(1917) boxing: a guide to the manly art of self defense
DESCRIPTION
1917 - Spalding Athletic LibraryTRANSCRIPT
.B75
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Fig. 28.
PINNING YOUR OPPONENT'S RIGHT WITH YOUR LEFT ANP DELIVERING A RIGHT HOOK TO THE JAW.
Fig. 29.
THE LIVER PUNCH.
Fig. 30.
J>UCKING A RIGHT-HAND SWING
AND GETTING IN POSITION TO SEND EITHER HAND TO BODY.
Fig. 31.
BLOCKING AN OPPONENT'S HIGH LEFT SWING FOR THE HEAD AND STANDING READY TO BLOCK HIS RIGHT JAB TO BODY.
Spalding's Boxing G%ide.
43
DUCKING A RIGHT-HAND SWING AND GETTING IN POSITION TO SEND EITHER HAND TO BODY.(See Fig. 30.)
Havinghandanother
described the
manner
in
which to step inside of a righttell
swing for the head, I will
now
you how
to avoid
it
in
way
by ducking.
As you
see the swing
coming toward
you, duck quickly, so that the attacking hand will pass over
your head,
at the
same time keeping both hands extended somechest, so that
what before your
you
will
be able to use either onewill
in countering the attacker's body.left
He
probably have his
drawn across
his
stomach to guard a return, and in thatThis do by lunging forward ashis
case endeavor to reach his face.
you duck the swing, and, pinningthe free
guard with either hand, send
hand
to the jaw.
Probably the best hand to use in
hitting will be the right, consequently thewill be the left.
hand
to
do the pinning
Do
not be too anxious to attack immediately after ducking
the swing, however.
A
little
caution will often do
more good
than an attempt to
strike.
If
your opponent has held himself wel?
in control after missing the
swing he may be prepared for you.in that case the best thing for you?
no matter what youto dois
lead,
and
to spring back into position.
BLOCKING AN OPPONENT'S HIGH LEFT SWING FOB THE HEAD AND STANDING READY TO BLOCK HIS RIGHT JAB TO THE BODY.(See Fig. 31.)Oftentimes an opponent will charge strongly at you, intendingto attack with both hands.is
A
good combination of blows, which
frequently used
is
the right left swing for the head, foIlowe(^
44
Spalding's Boxing Guide,
up by a forceful right jab to the body.yourself,
To
effectually protect
meet his swing by throwing out your right arm, allowwith the opened palm
ing his attaddng wrist to strike your forearm and as he sendsthe right acro&s at your body, blockit
of your
left,
meeting the
fist
about midway between you.
His
head and shoulders will be inclined somewhat toward you, andif
you are quick you can bend your
right
hand downwardswing.
to his
faceerect,
from the point of contact withwith the head pitched forward a
his
By
standing
trifle,
you
will not suffer
any
evil
consequences and will better be able to obtain a comsituation
manding view of the
and judge as to your best move.
STEPPING OUTSIDE TO THE RIGHT OF A STRAIGHT LEFT TO HEAD AND DELIVERING LEFT SWING TO HEAD.(See Fig. 32.)If
you have a good eye and are veryleft
quick,
you can avoid ait.
straight
lead for the head byisit
stepping outside of
A
straight left lead
one of the hardest blows to evadesuccessfullyit
in this
manner anda
to do
is
absolutely necessary that
man be extremely agile. The shorter the distance
of your opponent's lead, the quicker
you must be
in getting out of the way.
You must
incline
your
head sharply in the direction you go, also turning your head
away from the punch, but notout of the range of vision.
so far as to place your opponent
A
very forcible blow which you
mayYour
deliver asleft
you
step outis
side is a left
swing to the
face.
shoulder
thrown
upward as you
incline to the right, thus giving a better oppor-
tunity to land the swing strongly
and accurately.yourleft
In stepping
ou% to the right
for instance, carry
foot
up and over
Spalding's Boxing Guide.
46
your opponem'sheel,
left toes,
placing your foot almost opposite histo
which
will put
you close enough
him
to prevent
your
swinging past him.left
As you
step in in this manner, allowing his
lead to go over your left shoulder, swing your left
hand
downward and to the rear, contracting firmly the muscles of the arm and turning your clenched fist palm downward. As youbringwillit
forward, turn thein contact with
fist
so that the face of the knuckles
come
your fellow boxer as the blow lands.
The blow shouldyour opponent's
start as the left foot touches the floor
beyond
left
and as
it
takes effect you should be braced
firmly on both feet in order to bring your entire
power
into
it.
Should the punch be blocked by your opponent'syourstill
right, bring
left
back
in a direct line
with your
left
shoulder, incliningfist
more
to the right
and swing again, sending the
to the pit
of the stomach.it
Let your body come around with the blow, and
will
have
telling effect.
After delivering the swing to the head you can oftentimes deceive
your opponent by stepping out and feinting the swing,it,
but instead of delivering
let
your hand go as close to his faceit
as possible without hittingest
him and bringit
back with the quick-
you are capable
of,
sending
to his
body before he can getcircumstances you are
his right
hand down
to guard.
Under
all
too far to the right to be reached by either hand before you
can safely retreat.
STEPPING TO THE RIGHT OF A STRAIGHT LEFT TO
HEART AND COUNTERING WITH A SHORTLEFT SWING TO HEART.(See Fig. ZZ-)'
After drawing your opponent into a straightheart, step outside to the right in the
left
lead to your
manner
I
have already
46
Spalding's Boxing GuieU,
decribed and deliver a halfattacking
arm swing with your
left
under his
arm
to
the solar plexus.
You
will
have to crouch
considerably to escape the lead and as you deliver your leftstraighten up, rising well on the toes of your right foot; then
spring backward to your right into fighting position.
STEPPING INSIDE OF A LEFT SWING TO HEAD AND DELIVERING A HALF ARM RIGHT HAND
BLOW TO BODY.(See Fig. 34.)
While sparring and you notice that your opponentto
is
anxious
swing
at
your head, lead him on by inclining toward him,
causing him to think you are closer than you really are, and
expose your head.in
As he swings
for
it,
say with his
left,
step
and
incline
to the left
allowing his
swinging forearm to
strike the
back of your neck.firmly,
At the same time contract yourPin his right with
right
armleft,
sending a
jolt to the heart.
your
and you
will be perfectly safe
from further attack
You may have an
opportunity to repeat your right to the body
unless he clinches or retreats very quickly.
AVOIDING A STRAIGHT RIGHT TO FACE BY STEPPING TO THE RIGHT AND SENDING OVER A RIGHT CHOP TO FACE.(See Fig. 35.)I
do not particularly advise ais
man
to indulge too frequently inin
the chopping habit, but there
one instanceit
which
this sort
of a blow
may
be used to advantage, andinto play.I
requires the bringing
of the
rigrht
baud
would never use the chop under
Spalding's Boxing Guide.
'
47
any other circumstances unless
it
be during a clinch in what
is
known
as "one
armI
free fighting."
A
chop can then be used to
advantage on the kidneys.
The chop whichafter
countenance
is
delivered with the right handit
you have evaded a
straight right to the face, allowing
to pass over
your right shoulder.left,
As your
opponent's blow comes
toward you, bend to thethen sendit
throwing your right arm well up;j^our opponent's face withleft close to
forward and downward to
the palm turned downward.
Hold your
your body
so that you can follow up your chop by drawing the right
hand to
guard, and, stepping
in,
deliver your left to any exposed part of
your combatant's body.
The
right
hand chop
is
usually an extremely Hard blow to block,little
especially for beginners, because they are but
accustomed
to covering themselves with their leftright hand.
arm
as they deliver their
As
I
have previously explained, no one in boxingleft
should attempt to lead the right without throwing their
arm
well over the face and drawing the stomach in out of reach.
THE SOLAR PLEXUS PUNCH.(See Fig. z^-)I
touched briefly on the blow made famous by Robertin the
FitZ'.
simmons, the solar plexus punch,
opening part of this
book under thedetails
title
of ''Famous Blows," and I will go into the
of
it,
tellingit
you how to work your opponent into a and how best to makeit
positioneffective.
making
possible,
thoroughly
Spar around your fellow boxer for a few moments andsharply ataction.
feint
him
several times, bringing both your handsbit
into
This will usually make him a
nervous and \e will
^
.
Spalding's Boxing Guide.
begin to shift his guard to cover the different points you arefeinting at.at
Suddenly lean forward a
triflefist.
and
feint furiously
your combatant's face wih your right
Hepit
will naturally
bend back to avoid the supposed attack andguard up to protect hisface,
will
throw his
leaving
the.
of the stomach
partially unprotected at least, for in the excitement of the
mo-
ment the covering of
his
face will
be his principal thought.
In the illustration, the opponent has thrown up his right handin front of his face, holding his left too far to the left to fully
protect the objective point.for the delivery of the
You now have him "wide open"left,
punch with your
which you drawright.
back into a striking position as you feint with the
HOW TOIn sending the
DELIVER THE SOLAR PLEXUS.(See Fig.solarz'?-')
plexus punch
home, after you have
feinted your
man
into the desired opening, step in with all theleft
speed and force at your command, and shoot your
heavily
into the pit of his stomach, inclining smartly to the right as
you
do
so, rising to the toesleft,
of your
left
foot
which
rests
between
his feet close to his
and bearing the greater part of youreffect.
weight on your right foot as the punch takesclining your
By
in-
body asleft,
I
have instructed, you will better escapeit,
your opponent's
should he happen to use
and you
will
be in a good position to come back at him with your right,
which you hold in front of your body as a guard.the solar plexus punch inits
Of
course,
most violent form
is
to be deliv-
ered only in the professional ring and amateurs should takp-eat care in their use of it
I
Spalding's Boxing Guide
49
DRAWING BACK ON GUARD FROM A STRAIGHT LIFT TO FACE AND IN POSITION TO Si^sTD EITHER HAND TO FACE OR BODY,(See Fig. 38.)I will
now
describe a menoeuvre which
all
boxers can use tohasaavailedcal-
advantage
and
of
which
ex-Champion
CorbeittItis
himself successfully on various occasions.culated to
move
deceive your
combatant
in
gauging your distance,
and
is
performed as follows:
On
an occasion when your opponent leads straight to yourleft,
face with his
thinking that he has you within range, bendfist
back swiftly from the waist, allowing hiseral inches, the while keeping
to fall short sev-
your hands in front of your body,
your right being just below your chin to meet the attacking
hand should your opponent lunge forward as you bend back. Then by inclining slightly to the left and forward you canshoot into his body or face either hand as the occasion warrants.
The bend forward from your somewhatin
strained posi-
tion
evading the lead
will
give additional
momentum
to
your attack.onist'sright,
Beface
careful to keep vigilant watch
on your antag-
which he probably has drawn back in reserve.with either hand as you lunge forward tohis right unprotected.
Guard yourstrike or else
you may meet
RELATING TO UFPERCUTS.(See Fig. 39.)things to be considered
In delivering an uppercut, theafter the proper clenching of the
firstfist,
are the poise of the hand
and arm.
The hand should
incline a trifle
toward the shoulder
50
Spalding's Boxing Guide,
by bending at the wrist, and the arm should be extended abouttwo-thirds ofits
entire
length,
bending
at
the
elbow.
TheI
uppercut
is
usually sent to the chin and should strike with the
face of the knuckles.
Considerable leverage can be put int
a blow of this sort by
making the shoulder muscles
figure
prominently in
it.
CORRECT DELIVERY OF A RIGHT UPPERCUT.(See Fig. 40.)
Thetion
right uppercut
is
sent in with the right
arm
in a posiv
similar to that of the left under the
same circumstances.
The musclesit
of the
the stiffness necessary to
arm should be makeoutward.
well contracted so as to give the blow a solid one.If
Keepyou
the
thumb turned
well
you turnfull
it
inside
place your
arm
in
a positionutilized.
where the
strength of your
muscles cannot bein the
Besides, you thus place your handIt is
way of almost
certain injury.
always wise to rise
to the ball of foot
on the same
side as your attacking
hand
in
uppercutting, for thus you will put
more weight
into
it.
BLOCKING A RIGHT SWING AND SENDING A RIGHT UPPERCUT TO CHIN.(See Fig. 41.)
When
your opponent swings for your head with hisit
right,
you can often blockattacking
and counter very
effectively to his chin
with a right uppercut.
As he
swings, step in and meet his
forearm with your forearm,
which you have bentbelow your waist
across your face, and send quickly to the point of his jaw yourright,
starting
it
from a
line
just
a
little
Spalding's Boxing Guide,
51
Should yourderit
man come back
at
you withit
his left,right,
you can renwillyot;
void by throwing to meet
your
which youflash,
have just used in uppercutting.can bring
Then, quick as a
down
to his face your left
which had to be raised
high to hold off the original
swing.
Your body should befeet.
straightened up during this whole operation and you must use
your eyes and your wits as well as your hands and
BLOCKING A LEFT SWING AND SENDING A UPPER CUT TO CHIN.(See Fig. 42.)
LEFT-
A
swing can be treated
in ain
manner
similar to that in which
you disposed of theing a
right
the foregoing paragraph.in,
Meetshoot-
the swing with your right hand or forearm and stepleft
uppercut to the point of the jaw.
As was
the case
in using the right,
you can
easily bring the
guarding hand downin theleft^
to your opponent's face to follow
up your uppercut andit
event of his returning his right, you can meet
with yourits
which you can thrust downward and outward fromcontact with your antagonist's jaw.
point of
STRIKING AN OPPONENT'S LEFT LEAD ON OUTSIDE, FORCING HIS BLOW TO THE LEFT, DRAWING HIM OFF HIS BALANCE, AND STANDING READY TO SEND EITHER HAND TO HEAD OR BODY.(See Fig. 43.)
Mtzslmmons
frequently resorted to a clever practice which hasdifferent
become of frequent use by
boxers.
It
consisted
in
striking or shoving the outside of a inan*s attacking
arm
as he
Spalding's Boxing Guide,led,
forcing his
fist
across the front of his (Fitzsimmoaft*) body,Bj'
and far to the side opposite that to which he aimed.doinjf,
so
an opponentaroundin
is
drawn forward
off his
balance and turnedIf
partially
an awkward and indefensible position.either
you arc quick you can then usevantageousresults.
hand on him with ad=your face you can ex-
Should a man lead his
left straight to
ecute the aforementioned manoeuvre by grasping his left elbow
with the opened palm of your right hand and shovingto yourleft, at
it
strongly
the same time inclining slightly to the right.
As
your opponent swings around you can come forward heavily tohis heart with
your
left
or shoot your right to his ribs, head orItis
chop to his
left
kidney.
more
difficult
to handle a right
lead in this manner, because
is
usually carries
more
force be-
hind it
STEPPING OUTSIDE OF A STRAIGHT RIGHT LEAD, PUSHING IT OVER RIGHT SHOULDER WITH LEFT HAND AND SENDING RIGHT TO BODY.(See Fig. 44.)In Stepping outside of a straightforce the attackingleft to
the face
you can often
arm overit
the right shoulder by shoving the
elbow on thestep inpit
out|side as
comes toward you.
As you do
this,
and send the right to your opponent's body,ribs,
either the
of the stomach or the right floating
and spring back
quickly into position.
A
combatant that understands boxing willleft in
block your counter by bringing hisas he sends his right over.If
front of his stomachin
you are snappy
your move-
mits you can withdraw your rightblocked and sendit
in the event of its being
up to your fellow boxer's jaw, bringinghis left as
down your
left to
guard your body from
you do
so.
Spaldi7ig's
Boxing Gmde
53
BLOCKING A RIGHT SWING TO BODY WITH LEFT AMD STANDING READY TO BLOCK LEFT LEAD TO FACE OR BODY WITH RIGHT.(See Fig. 45.)In studying defensive work do nottofail
to pay close attention
avoiding your opponentin
when heVery
delivers blows
with both
hands
rapid succession.
frequently,
especially
when ait
man
is
rushing you, he will send over one hand and followtlie
up instantly withnot succeed in
other, thinking to bewilder you, if he doeshis
making one of
punches take
effect.
Often a man will combine a right swing to the body with aleft
lead for the face,
and when he does
this brace yourself wellleft,
)ack
and stop
his
swinging arm with your firmly extended
holding your right hand ten or twelve inches in front of yourchest with the
palm opened
to receive the left
when
it
follows.
By keeping youring or raisingthe blows
right in this position
you
will find yourself pre-
pared to block either a lead for the body or head by simply lowerit.
Brace yourself strongly on your right leg asthat the shock
come over sooff
you may receive
will not
throw you
your balance.
STEPPING OUTSIDE OF A STRAIGHT RIGHT TO FACE, SHOVING IT OVER RIGHT SHOULDER WITH LEFT HAND AND STANDING READY TO SEND RIGHT TO FACE OR BODY.(See Fig. 46.)
The
straight right
hand of an opponent led
to the face
may
be
disposed of in athe left as
way shown in
exactly the reverse of that used in evadingFig. 45.
As
the blow comes toward you
g4
Spalding's Boxing Guide.it
step outside of
and forward pushing the outside of the attackit
ingder.
arm
at the
elbow so that
will glide over
your right shoul-
Instantly shoot the right across to your opponent's face orit
body, preferably the body, forcase than the face.
is
much
easier of access in this
Bring your
left
back to guard your face as
you go forwardleft.
to avoid leaving
an opening for your opponent'sleft
You
can also get away from theafter
by incliningright
sharplj^
to
the
left
shoving your
combatant's
over
your
shoulder.
BLOCKING WITH RIGHT A HOOK TO JAW AND COUNTERING WITH INSIDE LEFT HOOK TO JAW.(See Fig. 47.)
The jawa
is
a favorite objective point with almost every boxer,it
and you can learn to counter blows for
very
effectively.it
Whenopened
man
sends at your jaw a right hook you can blockface, receiving the
by bending
your right arm across your
blow
in the
palm; then step in and counter to his jaw with a swiftinside of the attacking hook.If
left
hook
you vary with
this
manoeuvrewill
the ordinary blocks and counters for leads to thelikely to take
jaw you
be
your opponent unawares, for when executed withvery disconcerting.left,it
swiftness
it
is
As
for your opponent's
will be in a position to land
effectively
on your body during the foregoing manoeuvre unless
you are on the lookout.his right
With your
right engaged in blocking
and your
left
across to his jaw, your ribs and stomachwill speedily find
will present
him a tempting mark which he
unless you hold your stomach well in and get your rightto
down
guard without delay.
Spalding's Boxing Guide
IP IT OVER RIGHT SHOULDER WITH LEPT hTx D READl TO PEND RIGHT TO FAPE OR ^.ND^'sTANmNO^^^ BODY.
Fig. 47.
BLOCKING WITH THE RIGHT A HOOK TO THE JAW AND COUNTERING WITH AN INSIDE LEFT HOOK TO THE JAW.
Fig. 48.
BLOCKING A LEFT HOOK TO THE JAW WITH THE LEFT AND COUNTEB TNG WITH AN INSIDE RIGHT HOOK TO THE JAW.
Hi
Spalding^s Boxing Guide,should be, inof fistiana.fact,
59
and therefore
is
unfamiliar to
many
followers
The block
in question brings both
hands and arms intoin
use,
and has been found very valuable by men vrhentions, say in a corner, or against the ropes
awkward
posi-
and hard pressed by
an opponent.face, the
It consists in
folding the right forearm across the
nose and chin
fitting
snugly into the crook of the elbow,
and holding thebody, the upper
left close to
and
directly across the front of the
arm coveringthe
the heart
and
left ribs,in,
the fore-
arm and hand withpit
palm opened and turnedribs.
protecting thestill
of the stomach and right
The block can be made
more of a "safety" by bending the stomach inward as you carrythe
arms
into position.
When
your opponent gets you into a tight place and you can-
not force him back by an assault, assume quickly the position asdescribed and you can with impunity advance to any part of thefloor or ring, as the casepart,
may
be.
His
fists
cannot reach aeither
vital
for by watching
him
closely
and shifting
hand or
forearm the merestto deliver.
trifle
you can block anything he may choose
George McFadden has used the safety block successfully onvarious occasions.
MISSING INTENTIONALLY A HOOK TO JAW AND DELIVERING A BACK HAND BLOW TO FACE.(See Figures 55 and 56.)
Tois
take a
man unawares when
he least expects to be surprised
the ambition of every manipulator of the gloves and I will
now
Rive the details of a sort of "double-barrelled" blow which has
60
Spalding's Boxing Guide,to
come
my
notice
and which has been termed the "Leverand send aswing
Punch.**
Brace yourself staunchly on your
feet
left
at
your opponent's jaw, which you intentionally miss by about twoor three inches.feet,
Allow your hand
to
go past him, say about twothat
and as he lunges toward you, thinking
you have missed
a genuine attempt at his jaw, bring your attacking hand backsharply to his face before he will have time to land on you, hittinghis
jaw a
sort of
backhand swing.
Naturally the blow coming in that manner will bewilder your
combatant and
in the
momentary confusion you can follow up
your
left
with your right to the body or perhaps the face.
How-
ever, if he takes
punishment well enoughyour body, orif
to recover in
an instan?,
sending his
left to
he counters to your body with
either his left or right as
you
strike his jaw,
you can ward
off the
attack in either case with the opened
palm of the
right hand.
Hold your head
well elevated with the chin
drawn
in so that
you
will be able to take in the
whole situation
at a glance.
THE CLINCH,(See Fig. 57.)
The
clinch might well be termed "the boxer's friend," forin times of distress.
it
always comes to his aid
Theis
best
mode
of
clinching which I have previously described
admirably por-
trayed in illustration No. 57, which shows myself about to release
my
hold onI
my
opponent's arms.
Observe closely the manner
in
which
have drawn
instead of releasingoriginal clinch hold
my hands along my sparring partner's arms my grasp v/ith a sudden jump from thearound the waist, whichlatter action will
Spalding's Boxing Guide,
63
mvariably throw you open to one or more of those objectionableT)reaJkaway
punches.
The proper pinningIn the
of
your
opponent's
arms as you withdraw from the**balance of
clinch will always give
you
the
power"
breakaway, both from offensive and
defensive viewpoints.
HOW
TO BLOCK OPPONENT'S LEFT FOR FACE OR BODY AFTER HE SECURES CHANCERY HOLD WITH RIGHT.(See Fig. 58.)
When
a boxer shoots either right orhis
left
hand arouna an op-
ponent's neck and draws
the
opponent's
head
toward himis
self to deliver a blow to either the face or body, he
skid to
have secured a ''chancery hold," or to have placed his antagonist's
head "in chancery."
A
leading dictionary gives a good
description of a chancery hold in defining the term as follows
"A boxinga
expression used
when
the head
is
caught and
seless
curely held vn6.