Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1916-03-09
LONG Lees HELP
JOE STECHER win
POWo.iL U2derpinning Of Me-
braskan OF Great Service.
TAUGHT HIMSELF MAT GAME
Watched Others GrappIe and Practiced
Scissors Hold With His Brother-Has
Tried All Kinds of Westinghouse
Believe In Much Training.

Joe Stecher, the self taught heavy
weight wrestler from Nebraska, who
IS now touring the country meeting all
corners, is a freak i'll more ways than
one. Although only tWcnty-threc Years
old, according to his W version of
his life, which agrees with that of
others. he has become one of the
worlds nos prominent wrestlers as
the result of his own c%nlcayors. He
insists that he taught himself and
boots the stories that he was brought
to his present perfection by Farmer
Burns, the old grappler of rcnown, who
lives in Omaha. In speaking of him
self Stecher said recently:
ut makes me tired to see that story
about Burns breaking me into the bust
ness. | taught myself by practice, by
study Of my own qualities, by watch
ing good wrcstlers and by studying the
pictures of first class men in action.
My only trainer and coach has been
my brother, Anton.
THAT it is not impossible to become
L clever heavyweight without system
attic coaching from a recognized expert
is proved by the cases Of a number of
other wrestlers. Ed Lewis, one of my
most prominent rivals. taught himself,
just as l did, and he is one of the most
scientific and we'll informed wrestlcrs
of today.
Took ADVANTAGE of Legs.
II am we'll above six feet and have
always la1 legs that We're strong out
Of proportion to the rest of my body.
They We're also extraordinarily pliable.
If / had taken up boxing or something
of that sort ! might never lave noticed
what valuable legs I had, but in work
ing out in wrestling | noticed right
away that l could scissors hold more
firmly than other men because my legs
We're long enough to go around an OPP
ponent's body and leave my feet free
for locking.
"Continual observation showed me
that the legs could be used for the
pressure they cXcrtcd, as We'll rs for
the purpose of merely holding, and l
set out to develop that speciality. Now
they credit me with having the most
powerful legs in the business. and per-
hapS they are. | have tried all forms of
wrestling, but naturally prefer catch
as-catch-can, in which l have the full
use of my legs.
Il think it is a mistake for wrcstlcrs
in practice to keep at it SO long that
they become dead weary and also have
a tendency to make themselves mus
Gle bound. l get on the mat for short
stretches and find that amply sut1i-
Gent
Stecher looks the part. He is 4 long.
loose jointcd individual and still has
many of the characteristics of Il boy.
George Bothner, the veteran wrestler,
expressed the impression he makes
when he said that Stecher has the
of a heavyweight" The chest is rather
that of q light heavyweight, but the
long, powerful legs are those of q man
as heavy as Jess Willard. His move
ments are loose, almost gangling, and
when in motion it is easy to see where
he has the attributes for the wriggling
and twisting which are such essential
features of wrestling.
Alexander -Aberg and the other
Greco-Roman opponents Will probably
decry Stecher as q poor specimen of a
wrestler. Where they have enormous
Diceps and chests that stand out like
those of pouter pigeons, Stechcr has
biceps that would measure a couple Of
inches less than Aberg's, and his chest
is merely that of an athlete of long
training.
The crushing force in Stechers legs
is phenomenal. When he met Charley
Cutler some months ago he nearly
caved in Cutters ribs with a scissors
hold and broke him rather than threw
him.