The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-17
TELLS HOW 1T FEELS TO FIGHT.
Mental Processes In the Ring Described
by Joe Choynski.


These questions have personal inter-
| est for every man who loves sport or
| admires courage and endurance. He
may say he Is opposed to pugilism, yet
/ he will read every utterance of a past
master of the art of self-defense. He
| will take strong interest in the discus
| sions of the big fellows where gloves
| take the places of words. Probably no
/ phase of the subject would interest the
average man so much as an answer TO
/ the questions with which this story
| begins, with others suggested by them.
| OF all the ring athletes, who make
| Chicago their home, none is better quail
| flied TO discuss anything pertaining TO
| pugilism than Joseph II. Choynski. In
| fact, few professors of pugilism have
| ever attained greater skill and reputa-
| tion in attack and defense than this
/ sturdy boxer. He Is a master of the
/ game and has fought as many battles
as the redoubtable champion. He ex-
ceeds the latter in intellectually and the
ability to tell what he feels. He not
only possesses exceptional skill and
speed in the ring, but has sufficient edu-
cation to talk entertainngly on topics
suggested by the squared circle.
In order that the readers of the Sun
day Chronicle might know just what a
| ring general thinks about from the
| time he steps into the ring until he quits
victor or vanquished a reporter visited
| Mr.. Choynsk yesterday and asked him
a. HUMBER III QUESTIONS, DdSbu On the
ones heretofore given. To profession
al they seemed of doubtful utility. but
Mr.. Choynski realized the public inter-
est In such things and talked very en-
tertainngly on all the questions asked
him. They embrace all that is done
from the time a man enters the ring
until the end of the fight. The first
query was:
How does a man feels as he steps
into the ring and finds himself con-
fronted by "A clever Adversary"
THAT is a hard thing to answer in
telligently,' said Mr. Choynski, for the
reason that there Is really nothing TO
say. IL the man had not intended to
face just this contingency he would not
be there. He feels like winning. of
course. There has been a great deal
said about the crowd the noise, etc,
but my experience has always been that
in the ring ! have eyes and feelings but
for my adversary | don't hear much
that is going on around me after the
few salutations TO friends. | put in my
time casting up the chances and figur-
ing on the game.
tOf course boxing Is science that
man should know all about before he
enters Il ring. He doesn't know always
what his line of attack and defense will
be, but he knows the principles of the
game and his mind is full of them while
waiting for the call of time. How does
he feel after he has commenced to
fight? Well, about as he did before.
He is in action and trying out his man
If he never met him before, or striving
to avoid mistakes made in another con
test. His mind is intent only on the
man he is fighting and he watches every
movement of that man with catlike in
tensity He must do this or get a punch
which will end the fight"
How do you feel when you get struck
the first timer"
THAT dependS on the man If "a box
er is of hasty temper ii may make him
angry. II IL hurts, the dominant idea is
to give back as good as you get. You
take the blow. for that is what you are
there for but you want to get even and
bend all of your energies TO making the
other fellow know il is not all his way"
What mental argument does fight
CT use to sustain his courage"
None that | know of. He is too busy
trying To get at his man to bother about
courage II he lacks pluck he has no
business there and would not be. of
course. some men have a stage fright
on beginning to fight but this wears off
with action and they make a hard.
game fight after it. If he lets this get
the better of him in the beginning he
is liable to stop punch which will set
tie him for that contest. II he is getting
the worst of the lighting and cannot
land or his man he is apt to lose cour-
age. But the man who fights, fights for
IL.
to win not only the purse but chance
10 get on some more good battles. So
he deyotes his mind exclusively to pun
ishinE his adversary aud avoiding pun
ishment in return. His principal idea is
How long can | stand this?' If the
fighting is very fast he thinks of his
condition and his mind uneonseiously
asks how long he can stand up under
the hot work.
How does it feel to be knocked
down."
That depends on the force Of the
blow received. Sometimes ii is all off
right there. But my experience has
been that the man who is knocked
down, unless put out. has no feeling SO
far as the blow is concerned He has
his eyes on the referee and has only one
idea. That Is to get on his legs again
and resume fighting before the fatal 10
seconds can be counted against him. He
feels only the intense desire to get up
as quickly as possible to avoid a count
out
How does it feel to get wallop over
the heart, on the point of the chin or in
the neck?"
If fighter is hit in the neck he may
feel the sting of impact. This blow does
him but little If any damage. provided
he is in condition. 1t is not knockout
blow. 1t merely spurs him to greater ex-
ertion. But If he gets 1t on the point of
the chin good and hard he has no feel
ing. He goes to sleep. That is the SEN
sation He falls asleep and that is all
he knows about ii. He is out and has
lost the fight. but he don't know II for
some time. A blow over the heart leaves
a burning sensation behind it. If not
enough to end the fight, il means a lot |
to man who gets ii. He has trouble |
in breathing as we'll as the hot feeling
in the cardiac region. lie thinks that |
he Is against "A hard thing and wonders |
while fighting how long he will last |
This blow, as everybody knows, is a |
knockout If delivered with sufficient |
force. 1t simply stops mans breath
ing and stops his powers of action or |
resistance.
What about the dread man feels |
when he steps into the ring or what |
does he think of while waiting for the |
call of time? These questions have been |
answered If the pugilst has any dread |
he has no business in the ring. | don't t
know anything about this. for | never |
ha / siyl,t