The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-03-13
"You Must Change Your Stand and Develop a Left and Learn Body Punching," Says Veteran Heavyweight Champ of Other Days
By JAMES J. CoRBETT

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 Editors Note:--This story by James J. Corbett is of great interest to every ring devotee-and especially to the young sters who are schooling in mitt warfare. For in this open letter to Bob Martin, former soldier boy. Corbett, the master boxer and the craftiest warrior of them all, makes suggestions which. if followed, will prove of great benefit to every ringman)
 Dear Bob Martini
 It was my pleasure to watch you in action against Bill Brennan the other night-and your. gam your courage, your splendid fighting spirit and many of your clever ring trickeries delighted me.
 There is within you, Bob, the mak- ings of a champion--if certain little faults are corrected. And because I like you, and because I admire you for your war record, and your fine showirgs in professional rings, I'm going to take the liberty of pointing out the faults that exist-and make suggestions which I think will be helpful.
 I know you won't resent an old timer telling you a little something about ring strategy. I know you want to learn and I think that more than 30 years as student of ring warfare gives to me at least fair ranking as teacher, dosen't it?
 l might write to you directly instead of through my column, but in writing you this way, hundreds of youngsters who are ambitious to become great ring gladiators perhaps will see this letter And it may contain for them int .~-srr tul to them as l hope they will be to you.
 SOME ADVICE
 Bob, these are the things which you must do before you can rise to the full ring greatness which is your destiny:
 l. You must learn the value of re- laxation-and the knack of relaxing
 7. You must change your ring stance.
 B.. You must improve your left hand.
 4 You must slearn the science of body punching so that you can follow up the advantage you gain when one of your right hand drives crashes in- to an opponents jaw.
 You might have finished Bill Bren- nan the other night if you knew the "criss-cross' trick when you have d man in trouble.
 You slammed BilPs jaw several times in way that shook him up gid dily. Then, instead of smashing to the body you waited around for another jaw opening. Before you could get it. Bill, wise old boy, fell into a clinch and stayed there until is head cleared.
 CHANGE FOR BODY BLOW
 It IS human nature for any man, when hit on the jaw to protect the fetr
 Jaw rom a follow-up punch. When he does that he leaves his body wide open. So the next time you hit a man on the chin, and his guard goes up. drive for everything you've got for the body That1l hurt and daze him even 1T 1t dosen't bring him down.
 Ills guard from the head will come down the second he is hit in the body. Ihen let loose for the jaw again. Youll find it as wide open as was his pody. Keep criss-crossing from head to body and you'll either drop your man right then and there, or shake nm up So much that he'll shoot to the canvass the next time you hit him With your pile-driver rights.
 You slowed up the other night wiu biii, after going eight or nine rounds. Perhaps the reason for it is a mystery to you It wasn't to me Your ring stance explains it all You stand with your legs far apart. When you do that you strain your muscles. And eventually those muscles get tired and weary and you slow up
 MUST LEARN TO RELAX
 Learn to relax Use that stance of yours once in awhile, Bob. when you are setting yourself for fearful smash BlM don't stand that way more than han minute at time. Keep jumping around Relax your leg muscles when ever you are out or range Dance around. If you do that you'll find that you can travel 40 rounds without feeling the leg weariness that you now know after 10 rounds of fighting while stand ing with legs spread to the limit.
 To get an idea of what I mean. Bob try these two stunts in the gymnasium the next time you are there. Spread your legs far apart as you do now. Shift your body around, swing your arms. DO 1t for two minutes. Note then how strained your muscles feel. Rest for about 10 minutes. Then dance and shift around an imaginary opponent for five minutes. Weave in and out Don't 'spread-eagle'; just keep your legs loose and timber. Stop-and then you'll note that your legs are just as springy as when you started
 Relaxation-that's the thing-never strain a muscle unless it's absolutely nec- essary.
 No man ever rose to championship heights, Bob. without great left hand Sullivan. Jeffries Johnson. Fitzsimmons and Dempsey all had wonderful Iefts And Bob. you are minus a good left hand You haven't developed it. You haven't tried to use it for hooking pur- poses. You do but little jabbing. It s as far as menace to the foeman is con cerned almost useless And the men who fight you knowing that don't have to worry about your left. They have to watch only for the right
 NEEDS GOOD LEFT
 Haa vor a~-'od a ~~' ,s ,and in.o the Brennan fight, you'd have won-and perhaps with knockout For with crashing blows coming from both direc- tions. Bill would have been bewiIdered after a little while. He was kept busy enough watching that right of yours. If hook or jab with the same motion and with stunning force Bill would have been added to your list of victims.
 Back in the days when was schooling for ring warfore. learned the need of a great left hand. And there was one stunt that I practiced for months and years to make it so. It's simple, Bob--and you can do it.
 Stand in front of punching bag. Now jab with your left. Now hook with it. then iab then hook then iar Alter~n.e in that way for an hour a day At first you'Il find it awkward to hook and 1a"