Fencing . master. Theuntutored combats of boys are absurd parodies ; and in manya remote place the clubs, where so-called boxing takes place,produce local champions who are disfigured by almost everyfault that can make them ridiculous. A bad style is in thismatter, as in most others, very difficult to get rid of; and it isvery rare to find a boxer of any pretensions who has not learntearly in a good school. Something may be done by the studyof books ; and within quite the last few years, a new chancehas been afforded by the publication of a useful hand-bookby Professor Donnelly. To the attenti
Fencing . master. Theuntutored combats of boys are absurd parodies ; and in manya remote place the clubs, where so-called boxing takes place,produce local champions who are disfigured by almost everyfault that can make them ridiculous. A bad style is in thismatter, as in most others, very difficult to get rid of; and it isvery rare to find a boxer of any pretensions who has not learntearly in a good school. Something may be done by the studyof books ; and within quite the last few years, a new chancehas been afforded by the publication of a useful hand-bookby Professor Donnelly. To the attentive study of this treatiseevery beginner may be confidently recommended, especially ifthere is no chance of attending the lectures of a really com-petent mentor. It may seem paradoxical, and provoke a smile, to say thatthe first necessity for using the fists properly is to understandthe use of the feet. Before the beginner is allowed to touchthe gloves, or even to make a hit or a guard, he should be taught. Figure IX.—Left arm guard THE ART OF BOXING 149 to stand and move about in the most correct way. By themere position of the feet a connoisseur will tell almost at aglance whether a novice has learnt in a good school and profitedby his lessons. The left foot should be flat on the ground,pointing always straight towards the face of the adversary. Theright foot should be directly behind it, with a space of fromfourteen to twenty inches between heel and toe according to theheight of the individual ; and the right heel will be raised aninch from the ground, both knees being slightly bent, as by thismeans the joints are much more ready for sudden movement,and the little that is lost in height is well made up for by whatis gained in agility. The right foot must not be at right anglesto the left, nor yet in a hne with it, but placed obliquely at aboutan angle of forty-five. And the weight of the body must bedistributed between the two feet ; so that it can be thrown in amoment upon
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