102 



BOXING. 



and blue from wrist to elbow from stopping 

 their opponents' blows. 



Dodging and Countering. As a rest and as 

 one of the easiest ways of inculcating use of 

 the straight counter the teacher of one of the 

 best boxing-schools in this country always 

 takes up the "slipping " or dodging of the left- 

 hand lead as soon as his pupils can show fair 

 proficiency in hitting and stopping. Dodging 

 and countering the left lead is performed by 

 throwing the face suddenly toward the right 

 shoulder as the left lead is about to land on 

 nose, mouth, or eye, the head being at the same 

 time dodged slightly forward aud a little 

 toward" the right, the left hand being simul- 

 taneously sent in on the opponent's face. The 

 beauty of this blow is its ease of delivery and 

 the combination of muscles which aid its force. 

 A boxer can hardly be so tired that he can not 

 use this method of punishing an opponent, and 

 in many a prolonged contest has it secured the 

 victory. Variety may be given this manoeuvre 

 by occasionally making the counter do on an 

 opponent's body. 



The greatest exercise movements in boxing 

 are the straight counters. The straight or left- 

 hand counters are made on face and body just 

 as the left leads are, only, instead of the blows 

 being made when an opponent is on guard, they 

 are delivered in response to his leads. To 

 straight counter: The moment an opponent 

 leads, stop his left with the right, and simul- 

 taneously, or a fraction of a second later, as 

 individual practice finds best, let go the left 

 forcibly on face or body. 



As almost everybody is so much in need of 

 left-hand development and practice, the best 

 boxing-teachers instruct in the feints with the 

 left in an effort to make the left the offensive 

 one before any attempt is made to teach the 

 offensive use of the right hand. 



A feint is a make-believe. It may consist 

 of a pronounced false movement with the fist 

 or glove, but a scowl, a clinching of the teeth, 

 a stamp of the foot might serve. A clever 

 feinter so manages it that he gets an opponent 

 nervous "rattled" off his balance with 

 arms in a position impossible to be serviceable 

 in guarding, while he himself is drawn back in a 

 perfect attitude for a tremendous blow which 

 he lets go at exactly the right monlent. Feints 

 may be made with the left for the face followed 

 by a blow for the features, or on the body fol- 

 lowed by a body-punch, or a body-feint may 

 be followed by a face-blow or vice versa. A 

 left-hand feint may be followed with a blow 

 of the right hand or the opposite, or a half- 

 dozen feints may be made before any real at- 

 tempt is made to plant a hit. 



The Right Hand. Not till familiarity with the 

 use of the left has been acquired should any 

 effort be made at right-hand delivery. The 

 great right-hand blow is called the cross-coun- 

 ter. AU but direct right-hand leads, and they 

 are very seldom made by experts, are modifi- 

 cations or complications of the cross-counter 



principle. John L. Sullivan's early work was 

 successfully done by the full -arm swinging 

 cross-counter, which he modified, after a few 

 broken hands, to a half-arm swinging blow. 

 There are two good ways of striking the cross- 

 counter. One way, the first to be described, 

 has the advantage in speed and handiness of 

 delivery, but the second method is considered 

 the safer. That is, there is less danger of be- 

 ing severely countered in return. 



When boxing with an opponent for practice, 

 have him lead with the left for the face. In- 

 stead of stopping the blow with the right 

 forearm, as before treated, or dodging it by 

 throwing the face toward the right shoulder, 

 throw the face just a trifle toward the left 

 shoulder and, without turning so much as to 

 take the eye from the hitter's face, rise as 

 much as possible on the ball of the right foot, 

 and try to hit him with the right on the jaw, 

 or on the neck close under the ear, by throw- 

 ing the right hand and arm over, "across" the 

 incoming left, which should slide harmlessly 

 over the cross-counterer's right shoulder. A 

 little practice will show just how to turn the 

 hand slightly so as to land on the jaw or 

 neck with the clinched knuckles of the third 

 and fourth fingers. This is one of the pretti- 

 est, most scientific, and severest punishing 

 blows in the whole science of boxing. The 

 cross-counter may be guarded by throwing the 

 right hand up to the base of the ear, catching 

 the counter in the palm and throwing it off. 

 It may also be avoided by ducking. To duck 

 the cross-counter, throw the head straight down 

 as the blow is near its destination, and bring 

 it up on the outside of the blow, which, of 

 course, has just missed. Perhaps the best way 

 is to dodge it. In dodging turn the face to the 

 right as the left lead is delivered ; this will 

 present the back of the head for the receipt of 

 the cross- counter, and make an opponent liable 

 to break his hand. Variety is sometimes given 

 to the cross-counter by aiming at the short 

 ribs instead of the jaw. This is called the low 

 cross-counter. To strike the old fashioned or 

 safe cross-counter, dodge the left lead as if to 

 make the dodge and left counter, but come up 

 quickly close beside the antagonist and deliver 

 the right like lightning on jaw or neck. It 

 should always be remembered that landing a 

 good straight left-hand blow on an opponent's 

 nose or chin will prevent his effectively "cross- 

 ing" that blow at least. Another stop for the 

 cross-counter, especially when an opponent is 

 much addicted to its use, is to land a few solid 

 left-handers on his right shoulder. This will 

 temporarily paralyze his right delivery. 



I lira-Scientific Work. Good head-work gener- 

 alship and ducking and dodging are very essen- 

 tial ; ability to manoeuvre the feet is, if any- 

 thing, more important. Only long practice will 

 tell an individual how much ducking he can do 

 with safety, and it is best to rely on ducking 

 only as a resort in a tight pinch. Properly bal- 

 anced on the feet, and well practiced in getting 



