The San Francisco call., 1903-12-01
More Boring Hints.

More Boring Hints.
BY ALBERT PAYsON TERHUNE.
athletic Expert New York Evening World,
Author Of Muscle Building" Etc.1
Copyright. 1903. by Joseph B. Bowles)
Boxing, as you have already seen,
depends fully as much on defensive as
on aggressive work. The man who de-
fends himself badly is at the mercy of
any ordinarily good opponent. Whereas
the man whose attack is poor, but
whose defense is excellent, viii often
win against far more Snowy" antag-
onist
To-day's lesson, therefore. will deal
with the art Of "ducking."
The sidestep, as. we have seen, car
ries the whole body.out Of danger. The
duck" on the other hand. protects
only the head. often there is no time
to sidestep, and it is not expedient to
guard with either hand. In such an in
stance the duck" is a veritable boon
10 the hard-pressed boxer.
In ducking (as in sidestepping and in
swinging) everything depends on
speed, timeliness and perfect accuracy.
An awkward or tardy execution of this
nlaneuver, or a duck at a crisis when
a guard with. the arm or a sidestep are
called for may lead to unpleasant con
sequences and may give the other man
just the opening he has been playing
for.
II you study this lesson With especial
care, however, and follow faithfully its
instructions, you will with a little
practice. easily master the art Of duck
ing and viii learn to avoid the few
pitfalls 1t sometimes involves.
Put on the gloves and let us begin.
(Remember. when drawing on the
''mitts" TO use as much care and GEN
tleness Of treatment as though YOU
were dOnning your 50 so Sunday pearl
kid gloves. In this way your boxing
gloves will last twice as long. It's not
boxing that knocks gloves to pieces
nearly so much as it is the carelessness
with which they are put on and Off
Take the first position. On guardi
Go through all the points we have
studied I'D to the present, beginning
with the straight left lead for the
face. These back lessons must all
be gone through with, daily, and es-
pecially before taking up any new
/ points.
There are two regular ducks. They
are known as the straight duck" and
! the duck TO the side" We will take
up the straight duck first
Let your sparring partner lead for
your face with his left. As he leads
/ throw your head topthe left and slight
/ ly forward. Throw IT far enough to
/ the left to enable it TO avoid the other
mans lead. and then bring it around
in sort of circle. still following the
! leftward trend and bringing the head
around until il completes the circle and
is once more in its normal position.
I can better make this clear by ask
ling you to try little experiment. Hold
the forefinger of the left hand vertical.
Now poke the forefinger of the right
hand at it vertically, aiming for the
top knuckle. As you do so describe a
! circle with the end of the forefinger
Of the left hand, still holding it verti-
calIy. You viii see that this finger tip
is thus thrown forward as it nears the
end Of the first half of the circle. and
] AildA ~ AEluA3S ~ lLS lbIiUtI NeGllcdi
position as it completes it's circle.
/ Meanwhile, however, the other forefin-
! ger which was aimed at it has missed
it entirely. The left forefnger tip cir
cled completely around it without be-
ing touched.
That is just the way your head should
/ avoid a straight lead when you duck
| straight Throw the head to the left,
! remember, in all straight ducks, and
let it come around, forward in a large
enough circle to avoid the blow.
Always duck quickly. yet never too
soon. For your sparring partner may
merely be 'feinting' TO make you duck,
and if you fall into the trap he may
land on you at VIII while your eyes
are temporarily of his face. If YOU
duck too late you run. into his blow
When ducking a swing or a hook re-
/ member that the blow IS not travelling
straight forward but is taking a sort
Of half circle at right angles 10 the cir
Gle your head is describing. Therefore
If you bring your head back to it's nor
NAL position before the swing or hook
has wholly passed by, you are liable 10
receive the full force of the blow on
your head or face Many an amateur
has been knocked out through this mis-
calculation. The duck TO the side" we
! viii take I'D in next Fridays issue.