The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-05
BOXING LESSON BY
A PROFESSIONAL.
He Tells Amateurs the First Steps
and What They Need in Order
to Become Athletes and
Boxers.
By Terry McGovern.

How many of you boys would know
what to do if a larger fellow walked
up to you and struck you?
No doubt you are already thinking
how you would sail into him and win.
But stop minute and think it over.
Suppose he should be a fairly go0d
boxer. What earthly chance would you
have against him?
Or even if he knew no more about
handling his hands than you do, and
yet happened to be a trifie stronger
and quicker? You would be helpless
against him.
man, for that matter) ought to wan
tonly seek fight, or bully a smaller
chap Still everybody ought to I'M
derstand how to protect himself. That
is not only a convenience but a duty.
Gov. Roosevelt said in speech the
other day:
IF any Of you mothers have a boy
who will not fight, on good provoca-
ton, that boy is not worth his salt.
He is a coward. Train your boy to use
his fighting instincts on the side of
righteousness. But punish anything
like cruelty. Punish him when he
abuses his strength
Now, Gov. Roosevelt himself is
fighter from the ground up, as his coun-
try has grateful cause to remember,
and he knows what he is talking about.
A lot of you will say:
F How can we learn to fight or to
box? We are in school or college all
day. What time do we get fer such
things?"
Now, that is the very thing I am
going TO answer. In the first place you
are not in school all day. Only from
to 3. If you study in the evenings,
that still leaves you the best hours
OF the day for exercise. Besides, you
must remember you are not training
for the prize ring, but simply learning
to take care of yourselves and to be-
come proficient at the finest, most use
fui exercise in the world, an exercise
Which will give you strength, health
self-confidence and amusement.
we can't afford an expensive course
of boxing lessons under skilled in
structor,'' someone else says.
But you, can. 1t shall cost you all
most nothing, and I will be your in
structor. Such skill as L have is at
your service. And as that skill has
enabled me to win ffty-dve ring bat
ties and rise to the rank of champion
bantam weight boxer of the world, it
may also help you.
Moreover, 1 am not an old fogy, but
| a boy like yourselves. I am barely
twenty, and have been in the ring ever
since L was seventeen.
Here, then, are some pointers which
will enable any Schoolboy, or newsboy,
or office boy, either, to learn boxing at
home.
In the first place, take care of your
general health. No man can neglect
that and become a crack boxer. AS
well expect a racehorSe to make good
time over a ploughed field, or Dewey
to conquer Manila with a rotten. leaky
| feet.
The greatest evils to be avoided are
| liquor, tobacco and late hours. I have
| steered clear of all three and owe my
| success mainly to that fact. Drink
| especially has ruined more good ath-
letes than has anything else.
| 1t ruins the wind and damages the
whole system. So does tobacco.
See that all your habits are regular
and good. Keep your digestion in or
| der, eat wholesome food and be careful
! in no way to weaken or injure your
self.
"Early to bed and early to rise." too.
is a maxim as old as the hills, but aa
| good as gold.
Don't begin to box regularly until
you are at least fourteen. Before that
! the body is not usually strong enough
to stand the strain.
/ will map out a daily routine for you
| to start on before begin giving you
regular lessons.
Rise at z.
Before you begin to dress, lie fiat on
| your back on the floor. Rise to n sit
ting posture, with arms folded across
| the chest, not touching the ground with
/ This will strengthen the muscles of the
| back and abdomen as well as those of
| the legs.
Try this five times the FIRST morning.
| Increase it by one each morning.
When you can do it more easily, try
with the arms held straight above the
head instead of across the chest Bring
| the arms down to the sides every other