Theauthorandthepublisherofthisvolumedesire to express their thanks to Mr. W. R.Hearst for his courtesy andkindness in permitting the republication from the NewYorkJournalfocertainofthearticlesandillustratinoshereincontained.

PHYSICALCULTUREAND SELFDEFENSE

BYROBERTFITZSIMMONS

CHAMPIONMIDDLEWEIGHTFIGHTEROFTHEWORLD;CHAMPION

HEAVYWEIGHTFIGHTEROFTHEWORLD;

INSTRUCTORANDLECTURERONPHYSICAL

CULTURE,ETC.,ETC.,ETC.

WITHANINTRODUCTIONBY

DREXELBIDDLE,F.R.G.S.,F.R.M.S.,F.G.S.A.ETC.

ILLUSTRATIONSFROM

POSESBYROBERTFITZSIMMONSAND

GEORGEDAWSONPHYSICALINSTRUCTOROFTHECHICAGOATHLETICCLUB

DREXELBIDDLE,PUBLISHER LONDONPHILADELPHIASANFRANCISCO

SouthFourthSt.

COPYRIGHT,BY

ANTHONYJ.DREXELBIDDLEEnteredatStationer'sHall,London

ALLRIGHTSRESERVED

PRINTEDBYDREXELBIDDLE,PHILADELPHIA,U.S.A.

DEDICATION

Toonewhosebeauty througheachchangingyearisyetunchanging,

AndthroughwhoseeyesIhaveseenthelightandtheright.Mylightwhenallelsewasdarknessanduncertainty,Andwhosecompanionshipshonewithagentle lustrefor

allthatisgoodandbright.Thatshineseverformeinthepathsoftruthandhappiness:

MyguidingstarMyWife.

PHYSICALCULTURE

AND

SELFDEFENSE

CONTENTS

PAGE

INTRODUCTION.BYA.J.DREXELBIDDLE. 13

PARTI

PHYSICALCULTURE

CHAPTER

I.THEPROPERWAYTOBREATH . . . . . . . . 29II.SCHOOLROOMEXERCISES . . . . . . . . . . 39III.HOWTOREDUCEWEIGHT . . . . . . . . . . 44IV.ACHAPTER FOR WOMENTO GAIN BEAUTY

WITHSTRENGTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47V.ADVICE TO PARENTS FOR THE HEALTH AND

REARINGOFTHEIRCHILDREN . . . . . . 51VI.TOPROSPECTIVEATHLETES. . . . . . . . . . 55

PARTII

SELFDEFENSE

VII.FIRSTLESSONINBOXING . . . . . . . . . . . 61VIII.RIGHT AND WRONG KINDS OF MUSCLES

CONTRASTED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73IX.BAGPUNCHING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77X.RIGHT AND WRONG WAY OF USING THE

FEET AND HANDS WHILE SPARRING WHATTHEEXERCISEDEVELOPS . . . . . 84

XI.THEPOISEINBOXING . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89XII.POSITIONSFORTHEHANDS . . . . . . . . . . 94XIII.HOWTOLANDBLOWS . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

XIV.COURAGE THE KEYSTONE OF A BOXER'SSUCCESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

XV.HOW THE HEAVY MAN SHOULD TRAIN ANDFIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

XVI.THEWAYTOSTRIKEAHARDBLOW . . . . . 110XVII.THE PLAN FOR AN AMATEUR'S SUCCESSFUL

ENCOUNTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113XVIII.THEFAMOUSBLOWSOFROBERTFITZSIMMONS 115

PARTIII

THELIFEANDRINGBATTLESOFROBERTFITZSIMMONS

XIX.AN ACCOUNT OF THE WARRIOR. By A. J.DREXELBIDDLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

XX.THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE.ByThomasT.Williams. . . . . . . . . . 147

XXI.THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE.ByRobertFitzsimmons . . . . . . . . . . 163

XXII.THE BATTLE WITH GUS RUHLIN. By W.W.Naughton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

XVIII.THE BATTLE WITH THOMAS SHARKEY: WITHRUNNING COMMENTS MADE BY GUS.RUHLINATTHERINGSIDE . . . . . . . . . 178

XVIV.THERECORDOFROBERTFITZSIMMONS . . . 183

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LISTOFILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

RobertFitzsimmons . . . . . . . . . . . .Frontispiece.

BreathingExerciseFirstPosition . . . . . . . . . . . 31BreathingExerciseSecondPosition. . . . . . . . . . 32BreathingExerciseThirdPosition. . . . . . . . . . . 33Breathing ExerciseWorking Arms Up and Down

AbovetheHead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Breathing Exercise for the Development of the Neck

andShoulders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35BreathingExercisePunchingfromSidetoSidewith

FilledLungs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36BreathingExerciseShowingtheMusclesoftheBack

whilePunchingfromSidetoSide . . . . . . . . . . 37ALessoninStreetDefenseNo.1 . . . . . . . . . . . 65ALessoninStreetDefenseNo.2 . . . . . . . . . . . 66ALessoninStreetDefenseNo.3 . . . . . . . . . . . 67TheWrongPositioninBoxing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68TheRightPositioninBoxing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Stepping Back with the Left FootThe Incorrect

Retreat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70Stepping Back with the Left FootThe Correct

Retreat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71PunchingtheBagInaPositiontoDeliverLeft. . . . 80PunchingtheBag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81TheCorrectBoxingPosition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117StoppingaRighthandBodypunch . . . . . . . . . . . 118

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LISTOFILLUSTRATIONSPAGE

Blocking Lefthand Swing and Delivering Left Hook

ontheJaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119Sidestep, Pushing Lefthand Lead with Right Hand 120

DuckandRighthandBodyblow . . . . . . . . . . 121Withdrawing the Body from Lefthand Lead and

LeadingwithLeftonFace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122LefthandBodypunchandDuck . . . . . . . . . . . . 123Blocking Lefthand Lead and Delivering Righthand

SolarplexusBlow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124RighthandCounterandBlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125FoulPivotblow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126ProperWaytoPivot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Throwing Lefthand Leadof Opponent up withYour

LeftandDeliveringRighthandBodypunch . . . . 128Beating Left Hand Down with Left and Delivering

RightSimultaneouslyonOpponent'sJaw . . . . . 129DrawingBack fromLefthandLead to a Position to

DeliverLeftonOpponent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130Returning Lefthand Counter After Feinting Your

Opponent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131StoppingaLefthandLead. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132InsideRighthandCrosscounter . . . . . . . . . . . . 133The SlipResorted to in the Face of Threatened

Punishment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134TheSlipSecondPosition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135TheSlipThirdPosition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136TheFamousLefthandShiftfortheSolarPlexus . . . 137TheFamousShift. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138TheLefthandShiftforthePointoftheJaw . . . . . . 139

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INTRODUCTION

ALTHOUGH Robert Fitzsimmons, the greatestfighter the ring has ever had, is world famousin his public life, yet, strange to say, scarcelyany but his intimate friends know the actualpersonality and character of this remarkableman. At his home and among his friends hebears no trace of the ring or of the fighter. Aman of temperate habits, and who lives bystrict rules for the moral and physical life, theonly trait for which his worst enemy cancriticise him is that of his unbounded generosity. But even here the harsh critic mustpause, for Robert Fitzsimmons is possessedof the keenest powers of perception, and candiscern between the worthy and the unworthywithalmostunerringjudgment.An illustration of the unbounded generosity

of this man may be found within the doors ofhis own home. There is an old grayhaired

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INTRODUCTION

man who is introduced to every visitor at theFitzsimmons residence as Dr. ]ohn Lapraik.The history of Dr. Lapraiks presence here iskept generally as a secret by the modest Fitzsimmons himself The true situation I discovered only by accident. This old man wasthe boss of the blacksmith shop in whichFitzsimmons was foreman for years out inAustralia. He is a guest at the Fitzsimmonshousefor life if he desires. Fitzsimmonsrecently heard that john Lapraik was living instraitened circumstances in a town far removedfrom New York. He learned of the matter ina roundabout fashion, as the old Doctor, aveterinary surgeon by profession, was tooproud to let his friend of Australian days knowof his poverty or whereabouts. But immediately that Fitzsimmons heard of his friendsdistress, he sent the following brief and characteristic note to his fellowworkman of longago:

I am on easy street now, old boy. Come and livewithmeandtakearestinyouroldage.

ROBERTFITZSIMMONS.Everything is arranged for the Doctors

comfort, and in the cellar there is a workshop

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INTRODUCTION

fitted out for his especial benefit. There johnLapraik mixes his medicines and tinkers aboutin blissful enjoyment day after day. It is interesting to hear him tell of the way in which hisforeman would ask for a halfholiday when hewas going to an encounter out in Australia.Dr. Lapraik smiles when he says that thel tighter used to deny he was the Bob Fitzsimmons the papers were talking about, for fear oflosing his position in the horseshoeing business.When Admiral Dewey received his great

ovation in New York he passed beneath thebeautiful Dewey Arch. There a statue,eighteen feet high, representing Peace,looked down upon the triumphant Admiral.This statue was modelled by the New Yorksculptor D. C. French from Robert Fitzsimmons.With Fitzsimmons, his private life and his

professional career are absolutely distinct, andhis intimate personal friends are one and allfrom among the worthy class of peoplebusiness men, actors, statesmen, authors, andartists. This man, the coolest and bravestfighter that ever entered a ring, is possessedof an uncommonly even temperament. What

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INTRODUCTION

ever his small or great disappointments, or thestate of his feelings may be, his nearest associates see none other than the sunny side ofhis disposition. When he is really out ofsorts, or nervous, or upset, like other men, isnever known: he is a man of iron will, andcan conceal any gloom that he may feel withsuch perfect ease and under so sunshiny amanner that not even his intimates can knowhis inward thought. But this is the only deception of which Fitzsimmons is guilty of practising. He is straightforward and frank to adegree rarely found in even the best of heroesoutsideoffiction.Those who would know Robert Fitzsimmons

asaprizefighter inprivate lifewill bedoomedto disappointment. When this man leavestraining or the ring all vestige of the pugilist departs from him. He is a lawabiding, Godfearing man, a good citizen, and a modelhusband and father. In the privacy of hisbeautiful home at Bensonhurst one finds thetrue Robert Fitzsimmons. There, in a greathouse set in the midst of shaded lawns andgarden, he spends the happiest times of hislife. He wants no other company than that of

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INTRODUCTION

his loving wife and children. His friends areat all times welcome, and sparerooms standready for them. Distinguished courtesy andhospitality are characteristics of both Mr. andMrs. Fitzsimmons. A more devoted couple itwould be hard to find. It was Mrs. Fitzsimmons wish that her husband should leave thering, and he has done so. There is not atrace of the pugilist at the home of RobertFitzsimmons. No athletic apparatus of anykind, not even a punchingbag, is to be foundon the premises. His training has always beendone away from his residence, as another manwoulddobusinessathisoffice.There are those who condemn or honor a

man on account of his calling. They are thenarrowminded or superficially critical whocondemn or praise alike without investigationof a mans personality or private character.While all deceitful callings are contemptible,the vocation of the prizefighter is at least amanly one. He is rarely matched againstinferior weight or size, and constantly undergoes supreme tests for bravery and patience,and even magnanimity. It is often the casethat a fighter, seeing victory well assured,

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INTRODUCTION

refrains from further beating a weakenedopponent who has fought most roughly. Veryoften, indeed, does the boxer, well assured ofvictory, implore the referee to interfere andthus save his adversary from further punishment.Many pugilists must support their wives and

families by the proceeds of their calling, sothat fighting is a business, and not a cause forbad blood with them. As a matter of fact,there is much less bad blood in professionalthan in amateur boxing. Though the writerdoes not personally uphold or advocate theprofession of pugilism, he merely wishes toprove that it is not entirely condemnable, andthat it is in fact possible to find some good init. That a pugilistic encounter is utterly brutalis an erroneous view, for men in such finephysical training as pugilists cannot receivemuch injury beyond a few scratches or skinbruisesatworstfrompaddedgloves.As for amateur boxingis it not a fine,

manly sight to witness two young men, strongin friendship and mutual high regard, and bothskilled in the art of selfdefense, engaged in aboxing match together? With bodies grace

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INTRODUCTION

fully poised, heads erect, and cheeks flushed inpleasurable excitement, they narrowly watcheach others every movement, and weave inand out, one about the other, hitting, parrying,dodging, and sidestepping with lightninglikerapidity. If one chances to fall, his frienddoes not smile victoriously, but rather looksanxiously for the fallen to rise unhurt, in orderthat he may thus see no harm was done, andalsothatthesportmaycontinue.Eyeing one another earnestly, though in

absolute friendliness, each is almost as pleasedwhen the other makes a clever hit as he iswhen the cleverness is his own. A word ofcongratulation is often spoken at such a moment. At the end of the bout the boxersshake hands, better friends than ever. Theylook into one anothers eyes and agree thatthey had a fine settothey are pleased withthemselves and with each other. Is not such ameeting of friends warranted to test their truemettle? .For years boxing was under a cloud of

I official disapproval in the English army; nowit is the predominating sport. At a time whenthe feeling against boxing ran high, a famous

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INTRODUCTION

British general was persuaded, much againsthis will, to witness a glove contest. This samegeneral had always been one of the most activespirits in opposing the sport, and his opinionwas law in the army. But after he had witnessed the contest he addressed the assembledthrong ere they departed. He said he hadchanged his views completely, and consideredthe exhibition he had seen as manly andpraiseworthy in every particular; that hewould henceforward withdraw all oppositionto the sport, and, moreover, he hoped boxingwould so grow in favor that ere long everyEnglishsoldierwouldhavebecomeaboxer.In his most recent victories Fitzsimmons has

done more for the cause of scientific boxing,the manly art of selfdefense, than any otherperson has ever accomplished. He has defeated decisively, one after the other, two ofthe greatest pugilists the world has ever seenAugustus Ruhlin and Thomas Sharkey, twogreat, powerful fellows, each many poundslarger and many years younger than Fitzsimmons.And how did this most wonderful of fighters

accomplish his victories? Not by running away

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INTRODUCTION

and tiring his opponents, nor yet by landingi chance blows or by goodluck. He stood rightup to each of them and exchanged blowsuntil they fell. But his blows were the morescientific, as was his defense; and thus by hisAvictoriesheclearlyprovedthatsuperiorscienceis more than a match for superior size andstrength, even with youth to back such desirable qualities. Though a word must be saidabout Fitzsimmons physique, for he is, indeed,amanofiron.It is an acknowledged fact among famous

athletes, trainers, and doctors who have knownRobert Fitzsimmons, that he has upset more oftheir theories and done more to revise andbetter the rules for training and for the care ofthe health than any other living man. Histhorough scientific knowledge of anatomy andofmedicineisuniquelyaccurate.It is also interesting to know how certain

a famous trainers have stated that FitzsimmonsA is the easiest man to put into condition theyever handled. In fact, they acknowledge thatl his rules for living are such that he is alwaysfit and ready. They say they have learnedmore in the true art of physical culture

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INTRODUCTION

from him than they could ever show him,although his theories were often the reverseoftheirs.An illustration of this remarkable state of

affairs may be found in an account by Mr.Frederick Bogan, the crack California featherweight. Mr. Bogan was recently quoted astelling of his acquaintance with Fitzsimmonsduring the first few weeks after the lattersarrival in this country from Australia, in 1890.Hisaccountasgivenranasfollows:Fitzsimmons worked along with us for

several days, but we paid little attention tohim, except that we smiled at his peculiarideas about training. When we put on heavysweaters in the morning for a run he wouldgo out and take a slow walk, and we came tothe conclusion that it was because he could notrunalongdistance.One day Choynski suggested that we invite

him out for a run to try to kill him off Muchto our surprise he accepted the offer, and awaywe started. Our idea was to carry him at arapid gait to the seabeach, six miles away, andthen back at our very best and make him cryenough.

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INTRODUCTION

Choynski and I would take turn aboutsetting the pace, and we were beginning to feelthe effects of the rapid gait long before wehad reached the ocean. I kept watching Fitzsimmons face, expecting to see signs of distress, but instead there was that same steadyexpression of satisfaction and absolutely norapid breathing. Choynski noticed it, too, andI could tell that he also was perplexed; butneither of us had wind enough to talk, andaway we jogged through the sandhills downto the sea and right back on the returnjourney.On the way Fitzsimmons kept asking ques

tions in regard to the scenery, but the answershe got were jerky and few. He was beyondany doubt tireless, and his long legs strodefaster and faster. He was now setting thepace with Choynski, and I was ready to drop,but too proud to quit. We were never so gladto see anything in our lives as when the CliffHouse burst upon us at a turn of the road.While we were being rubbed down the Australian coolly wiped himself off with a toweland remarked that the pace had beenbloominfast.

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INTRODUCTION

After dinner we were frisking around lazilyin the gymnasium when Fitzsimmons proposedto Choynski that they don the gloves. Thelatter assented and they started off Choynskiwas then in his prime. He was a clever, hardhitter and weighed about one hundred andsixtyfive pounds in good condition. That dayFitzsimmons tipped the beam at one hundredand fortyseven pounds. I never saw a prettierboutinallmylife.Shortly after this the Australian went to

New Orleans, where his victories over ArthurUpham, Dempsey, Maher, Jim Hall and othersin rapid succession and his acquisition and lossof the worlds championship have made hisnamefamousthroughouttheworld.One of the greatest fighters that Fitzsim

mons ever encountered was jack Dempsey, theoldtime peerless champion middleweight ofthe world. Dempsey was at the height of hiscareer when he met his defeat at the hands ofFitzsimmons. On the night of the great fightMcCauliffe accompanied Dempsey into thering, and it is said by the spectators who werethen present that there was never a moresuperb looking pair of athletes than these men.

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INTRODUCTION

Fitzsimmons appeared in a long, loose bathrobe, which accentuated his gaunt appearance,and as he took his seat across the ringMcCauliffe and Dempsey regarded him commiseratingly, for his spindly legs could be seenas far as the knees, and he did not look asthough he weighed more than a hundredpounds. Dempsey expressed sincere pity forthis poor, thin manhe had never seen him inhis life beforebut when Fitzsimmons removed his wrapper and his gigantic chest andshoulders loomed up, Dempsey looked aghast.The famous artist Mr. Homer Davenport,

who was present at the time, says that Fitzsimmons stood high above Dempsey as the twofighters met and shook hands in the centre ofthe ring, and that Dempseys attitude changed,not to one of fear, for he was a brave man, butrather to one of desperate determination. Thelines of his face became drawn, and he enteredthe combat with all his oldtime, fine style.Fitzsimmons, however, gave him no opportunity of squaring off and getting his distance,but rushed at him and pinned him repeatedlywith terrific force. As the fight proceeded,round by round, Dempsey grew so weak that

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INTRODUCTION

at times he begged Fitzsimmons not to fight sofast. Here the Australian showed great gallantry, for he stopped his rushing tactics andsquared off until Dempsey regained his breathand balance. So often did Fitzsimmons dothis that his manager, Carroll, became disgusted and rated him severely. On one occasion when Fitzsimmons had driven Dempseyto the floor, and the latter, unable to rise,clung to Fitzsimmons knees and implored theAustralian to help him to his feet, Fitzsimmonsleaned over and placed Dempsey upright, andthen waited for some time until he was readyto continue. It was almost the end of thebattle when Dempsey fell to the floor, apparently insensible, from a terrible blow of theAustralians He lay still until the ninth secondhad been counted, when he suddenly struggledto his feet and struck that graceful attitude forwhich he was famous. He stood rigid, and resembled a bronze statue. The public rose andcheered him to the echo, and Fitzsimmonsstood off looking at him in admiration. But afew moments later he fell and was countedout, and Fitzsimmons was proclaimed middleweightchampionoftheworld.

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INTRODUCTION

From that time forward Dempsey becamegreatly interested in the career of Fitzsimmons,and it is not generally known that on hisdeathbed he handed a snug little sum tohis wife, with the following instructions:Whenever or whoever Fitzsimmons fights,always place your money on him, for he isbound to beat every man of any weight that heever encounters. Pursuant to these instructions Mrs. Dempsey placed every cent that sheowned in the world on him when he metCorbett for the heavyweight championship, atCarson City. At the time the odds were 75to 100 in favor of Corbett. But true toDempseys prediction, Fitzsimmons proved thevictor, and Mrs. Dempsey was thus rewardedfor her confidence in the words of herhusband.Fitzsimmons has always shown a determin

ation to excel in whatever he undertook. Inhis onetime employment as blacksmith he wonthehorseshoeingchampionshipoftheworld.In spite of his single defeat by champion

James J. Jeffries, John L. Sullivan is quoted ashaving said recently, I think Fitzsimmons isaboutthebestfighterwehave.

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INTRODUCTION

But, as already stated, Robert Fitzsimmonshas retired from the ring. It is in view of hisoriginal and comprehensive knowledge relativeto physical culture and boxing that the presentvolume from his pen must necessarily proveuniversallyauthoritative.

A.J.DREXELBIDDLE.

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PARTIPHYSICALCULTURE

CHAPTERI

THEPROPERWAYTOBREATH

ACourseofExercisesbyWhichtheCorrectMethodMaybeAcquired

BREATHINGEXERCISESHOWINGFIRSTPOSITIONFillthelungs:thendrawinabdomenandpreparetoliftthejoined

handsabovethehead

BREATHINGEXERCISE,SECONDPOSITION.FORCEAIRINLUNGSBYPRESSINGOUTABDOMEN

BREATHINGEXERCISE,THIRDPOSITION.WORKARMSUPANDDOWNWITHFILLEDLUNGS

BREATHINGEXERCISE.WORKINGARMSUPANDDOWNABOVETHEHEAD,WITHFILLEDLUNGS

BREATHINGEXERCISEFORTHEDEVELOPMENTOFTHENECKANDSHOULDERS

Alternatebetweenfirstpositionandthis.

BREATHINGEXERCISE.PUNCHINGFROMSIDETOSIDEWITHFILLEDLUNGS

BREATHINGEXERCISE,SHOWINGTHEMUSCLESOFTHEBACKWHILEPUNCHINGFROMSIDETOSIDEDURINGVIGOROUSRESPIRATION

Backviewofoppositepicture

CHAPTERII

SCHOOLROOMEXERCISES

SOMETIME ago I received the following communication:

PRINCETON,IND.,October15,1900.

MR.ROBERTFITZSIMMONS,NEWYORK.DEAR SIR: I ama teacherof boysandgirls fromtwelve

tofifteenyearsof age. Asanincentivetophysical culture,I believe no name could make such an impression as thatof Robert Fitzsimmons. Could you suggest some exercisesto be used about fifteen or twenty minutes daily in theschoolroomexercisesthatwouldtendtowardagoodcarriage of thebody, withgoodchest and limbdevelopment?

Veryrespectfully,MARYBRUCEHENDERSON.

I was glad to reply to the letter printedabove, and suggested several exercises which,if faithfully used, would benefit not only boysand girls, but grownup men and women aswell. Before describing the exercises, it maybe said that their value in developing musclecannotbeoverrated.There is an unfortunate tendency in these

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PHYSICALCULTURE

modern athletic times to turn boys and girlsloose in gymnasiums and allow them to exercise without any competent director. As aconsequence, many a boy makes impossible thevery thing he aims to attaina fine physique.He develops some part of his body disproportionately to the rest, and becomes musclebound before he reaches manhood, or he subjects his immature body to some violent exertion that results in a strain from which he mayneverfullyrecover.Do not think that you must have dumbbells,

Indianclubs, or pulley weights to get strong.Let every boy remember, for this should appealespecially to boys, that some of the strongestmen in the world have developed their greatphysical power without the aid of gymnasticparaphernalia of any kind, but simply by suchsimpleexercisesasIwillexplain.Some years ago such a man rode from New

York to Chicago on a bicycle. He took theride merely for pleasure, and had no reputationas a cyclist, yet so great was his strength andendurancegained by simple exercisesthathe broke the record then existing for thejourney.

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SCHOOLROOMEXERCISES

Let every boy who reads this try the exercises here elucidated, and he will feel that theyare doing him good. He will secure an erect,easy, graceful carriage, cover his body withfirm, pliable muscles, and prepare himself forthe hard training necessary for the violentexercise of boxing and most vigorous outdoorsports.How to Stand. Stand up against a wall with

your arms by your sides, your heels, shoulders,and head touching the wall. Draw in yourabdomen. Hold your head erect, with thechin well in, so that when you look straightahead your glance strikes the floor about fifteenor twenty feet in front of you. Take severalsteps forward and stand with your heels together. You are now ready for the firstexercise.Exercise 1. Lift your arms until they make

a horizontal line with your shoulder. Thenbring them forward in front, reaching out asfar as you can so as to pull your shouldersforward, but holding the rest of the bodyrigid. Next spread back your arms with aslow, gentle motion as far as you cando notlet them drop down anyat the same time

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PHYSICALCULTURE

filling your lungs as full of air as possible.Do this ten times. Then drop your arms toyoursides.Exercise 2. Lift your arms outward with an

easy, gentle motion up above your head, reaching as high as you can, but keeping your heelson the floor. Then lower them again gentlyto the first position. Do this ten times. Inlifting your arms inhale, and in loweringexhale.In both these exercises be careful that you

i breatheas directed, andholdyour body, exceptthe arms and shoulders, as in the standingposition. These exercises will develop themuscles of your back, chest, and shoulders,and will increase your lung capacity greatlyinashorttime.Exercise 3. Place the hands on the hips.

Bend to the right as far as possible; then bendback again and to the left as far as you can.Do this twenty times. Do not move by jerks,butsmoothlyandnottoofast.Exercise 4. Bend forward as far as you

can, and then backward as far as you can,with a gentle, even motion. Do this twentytimes.

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SCHOOLROOMEXERCISES

In both these exercises care must be takennot to bend the knees. Breathe naturally.Keep the lower part of the body as near aspossible in the standing position. These exercises are for the waist muscles. Exercise 3,develops the muscles of the side and loins, andExercise 4 is one of the best exercises for theback, the muscles along the back of the legs,and especially the abdominal. muscles, whichare among the most important to an athleteandastrongman.Remember particularly that the number oftimes you do the exercises is not so importantasfaithfulregularity,andthewayinwhichyouido them. Start easily, and gradually increasethe number you do of each. You will soonacquire a surprising endurance, as you mayeasily prove by getting some companion tofollow you through the exercises. He may bestrong, and, perhaps, something of an athlete,but unless he is exceptionally well developedhe will certainly show signs of fatigue and mayhavetostopbeforeyoubegintotire.

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CHAPTERIII

HOWTOREDUCEWEIGHT

ASimpleDietandEasyIndoorExerciseWithoutDumbbellsorIndianclubs

HERE is some advice for the business man,the lawyer, doctor, broker, clerk, salesman:any man, in fact, who is kept indoors much ofthetime.Most men of this class take on weight.

Theybecomebigandfat:uncomfortablyso.This advice will show them how they can

keep in fairly good trim, notwithstanding thefact that they have practically no available timeat their disposal for exercise of any description.Take the business man who, having reached

middleage, is beginning to get stout. Owingto this increase in weight he begins to haveaches and pains. His muscles are not trainedto support the extra weight which he is takingon.Here is your diet, and you must adhere to it

ifyouwanttoobtainproperresults.

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HOWTOREDUCEWEIGHT

Abstain from the use of all fatty and starchyfood. Eat all kinds of meat except pork. Eatall varieties of green vegetables, fruits, and drytoast, and drink your tea without sugar. Donot eat potatoes, butter, fresh bread, or sugar.There is the diet: now for the exercises.

They are not difficult, and I will give you onlytwomovements.In the first, you must lie flat on your back

and then raise your legs up together so theywill be at right angles with your body; thenslowly let them down to the floor. Do thistwentytimeseachmorningandevening.In the second movement you must lie down

on your stomach. When in this position placeyour hands on the floor near your chest, and,without bending the body, push yourself slowlyup to the full length of your arms. Do thistentimeseachmorningandevening.Above all things you must be regular, and

donotlookfortoospeedyresults.You cannot hope to stick to this diet and

these exercises for two or three mornings andthen jump on the scales and find that you havedroppedfiveortenpounds.It will be at least two or three weeks before

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PHYSICALCULTURE

you commence to lose weight. Then you willdropfromtwotofivepoundsaweek.You must impress it upon your mind, how

ever, that there must be no weakening on thetasksthatyouhavelaiddownforyourself.Some cold mornings you will get up, possibly

after a hard night, feeling languid and unrefreshed. Instead of taking your cold bath,rubdown, and exercises, you may be temptedto say, "Oh! Ill just skip it this once, andjumpintomyclothes."Suchweaknessisfatal.Persevere!

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CHAPTERIV

ACHAPTERFORWOMENTOGAINBEAUTYWITHSTRENGTH

MuscleBuildingWillBringCharmsthattheToiletTableCanNeverFurnish

MUSCLE building brings beauty to woman.This brief statement is sufficient, I think, toI make many women embark upon a physicaldevelopment course. What will woman notdo to become beautiful? Theysome of them,at leastpowder and paint, and bleach theirhair, and do all kinds of other foolish thingsin an attempt to improve their appearance.If they but knew what a routine of daily,healthful exercise would do for them theywould soon forsake their toilet tables for thegymnasium.There is nothing in this world more lovelythan a beautiful woman. There is nothingmore pleasing to the eye than a browned, rosycheeked, fullchested, straightbacked woman.Let her be all these and she is certainly queen.

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PHYSICALCULTURE

AWomanthatExcitesPity

When I see a poor, pale, narrowchested,weak woman, with her waist drawn up so tightthat it is impossible for her to take a deep, fullbreaththe kind that puts health and strengthinto the human bodymy heart fairly bleedsforher.My wife having at one time been an ath

lete,I am in a position to know just what isbeneficial and what is not for the averagewoman.In the first place, a woman should dress so

that there will be plenty of room for the lungsto have full play. Ninetynine per cent. ofthem are dressed so that it is impossible forthem to take a good, deep breath. Theybreathe up in their chests only. Consequently,theyareshortwinded.Then, again, the average woman seldom

gives a thought to the idea of daily exercising.She seldom walks unless she is compelled to.She shuts herself up in a hot, stuffy room, eatsimproperly, and then wonders that she issubject to so many complaints.

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TOGAINBEAUTYWITHSTRENGTH

Golf'sManyAdvantages

I must say that in the past few years therehas been a big change in the mode of livingadoptedbywomen.The game of golf has been responsible for

this to a large degree, and I cannot say toomuch for it as a means of exercise for women.It provides just the kind of outdoor life thatthey need. It takes them out into the sun andmakes them brown and healthy looking. Itfills their lungs full of pure, fresh air, while thecontinual walking and swinging of the clubssuppliesexercisefortheentirebody.Women,playgolf!Of course, you can overdo it. Women differ

so much in their physical makeup that what ismedicine for one is poison for another. Forthis reason a woman should carefully guardherstrength.Do not overtax yourself. Go about your

sports and your walks with moderation. Toomuch exercise is worse than not enough. Youcan easily find out just what you are capableof enduring, and then shape your work andplaytosuityourstrength.

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PHYSICALCULTURE

DoNotBeaPhysicalFreak

What I want most of all to impress uponwomen is not to try to make physical freaks ofthemselves.A woman cannot stand too much training in

any one direction at the expense of the rest ofher body as well as a man can. Her physicalmakeup is not constructed for it. For thisreason she should try to divide her exercises asevenlyaspossible.A woman who can row, ride a wheel and

a horse, swim, shoot, play tennis and golf allmoderately well, and not try to overtax herstrength in any one branch, is the woman whowillbestrongandhealthy.She does not lace herself too tight; she

glories in the pure air and delights to throwout her shoulders and drink in long, deepmouthfuls of it, and she nurses her strengthascarefullyasdoesthetrainedathlete.This is the woman whom it is a joy to see.

Thisisthewomanwhoisqueen.

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CHAPTERV

ADVICETOPARENTSFORTHEHEALTHANDREARINGOFTHEIRCHILDREN.

How can I train my child so he will growuptobeanathlete?This is a question which I am asked con

stantly. At the outset I want to say to bothfathers and mothers who put this question tomeDont.By this dont I mean do not start out with

the idea that you want to make an athlete ofyourboy.Just so sure as this plan is pursued you will

overwork him in his tender years and end bysendinghimtoanearlygrave.But do start out to make of him a big,

strong, healthy child who will grow into a fine,manly man, and his athletic bent will follow inthenaturalcourseofevents.Too much training for the young bones and

musclesisfarmoreharmfulthantoolittle.

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PHYSICALCULTURE

If a child gets no exercises for the musclesthere is a chance for him to make up for thisneglect when he grows up. lf he gets toomuch, and his weak little muscles are strainedand his supple bones warped, he can neverfullyrecover.

DoubleStrainWeakens

It must be remembered that a childs brainis growing even more rapidly than its body.This is a strain on its system, but a certainamount of healthy exercise will help it to standthis strain. Too much exercise will add tothe strain. This double strain will end byweakeningtheentiresystem.There is nothing that can be so easily trained

as the muscles of a child. The muscles andbones are both soft and pliable. They can bemoulded like so much putty. See that theyaremouldedtherightway.There is not a day passes that I do not have

a romp with my little son. I also put himthrough a regular, daily course of exercise.I instruct him in gymnastic movements thatwill tend to make him supple in every joint.At the same time the tiny muscles are slowly

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ADVICETOPARENTSINREARINGCHILDREN

but surely building up on his little limbs andbody. That is the way they should be formedslowlyalmost as slowly as the wearingawayofarockbythewavesoftheocean.

DoNotStartTooSoon

Another point which should be carefullyfollowed is not to start too early to trainyour children. just so sure as you do you willput some strain upon them that their youngbodies cannot endure. And then they arepermanently incapacitated. All the brighthopes of making a man among men of yourboy are spoiled by undue haste to make ayouthfulwonderofhim.When your boys, and your girls, too, for that

matter, are just able to toddle around, the bestthing you can do is to see that they are keptoutdoorsasmuchaspossible.Childrencannotgettoomuchfreshair.Get them up early in tl1e morning and send

them out into the fresh air. Even if you livein the city, keep them outdoors when theweatherpermits.Better to have them dirty and healthy than

cleanandsickly.

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PHYSICALCULTURE

WhentoUseGymnastics.

Follow the foregoing plan, and then whenyou think that the children are able to standa certain amount of simple exercise commenceto put them through their gymnastics everymorningandnight.They will grow strong: they cannot help it

ifyouwillfollowtheaboverules.Bear in mind that your children must have

plenty of fresh air, and moderate, regularexercise, and they will grow up to be men andwomenofwhomyoumaybeproud.

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CHAPTERVI

TOPROSPECTIVEATHLETES

THE great secret of proper training for allkinds of athletic feats is to use commonsense.Thisisthekeynoteofsuccessforallathletes.Commonsense in eating, commonsense in

exercising, commonsense in sleeping, all formacombinationthatbringsonetosuccess.One thing that I want to impress upon the

young athlete is not to overtax himself at theoutset. This mistake has been the undoing ofmany a youth who would have developed intoa big, strong athlete if he had not started withwrongideasofhowtotrain.Different people need different work. A

frail, delicate boy cannot stand as vigorouswork at first as a big, lusty chap; and yet thelittle one has just as much chance as the bigone if he only goes about things in the propermanner.Good health is the first essential of anathlete. If one is not healthy then he must

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PHYSICALCULTURE

endeavor to build himself up in this directionbefore starting on any course of physicalexercise.This can be done only by laying down

certain rules and following them strictly.Theserulesareverysimple.

SixRulesforYoungAthletes

Donotdrink.Donotsmoke.Donotchew.Getallthesleepyoucan.Getallthepure,freshairyoucan.Eatplain,wholesomefood,andplentyofit.Adhere to these rules, and gradually, but

surely, you will find yourself becoming strongerand stronger. Finally, the day will come whenyou will never know a sick moment. Then isthe time to commence your exercising. Atthis stage another duty presents itself.

FindYourWeakPoints

You must find out your weakest physicalpoints. These must be built up so that theywill correspond with the rest of your body.

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TOPROSPECTIVEATHLETES

If your back is weak it must be strengthened;if your arms, your legs, or your chest are weakyou must pay particular attention to theseparts until you feel that they are as strong asthe rest of your body. After this has beenaccomplished you are fairly upon the road tothe making of a perfect physical man. Nowcomes the daily routine of regular training; donot forget that this routine must never beoverdone. It is just as harmful to overtrain, infact more harmful, than it is not to train at all.You may easily ascertain just how much

exercise your system can stand. Then regulate your work accordingly. Gradually, notall at once, must you work your system up tothe point where it is capable of standing thestrainwhichyoudesiretoplaceuponit.

HowtoTrain

If you are training to be a runner, you muststrengthen your legs and thighs. You mustalso see that your wind is good. If you wantto wrestle, you must have good, strong back,chest, and neck muscles, as well as strong armsand legs. This is also the case with a boxer.Every one of his muscles must be well devel

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PHYSICALCULTURE

oped. In addition to all this, he must learn tobe quickquick on his feet and quick with hishands and arms. Different forms of athleticsrequire entirely different styles of training.Some do not require as much headwork asothers. Perhaps the boxer has more need for .clear, cool headwork than any other kind of anathlete. He has so many lessons to learnbefore he can be rated as even a fair boxerthat it takes a long while to reach any sort ofperfection. He has not only his body andmuscles to build up, but his brain must beproperly trained. All of this takes time, andcan be done only by long, careful, systematicandfaithfultrainingandmusclebuilding.One thing that I want particularly to impress

upon the young athlete is the priceless value ofa good home and pleasant home surroundings.Some boys and young men have an idea thatan athlete must be tough. This is all wrong,and it has been proved time and again thatthe athlete, whether a runner, wrestler, boxer,or anything else, can best fit himself for manlysports if he leads a clean, wholesome, good life.And this can best be found amid pleasanthomesurroundings.

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PARTII

SELFDEFENSE

CHAPTERVII

FIRSTLESSONINBOXING

CoolHeadandGoodTemperEssentialtoSuccess

BOXING is one of the best exercises that ayoung man can take up. The art of selfdefense, as it is called, brings into play so manyqualities and helps to develop so many traits ofcharacter which figure in ones daily life thatitfurnishesquiteamoraltraininginitself.An even, peaceable temperament is devel

oped by boxing; patience is taught by thesame means. A cool, clear head in momentsof danger and confusion is always found inthe man who knows how to use his fists forpleasureorprotection,asthecasemaybe.In boxing, as in everything else, there is a

right and a wrong way. It is a long road totravel before one can be called even a fairlygood boxer. At the start, however, it is agood plan to memorize certain rules whichmustbestrictlyfollowed.

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ThreeCardinalRules

Keepcool.Donotgetrattled.Donotloseyourtemper.The mastery of these three rules is of more

consequence than the learning of the manyblows and guards which in time become theproperty of a boxer. The blows are learnednaturally. It is not everyone, however, whorealizes the importance of mastering the threerules which I have laid down. It can easilybe seen of how much importance they are.If a person is cool and goodnatured whenboxing he has an advantage at once over onewho loses his head, gets angry, and rushesheadlong into danger. If you are boxing forexercise and pleasure a cool, clear head willhelp you to see every opening which youropponentoffers.

KeepYourTemper

Do not get excited, and you will not lose asingle chance of scoring a point. At the sametime, you are goodnatured and ready to laughat any hard knocks you may receive yourself.

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FIRSTLESSONINBOXING

All this is training for the moment of realdanger.You may be attacked in the street by foot

pads. They intend to rob you, and you maybe in a lonely, dark locality. Of course, theirfirst efforts are directed to rendering you helpless. Now, take the man who does not knowhow to box, who has never been drilled to keepcool and calm in moments of danger. Whathappens to him? He is probably found lyingin the gutter in the gray light of early morning,his pockets rifled, and with possibly a fracturedskull.

RuffiansHisFoes

Then look at the man who as a boy learnedto protect himself who knows the science ofselfprotection, and who can stand firm and truebeforeacoupleoffastflyingfists.He is probably pitted against a couple of

burly, clumsy, cowardly ruffians. They comeat him with murder in their hearts. Does helose his selfpossession? On the contrary, hewaits for the attack, selects the toughestlooking one, with the idea of getting him outof the way first; measures his man carefullyand then sends in a welldirected blow, right

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SELFDEFENSE

or left as the case may be. Ten to one Mr.Ruffian goes down. That leaves ample timetovanquishfootpadNo.2.This is only one picture to illustrate the

great advantage of a knowledge of the art ofselfdefense and the qualities which go with it.A thousand instances might be quoted wherethe qualities which saved this man from thefootpadswouldcomeintoplay.

LearntoBox

Therefore, I say everyone should learn to box;let all parents encourage their boys to learnto protect themselves with their fists. It doesnot make ruffians of them; it does not teachthem to be vicious; it does not turn them intobullies. But it does make of them manly,upright,selfpossessed,clearheadedmen.They know their power and can afford to be

merciful; they are cool, and therefore do notfear danger; they are mildtempered, and therefore lovable. When they are right, they advance with a determination which brooks noobstacle ; when they are wrong, they hold theirpeace. Learn to box: but be sure you learntherightway.

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ALESSONINSTREETDEFENSE,No.1,ANOPPONENTTHREATENSTOSTARTAFIGHTWITHME

ALESSONINSTREETDEFENSE,No.2.IGRASPHISCOATBYTHECOLLAR,WHIPITDOWNOVERHISBACKANDARMSTHUSLEAVINGHIMPOWERLESS

ALESSONINSTREETDEFENSE,NO.3.HEISNOWATMYMERCY

THEWRONGPOSITIONINBOXING

THERIGHTPOSITIONINBOXING

STEPPINGBACKWITHTHELEFTFOOTTHEINCORRECTRETREAT

STEPPINGBACKWITHTHERIGHTFOOTTHECORRECTRETREAT

CHAPTERVIII

RIGHTANDWRONGKINDSOFMUSCLESCONTRASTED

SoftandSuppleMusclestheKindthatGiveAthletesSpeed,Strength,and

LastingPower

A PROFESSIONAL strong man came into mygymnasium one day, and said, I would liketobeaboxer.A boxer, eh? I replied. What makes

youthinkyouwouldmakeagoodboxer?Why, I am as strong as a lion. just come

inhereandIwillshowyou.And then this strong man went into my

gymnasium and took the heavy weights andthe heavy punchingbag and tossed themaround like feathers. In a moment he waspuffing and blowing like a porpoise, but hestepped back and looked at me with a smile.He certainly was a picture of strength. The

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SELFDEFENSE

muscles stood out all over his body in bigknots. From head to foot he was one massofknotty,protrudingcords.Howisthatforastarter?hesaid.I did not say a word. His ignorance was

pitiful to me. Walking over to one side of theroom, I took a set of boxing gloves from thewall and handed him a pair. Following myleadheputthemon.It took me about two minutes to show that

man how useless, unwieldy, and impracticablehis muscles were. He handled himself like acarthorse. He was as slow on his feet as amessenger boy. His brain acted as did hismuscles, slowly and stiffly. Although a bigman, weighing perhaps two hundred pounds,he did not make as good a showing with me asmany amateur lightweights with whom I hadputonthegloves.I think I showed him clearly the uselessness

of his heavy weightlifting muscles. They weregood for one thingthe service for which theyhadbeentrained.Like every athlete in his profession he was

musclebound. Those huge masses of muscle,gained at the expense of many hours of hard

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DIFFERENTKINDSOFMUSCLESCONTRASTED

work, were for all practical purposes of nomore use than a handorgan would be to ashipwrecked sailor on a raft in the middle oftheAtlanticOcean.In fact, such muscles serve to help shorten

ones life. The musclebound man, with everyfibre of his body drawn to a tension that pullsat the very heartstrings, most frequently dieswithwhatisknownasanathletesheart.A musclebound man is worse than a skin

bound horse. He is as awkward and ungainlyas a crocodile would be in a ballroom. Takehim away from his chosen profession and he isall at sea. He is a frightful object lessonagainst the use of heavy dumbbells, or heavyweightsofanykind.The man or boy who wants to become quick,

strong, and clever must avoid the use of heavyweights as carefully as though they werepoisonous snakes. They completely destroyall that suppleness and agility which markevery detail of the clever athletes work.A man who is a runner, jumper, boxerinfact, anything except a heavyweight liftercan have no use for knotty, unwieldy massesofstrength.

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SELFDEFENSE

Even our best wrestlers nowadays recognizethe fact that muscles of that kind are of no useto them. They know that there are right andwrong muscles just as well as they know thereis a right and wrong way to wrestle. Theyknow that such muscles bring them prematureoldageandearlydeath.Thus it is that every ambitious young athlete

should strive to train his muscles in the properway. Light dumbbells, Indianclubs, and othermuscle building weights should never be forsaken.Donotuseheavyweights.Donotexercisetoomuch.

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CHAPTERIX

BAGPUNCHING

Do you want to become an expert bagpuncher?Yes? Well, there is nothing easier. There

is not an art or athletic exercise that can beacquired so readily. You have to impress butone thing upon your mindthat is, that therecan be absolutely no limit to the amount ofpracticethatyoumusttake.The merest novice can, by constant work,

become a bag puncher of no mean ability in asurprisinglyshortspaceoftime.Thatisencouraging,isitnot?Another advantage that the exercise has is

that it does not cost very much to rig up aplatform and bag. Any boy can make a platform and fasten it to the ceiling of his woodshed, attic, or cellar. Then he can save up hispennies until he gets two or three dollars.That will not buy the best punchingbag in theworld, but it will buy one that will answer hispurpose.

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SELFDEFENSE

Have your platform about two feet aboveyour head. Let the ball hang on a level withthe bottom, and just about on a level with, oralittlebitabove,yourshoulders.It is best when punching the ball to stand on

the bare floor, not on a mat, as you are apt tobecome sluggish in your footwork if you adoptthelattercourse.Wear regular gymnasium shoes, and the less

clothes you have on the better. It will giveyoumorefreedomofmovement.Put on small gloves. If you cannot get what

are known as punchingbag gloves, take anold pair of kid gloves. Cut the ends of thefingers off if you wish, as the glove is wornsimply to protect the knuckles and to givecompactnesstothehand.As to the different movements and blows,

it would take up too much space to go intodetails. And, again, it is hardly necessary.Get the bag and you will soon teach yourselfhowtodothepunching.At first you must be careful not to get hit by

the ball when it rebounds from the platformafter you strike it. This is only a preliminarydanger, however. You will soon become too

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PUNCHINGTHEBAG.INAPOSITIONTODELIVERLEFT

PUNCHINGTHEBAG

BAGPUNCHING

light on your feet and expert at dodging withyourheadtobeindangerfromthissource.Learn your straight blows, right from the

shoulder, and the full swings first. Then gradually, after you have become fast and clever,learnthefancymovements.Practice just as much as you possibly can.

That is, first and last, your most importantlesson.

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CHAPTERX

RIGHTANDWRONGWAYOFUSINGTHEFEETANDHANDSWHILESPARRINGWHAT

THEEXERCISEDEVELOPS

EVERYONE should learn to box. It is asnecessary to a physical education as swimming.A boy should be able to defend himself at all

times from the attack of a bully or a ruffian,and there is no manlier way to do it than withhis fists. In civilized localities it is only thecowardwhocarriesaknifeorapistol.President Roosevelt taught his boys to box.

Most of the prominent men of the country,those who have made its history, learned toboxwhentheywerelads.As a healthgiving exercise boxing has no

equal. It develops all the large and importantmuscles of the body, legs and arms, andstrengthensthelungsandquickenstheeye.It gives a boy courage in the face of danger.

It makes him calm and cool and never in ahurry to seek a quarrel, because the knowledge

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USEOFTHEHANDSANDFEETINSPARRING

that he can take care of himself renders himgoodnatured at affronts which would woundhispridewereheunabletoresentthem.

EasytoLearn

Anybody can learn to box. But he must notthink he will be a Terry McGovern the firsttime he puts on boxing gloves. It took littleTerry a few years to be the great fighter he isnow.Hehadtolearn.You can learn, too, if you will do as I tell

you. You will not need a man who teachesboxing to show you the blows and stopsif you read these lessons with care and do nottrytodotoomuchatthecommencement.The first thing to learn is the right way to

use your feet. Almost as much depends onthe way the feet and legs are used as on thehands and arms. The legs support and backup the arms when a blow is struck and alsowhenablowisstopped.

TheFirstLesson

For your first lesson in boxing do not thinkof your hands. jump about on your toes

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SELFDEFENSE

as if you were dancing a hornpipe. Bend theknees and straighten them again. Spring fromone foot to the other, forward and backward.Bring the left foot forward with a spring fromthe toe of the right, and do the same with theright foot forward. All this will make youquick and shifty on your feet, which is a mostimportantrequirementinagoodboxerWhen you can jump about like this for

fifteen minutes at a time without getting tiredor losing your wind, and if you do it quicklyyouwill find that it is not soeasyasyou think,it will be time to learn the way to stand whenboxing. Of course, you never stand still. Youshouldalwayskeepyourlegsmoving.

DistanceoftheFeet

Do not keep the feet too close together ortoo far apart. If they are too close you do nothave a solid stand and are easily knockeddown. If they are spread too far you will notbe able to quickly change their position, andthat you must be able to do to land a goodblow.Put the left foot forward in a straight line

from the body. Bend the knee slightly and

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USEOFTHEHANDSANDFEETINSPARRING

rest the foot on the toe. Have the weight ofthe body on the right foot, with the toe turneda little outward. Have this foot flat on thefloor.Never stand stiffly. Keep shifting about,

but do not change this general position unlesscertain blows are to be struck. I will explainthem in a future lesson. Stand near a wall.Place your feet as I have told you. Now reachout your left fist and touch the wall with yourknuckles. Have your arm almost straight,bent just a little at the elbow. Push back ashard as you can. If the push throws you outof your position, your feet are too closetogether.

SpreadoftheLegs

If you cannot bring the right foot up to theleft as quickly as you can hit a blow they aretoo far apart. The right foot should not bedirectly behind the left, but spread so that thebody may not be easily upset sideways nor yetbackward.When you step in for a blow take the spring

from the right foot, lifting the body forwardandsteadyingitwiththeleft.

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SELFDEFENSE

In landing a righthand swing bring the rightleg forward with the blow. This will bringthe feet together. They should not be kepttogether a second after the blow lands. Eithercarry the right foot forward or bring it backagain to the first position. If the feet aretogether it is very easy for the man with whomyouareboxingtoknockyoudown.In jumping backward from a blow take the

spring from the left foot, using the toe. Whenyou land have the feet in the same position,stillreadyforattackordefense.All this you can practice alone without an

A instructor or an opponent. Never mind abouthowyouhitorwhatkindofblowsyouuse.Persevere with your legwork until you feel

at home on your feet. It is the hardestlesson to learn, but if you learn it well youwill see how much you will have advancedwhenyouputonthegloves.

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CHAPTERXI

THEPOISEINBOXING

IN my first lesson on boxing I told you howto use your feet. Now, we will suppose youhave learned that correctly, and we will go tothenextlesson:howtoholdthebody.The body of a boy or a man is the boiler.

It is from there that all the steam comes thatmoves the machinery, the arms and legs. Nomatter how big and strong the arms and legsare, they will not be able to do anything unlessthe body gives them the power. So you seehow much care you should take of the body.There is no exercise that will do so much tomake the body strong and healthy and full ofsteamasboxing.Care must be observed not to do anything

to offset the benefit of the exercise, such assmoking cigarettes or chewing tobacco. Asfor drinking beer or spirits, no one of commonsense will do that. Then, when the body isclean and full of vitality, there is always a

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SELFDEFENSE

feeling of cheerfulness and goodnature. Thereis no desire to be quarrelsome. No oneshould learn to box so that he may bully itover others, but that he can defend himselffrom attack, and for the health and strengththattheexercisegives.

WrongBeginning

It is natural for the American boy to box.He picks up a bit of the art himself in sparringwith his playmates. But the trouble with thisis that he is likely to begin all wrong, and thenhe has to unlearn all he knows before he canlearntherightway.Quite recently I saw a case in point: two

boys, without the knowledge, attempting tobox. The way they held the body, feet, andhands was all wrong. The style of one boywas worse than that of the other. He held hisbody away back. A gentle push would havetaken him off his feet. He had no brace withthe body to back up the force of his own blowortostandagainstthatofhisplaymate.The other boy was not so bad, but his

muscles were too stiff and his shoulders toosquare. Neither of the boys could move

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THEPOISEINBOXING

about quickly and easily. They were notsupple or graceful. They did not have thatsure movement of the bodywhich gives to it somuch health. Movement is fuel to the body.Where there is plenty of fuel there is plenty ofsteam.In taking your stand for a bout with the

gloves, let the body lean a little bit forwardfrom the hips. Have all the muscles loose.Put the left side forward. Do not stand withyour body square to your opponent: it giveshim a wider target to hit and does not allowyou the swing of the body and shoulders whichyouneedinordertostrikeagoodblow.Hold your shoulders down, the left one

particularly. This gives you length of reachand ease of arm movement. Keep your leftarm out, but not straight. Always have yourelbows bent a little. A perfectly straight armis easily hurt. If the arm is bent a little at theelbow it gives it strength and quickness ofaction.Swing your body with the waist as a pivot.

Do not have it set; that is, held rigid.Always keep it swinging, not so hard as to tireyou, but so that it is ever ready to start in any

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SELFDEFENSE

direction. The body can start much quicker ifitbemovingthanifitbestill.

GettingAwayfromAttack

A boxer with his shoulders about his earsand his body held rigid cannot move quickly.When you jump back from an attack do notalter the position of your body; in otherwords, go back with the body held in the samemanner as when you began to spar. Thereason for this is, that when you land away, onyour feet, you are still in a position for eitherattack or defense should your opponent followyou.The man who would evade an onslaught by

thrusting back his head and body so that heis almost falling backward is all wrong. Hisadversary could follow the attack and easilyhavethebackwardmanathismercy.

FilltheLungs

When boxing, keep your stomach in andyour chest out; not stiffly, but naturally. Itmay be awkward at first, but you will soonl learn howeasy it is andwonder howyoueverstoodanyotherway.

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THEPOISEINBOXING

By keeping the stomach in and the chest fullof air you enjoy all the lung strengtheningbenefits of boxing and keep the stomach out ofharms way. That part of the body is alwaysapointofattackandshouldbeprotected.I will next tell how to hold the hands while

boxing.

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CHAPTERXII

POSITIONSFORTHEHANDS

IN my last chapter I told how to hold thebody while boxing. The position of the bodyplays a most important part in the art of selfdefense. Now, that you have learned thecorrect way of holding the body, I shall tellyouhowtoholdthehands.In boxing never have the muscles set and

tense. Always have all the muscles of thearms and body and legs loose and ready foraction. Hold your hands open. Never closeyour fist, except at the moment when you landa blow. The reason for this is plain: holdingyour fist closed strains the muscles of theforearm and uses up a certain part of yourstrength unnecessarily. Always rememberthat you should never use any physical forceuntil the moment arrives when you need it.Do not have your muscles strained and rigid.Keep everything loose. It is easy to do so,and the best exhibition always comes from a

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man who is not musclebound. In landing ablow remember this particular piece of advice:never hit with the thumb. Always keep thethumb up, and when you land a punch havethe impact and your opponents head in suchrelation that your hand will not be injured;that is, use the first two knuckles of the hand.In hitting a blow never close the hand until

the blow is landed. The reason for this is thatit strains the muscles of the forearm and tiresthe boxer needlessly. Holding the hands opennot only relieves the muscles from any unnecessary strain, but keeps a wider space ofglovealwaysreadytodefendfromattack.Now, in stopping a blow there is a wrong

and a right way. Always turn the palm of theglove outward in stopping a blow. Keep thehand open. This presents a larger surface tothe glove of your opponent and will do moreto prevent his blow from landing than if yourfistwasclosed.In guarding always keep your elbows close

to your sides. This takes in the benefit ofi the forearm, and if the glove be held close tothe face all that side of the body is protected.Never land a punch without having the block

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ready to meet the counter. Every time youstart a punch remember that your opponentintends to come back with another punch.The particular art of the game is to landa blow without a return; but every time youmake an attack you render yourself liableto an offensive demonstration from the manwithwhomyouaresparring.One of the best uses of the hands in boxing

is not to use them. When a blow is struck theproper way to avoid it is not to stop it with thehand or forearm, but to slip it. By slipping a blow, I mean that you should get awayfrom it in such a manner that no part of youropponents arm touches you. This is known asducking and sidestepping. For instance,if your sparring partner swings his right forthe side of your face, lower your head and letthe blow go over. Do not duck in towardhim. Let your head go under the blow andaway from it to the side. This prevents youropponent from landing an uppercut, which hewoulddoifyouwerecloseenoughtohim.Always remember that the hands are a

most important factor in boxing. Never landa blow that will hurt the hands. When you

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lead a straight punch, keep the thumb up.When you swing, always keep the knucklesup. A blow is landed with the first twoknucklesofthehand.There is another thing to tell a young man

if he wants to succeed in boxing: Take yourchance when you see it, and hit from whereyourhandis.Why do I win fights? Because I see the

chancewhenitcomes,andItakeit.Every little while a man leaves himself open,

but it is only for a secondit is not even asecond, it is less than the tenth part of asecond. You must seize that chance and striketheinstantyouseetheopening.The foolish fighter draws back his hand to

hit harder, but by the time he has drawn hisarm back the man has protected himself, andthechanceisgone.What I say to young men, and what I say to

everybody, is this: Do just what I do. If youwant to makea success in life, always hit whenyou see the chance; do not draw your armback;hit fromwhereyourhandis, andyouhavegot him. That is my motto. It is no troubletowhipyouropponentwhenyouusethat.

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CHAPTERXIII

HOWTOLANDBLOWS

HAVING learned how to use the feet, hands,and body, I will now explain how some of theblows used in boxing are struck. I will notshow you all the blows in this lesson. It wouldtakemorethanachaptertoshowthemall.You have not forgotten that the feet must

be held apart, with the left leg before the rightand the left knee bent a little. Also, that theweight of the body rests on the right leg. Youremember what I told you about keeping themuscles free and easy, and not held stiffly. Allthisisimportantinstrikingablow.It is not only the hand and arm that are

used in striking; the legs, body, and shouldersalso come into play. There used to be an oldidea of striking with the arm working like thepistonrod of an engine. In storybooks thehero always knocks down the villain with ablowstraightfromtheshoulder.That is all changed now. A blow to haveforce must have the "send" of the legs and

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the swing of the body with it. A straightblow has not the telling force of a swing. Thisis because the swing has all the weight of thebodybehindit.

ASimpleBlow

An important blow is the straight left leadfor the face. It is a simple blow and easilylanded. But it is not one of the hard raps inboxing.To deliver a straight left lead watch your

chance when the other has his guard low.Step in quickly. Swing the left shoulderforward from the hip, at the same time sendingthe arm out in a straight line. As the armgoes out shut the fist. Keep the palm of thehand turned inward and partly downward sothatthetopknuckleswillstrike.While you are striking you must not forget

that your opponent may strike you at the sametime. Therefore, you must learn how to prevent him. I will tell you how to do this in afuturelesson.

WillConfuseaBoxer

The straight lead has many uses. It willconfuse a boxer so that he cannot tell what to

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do. A good time to send in this blow is whenyouropponentstartsaswingatyou.A straight lead in the face will stop many a

hard swing before it can land. It will also gothrough an open guard when a swing would bewardedoff.The best time to send in a straight blow is

when your opponent is coming toward you.This lends added force to the stroke. Beside,itmaystoptheothersrush.In landing this blow I told you to send the

arm out in a straight line. I do not mean thatyou should straighten the arm entirely. Havethe elbow bent a little, as this prevents a strainat this point. If the arm be straightened outthere may be a snap at the elbow, and aninjurythereisalmostimpossibletocure.Always be careful not to injure your arms or

hands when striking. It sometimes happensthat a blow does more harm to the boxer whodeliversitthantotheonewhoreceivesit.A straight right lead is like one with the left

hand, only, of course, the right is used. In thislead the right leg is brought a little forward,adding its swing to the force of the blow. Thisstroke is not so often used as the left lead.

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The reason for this is that the right glove isso much further away from its intended mark.Then, again, the right arm is used more fora guard and for heavy swinging. Now wecometotheswing.

OneoftheBestBlows

The righthand swing, when rightly delivered, is one of the best blows in boxing. It ishard to land, as it travels in a halfcircle andhas a long distance to go. This makes it easytoavoidorstop.In landing this punch wait until you get your

opponents guard low. You can do this bymaking believe to hit him in the body. Then,when you think you have the opening, dropyour right hand down and back with the elbowbent so that the forearm and upper arm arealmost at right angles. From this positionthrow your arm in a halfcircle up and over tothesideofyouropponentshead.Close your fist while the blow is travelling.

Keep the palm of the glove up and down in aline with the body. As the blow starts swingthe right leg and all the right side of the bodywith it. Just as it is landing stiffen the arm

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and push the shoulder forward, turning thebody at the hips. The force of the blow shouldnot be ended the moment it lands. Keep itgoing:itwillhavemoreeffectthatway.The first two knuckles of the hand should

land the blow. If you throw your palm downand hit with the thumb you are liable to breakitevenwiththeprotectionofaglove.The left swing is made with the left hand in

the same manner as the right swing, only theposition of the legs is not changed. It doesnot have as much force as the right swing,because it does not get a like shift of the bodywith it. But it is easier to land, as it travelsashorterdistance.

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CHAPTERXIV

COURAGETHEKEYNOTEOFABOXERSSUCCESS

LackofSelfconfidenceOftenContributestotheDefeatofaGoodFighter

THIS is a lesson on courage. There is notrait of character which a boxer needs morethan this. Courage of the highest ordernotonly physically, but morallyis essential tosuccess as a pugilist. I say as a pugilist,because it is in that direction that my experience lies. However, I have learned that thisquestion of moral as well as physical courageisreallythekeynotetosuccess.There never was a boxing champion, or a

champion,infact, inanylineofsports, whowasa coward. They have all been fearless, and innearly every instance morally superior men.Their sense of right and wrong has been askeenly developed as has their physical superiority. They have not only felt their power of

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mastery over their less fortunate fellowmen,but they have been possessed of the moralcourage that comes with the knowledge ofright.It is courage that tells in every walk of life.

This it is that leads the gallant soldier tovictory; that carries the stouthearted cyclechampion under the wire. a winner. Thecourageous man knows not the word failure.His password is victory, and his golden rulereads,Besureyouareright,thengoahead.The boy who is learning to box must be

courageous. He must not know the wordfear. It is not physical strength, or even thecleverness that comes to an expert boxer, thatwins battles. It is moral courage. If a boxerbe ever so clever, be he ever so strong, hecannot win battles unless he is courageous.And he cannot be courageous unless he hasthemoralstrengthofright.Take Right and pit it against Might,

and in nine instances out of ten Right willscore the victory. So be sure you are rightbeforeyougoahead.Another element that contributes largely to

the success of a boxer is selfconfidence. If a

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man is not selfconfident he cannot hope towin battles. I have noticed in my experiencein the ring how often a boxer will be defeatedsimply owing to lack of selfconfidence. Menwhom I have met and defeated in a round ortwo have gone out a few weeks or monthslaterandputupwonderfulfights.

WoninOtherBattles

These men have taken blows and receivedpunishment which I never dreamed of inflictingupon them, and come out of those battlesvictorious. In their contests with me theysimply lacked confidence. I had gained areputation as a hardhitter and winner ofbattles, and it was therefore lack of moral selfreliance that defeated these men as soon aslanded a few blows. The blows I gave themhad neither the speed nor the force of thosewhich the same men took unflinchingly frommen of no reputation. Therefore, do not forget that you must be morally courageousbefore you can hope to win battles in thestruggle of life. There is no better moral inthe world to follow than this, Be sure youare right, then go ahead.

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CHAPTERXV

HOWTHEHEAVYMANSHOULDTRAINANDFIGHT

THE bigmenoftendonot knowhowtohandlethemselveswheninalight,soIwilltellthem.The greatest mistake that big men make is

in spending so much of their time in doing allkinds of work to develop their muscles andwind and hitting powers, and so little in studying out the tricks of the game. Any big,heavy athlete has an immense advantage, if hewants to become a boxer, right at the start.He has the power; all he lacks is the knowledge how to use it to the best advantage. Iwillgivehimthreerulestofollow:Beaggressive.Donotbecareless.Rememberthatyouhavethepunch.Your natural strength and weight are

enough to put you on the aggressive at alltimes. You are not like a little, weak chapwho is forced to keep away from his opponentand protect himself Your mere weight is

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bound to give you the upper hand over anopponent if you keep boring in at him. Butat the same time you must not let this idea offorcing matters make you careless. It is soeasy to fight in a slipshod, careless fashion.And it is just as easy for the other fellow tosuddenly reach out and hit you a blow thatputs you down and out when he catches youinoneofyourcarelessmoods.The idea of taking a punch for the oppor

tunity to give one is all right if you arecareful to see that the punch which you takedoesnotlandonavitalspot.As to the next item in a big mans fighting

schedulehis ability to give a punch that willbring down his mantoo much attentioncannot be given to his education upon thisline.He is built upon lines that give him a

natural advantage for sending in a hard blow.He should cultivate his ability in this line,and study out how he can land the hardestblow.Remember you have weight to add speedto the blow if you only throw it behind yourarm.

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Do not waste your energy and strength inhitting lightly; study well just where to landthe blow, and when you hit do it with all thestrength and force and weight you can muster.Just as your fist strikes your opponents

body, set your arm rigid and throw your weightagainstit.When you have knocked your opponent

down do not rush at him as soon as he is onhisfeet.Take your time. Feint him once or twice,

thus confusing him. Then he will probablyleave an opening, and you can administer theknockoutwithoutdangertoyourself.l have seen men unduly eager to finish an

opponent whom they have knocked down ordazed, rush into the fight, only to receive a wildswing on the jaw and meet defeat just at themoment when the battle was all in their handsbecauseoffailuretodefendthemselves.

PointsfortheBigFightertoRemember

Donotfightonthedefensive;beaggressive.Keepcoolatalltimes.Donotgetcareless,particularlywhenyou

thinkyouarewinning.

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Remember that your weight gives you agreatadvantage.Use this weight to add greater force to your

blows.Put in every blow as if you meant it to be

thelast.

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CHAPTERXVI

THEWAYTOSTRIKEAHARDBLOW

MusclesoftheShouldersPlaytheMostProminentPartinLandinga

Knockout

HowcanIlearntostrikeahardblow?That is a question that is asked of me

frequently by both young and middleagedmen, so I am going to tell them. There isneither trick nor art worth mentioning in striking a hard blow. The mere landing of a hardblow, be it on the face, head, or body, is not aquestion of skill. It is strength, and nothingbut strength, that sends in the blows which arecommonlycalledhard.

WayAnyoneCanLearntoHitHard

For this reason anybody can learn to hithard. If it took skill, there might be somepeople who would not be able to master thetrick well enough to land the blow. But there

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does not live the man, woman, or child, be theymoderately healthy, who cannot, with sufficientpatience and exercise, bring themselves finallyto a point where they can land a truly hardblow.The muscles of the shoulders play the most

important part in the delivery of a hard blow.Take any boxer who has finely developed backand shoulder muscles and you will find that heis a stout hitter. No matter how weak hisbiceps and forearm muscles may be, in comparison with those of his shoulders and back,if the latter have the power he will be whatiscommonlyknownasaknockerout.Of course, it is to ones advantage to have

welldeveloped biceps and forearms, as this willadd to the compactness and solidity of theblow.

MusclesMastEasilyDeveloped

There are no muscles of the body that aremore readily developed than those of theshoulders, back, and arms. A rubber exerciser,such as can easily be fastened upon any doorframe, a light pair of dumbbells, and regularbreathing exercises will accomplish the object.

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Like every other kind of exercise, however,regularity counts for everything. Ten orfifteen minutes work in the morning, a short,stiff walk, a dozen full, deep breaths, forcingthe air down into the stomach and out againthrough the nose, and the same ro