100 



BOXING. 



in boxing should be delivered with the hand or 

 glove open. A light blow should be given in 

 showing a friend a move, not by slapping, tap- 

 ping, or "flicking"," but by accurate gauging 

 of the time and distance. When an amateur 

 can deliver a light blow with a closed hand 

 delicately, he is becoming artistic. They say 

 that Mace could knock down an ox or simply 

 touch the powder on a lady's face with a blow 

 from his clinched hand. The story may have 

 just a flavor of the trip-hammer- and-watch- 

 crystal tale about it, but Mace certainly was a 

 wonderful artist. Pugilists harden their hands 

 in different ways. The change from the bare- 

 knuckle fighting of olden times to the dog-skin- 

 glove battles of recent years does away with 

 much disagreeable and tiresome work in this 

 direction. Good, hard rubbing is one of the 

 best things in the world to harden the flesh 

 and bones of the hand. Alcohol, lemon-juice, 

 rock-salt, gunpowder, saltpeter dilute, tannin, 

 and alum are some of the washes used. Jem 

 Carney, the English light-weight champion, 

 used to whet his hands over a smooth plank 

 for hours a day during his training, slapping 

 the backs of his hands back and forth over 

 the wood as a man straps a razor. As, in 

 spite of all precaution, a carelessly delivered 

 upper-cut, a blow on an opponent's head, or a 

 failure when very tired to have the hands as 

 well closed as they should be, is always liable 

 to injure the hand, it might not be out of the 

 way to mention a simple remedy, of which 

 few surgeons are apt to think. It will do 

 away with what most fighters' hands have, 

 unsightly bunches from the broken bones not 

 having been properly set. A silver dollar in- 

 serted under the bandage over the broken 

 bone will press the ends in together so tightly 

 as to heal them most completely and without 

 a bunch. A wooden dollar would answer just 

 as well. 



How to Stand. A good position in boxing is 

 very important. The approved position is with 

 the body erect, weight between the legs, the 

 left being advanced in front of the right. The 

 toes of the left foot are turned in, those pf 

 the right foot out. The rule among the clev- 

 erest of the professionals is " On the flat of the 

 left ; on the ball of the right." The right leg 

 need not be behind the other in a line run- 

 ning from the heel of the right foot through 

 the ball to the heel of the left, as has some- 

 times been taught. It would require a tight- 

 rope walker's balancing powers to stand with 

 one foot exactly behind the other in deliver- 

 ing a blow, though the right will greatly sec- 

 ond the effort if it is pretty nearly behind the 

 left. The right leg should be slightly bent at 

 the knee, the left held straight but not stiff. 

 Just how far apart the feet should be kept, is 

 another matter of individual practice, influ- 

 enced also by each one's height and build. 

 The most convenient distance between the 

 feet is generally about half the ordinary step. 

 It would tire anybody but a statue to keep 



this or any one position long, and the muscles 

 of the legs and body are rested by stepping 

 about. In walking about an attempt should 

 be made to keep the left foot a little in advance 

 of the right, and be ready to fly into the attitude 

 in no time. Proficiency in leg-work, which is 

 most important, can only be acquired by long 

 practice and natural aptitude. Some boxing- 

 teachers tell pupils to stand with the left or 

 advanced foot turned out. This is contrary to 

 the whole theory and practice of boxing, which 

 simply tries to make the most of nature's laws 

 in every instance. The very important thing 

 about a position is the advantage it gives to 

 get quickly backward or forward and to sec- 

 ond the delivery of blows. Let any one when 

 standing perfectly still with his left foot ad- 

 vanced and the toes turned well out, try to 

 spring backward or forward ; then try it with 

 the toes turned in. All pedestrians, sprinters, 

 six-day runners, and heel-and-toe walkers pro- 

 gress with feet either held perfectly straight or 

 with the toes turned a trifle in. The child of 

 nature, the American Indian, travels in the same 

 way, and so do most mail-carriers and policemen. 



The variety of positions in which to do good 

 and effective boxing is as great as is the num- 

 ber of boxers. Every man selects that attitude 

 best suited to his height, reach, length of leg, 

 and tactics. To stand well up, so as to take 

 full advantage of the height, is generally con- 

 sidered wise, some men even standing on the 

 toes. This is seemingly a very tiresome atti- 

 tude, yet it is one that Tom Sayers frequently 

 assumed. A man's position, however, must be 

 governed by other considerations than a sole 

 wish to stand as tall as possible. Any one that 

 has ever tried to hit a punching-bag knows that 

 force is gained for the blows, even if speed is 

 lost, by assuming a stooping attitude. 



The Arms. The left arm should be held out 

 perhaps a little farther than elbow-distance 

 from the body, with the hand held so that the 

 thumb is uppermost. The left arm in position 

 should form an obtuse angle. The right arm 

 should be thrown across the body, with the hand 

 held in the neighborhood of the left nipple, or 

 over the pit of the stomach, as individual prac- 

 tice finds it more effectual to hold a high or a 

 low guard. Holding a low guard renders " stop- 

 ping " less speedy, but " cross countering " 

 more forcible. The right arm, if held for a high 

 guard, should form an acute angle ; if for a low 

 guard, a right angle. The elbow, it is now de- 

 termined, should be held close to the body. 

 There are no prominent pugilists who now at- 

 tempt guarding with the elbow to any extent. 

 As with the legs, the arms are not held rigidly 

 in their positions. In fact, some of the most 

 successful boxers seldom stand on guard as 

 they are pictured. The right hand should 

 not be too strictly confined to the position de- 

 scribed, but it can not be allowed as much lati- 

 tude as the left, which is the offensive mem- 

 ber. The right is at once the buckler and the 

 reserve force of the body. Its duties are to 



