cononsiderable distance along the path to victory.
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THE STRAIGHT LEFT
Fight the Ball as though you were in a Ring.
Once you have acquired the knack of keeping the bal balll on the the move move,, aband abandon on your your stat statio ionar nary y pose pose and lear earn how how to fight the ball. Spar up to it as you would to an active opponent in the ring. Dance round it, advance, retire, dash past it, duck under it, upper-cut it at times. Tap it, now and then, of course, just as you would tap an opponent’s guard in the course of feinting. Hook at times; in fact, hook frequently, in order to develop the force of the punches you are going to deliver with a bent arm, a process which will be found useful, but as a general rule rule,, when when hitt hittiing out out with with your your left left from from any any disdistance school yourself into the habit of hitting straight. Cross your right or hook a rig right punch, nch, and then pra pract ctis isee the the knac knack k of deliv eliver erin ing g stra straig ight ht left lefts, s, from from the edgewise classical pose, at the diagonally crossing ball. And above all, never swing at the ball . The “Campbell” Punch Ball.
“But “But,” ,” it may be argu argued ed,, “it “it is scar scarce cely ly poss possib ible le to do all that you recommend with the average platform punch-ball. In the first place, this is usually fixed up close to a wall, and so if a man were to try to duck under it, dance round it and generally plunge about, as you adv advise, he would run into nto the wall, trip up over the posts and stays, and generally make a fool of himself.” Well, that is so. But then when you are are lucky enou enough gh to find find a gymn gymnas asiu ium m wher wheree the punc punch h ball ball and its platform are either fixed to the ceiling only, or are at worst supported by four uprights only, and in the the midd middle le of the the room room,, or ther hereabo eabout uts, s, you you can can follow out the plan I have suggested. So make a point of alw always selec lecting a gym so fitted and stick to it for your practice. Better still, perhaps, if you can afford it, purchase
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
51
one of Colo Colone nell Rona Ronald ld Camp Campbe bell ll’’s porta ortabl blee punc punch h balls for this; although it costs a couple of guineas (I believe) it is well worth the money. The The argu argume ment nt agai agains nstt it, it, that that it requ requir ires es an assi assisstant tant and and cann cannot ot be punc punche hed d with withou out, t, is negl neglig igiible, ble, for any assistant, your sister, for example, will do at a pinch. The thing is perfectly simple. All that you have to do is to get your helper to hold out the punch ball shield—well away from him or her, be it understood—and then you can let fly. The human platform can then deflect the shield at will, ll, and thus hus prac practtise ise you you in the art art of sendi nding in the right punch. For it can be so placed or held that you can can eit either her hit hit stra straig ight ht,, hoo hook, upper pper-c -cut ut,, send end in a right or lef left hander, er, as its position requires. es. The human platform will direct this part of the business, and if he is your trainer, you can imagine the delight with which he will do so. Then hen, aga again, he can shift the target at the very ery moment of your delivery. Can rais aise it, lower it, advance it, draw it back and so develop your ability to punch a shifting target. Get Get one one and and prac practi tise se wit with it, it, chan change ge and and chan change ge abou aboutt wit with your your partn artner er.. Try whic which h one one of you you can can land and the gre greates atestt num number ber of cons consec ecut utiive punche nchess and and you you will will soo soon be able able to real realis isee its its adva advant ntag ages es.. Fina Finall lly y, let let the the huma human n platf platfor orm m arm arm hims himsel elff with with a glove on his disengaged hand and give you a reminder nder ever every y time you you make ake a mis mistak take or a miss. iss. You will then, I fancy, agree with me that the “Camp bell” punch ball has come to stay and is going to make a big difference to British boxing. Treat your Shadow-Boxing Practice Seriously.
In shad shadow ow boxi boxing ng agai again, n, whic which h is usua usuall lly y a most most per perfu func ncttory ory perf perfor orm manc ance by the aver averag agee box boxer in trai traini ning ng,, try try your your hard hardes estt to make ake this this rese resemb mble le an actu actual al cont contest est as clos closel ely y as you you poss possib ibly ly can. can. Don’ Don’tt
52
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
jus justt move ove rou round, nd, sparr parriing, ng, fein feintting and and hitti itting ng at nothing, simply and solely for the sake of the exercise as so many boxers do. This popular method has its uses, of course, but it can be easily rendered far more useful than it usually is. Fred Welsh’s Shadow-Boxing Practice for StraightLeft Work. Fred Fred Wels elsh, by the way way, who who was was not not orig origiinall nally y famed as a straig aight left eft-hand opera erator, and who relied so ext extensi nsively on his his infighting and clos lose rang rangee tact tactic icss, coul could d neve nevert rthe hele less ss empl employ oy a stra straig ight ht left eft to gre great adv advant antage age whene heneve verr the occa occasi sio on demand anded, ed, as he prov proved ed so conc conclu lusi sive vely ly in his his worl world d championship battle against Willie Ritchie. It will will,, and and shou should ld,, be reme rememb mber ered ed that that it was was real really ly his left eft hand which won that bout for him. him. Have you forgotten how he danced nced in and out, ducked unde underr Ritc Ritchi hie’ e’ss right right cross crosses es and and hook hookss and and plan plante ted d left after left on Willie’s face and body? Well, Fred reddie die pick picked ed up and and deve evelop loped his his stra straig ight ht left left hand in shadow-boxing practice. Welsh lsh tra training in publ public ic and and by hims himsel elff were were two two diff differ erent ent peop people. le. I have have frequ frequen entl tly y watc watched hed him him intr introd oduc ucee a dist distin inct ctly ly original nal idea into nto his his shado adow-b w-boxing exerc ercise ise. I have ave nev never eithe itherr seen een or heard eard of its its prac ractice tice by anyo anyone ne else else,, and and can can only only imag imagin inee that that Welsh elsh pracpractised it because he was conscious that since he had never been famous for straight long-range battling, it would be advisable to cultivate it as much as possible. This may or may not have been the case, but if I am correct in my assumption, this is itself as eloquent a testimony to the value of the straight left-hand school as anyone could desire, seeing that one of the favourite arguments of its critics rests on the fact that Fred Wels elsh, the fir first Brit riton to beco ecome the rec recogni ognissed light-w ht-weeight Champion of the World, ld, cannot be included in the list of its members.
, s e i i h e d d h g t e n r i r t a F e . v d n o . h s a c l D e s , N i m . A W r n a H d d n o t i a t T n , h F a d g c a E d a i L n e r r o s f a l i D l s h y r ’ E a d V F h d t O c n i a w a e L l r r t G M a y f F N n d e e E e c o l P n w M b O t s w r i o e e S b h ’ d , i s D g n e h n u v N i o s A t d l a L e e g h R e k t A m c h e F u i m d C d i r s g r t i M h e t a n e Y e h , p m E h d a K t e o s C f i c s A o t i P t o h n h n e e t w d b i e c l n l i c i a w f n t A i
53
BOMBARDIER BILLY WELLS IN A POSE SHOWING LENGTH O F REACH AND EASE OF ACTION.
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THE STRAIGHT LEFT
55
But to return to Welsh’s h’s shad hadow-boxing. The world’s light-weight champion would mark out on the floor of his gymnasium a square the exact size of the ring in which he was going to contest a forthcoming bou bout. t. Then, hen, taki taking ng up his his stat statio ion n in one one corn corner er,, he would advance diago agonally across the ring to the oppos opposite ite corner corner,, deliv deliveri ering ng straig straight ht left-h left-hand and punche punchess as he went. He would pursue this path back and forth perh perhap apss thre threee times times in succ success essio ion, n, prac practi tisi sing ng sole solely ly the stra straig ight ht left left-l -lea ead d and and guar guard. d. He woul would d then hen go over ver the same same gro ground und agai gain and agai gain, prac practi tissing ing the left left lead lead and and righ rightt cros cross, s, the the left left lead lead and and righ rightt upper-cut, etc., and for a period of at least two rounds woul would d make make the the stra straig ight ht left left-l -lea ead d a regu regula larr firs first, t, no matter how he might vary the movements of his right hand. Work Out or Adopt a System which will Suit you Best.
I have have merely merely menti mentione oned d this this practi practice ce of Welsh’ elsh’s. s. I do not recommend it, since each of you must discover the traini ainin ng method whic hich best suits your pec pecul uliiarit aritie ies. s. But I do most most stro strong ngly ly reco recomm mmend end you all to introduce as large a proportion of straight lefteft-ha hand nd work ork into nto all all your your trai raining ning exer exerccises ises as you can contri ntriv ve to do, and most particu icular larly so with your sparring practice.
CHAPTER VI Study Your Your Sparring Sparrin g Partners. Part ners.
Just at first you may find it is far from an easy matte atterr to penet enetra ratte the defen efencces of your your sparr arring ing par parttner ners. But if you you will ill devot evotee care care and and thou thoug ght to the the stud study y of fei feintin nting— g—aa sadl sadly y negl neglec ecte ted d art, art, one one regrets to have to say—you will find that difficulties diminis nish. Always remember that hat your feet eet are as impor mporta tant nt elem elemen ents ts in your your succ succes esss as your your hand hands, s, and that by side-stepping, retiring and also by sudden and and unex unexpe pect cted ed adva advanc nces es it is ofte often n quit quitee poss possib ible le to catc atch an opponent off his his guard and then hen disiscover an easy way through. Watch your man caref arefu ully lly, espe especciall ially y when hen you you suspe uspect ct him him of an inten ntenti tion on to atta attack ck.. For then then you you can can ofte often n surp surpri rise se him with a swift time thrust (as it is styled in fencing). This is one of the simplest and most effective punches. Feign a retreat in such wise that you may lure your oppo oppone nent nt into into a rush rush.. Then Then stop stop sudd sudden enly ly and shoo shoott your left to his his face. This his will, in the majority of cases, be temporarily unguarded, since if he is coming on filled with a desire to demolish you, he will generally dash ash in with either her his hands nds down, or else, if up, at all events, drawn back in preparation for a furio urious us flai flaili ling ng onsla nslau ught. ht. In any event vent,, he will be coming on towards you and at such a pace or with such energy that he will be unable to either side-step, swerve or even duck with either ease or comfort to himself. Your time thrust or punch will consequently be far more likely to get home without inte interr rrup upti tion on,, espe especia ciall lly y if you you have have trai trained ned your your left left hand to obey your eye, by careful practice in shadow box boxiing and and with with a punc unch ball ball.. Fina Finall lly y, your your punc punch, h, 56
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
57
when it arri arrive vess, shoul hould d be dist distiinct nctly effe effect ctiv ive. e. It cannot help being a forceful one, since it will carry with it, not only all the energy you have imparted to it personally, but also that with which your opponent has has hims himself elf gener generou ousl sly y pres presen ente ted d it, it, by the the forc forcee of his own advance. All of which brings me back to the second essential of the straight left-hand as the most valuable boxing asse asset, t, viz. viz.,, that that afte afterr its its accu accura racy cy has has been been care carefu full lly y devel evelop oped ed,, the most caref arefu ul att attent ention ion shou hould next next be devoted to the development of its forceful delivery. The Development of Force in Punching Power.
Forc Forcee is alwa always ys the the fina finall argu argume ment nt in ever everyt ythi hing ng.. The The fines finestt and and most most perf perfect ect stra strate tegy gy can can effe effect ct litt little le or indeed anything without solid force to back it up and carr arry out its its plans lans.. So while hile we must ust conc conced edee to skill the pride of place in the armoury of boxing, skil skilll alon alonee will will not not win win verdi verdict ctss (and (and most most cert certai ainl nly y will will fail fail to recor record d knoc knock-o k-out ut wins wins)) unles unlesss this this same same skill is backed up, or, inde ndeed, ed, render ndered ed actually lly visible by the power of the punches which it directs. But thes thesee punc punche hess shou should ld not not, cann cannot ot inde indeed ed,, propro perly derive their power from a wild exertion of the whole body. A punch need only travel a few inches to send even the strongest and toughest man crashing to the canvas. In fact, the very hardest punches which have ever been delivered in a contest have only be been fully app appreci eciated by the spectato ators by their visib isible le resu result lt.. They hey usu usually ally seem eem to be such uch lig light, ht, simple mple affairs, effortl rtless ess to all appeara arance. nce. And to a cert certai ain n exte extent nt,, almo almost st effo effort rtle less ss in actu actual al fact fact.. Yet the recipients have candidly confessed afterwards that they thought the roof of the building must have fallen in on top of their heads. Accurate Timing is the real Secret.
For the whole secret of the actual force of a terrific
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THE STRAIGHT LEFT
pu punch nch is the perfe erfect ct accu accurracy acy of its its “ti “timing ming,” ,” cocoordi ordina nate ted, d, of cour course se,, with with the accu accura raccy of its its aim. aim. Perha erhaps ps I may may be able able best best to expr expres esss my mean meanin ing g by by the the comp compar aris ison on of the the “car “carpe pett driv drive” e” at cric cricke ket, t, when a bats batsma man, n, swaying ying for forward ard alm almost ost gent ently, ly, with the grace of a silver birch tree in a breeze (as I have seen it desc escribe ribed d) will despatc atch the fast astest est deli delive veri ries es of an expr expres esss bowl bowler er,, skim skimmi ming ng over over the the turf turf,, unti untill they hey ratt rattle le up agai agains nstt the bou boundar ndary y rail rails. s. All that hat the the spec specta tato torr sees sees is a step step forw forwar ard d, which hich brings the bat firmly to meet the ball as it rises from the pitch at exactly the moment when it has gathered its its grea greate test st mome moment ntum um fro from its its boun bouncce. Ther Theree is a crisp, sharp, musical sound, and away the ball whizzes. The “Carpet-Drive” Parallel.
Yet thos thosee “carp “carpet et driv drives es,” ,” with with all all thei theirr econ econo omy of both actual physical force and effort, are far more forceful and incidentally more profitable than the tremend mendou ouss fullfull-sh shou ould lder ered ed driv drives es,, struc struck k with with all all the the pow power er the the bat batsman man can can exer exert, t, which hich may send end the ball out of the ground and which may on the other hand hand,, land land it into into the the clut clutch ches es of some some fiel field der, er, “out “out in the country.” Exact actly the same princi nciple governs, ns, or should gover overn, n, the scien ciencce or art art of hard hard punc punchi hing ng in the box boxiing ring ring.. Ind Indeed eed, it gover overns ns it far far more ore clos closel ely y. For where ereas at cri cricket it will will frequentl ntly be more advi advissabl able to ope open one’ ne’s shou houlder lderss, jump jump well out out of one’ ne’s grou ground nd,, and and “loft loft”” the ball— all—ssince nce that hat is about the only way to treat it as it ought to be treated —it is a distinctly wasteful at all times, and usually a decidedly barren policy into the bargain, to endeavour to hurl hurl one’ ne’s arm, arm, with ith the whol hole weig eight of one’ ne’s body behind it, at either the ducked head or body of an opponent.
THE STRAIGHT LEFT
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The Straight Punch and the “Haymaker.”
In the first rst place, ace, it is far easi asier to miss with a punch than with a bat, and in the second, the results of missing may easily be very much more disastrous. If one misses with a huge swing, or “haymaker,” as the Ameri merica cans ns term term it, it, one one is prac practi tica call lly y cert certai ain n to bec becom omee unba unbala lance nced, d, and and cons conseq eque uent ntly ly at the the merc mercy y of one’ one’ss oppo oppone nent nt;; whi while if the miss miss hap happens pens to be only partial, that is to say, a miss with the glove and not with the arm, the odds are that the blow will be deliv delivered ered incorr incorrect ectly ly (i.e., not with the knuckle part of the hand), in which case the puncher is liable to be be more seve everely hurt than the punch nchee. ee. He may even even brea break k his his hand hand,, and ther thereb eby y pract practic ical ally ly dest destro roy y all his chances, not only of victory, but of a prolonged career in the ring. Ad. Wolgast’s Broken Bones.
Ad. Wolgas lgast, t, be it rem remember bered, ed, was disti istinc ncttly fond of swing wingiing his his punc punche hess any anyhow how, and by no means particu icular lar as to how they landed nded,, with the result that he broke his arm on jack Redmond’s head and elbows, and broke it since then on at least two occas ccasiions, ns, not notabl ably in one of his last ast contes ntests ts,, viz., that with Fred Welsh in New York. The big swing which goes hurtling through the air, and and whic which h look lookss suc such a terr terriibly bly deva devast stat atin ing g affa affair ir,, can in any case only carry with it the force of the deliv eliver erer er.. Ther Theree is all all the diff differ eren encce in the the resu result ltss which exist betw etween the stri triking of a motionless cric cricke kett ball ball or the the kick kickin ing g of a moti motion onle less ss foot footba ball ll and and the stri striki king ng or kick kickin ing g of one whic which h is rapi rapidl dly y coming towards one. Why the Swinger Misses so Frequently.
I may add add that the swing has even another her and greate eaterr disa disad dvant vantag agee than han this. his. For sinc since, e, in order rder
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THE STRAIGHT LEFT
to swing, a man must necessarily make his arm traverse a fairly lengthy arc in the air, he can scarcely fail to convey some intimation of the blow intended, and that hat warni arning ng may may and pro probabl bably y will ill be suf suffificient iently ly pro pronou nounced nced to advi advisse the man aime aimed d at to either sway his head back out of the way or to move suf suffici ficien entl tly y far far forw forwar ard d to caus causee the the swi swing to miss miss alto altoge geth ther er,, eith either er by pass passin ing g behi behind nd or arou around nd the neck of the intended recipient, or else over his head, and consequently resulting in a sheer waste of energy without the disturbance of anything except the atmo atmosp sphe here re.. And even even supp suppos osin ing g that that the the swerv wervin ing g head has not moved sufficiently out of range to esca escape pe actu actual al cont contact act,, the the punc punch, h, when when it does does land land,, will will in most most case casess only only succ succee eed d in stri striki king ng a tar target which is moving away—a y—and it is sure urely sca scarcely necessary for me to point out that a blow of this kind is most unlikely to prove very effective. e ffective. Heav Heavy y swin swings gs,, whic which h get get “home home,” ,” are are freq frequ uentl ently y very ery effe effect ctiv ive, e, but but I am prep prepar ared ed to mai maintai ntain— n—an and d also also to prov provee by phys physic ical al demo demons nstr trat atio ions ns—t —that hat they they can never ever be reli relied ed upon for for acc accurac uracy y of aim. aim. Nor can they ever be proved to be harder blows or even as hard hard as the the corr correc ectt stra straig ight ht deliv eliver ery y. They They only only look heavier. Why I have Occasionally Swung Punches Myself. Of cour course se,, I have have mysel yselff swun swung, g, at time times. s. Ever Every y man who wants to mount high in the boxing profession will have ave perforce rce to pay some lit little attention to this department of hitting. For variety in style, method, tactics and strategy is one of the prime elements of success. I would like to lay it down as a golden rule for all ambitious boxers, that they should never swing—except when occasion demanded. The only Exception to the Rule.
For instance, it is sometimes useful or rather may
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THE STRAIGHT LEFT
be profitable to let go a few swings and even a few appa appare rent ntly ly wild wild ones, nes, for for stra strate tegi gica call purp purpos oses es and and with with the the view view of sugg suggest estin ing g both both to one’ one’ss oppo oppone nent nt and to his advisers in his corner that one is mentally worried and even possibly in physical distress. Again, occasions will frequently arise when it will be possible to land a swinging punch only. (For you will remember that I laid stress on the necessity for pra pract ctis isin ing g the the art of hitt hittin ing g from from every every conc concei eiva vabl blee angl anglee and and from from ever every y poss possib ibly ly imag imagin inab able le posi positi tion on). ). Say that your opponent is covered up, that is to say, that he has missed you, or that you have side-stepped his att attack and that he is consequentl ntly going past ast you. He has smot mother hered his his face face and and head head wit with his his glove lovess and prot rotect ected his his ribs ribs wit with his his elbo lbows and and forearms. In such a positi ition, you may, as I have descr escrib ibed ed els elsewhe ewhere re,, be pres presen entted with with a sple splend ndid id oppor pporttunit nity for for deliv eliver erin ing g “the “the rabb rabbiit-ki t-kill ller er,” ,” but but there will be other occasions when you may be able to cause him more pain and to thereby secure a bet bette terr adva advant ntag agee for for your yourse self lf,, by the the deli delive very ry of an upward ard swinging blow low to the pit of his sto stomach. ach. Yet all these are but the exceptions which are pr proverbia bially lly said to prove the rule, that straig aight punches are and always will be far more effective in the long run than any swinging deliveries.
D
CHAPTER VII The Straight Left in Defense.
In the recording of points scored, by which referees are solely justified in the rendering of their decisions, preference is, or invariably should be, given to “Attac ttack k.” It is true that hat points nts are also lso recorded for skill in defence and for style, etc., but the chief stress is laid on attack. Successful attack, be it reme rememb mber ered— ed—aa point point whic which h the the majo majorit rity y of avera average ge spectators, and which, I am sorry to have to say, so many referee ereess are are apt apt to forget. et. No boxer shou hould ever be credited, as so many are, for any merits they may may imag imagin inee they they have have earned earned for for usel useless ess,, unpr unprof ofititable pursuit, no matter how persistent. Yet you will see and hear ear verdi erdict ctss giv given amid amid volu volume mess of applause to men who have simply charged and kept on charging throughout a contest, who have kept up a perpetual rain of blows at their opponents, but who have failed to send home more than a very small percentage of these to the only targets which the rules of boxing recognise, and who, so far as points actually scor scored ed are are conc concer erne ned, d, that hat is to say say, in the the for form of clean hits delivered with the knuckle part of the gloves on the fro front and and sides of their heir oppo oppone nent nt’’s head head or body, are actually badly in arrears at the close. But, unfortunately, in these instances both the refere refereee and the specta spectators tors have have permit permitted ted themse themselve lvess to be led astray by the fire and fury of the attacks, whic which h have have over oversshado hadowe wed d in thei theirr mind mindss their heir illillsucc succes ess. s. They hey hav have seen seen that that one of the the cont contes esta tant ntss was for forced ced mainl ainly y to retr retrea eatt, and and not noting ing this his they hey fai failed led to noti notice ce that that he was was real really ly figh fighti ting ng a seri series es of skilf skilful ul rear reargu guard ard acti action ons, s, that that he was was cont contin inua uall lly y 62
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pinking his rushing antagonist, and, in fact, generally accu accumu mula lati ting ng a hig highly hly resp respec ecta tabl blee scor scoree of poin points ts.. Such a case as this is of course distinctly rough on the better boxer, and at times may have its influence on his subsequent career. He may come to the conclusi lusio on that hat ther theree is very ery litt little le,, if anyt anythi hing ng,, to be gained by the study or practice of skilful boxing, and he may may cons conseq eque uent ntly ly wand wander er away away into into the the rush rushin ing, g, swinging path himself. Yet, et, alt althoug hough h he is ent entitle itled d to sympa ympatthy for for his his unmer nmerit ited ed misf misfor ortu tune ne,, he is neve nevert rthe hele less ss lar largely ely to bla blame me for for it. it. No refe refere reee is infal nfalli libl ble, e, and and ther theree are are and always will be referees who are unable to resist the contag ntagiion of popul opular ar enthu nthusi sias asm. m. The refe refere reee may firmly resolve that he will render an absolutely impart artial verdict. He may even think that hat he has done so—and yet it may happ appen that hat the verdict has has actu actual ally ly been been give given n by the the part partis isan an sympa ympatthies hies of the spectators. There may have been many inter nteres este ted d in the the fort fortun unes es of a favo favour urit ite. e. They hey may have been so desperately anxious to see him returned as victor as to obscure their vision of the feats of his opponent. nt. In the ordi rdinar nary phra hrase, they can only see thei heir own man; with the result that believing the desi esires of thei heir heart arts, they hey not only nly sati atisfy thems hemseelves lves that hat he has has won, but but actu actual ally ly succe ucceed ed in hypnot notisin ising g the refer eferee ee into nto a simila milarr fra frame of mind. nd. Thes hese thing hingss are are all all in the luck uck of the gam game and should not only be recognised, but also allowed for by every boxer. We all have to fall back at times. In fact, as I have again explai lained in yet another place*, it is quit uite poss ossible ble to win con contest testss by merel erely y ducki ucking ng,, dodg dodgin ing, g, side side-s -ste tepp ppin ing, g, fein feinti ting ng and and danc dancin ing g away away.. I believe I then stated that it was possible to win a knoc knock-o k-out ut vict victor ory y over over a cert certai ain n clas classs of oppo oppone nent ntss without placing a glove on them. This, of course, is actu actual ally ly an exag exagge gerat ratio ion n of fact fact,, thou though gh a perf perfec ectl tly y * “Ringc1aft” by Jim Driscoll. Price 2/- nett.
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corr correc ectt stat statem emen entt in all all othe otherr esse essent ntia ials ls.. My actu actual al meaning was that by a process of continual dodging and by ther hereby forci orcing ng your oppone ponent nt to repe repeat ated ed miss isses and and othe otherr abort bortiv ivee attac ttacks ks,, you you can reduc educee him to such uch a stat statee of exha exhaus usti tion on that hat he will ill collapse through sheer loss of wind and stamina. You take take him him out out of his his stri strid de, make make him him trav travel el and and keep keep him him trav travel elli ling ng at a muc much fast faster er pac pace than than any to which he is accustomed or trained, and in such a case neither his organs nor will-power can possibly withstand the strain. Against this it might be argu argued ed that that you you will will your yourse self lf be in an equa equall lly y evil evil case ase, but such is very far fro from the probab babilit lities, es, if one only plays the game as it should be played. For the man who attacks and misses, takes far more out of himself than the man who is content merely to avoid. But in actual practice, of course, the man who is playing the defensive game should vary his policy of “getting away” by frequ equent intr ntroducti ctions of the “stop” policy. By this I do not mean the “stop” in ordinary acce accept ptan ance ce of the the ter term, whic which h impli mplies es the the parry arry or guard, or even the other and more valuable method of stopping, ng, which results lts from a well ell app applied and timely push to your opponent’s hitting arm or shoulder. The “stop stop”” with ith whic hich I am now now deali ealing ng is that hat appl applie ied d by a stif stiff, f, stra straig ight ht left left jab. jab. Even Even when when you you and your your oppone onent are are prac practtica ically lly stat statio iona narry, that that is to say, are not dancing about, but are merely emplo mployi ying ng eye eye fei feints nts or thos hose othe otherr “draw draws” s” for for a lead lead,, whic which h cons consist ist in thre threat aten enin ing g move moveme ments nts of the the hands and arms, not forgetting leg and foot shuffles, you can frequently slip in a sudden and disconcerting jab jab to the othe otherr fel fellow’ low’ss face ace at the the ver very moment ment when he is about to let go a real punch at you. You will then hen have have “beat beaten en him him to the punch, nch,””
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as the phras hrasee goes goes.. In othe otherr words ords,, you you will have have coaxed him into starting a punch, but will have met him him with with your your own own afte afterr he has has com committ mitted ed hims himsel elf f to his, his, but but befo before re he can can get get his his home home.. This his is, of course, only to be done by the exercise of the most accu accura rate te judg judgme ment nt of time time and and dist distan ancce and and can can be bes bestt develop loped by the use of Colon lonel Campbells pat pateent punch nch ball, to whic hich allus lusion has already ady been made. But But perh perhap apss the the most most effe effect ctiv ivee defe defens nsiv ivee strai straight ght left eft-ha -handed “stop” is that whic hich is, is, or shou hould be employed, ed, agains ainstt the determine mined d rushes or perersistentl ntly att attacking king opponent. nt. For these men are really, after all, the easiest men in the world to beat at the boxing game. With ith a cert certai ain n clas classs of oppo oppone nent nt,, I migh mightt almo almost st say say with with ever every y bran brand d of oppo oppone nent nt you you are are like likely ly to meet, et, it is alwa always ys best best to coax them hem int into as much attack acking as you can. For it stands nds to reaso ason that the man who has committed him himself to a serious attack has thereby inevitably weakened his powers of defe defence nce.. He has has depr depriv ived ed hims himsel elff both both of the the powe power r and ability to recover himself, that is to say, to change directly from attack to defence. Hence nce the adv advanta ntages ges which ich will ill acc accrue rue to the bo boxer xer who has caref areful ully ly studi udied and prac ractis tised the retr etreat eating game. One can draw this his class ass of man after one, build him up with hopes that he is going to get you you “cor “corne nerred,” ed,” or forc forcee you you back back agai agains nstt the ropes opes,, and and then hen just just as he is about bout to let let go, slid lide away from him and leave him with a little more of the sickness of heart which always comes from deferred hopes. Soon Sooner er or late laterr he will will,, he must must,, inev inevit itab ably ly rela relax x his his watc watchfu hfuln lnes ess— s—and and then then will will come come your your oppo opportrtunity. Dart in like a flash of lighting, deal out one, ne, two two or thr three swift wift jabs jabs as oppo opport rtun unit ity y occu occurs rs,, and then dart away again.
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Such tactics as these will in ninety-nine cases out of ever every y hund hundre red d brin bring g your your oppo oppone nent nt char harging ging afte after r you again, and as a natural consequence present you with with nume numero rous us othe otherr oppo opport rtun unit itie iess for for repeat repeatin ing g the the dose—until you can plainly see that both his strength and wind have nearly left him, when your time will have arrived to go in and finish him off. A very useful method of forcing the men you meet into nto thes hese rush rushiing and and pers ersisten stentt onsla nslaug ught hts— s—tthe simplest and surest, in fact—is that of a gradual but stead steady y retre retreat at to comm commen ence ce with with.. Fall Fall back back stead steadil ily y as the other man comes on, and at about the same pace. But check him as he advances with occasional left stabs. These should, indeed must be, stiff pun punch ches es deliv delivere ered d with with a stra straig ight ht or almo almost st strai straight ght arm. Let the arm shoot out to meet his face as he comes on, but but be car careful eful to avoid void any pre prelimi limina narry “pull pull-b -bac ack” k” of the arm, arm, shou houlder lder or elb elbow, befo before re you thrust. Take all the driving power you may require fro from your legs and back. Remember that the punch must be a snappy one, if it is to be really effective, but remember at the same time that it will gain a very appreciable amount of its force from the pace at which the recipient is coming to meet it. Accuracy Essential.
But first rst, last, and all the time, part articularly be care carefu full that hat you you always get get hom home wit with thes hese jabs jabs.. For seri erious ous trou rouble ble if not not disas isaste terr will ill almo almosst inevita vitabl bly y be the penal enaltty you will will pay pay for for miss issing. ng. Yes, I know quite well that it is easier to miss than to hit, but then it is really easier to hit than it is to miss with the jabs I am describing. For if you are falling back correctly, are conducting your retreat at precisely the right pace, and are careful to keep your balanc lancee perfect ect, you should exex per periience nce little difficu iculty either in selec electting your oppor pporttuniti nities es or in maki aking sure ure of your your aim. aim. You
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ought to have the distance measured to a fraction of an inch. It should not be diffic ficult to accurately jud judge ge the the pace pace at whic which h the the othe otherr fell fellow ow is comi coming ng towards you, and then, since you will seize an opportunit nity when hen you you are are reas reaso onabl nably y cert certai ain n that hat your your oppon pponeent is just just star startting ing a punc punch h at you, ou, you you will have have been been pres presen ente ted d with with a prac practi tica call lly y open open tar target. get. For in order to hit you he must necessarily uncover his face. Ther here will will,, of cour course se,, be occa occasi sion onss when when he will will keep eep this his pro protect tected ed,, but but on thos hose you you will will wise isely refra efrain in fro from even even thin hinking king of a time time jab, ab, and and continue your retreat. Stop Suddenly and Hit Straight.
As a final reminder, in case you should accuse me of havi aving fai failed led to cover over the whole hole gro ground und, you can rest est ass assured ured if you you are are ret retreat reatiing and and you your purs ursuer uer has rea really lly mad made up his his mind to atta attack ck with ith all all his his force, that he will make a final leap to do so. This will, of course, be necessary if he is hoping to cover the spac spacee you you will will have have pres preser erve ved d betw betwee een n you. you. It will also render him more open to your jab, by the way. So that all you need do is to stop short in your retre etreat at,, shoot hoot out a stra straiight, ht, abs absolut lutely ely stif stiff f arm and wrist and receive his nose or mouth on the end end, the the knuc knuckl klee part part of your your left left glov glove. e. The The fast faster er and more vigorous his his leap eap, the big bigger the shock which he will receive. It may even happen that you will then be able to see your way clear to a quick ick finis nish, or at leas east to the adm administ nistrrati ation of severe ere punis nishment. In any case, you will be able to congratulate yourself on having taken a good deal of the steam out of your man with that one punch, and in almost every one, that you will be well able to extract a good deal more by the delivery of two or thre hree addi additi tio onal nal ones nes befo beforre you you brea break k away to resume operations. Indeed, the only fly in your
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ointment will be that you will have given your opponent a very ery shre hrewd warni arning ng as to the sort of fate which will await him if he rushes again, and that you will consequently have given yourself a lot of trouble before you can persuade him to rush again. Nevertheless, it is by no means impossible to coax any boxe boxerr whos whosee tast tastes es lead lead him him on to aggr aggres esssion ion bac back k agai again n into nto this this dang danger er.. As an exam exampl plee of this this trus trust, t, I may may quot quotee the the case case of Young oung Symo Symond ndss and and Tanc ancy Lee. Lee. Tanc ancy, a vete vetera ran n in year years, s, and and despi espite te his comparat aratiively short professi essio onal career, er, had always show hown himself to be a perfectl ctly cool and par parti ticu cula larl rly y war wary boxe boxerr, well well wort worthy hy of the chamham pi pions onship hip he held held.. Yet despi espitte all all his care are and exex per periienc ence, and despi espitte the freq frequ uent ent and and pai painful nful reremind minder erss whic which h Symo Symond ndss gave gave him him of the the penal enalti ties es atta attach chin ing g to a cons consta tant nt purs pursui uit, t, he coul could d not not refr refrai ain n from the delights of the chase until the total collapse of his strength had deprived him of his belt and title.
CHAPTER VIII The Straight Left in Attack.
I have already stated that attack is the trump suite in boxing, and have also pointed out that attack does not not nece necess ssari arily ly mean mean rush rushin ing g or char chargi ging ng at or after after your your oppo oppone nent nt.. Atta Attack ck,, ind indeed eed, com commenc mences es earl earlie ier r than hitting. For the ideal punch, or perhaps it would be better to say the best punch, the most effe effect ctiv ivee one, one, is a good good,, stif stifff coun counte terr, to a duck ducked ed,, brushed aside, or otherwise evaded lead. It is usu usually ally bes best, when henever ever possi ssible ble, to “dr “draw” aw” your opponent into a lead before hitting out on your own acc account ount.. The adv advant antages ages gaine ained d ther hereby eby are are four four in numb number er.. In the the firs firstt plac place, e, you you hav have forc forced ed your your oppo oppone nent nt to com commit mit hims himsel elff to a deci decide ded d step step and can therefore be moderately certain of what he is about to do. Secondly, you have to a very large extent depr eprived him him of the abil bility ity to change nge his position and guard swiftly enough to deal successfully with with any any offe offens nsiv ivee you you may may your yourse self lf adop adopt. t. Third Thirdly ly,, by his mere action of hitting out, you will or should secure an opening of sorts, can or should make him present you with a fair target at which to aim. Fourt ourthl hly y, and and most most impo import rtan antt of all, all, you you will will have have bor borro rowe wed d some some very very cons consid idera erable ble forc forcee from from him him to add add to the the power ower of your own “co “counter nter”” deli elivery ery. For the more speedy and the heavier his advance or lunge nge towar owards ds you you in the acti actio on of punchi nching ng,, the heavier and more painfu nful will be the “dig” wit with which you meet him on his way. The Right Cross Counter. In the the norm normal al cour coursse of inst instru ruct ctio ion n in the boxi boxing ng schools, the pupil is almost invariably taught that the most effective reply to the left lead is that known as 69
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“the “the righ rightt cross cross coun counte terr,” partl partly y becau because se it looks so much much more more in acco accord rdanc ancee with with the the fitnes fitnesss of thing things, s, but but mai mainly nly, I susp suspec ect, t, bec because ause when when all all is said said and and done the right cross counter, effectively and properly pla plant nted ed on the jaw jaw, will will almo almost st inva invari riab ably ly fini finish sh a contest there and then. But, then, hen, just just bec because ause it is the nor normal mal rep reply to the left lead, the majority of boxers are usually caref arefu ul to keep eep a watc atchfu hful eye open open for for it, it, and for for that very reason it is one of the most difficult punches to land just when one wants to place it where it will do most good. Nevertheless, it is sometimes a sound policy to try the effect of one right at the start of a contest. A good deal will depend on your man. But if you are able to feint skilfully and have thereby succeeded in “drawing” your opponent into attempting a really forceful lead, you will not infrequently be able to glimpse an opening for the right cross. If and when you do, be always careful to let it go good and hard with all your might. You may reme rememb mber er that hat quit quitee a numb number er of even even import portaant ring ring batt battle less, even even champ hampiionshi nship p batt battle less too at that, have been won and lost by what was pr pract actica ically lly the firs firstt punc punch h deliv eliver ered ed.. Also lso that hat in nearly every one of these cases it was a good right cross which did the trick. The Joe Gans—Frank Erne match is a case in poi point nt.. Gans won won his his titl titlee with ith one punch nch and and then hen proceeded to prove himself one of the greatest fighters who ever donned ned a glove, and to be finall ally nic nicknamed “the Old Master.” Yes; the right cross may often be sent home at the very start of a contest when it would be useless to attempt it against a really good man again for many a weary ary rou round. nd. So ver very few few reall eally y good good box boxers ers are are liab liable le to expe expect ct that that thei theirr oppo oppone nent ntss will will vent ventur uree to atte attemp mptt such such a chee cheeky ky proc procee eedi ding ng righ rightt at the the start start.. And in boxi boxing ng it is the unex unexpe pect cted ed whic which h happ happen enss more frequently than anything else.
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The Left Counter. But this is supposed to be a treatise on the use of the left hand, and the above is consequently a digression from the path. I would ask you to bear the righ rightt cros crosss in mind mind,, but but to rely rely mai mainly nly on left left-h -han and d countering as your main suite. Make a careful study of the whole art of fencing, pr pract actise ise it up at all time timess—aga —agaiinst nst the punchnch-ba ball ll and particularly if you have or can procure one with Colone lonell Campbe1l be1l’’s hand and punc punchh-ba balll. Prac Practi tise se it when when you you are are shado hadow w boxi boxing ng,, and, and, abov abovee all, all, most most sedu sedulo lous usly ly prac practi tise se it with with your your spar sparri ring ng part partne ners rs.. Never neglect any single opportunity of improving yourself elf in the art of “beat beatiing your opponen nent to the punch.” Get your sparring partners to start punches first rst of all. Specified punch nches, if you prefe efer, but seco second ndly ly and and pri princip ncipal ally ly,, unexp nexpec ecte ted d punc punche hes, s, and and then try to best them both in time and pace. Set up as your motto, “I will get there first.” Because if you can get the man in front of you to start the punch and can be sure of sending your counter home first, you can not only rest assured that you will get home ever so much harder, but you will also be relieved of all the worries attaching to the necessities of either her guard ard or evasi asion. You may someti etimes, es, indee ndeed d freq freque uent ntly ly,, be able able to land land a most ost effe effect ctiv ivee wallo llop aft after you have have brus brushe hed d an oppo oppone nent nt’’s lead lead to one side, because in so doing you will inevitably disturb his balance and thereby render an upset more more poss possib ible le.. But But as a gene generral rule rule,, you you will will find find circ circum umst stan ance cess bett better er adap adapte ted d to the the coun countter dire direct ct and simple. Duck Duckin ing, g, side side-s -ste tepp ppin ing, g, or parr parryi ying ng will will almo almost st invari invariabl ably y distrac distractt the conce concentr ntrati ation on of your your though thoughts ts and cons onsequ equentl ntly dimi dimini nissh the forc forcee of your own pun punch ch if only only beca becaus usee your your duck duck,, side side-st -step ep or parr parry y may may have have pres presen ente ted d the the other other fell fellow ow with with an oppo opporr-
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tunity for self-recovery——while in every case he will not in such case be in full momentum. His lun lunge forward accompanying his punch will have almost if not quite finished and you will then have very little additional force to borrow from him. The Methods of Punch Development.
It has been said aid, and with a good deal of tru truth, that hat the bed-rock ock of our English ish boxers’ ers’ late inferi ferior orit ity y to the the Ameri merica can n slog slogge gers rs is to be fou found in the inferiority of our punching powers. I may add from practical experience that the average American “bear-cat” or “man-eater,” who is so fond of tearing in at his opponents with the inten ntentt to sweep weep them hem off off the face face of the the eart earth, h, can generally be brought up short in mid-career and very effect fectu ually ally disgr isgru untle ntled d by a seri eries of swift wift,, stif tiff, stabs to the face. It is usuall ally neces ecesssary ary to bre break ground before him for a time, and the man who hesit esitat ates es to brea break k gro ground where here the occ occasi asion demands ands,, simp simply ly and and sole solely ly for for the the look look of the the thin thing, g, does not deserve to succeed. In boxing, the feet are every whit as important as the hands. Use them. Get in and get out again, but but be care carefu full alwa always ys if pos possible ible to land land a tell tellin ing g stab every time you do get in. Remember how Fred Freddi diee Welsh elsh went went in and and kept kept goin going g in to Willie llie Ritchie. hie. Remember thos hose stra traight left efts of his to Ritc itchie’ hie’ss bod body. There here wasn’ asn’tt a knock nock--down own blo blow in the whole battle, and I would not like to say that any of Fred Fred’’s left eft digs were actu actuaally lly pile pile--driv rivers ers. But I do say say that hat they they were ere emi eminent nently ly usef usefu ul. For they hey must must hav have seri seriou ousl sly y impa impair ired ed the the Ameri merica can’ n’ss wind, both by their force and by their frequent repetition. Prett retty y nea nearly rly ever every y man who cares ares to do so can devel evelop op a high highly ly resp respec ecta tabl blee left left-h -han and d dig. dig. A good good deal will of course depend on his natural gifts.
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But it is by no means eans alw always ays the big big heft hefty y fello ellow w who hits the hard ardest. Consi nsider the little wisp of humanity named Jimmy Wilde. He is a mere ato atom, and save ave for for his his shou houlder lderss you you would neve never r imagine by looking at him that he could hit a dent in a pat of butter. And yet, look at the list of knockouts. It is true true that that Jimm Jimmy y aqui aquired red,, or rather rather deve develo loped ped the knack of forceful hitting by his practice with the pick in narrow coal seams. But he developed it far more by study and practice. The vast majority of boxers weary themelves with appli ppliaances nces and speci pecial al exer exerci cise sess in ord order to deve evelop their hitting powers. ers. Some swear by the sand sand-ba -bag, g, othe others rs devo devote te hour hourss to swin swingi ging ng at a ball. ball. Some Some try try hand hand bala balanc nces es,, grou ground nd exer exerci cise ses, s, or heav heavy y wall machines, and thereby tighten up their muscles, losi losing ng spee speed d in the proc proces esss and and inci incide dent ntal ally ly hitt hittin ing g power itself. For big punches do not come from big muscles. The next favoured method is that of weighting the glov gloves es.. Pack Packey ey McFa McFarl rland and,, for for exam exampl ple, e, used used shotshotloaded gloves for ball and sand-bag punching and also for his shadow boxing, while the rest of us grip small dumb-bells when doing these exercises. These weights help, of course, to a certain extent, but they are by no means actual developers of hitting pow power er.. The The whol wholee secr secret et lies lies in accu accurat ratee timi timing ng and and in ment mental al appl applic icat atio ion. n. Make ake up your your mind mind that hat you you will hit as hard as you possibly can, with every ounce of you your bod bodily ily stre trengt ngth, and and above bove all wit with ever every y fibr ibre of your your mental ntal deter etermi mina nati tio on, and also lso that hat you will will keep keep on hit hitting ting har harder and hard harder er as you you pro progr gres esss, and you can the then rest est ass assured ured that that your your hitting powers will develop rapidly. Remember that you must take up power from the grou ground nd throu hroug gh your your legs legs and and back back.. Sway Sway all all your your muscles into your punches. Make them drives.
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Push ush off off fro from the grou ground nd.. And, nd, abov abovee all, all, get get your your timing and your aim right. These two last you can best polish up by learning how to beat your sparring partners to the punch as described above. And, above all, hit straight.
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By TOMMY BURNS Ex-Heavy-wright Ex-Heavy-wr ight Champion of the th e World. World. Nett 3/6. Postage 4d.
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TEXT BOOK OF BOXING By JIM DRISCOLL Retired Feather-weight Champion Boxer of the World. Illustrated by numerous full—page photographs. The There is only only one one Jim Jim Drisc riscol oll. l. His His nam name stan stand ds for for all that hat is best est in boxi boxing ng.. In this book he has endeavoured to teach the noble art, embodying everything that goes to make a capable, scientific and real good boxer. boxer. Nett 3/6. Postage 4d.
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TEXT BOOK OF BOXING By JIM DRISCOLL Retired Feather-weight Champion Boxer of the World. A unique book which will instruct the young boxer in the finest wrinkles of his craft. Second Edition. With 24 photographic poses. Nett 2/-. Postage 3d.
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TEXT BOOK OF BOXING By JIM DRISCOLL Over 20 photographic illustrations. Of all all our our best best expo expone nent ntss of outf outfig ighti hting ng perha perhaps ps Jim Jim Dris Drisco coll ll and and Bomb Bomb.. Wells ells stan stand d out from from the the rest rest of our our boxe boxers rs.. Both Both reac reache hed d the the top top rung rung of the the Cham Champi pions onshi hip p ladd ladder er more more by the art of outfig outfighti hting ng than than by any other other. This This book book gives gives reasons reasons why it should should be practised by those whose build gives them an advantage with this style. Nett 1/6. Postage 3d.
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AT H L E T I C P U B L I C AT I O N S LT D , Link House, 54 & 55 Fetter Lane LONDON
