BOXING. 



101 



" stop " the incoming left of an opponent, or 

 to " cross-counter " his deliveries. 



"NVLy the left and not the right foot and arm 

 are advanced in .scientific boxing, is the first 

 thing that a beginner, who always wants to 

 stand right foot and right hand foremost, asks 

 to know. The left arm. side, and leg are held 

 in front of the right for two reasons. First, 

 an opportunity is given by bringing the left- 

 arm out in advance of the right to inflict pun- 

 ishment as well as to guard it. The only use 

 that a novice makes of his left is to guard with 

 it, using liis right entirely for offensive work. 

 The left is not in general use as the right hand 

 is. and but for this getting it into a position 

 where a little blow, and a half-pushing blow at 

 that, from it tells, no amount of practice could 

 enable a man to do much with it. It takes a 

 left-handed man to throw a stone well with 

 the left hand, and he can not use his right. 

 Xo right-handed man can hit in the same man- 

 ner with his left that he can with his right. 

 But with practice he can hit a good left-handed 

 blow in a little different manner. .Think of 

 the amount of practice it takes for a person 

 used to driving a nail with the right hand to 

 become able to drive the nail with the hammer 

 held in his left hand ! But with a hammer-head 

 only, and with a different kind of blow, he can 

 drive a nail with the left hand quite well. 



The holding of the left arm and leg in ad- 

 vance of the right is a wonderfully clever yet 

 simple way of making boxers ambidextrous. 

 The plan does not render the left as handy as 

 the right, but it enables it to hit a different 

 kind of blow, which is almost if not quite as 

 effective as the sledge-hammer smash of the 

 right. The second reason is, that the right, 

 the most accomplished hand, is made to do 

 guard and reserve if not skirmish duty. It is 

 always more important to defend than to of- 

 fend, and at the same time the right is u stop- 

 ping " an opponent's blows, its hitting strength 

 is being kept in reserve for a heavy blow on 

 jaw or ribs when the opportunity comes. 



To Hit, and not b Hit. To 'learn hitting 

 out, stand up before an eight or ten pound 

 punching-bag in the attitude described ; draw 

 the left arm and shoulder back so that the 

 arm forms a slightly acute angle with the 

 fist or gloved hand opposite the side or short 

 ribs and the left shoulder twisted back, the 

 right shoulder, of course, coming forward in 

 accommodation and the right fist or glove 

 moving from its position over the mark or the 

 left nipple up almost upon the left shoulder. 

 The bag should always be used to learn hitting, 

 as a beginner feels more confidence than in 

 practicing on an opponent. TVhen drawn or 

 twisted back as far as possible without strain- 

 ing clinch the left hand as tightly as possible, 

 and suddenly shoot it forward, or "lead" at 

 the bag as hard as possible, helping the force 

 of the blow by drawing back the right arm 

 and right side of the body and stepping in with 

 the left foot. In delivering the blow, be sure 



to have the hand in a natural position that 

 is. with the thumb on top, not on the outside 

 of the closed fist. Strike forward as far and 

 as straight a- possible. The bag, if light, 

 should be swinging freely, and it should be 

 struck, "met," as it is coming toward the hit- 

 ter. A heavy bag should never be hit except 

 when it is swinging from the striker. The 

 left-hand blow is not hit as the blow with the 

 right is. but is a sort of quick, half-push a 

 "jab " or a "prop "it is called in ring-par- 

 lance. Xo blows with the right hand should 

 be struck during the early practice, but every 

 effort should be made to acquire dexterity, 

 force, and speed in delivery with the left. It 

 is not the few hard hits with this hand that 

 tell so much as the many light blows for which 

 no return blow or counter is taken. After some 

 confidence has been acquired by bag-work, 

 practice with an opponent should be begun. 

 Always try to land the blows squarely on his 

 face or body. To " stop " an opponent's blows 

 and never to get hit, is even more important 

 than effective hitting. It tires more to strike 

 than to stop ; therefore, if two men were to 

 meet, one of whom was a perfect stopper 

 though he could hit scarcely at all, and the 

 other could not " stop " blows, the good stop- 

 per would win. Very few of the present-day 

 boxers excel as stoppers. None can come 

 near the excellence of that wonderful ex-cham- 

 pion of the light-weights, Billy Edwards, who in 

 his day worsted all who came before him, re- 

 gardless of difference in size and weight. To 

 stop well requires much practice and good hard 

 work with as many different kinds of hitters 

 as possible. As the left-hand blow of an op- 

 ponent is coming in for the face, the right, 

 which has been lying across the breast, should 

 be suddenly raised, the palm turning outward 

 as it meets the incoming punch. The blow 

 should be stopped in such a way as to have the 

 forearm or wrist of the striker land on the tight- 

 ened muscles of the forearm of the stopper. It 

 is hard to clinch the hand too tightly or "stop" 

 too forcibly. A few good hard stops will some- 

 times so hurt an adversary's arm as to render 

 him most cautious about " leading." Do not 

 attempt to throw off the blow ; the best way 

 is merely to stop it. Always keep the right 

 elbow as low, near the ribs, as possible. 



There is a left-hand lead for the body as 

 well as for the head. The point of attack on 

 the body is the pit of the stomach or "mark.'' 

 To hit the " mark " effectively, the hand shonld 

 be turned so that the back or large knuckles 

 are on top and the thumb on the inside. The 

 weight should greatly assist this blow. The stop 

 or guard for the body lead is with the right, but 

 struck downward instead of upward. Much 

 stopping is very trying to the arms. Tom 

 Sayers's right forearm was as much injured as 

 if it were broken, if it was not broken, in the 

 battle with John C. Heenan, stopping the Troy 

 giant's terrific left-handers. Few fighters 

 emerge from a battle without forearms black 



