Show o 0 physical culture and self defense Bs ROBERT M dd W gh er of th wor d champion heavy we rbt lighter of the wo d anat uc or lecturer on cu tur etc to part II 11 article 5 how the heavy man should train and fight the big men often do not know how to handle themselves when in a fight so I 1 will tell them the greatest mistake that big men make Is in spending so much of their time in doing all kinds ot work to de celop their muscles and wind and hit ting powers and so little in studying out the tricks of the game any big heavy athlete has an immense ad vantage it he wants 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 I 1 will give him three rules to follow be aggressive do not be careless Ke member that vou have the punch As to the next item in a big mans fighting schedule his ability to give a punch that will bring down his man the famous left hand shift for the solar plexus this blow retained fitzstmmons the championship ot the world by defeating james J corbett at carson city march 17 1897 too much attention cannot be given to his education upon this line 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 be can land the hardest blow remember you have weight to add speed to the blow it boit only throw it behind your arm do not waste your energy and strength in hitting lightly study e lust where to land the blow and 1 when you hit do it with all toe strength and force and weight you can fauster just as your fist strikes your op s body set your arm rigid and throw your weight against it when you have knocked your op down do not rush at him as soon as he is on his feet take your time feint him once or twice thus contusing nim then he will probably leave an opening and you can administer the knockout with out hanger to yourself your zelf I 1 have seen men unduly eager to finish an opponent whom they have knocked down or dazed rush into the fight only to receive a wild swing on the jaw and meet defeat just at the moment when the battle was all in their hands because of failure to de tend themselves muscles of the shoulders play the most prominent part in land in a knockout how can I 1 learn to strike a hard blow that Is a question that Is asked of me frequently by both young and mid die aged men so I 1 am going to tell them there Is neither trick nor art worth mentioning in striking a hard blow the mere landing of a hard blow be 11 on the face head or body the left hand shift for the point of the jaw Is not a question of skill it Is strength and nothing but strength that sends in the blows which are commonly called hard why anyone can learn to hit hard for this reason anybody can learn to hit hard if it took skill there might be some people who would not be able to master the trick well enough to land the blow but there dos not live the man woman or child be they moderately healthy who can not with sufficient patience and exer else bring themselves finally to a point they can land a truly hard blow the m of the shoulders play the most important part in the de livery of hard blow take any boxer wl has finely developed back and 1 ilder muscles and you will find that he is a stout hitter no mat ter hob weak his biceps and forearm muscles ma be in comparison with those 0 his shoulders and back it the latter adie the power he will be what is commonly known as a knocker it of course it is to one s advantage to have well developed biceps and forearms as this will add to the corn pact ness and solidity of the blow muscles most easily developed there are no muscles of the body that are more readily developed than those of the shoulders back and arms A rubber exerciser such as can easily be fastened upon any doorframe a light pair of dumbbells dumb bells and regular breathing exercises will accomplish the object e every other kind of exercise however regularity counts for every thing ten or fifteen minutes work in the morning a short stiff walk a dozen full deep breaths fore ng the air down into the stomach and out again through the nose and the same routine at night will soon endow you with the power of hard hitting but you must pursue such a course of training with preciseness and regu larity to secure the desired result punching the bag Is the best exer else tor developing the shoulders back and arms it is the primary school of hard punching every mus cle of the body Is brought into play it trains ane eye and schools the brain to act quickly you gain in both delivery and defense the pan for an amateurs successful enchul tr all amateur boxers are inclined to be nervous this Is a fault the best way to cure it is to do all the boxing you can with men whom you know ou can best but men who will give you a hard battle take your lessons from a competent professional teacher after boxing a while with men to whom the gloves and the ring are familiar as their dally meals the ama beur game will seem like child s play to you that Is one hint for you now tor another be sure you go into the ring in good physical condition get your stomach right and keep it right be careful not to catch cold when you step into the center of the ring do not rush blindly at your man I 1 have seen many amateurs do the famous shift after delivering the solar plexus blow with the left you whip the same hand up to the jaw without moving the position of the feet that it the other fellow comes at you that way stick out your left hand aa hard and as often as you can and jab him in the face if things go quietly however you should feel your appon ent out well use your cleverness to the best of your ability to confuse him it you are successful in that then comes the time to be aggressive jab him if you can with your left falling this send in both hands straight from the shoulder to hie face and head keep at this until you get his guard up if he finds you fighting at his head all the time he will forget to protect his stomach and wind when he forgets the time has come for you to get in your fine work watch your opportunity well and when the proper moment comes step in as close to as you can and a little to one side and strike with your left or right hand whichever Is con lenient hard in his solar plexus throw every pound of your weight behind the blow put all your strength in it nd pivot slightly on your toot as it lands if you execute the blow properly it is almost certain to score a points for the big fighter to kemem ber do not fight on the defensive be aggressive keep cool at all times do not get careless particularly when ou think you are winning copyrighted 1901 by A J drexel bid die philadelphia entered at stationers hall london |