Bob Fitzsimmons on how to BOX

I present Bob Fitzsimmons in his own words and from the words of others. This book is still relevant, it has great advice in it, no one can argue about what the .great one says, none of you can do what he could do. I hope you enjoy this, I won't put it all up in one go so it can sink in slowly.......................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................................................................................................
PHYSICAL CULTURE And SELF DEFENCE
INTRODUCTION
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ALTHOUGH Robert Fitzsimmons, the greatest
fighter the ring has ever had, is world famous
in his public life, yet, strange to say, scarcely
any but his intimate friends know the actual
personality and character of this remarkable
man. At his home and among his friends he
bears no trace of the ring or of the fighter. A
man of temperate habits, and who lives by
strict rules for the moral and physical life, the
only trait for which his worst enemy can
criticise him is that of his unbounded generosity.
But even here the harsh critic must
pause, for Robert Fitzsimmons is possessed
of the keenest powers of perception, and can
discern between the worthy and the unworthy
with almost unerring judgment.
An illustration of the unbounded generosity
of this man may be found within the doors of
his own home. There is an old grayhaired man who is introduced to every visitor at the
Fitzsimmons residence as Dr. ]ohn Lapraik.
The history of Dr. Lapraik’s presence here is
kept generally as a secret by the modest Fitzsimmons
himself The true situation I discovered
only by accident. This old man was
the “boss” of the blacksmith shop in which
Fitzsimmons was foreman for years out in
Australia. He is a guest at the Fitzsimmons
house—for life if he desires. Fitzsimmons
recently heard that john Lapraik was living in
straitened circumstances in a town far removed
from New York. He learned of the matter in
a roundabout fashion, as the old Doctor, a
veterinary surgeon by profession, was too
proud to let his friend of Australian days know
of his poverty or whereabouts. But immediately
that Fitzsimmons heard of his friend’s
distress, he sent the following brief and characteristic
note to his fellowworkman
of long
ago :
“I am on easy street now, old boy. Come and live
with me and take a rest in your old age.
“ROBERT FITZSIMMONS.”
Everything is arranged for the Doctor’s
comfort, and in the cellar there is a workshop fitted out for his especial benefit. There john
Lapraik mixes his medicines and tinkers about
in blissful enjoyment day after day. It is interesting
to hear him tell of the way in which his
foreman would ask for a halfholiday
when he
was going to an encounter out in Australia.
Dr. Lapraik smiles when he says that the
l tighter used to deny he was the Bob Fitzsimmons
the papers were talking about, for fear of
losing his position in the horseshoeing business.
When Admiral Dewey received his great
ovation in New York he passed beneath the
beautiful “Dewey Arch.” There a statue,
eighteen feet high, representing “Peace,”
looked down upon the triumphant Admiral.
This statue was modelled by the New York
sculptor D. C. French from Robert Fitzsimmons.
With Fitzsimmons, his private life and his
professional career are absolutely distinct, and
his intimate personal friends are one and all
from among the worthy class of people—business
men, actors, statesmen, authors, and
artists. This man, the coolest and bravest
fighter that ever entered a ring, is possessed
of an uncommonly even temperament. What - ever his small or great disappointments, or the
state of his feelings may be, his nearest associates
see none other than the sunny side of
his disposition. When he is really “out of
sorts,” or nervous, or upset, like other men, is
never known: he is a man of iron will, and
can conceal any gloom that he may feel with
such perfect ease and under so sunshiny a
manner that not even his intimates can know
his inward thought. But this is the only deception
of which Fitzsimmons is guilty of practising.
He is straightforward and frank to a
degree rarely found in even the best of heroes
outside of fiction. Those who would know Robert Fitzsimmons
as a prize—fighter in private life will be doomed
to disappointment. When this man leaves
training or the ring all vestige of the pugilist ‘
departs from him. He is a lawabiding,
Godfearing
man, a good citizen, and a model
husband and father. In the privacy of his
beautiful home at Bensonhurst one finds the
true Robert Fitzsimmons. There, in a great
house set in the midst of shaded lawns and
garden, he spends the happiest times of his
life. He wants no other company than that of his loving wife and children. His friends are
at all times welcome, and sparerooms
stand
ready for them. Distinguished courtesy and
hospitality are characteristics of both Mr. and
Mrs. Fitzsimmons. A more devoted couple it
would be hard to find. It was Mrs. Fitzsimmons’
wish that her husband should leave the
ring, and he has done so. There is not a
trace of the pugilist at the home of Robert
Fitzsimmons. No athletic apparatus of any
kind, not even a punchingbag,
is to be found
on the premises. His training has always been
done away from his residence, as another man
would do business at his office.
There are those who condemn or honor a
man on account of his calling. They are the
narrowminded
or superficially critical who
condemn or praise alike without investigation
of a man’s personality or private character.
While all deceitful callings are contemptible,
the vocation of the prizefighter
is at least a
manly one. He is rarely matched against
inferior weight or size, and constantly undergoes
supreme tests for bravery and patience,
and even magnanimity. It is often the case
that a fighter, seeing victory well assured, refrains from further beating a weakened
opponent who has fought most roughly. Very
often, indeed, does the boxer, well assured of
victory, implore the referee to interfere and
thus save his adversary from further punishment.

 

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Many pugilists must support their wives and
families by the proceeds of their calling, so
that fighting is a business, and not a cause for
“bad blood” with them. As a matter of fact,
there is much less “bad blood” in professional
than in amateur boxing. Though the writer
does not personally uphold or advocate the
profession of pugilism, he merely wishes to
prove that it is not entirely condemnable, and
that it is in fact possible to find some good in
it. That a pugilistic encounter is utterly brutal
is anerroneous
view, for men in such fine
physical training as pugilists cannot receive
much injury beyond a few scratches or skin
bruises at worst from padded gloves.
As for amateur boxing—is it not a fine,
manly sight to witness two young men, strong
in friendship and mutual high regard, and both
skilled in the art of selfdefense,
engaged in a
boxing match together? With bodies grace fully poised, heads erect, and cheeks flushed in
pleasurable excitement, they narrowly watch
each other’s every movement, and weave in
and out, one about the other, hitting, parrying,
dodging, and sidestepping
with lightninglike
rapidity. If one chances to fall, his friend
does not smile victoriously, but rather looks
anxiously for the fallen to rise unhurt, in order
that he may thus see no harm was done, and
also that the sport may continue.
Eyeing one another earnestly, though in
absolute friendliness, each is almost as pleased
when the other makes a clever hit as he is
when the cleverness is his own. A word of
congratulation is often spoken at such a moment.
At the end of the “bout” the boxers
shake hands, better friends than ever. They
look into one another’s eyes and agree that
they had a fine “setto”—
they are pleased with
themselves and with each other. Is not such a
meeting of friends warranted to test their true
mettle? .
For years boxing was under a cloud of
I official disapproval in the English army; now
it is the predominating sport. At a time when
the feeling against boxing ran high, a famous British general was persuaded, much against
his will, to witness a glove contest. This same
general had always been one of the most active
spirits in opposing the sport, and his opinion
was law in the army. But after he had witnessed
the contest he addressed the assembled
throng ere they departed. He said he had
changed his views completely, and considered
the exhibition he had seen as manly and
praiseworthy in every particular; that he
would henceforward withdraw all opposition
to the sport, and, moreover, he hoped boxing
would so grow in favor that ere long every
English soldier would have become a boxer.
In his most recent victories Fitzsimmons has
done more for the cause of scientific boxing,
the manly art of selfdefense,
than any other
person has ever accomplished. He has defeated
decisively, one after the other, two of
the greatest pugilists the world has ever seen
—Augustus Ruhlin and Thomas Sharkey, two
great, powerful fellows, each many pounds
larger and many years younger than Fitzsimmons.
And how did this most wonderful of fighters
accomplish his victories? Not by running away and tiring his opponents, nor yet by landing
i chance blows or by goodluck.
He stood right
up to each of them and exchanged blows
until they fell. But his blows were the more
scientific, as was his defense; and thus by his
A victories he clearly proved that superior science
is more than a match for superior size and
strength, even with youth to back such desirable
qualities. Though a word must be said
about Fitzsimmons’ physique, for he is, indeed,
a man of iron.

It is an acknowledged fact among famous
athletes, trainers, and doctors who have known
Robert Fitzsimmons, that he has upset more of
their theories and done more to revise and
better the rules for training and for the care of
the health than any other living man. His
thorough scientific knowledge of anatomy and
of medicine is uniquely accurate.
It is also interesting to know how certain
a famous trainers have stated that Fitzsimmons
A is the easiest man to put into condition they
ever handled. In fact, they acknowledge that
l his rules for living are such that “he is always
‘fit’ and ready.” They say they have learned
more in the true art of physical culture from him than they could ever show him,
although his theories were often the reverse
of theirs.
An illustration of this remarkable state of
affairs may be found in an account by Mr.
Frederick Bogan, the crack California featherweight.
Mr. Bogan was recently quoted as
telling of his acquaintance with Fitzsimmons
during the first few weeks after the latter’s
arrival in this country from Australia, in 1890.
His account as given ran as follows:
“Fitzsimmons worked along with us for
several days, but we paid little attention to
him, except that we smiled at his peculiar
ideas about training. When we put on heavy
sweaters in the morning for a run he would
go out and take a slow walk, and we came to
the conclusion that it was because he could not
run a long distance.

 

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“One day Choynski suggested that we invite
him out for a run to try to kill him off Much
to our surprise he accepted the offer, and away
we started. Our idea was to carry him at a
rapid gait to the seabeach,
six miles away, and
then back at our very best and make him cry
enough. “Choynski and I would take turn about
setting the pace, and we were beginning to feel
the effects of the rapid gait long before we
had reached the ocean. I kept watching Fitzsimmons’
face, expecting to see signs of distress,
but instead there was that same steady
expression of satisfaction and absolutely no
rapid breathing. Choynski noticed it, too, and
I could tell that he also was perplexed; but
neither of us had wind enough to talk, and
away we jogged through the sandhills
down
to the sea and right back on the return
journey.
“On the way Fitzsimmons kept asking questions
in regard to the scenery, but the answers
he got were jerky and few. He was beyond
any doubt tireless, and his long legs strode
faster and faster. He was now setting the
pace with Choynski, and I was ready to drop,
but too proud to quit. We were never so glad
to see anything in our lives as when the Cliff
House burst upon us at a turn of the road.
While we were being rubbed down the Australian
coolly wiped himself off with a towel
and remarked that the pace had been
‘bloomin’ fast.’

“After dinner we were frisking around lazily
in the gymnasium when Fitzsimmons proposed
to Choynski that they don the gloves. The
latter assented and they started off Choynski
was then in his prime. He was a clever, hard
hitter and weighed about one hundred and
sixtyfive
pounds in good condition. That day
Fitzsimmons tipped the beam at one hundred
and fortyseven
pounds. I never saw a prettier
bout in all my life.”
Shortly after this the Australian went to
New Orleans, where his victories over Arthur
Upham, Dempsey, Maher, Jim Hall and others
in rapid succession and his acquisition and loss
of the world’s championship have made his
name famous throughout the world.
One of the greatest fighters that Fitzsimmons
ever encountered was jack Dempsey, the
oldtime
peerless champion middleweight
of
the world. Dempsey was at the height of his
career when he met his defeat at the hands of
Fitzsimmons. On the night of the great fight
McCauliffe accompanied Dempsey into the
ring, and it is said by the spectators who were
then present that there was never a more
superb looking pair of athletes than these men. Fitzsimmons appeared in a long, loose bathrobe,
which accentuated his gaunt appearance,
and as he took his seat across the ring
McCauliffe and Dempsey regarded him commiseratingly,
for his spindly legs could be seen
as far as the knees, and he did not look as
though he weighed more than a hundred
pounds. Dempsey expressed sincere pity for
this poor, thin man—he had never seen him in
his life before—but when Fitzsimmons removed
his wrapper and his gigantic chest and
shoulders loomed up, Dempsey looked aghast.
The famous artist Mr. Homer Davenport,
who was present at the time, says that Fitzsimmons
stood high above Dempsey as the two
fighters met and shook hands in the centre of
the ring, and that Dempsey’s attitude changed,
not to one of fear, for he was a brave man, but
rather to one of desperate determination. The
lines of his face became drawn, and he entered
the combat with all his oldtime,
fine style.
Fitzsimmons, however, gave him no opportunity
of squaring off and getting his distance,
but rushed at him and pinned him repeatedly
with terrific force. As the fight proceeded,
round by round, Dempsey grew so weak that at times he begged Fitzsimmons not to fight so
fast. Here the Australian showed great gallantry,
for he stopped his rushing tactics and
squared off until Dempsey regained his breath
and balance. So often did Fitzsimmons do
this that his manager, Carroll, became disgusted
and rated him severely. On one occasion
when Fitzsimmons had driven Dempsey
to the floor, and the latter, unable to rise,
clung to Fitzsimmons’ knees and implored the
Australian to help him to his feet, Fitzsimmons
leaned over and placed Dempsey upright, and
then waited for some time until he was ready
to continue. It was almost the end of the
battle when Dempsey fell to the floor, apparently
insensible, from a terrible blow of the
Australians He lay still until the ninth second
had been counted, when he suddenly struggled
to his feet and struck that graceful attitude for
which he was famous. He stood rigid, and resembled
a bronze statue. The public rose and
cheered him to the echo, and Fitzsimmons
stood off looking at him in admiration. But a
few moments later he fell and was counted
out, and Fitzsimmons was proclaimed middleweight
champion of the world. From that time forward Dempsey became
greatly interested in the career of Fitzsimmons,
and it is not generally known that on his
deathbed
he handed a snug little sum to
his wife, with the following instructions:
“Whenever or whoever Fitzsimmons fights,
always place your money on him, for he is
bound to beat every man of any weight that he
ever encounters.” Pursuant to these instructions
Mrs. Dempsey placed every cent that she
owned in the world on him when he met
Corbett for the heavyweight
championship, at
Carson City. At the time the odds were 75
to 100 in favor of Corbett. But true to
Dempsey’s prediction, Fitzsimmons proved the
victor, and Mrs. Dempsey was thus rewarded
for her confidence in the words of her
husband.
Fitzsimmons has always shown a determination
to excel in whatever he undertook. In
his onetime employment as blacksmith he won
the horseshoeing championship of the world.
In spite of his single defeat by champion
James J. Jeffries, John L. Sullivan is quoted as
having said recently, “I think Fitzsimmons is
about the best fighter we have.” But, as already stated, Robert Fitzsimmons
has retired from the ring. It is in view of his
original and comprehensive knowledge relative
to physical culture and boxing that the present
volume from his pen must necessarily prove
universally authoritative.
A. J. DREXEL BIDDLE.

 

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SOMETIME ago I received the following communication:
PRINCETON, IND., October 15, 1900.
MR. ROBERT FITZSIMMONS, NEW YORK.
DEAR SIR: I am a teacher of boys and girls from twelve
to fifteen years of age. As an incentive to physical culture,
I believe no name could make such an impression as that
of Robert Fitzsimmons. Could you suggest some exercises
to be used about fifteen or twenty minutes daily in the
school room—exercises that would tend toward a good carriage
of the body, with good chest and limb development?
Very respectfully,
MARY BRUCE HENDERSON. I was glad to reply to the letter printed
above, and suggested several exercises which,
if faithfully used, would benefit not only boys
and girls, but grown—up men and women as
well. Before describing the exercises, it may
be said that their value in developing muscle
cannot be overrated.
There is an unfortunate tendency in these modern athletic times to turn boys and girls
loose in gymnasiums and allow them to exercise
without any competent director. As a
consequence, many a boy makes impossible the
very thing he aims to attain—a fine physique.
He develops some part of his body disproportionately
to the rest, and becomes musclebound
before he reaches manhood, or he subjects
his immature body to some violent exertion
that results in a strain from which he may
never fully recover.
Do not think that you must have dumbbells,
Indianclubs,
or pulley weights to get strong.
Let every boy remember, for this should appeal
especially to boys, that some of the strongest
men in the world have developed their great
physical power without the aid of gymnastic
paraphernalia of any kind, but simply by such
simple exercises as I will explain.
Some years ago such a man rode from New
York to Chicago on a bicycle. He took the
ride merely for pleasure, and had no reputation
as a cyclist, yet so great was his strength and
endurance—gained by simple exercises—that
he broke the record then existing for the
journey. SCHOOLROOM
EXERCISES
Let every boy who reads this try the exercises
here elucidated, and he will feel that they
are doing him good. He will secure an erect,
easy, graceful carriage, cover his body with
firm, pliable muscles, and prepare himself for
the hard training necessary for the violent
exercise of boxing and most vigorous outdoor
sports.
How to Stand. Stand up against a wall with
your arms by your sides, your heels, shoulders,
and head touching the wall. Draw in your
abdomen. Hold your head erect, with the
chin well in, so that when you look straight
ahead your glance strikes the floor about fifteen
or twenty feet in front of you. Take several
steps forward and stand with your heels together.
You are now ready for the first
exercise.
Exercise 1. Lift your arms until they make
a horizontal line with your shoulder. Then
bring them forward in front, reaching out as
far as you can so as to pull your shoulders
forward, but holding the rest of the body
rigid. Next spread back your arms with a
slow, gentle motion as far as you can—do not
let them drop down any—at the same time filling your lungs as full of air as possible.
Do this ten times. Then drop your arms to
your sides.
Exercise 2. Lift your arms outward with an
easy, gentle motion up above your head, reaching
as high as you can, but keeping your heels
on the floor. Then lower them again gently
to the first position. Do this ten times. In
lifting your arms inhale, and in lowering
exhale.
In both these exercises be careful that you
i breathe as directed, and hold your body, except
the arms and shoulders, as in the standing
position. These exercises will develop the
muscles of your back, chest, and shoulders,
and will increase your lung capacity greatly
in a short time.
Exercise 3. Place the hands on the hips.
Bend to the right as far as possible; then bend
back again and to the left as far as you can.
Do this twenty times. Do not move by jerks,
but smoothly and not too fast.
Exercise 4. Bend forward as far as you
can, and then backward as far as you can,
with a gentle, even motion. Do this twenty times.

In both these exercises care must be taken
not to bend the knees. Breathe naturally.
Keep the lower part of the body as near as
possible in the standing position. These exercises
are for the waist muscles. Exercise 3,
develops the muscles of the side and loins, and
Exercise 4 is one of the best exercises for the
back, the muscles along the back of the legs,
and especially the abdominal. muscles, which
are among the most important to an athlete
and a strong man.
Remember particularly that the number of
times you do the exercises is not so important
as faithful regularity, and the way in which you i
do them. Start easily, and gradually increase
the number you do of each. You will soon
acquire a surprising endurance, as you may
easily prove by getting some companion to
follow you through the exercises. He may be
strong, and, perhaps, something of an athlete,
but unless he is exceptionally well developed
he will certainly show signs of fatigue and may
have to stop before you begin to tire.

 

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Without Dumbbells
or Indianclubs A Simple Diet and Easy Indoor Exercise

HERE is some advice for the business man,
the lawyer, doctor, broker, clerk, salesman:
any man, in fact, who is kept indoors much of
the time.
Most men of this class take on weight.
They become big and fat: uncomfortably so.
This advice will show them how they can
keep in fairly good trim, notwithstanding the
fact that they have practically no available time
at their disposal for exercise of any description.
Take the business man who, having reached
middleage,
is beginning to get stout. Owing
to this increase in weight he begins to have
aches and pains. His muscles are not trained
to support the extra weight which he is taking on.

Here is your diet, and you must adhere to it
if you want to obtain proper results. Abstain from the use of all fatty and starchy
food. Eat all kinds of meat except pork. Eat
all varieties of green vegetables, fruits, and dry
toast, and drink your tea without sugar. Do
not eat potatoes, butter, fresh bread, or sugar.
There is the diet: now for the exercises.
They are not difficult, and I will give you only
two movements.
In the first, you must lie flat on your back
and then raise your legs up together so they
will be at right angles with your body; then
slowly let them down to the floor. Do this
twenty times each morning and evening.
In the second movement you must lie down
on your stomach. When in this position place
your hands on the floor near your chest, and,
without bending the body, push yourself slowly
up to the full length of your arms. Do this
ten times each morning and evening.
Above all things you must be regular, and
do not look for too speedy results.
You cannot hope to stick to this diet and
these exercises for two or three mornings and
then jump on the scales and find that you have
dropped five or ten pounds.
It will be at least two or three weeks before you commence to lose weight. Then you will
drop from two to five pounds a week.
You must impress it upon your mind, however,
that there must be no weakening on the
tasks that you have laid down for yourself.
Some cold mornings you will get up, possibly
after a hard night, feeling languid and unrefreshed.
Instead of taking your cold bath, rubdown,
and exercises, you may be tempted
to say, "Oh! I’ll just skip it this once, and
jump into my clothes. "Such weakness is fatal.
Persevere!

 

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Oh it gets better from here on in too, glad you liked it

 

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Muscle Building Will Bring Charms that the
Toilet Table Can Never Furnish
MUSCLE building brings beauty to woman.
This brief statement is sufficient, I think, to
I make many women embark upon a physical
development course. What will woman not
do to become beautiful? They—some of them,
at least—powder and paint, and bleach their
hair, and do all kinds of other foolish things
in an attempt to improve their appearance.
If they but knew what a routine of daily,
healthful exercise would do for them they
would soon forsake their toilet tables for the
gymnasium.
There is nothing in this world more lovely
than a beautiful woman. There is nothing
more pleasing to the eye than a browned, rosy cheeked,
full chested,
straight—backed woman.
Let her be all these and she is certainly queen. A Woman that Excites Pity
When I see a poor, pale, narrowchested,
weak woman, with her waist drawn up so tight
that it is impossible for her to take a deep, full
breath—the kind that puts health and strength
into the human body—my heart fairly bleeds
for her.
My wife having at one time been an athlete,
I am in a position to know just what is
beneficial and what is not for the average
woman.
In the first place, a woman should dress so
that there will be plenty of room for the lungs
to have full play. Ninetynine
per cent. of
them are dressed so that it is impossible for
them to take a good, deep breath. They
breathe up in their chests only. Consequently,
they are shortwinded.
Then, again, the average woman seldom
gives a thought to the idea of daily exercising.
She seldom walks unless she is compelled to.
She shuts herself up in a hot, stuffy room, eats
improperly, and then wonders that she is
subject to so many complaints. Golf's Many Advantages
I must say that in the past few years there
has been a big change in the mode of living
adopted by women.
The game of golf has been responsible for
this to a large degree, and I cannot say too
much for it as a means of exercise for women.
It provides just the kind of outdoor life that
they need. It takes them out into the sun and
makes them brown and healthy looking. It
fills their lungs full of pure, fresh air, while the
continual walking and swinging of the clubs
supplies exercise for the entire body.
Women, play golf!
Of course, you can overdo it. Women differ
so much in their physical makeup
that what is
medicine for one is poison for another. For
this reason a woman should carefully guard
her strength.
Do not overtax yourself. Go about your
sports and your walks with moderation. Too
much exercise is worse than not enough. You
can easily find out just what you are capable
of enduring, and then shape your work and
play to suit your strength. Do Not Be a Physical Freak
What I want most of all to impress upon
women is not to try to make physical freaks of
themselves.
A woman cannot stand too much training in
any one direction at the expense of the rest of
her body as well as a man can. Her physical
makeup
is not constructed for it. For this
reason she should try to divide her exercises as
evenly as possible.
A woman who can row, ride a wheel and
a horse, swim, shoot, play tennis and golf all
moderately well, and not try to overtax her
strength in any one branch, is the woman who
will be strong and healthy.
She does not lace herself too tight; she
glories in the pure air and delights to throw
out her shoulders and drink in long, deep
mouthfuls of it, and she nurses her strength
as carefully as does the trained athlete.
This is the woman whom it is a joy to see.
This is the woman who is queen.

 

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“How can I train my child so he will grow
up to be an athlete?”
This is a question which I am asked constantly.
At the outset I want to say to both
fathers and mothers who put this question to
me—Don’t.
By this don’t I mean do not start out with
the idea that you want to make an athlete of
your boy.
Just so sure as this plan is pursued you will
overwork him in his tender years and end by
sending him to an early grave.
But do start out to make of him a big,
strong, healthy child who will grow into a fine,
manly man, and his athletic bent will follow in
the natural course of events.
Too much training for the young bones and
muscles is far more harmful than too little. If a child gets no exercises for the muscles
there is a chance for him to make up for this
neglect when he grows up. lf he gets too
much, and his weak little muscles are strained
and his supple bones warped, he can never
fully recover.
Double Strain Weakens
It must be remembered that a child’s brain
is growing even more rapidly than its body.
This is a strain on its system, but a certain
amount of healthy exercise will help it to stand
this strain. Too much exercise will add to
the strain. This double strain will end by
weakening the entire system.
There is nothing that can be so easily trained
as the muscles of a child. The muscles and
bones are both soft and pliable. They can be
moulded like so much putty. See that they
are moulded the right way.
There is not a day passes that I do not have
a romp with my little son. I also put him
through a regular, daily course of exercise.
I instruct him in gymnastic movements that
will tend to make him supple in every joint.
At the same time the tiny muscles are slowly but surely building up on his little limbs and
body. That is the way they should be formed
—slowly—almost as slowly as the wearing
away of a rock by the waves of the ocean.
Do Not Start Too Soon
Another point which should be carefully
followed is not to start too early to train
your children. just so sure as you do you will
put some strain upon them that their young
bodies cannot endure. And then they are
permanently incapacitated. All the bright
hopes of making a man among men of your
boy are spoiled by undue haste to make a
youthful wonder of him.
When your boys, and your girls, too, for that
matter, are just able to toddle around, the best
thing you can do is to see that they are kept
outdoors as much as possible.
Children cannot get too much fresh air.
Get them up early in tl1e morning and send
them out into the fresh air. Even if you live
in the city, keep them outdoors when the
weather permits.
Better to have them dirty and healthy than
clean and sickly. When to Use Gymnastics.
Follow the foregoing plan, and then when
you think that the children are able to stand
a certain amount of simple exercise commence
to put them through their gymnastics every
morning and night.
They will grow strong: they cannot help it
if you will follow the above rules.
Bear in mind that your children must have
plenty of fresh air, and moderate, regular
exercise, and they will grow up to be men and
women of whom you may be proud.

 

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THE great secret of proper training for all
kinds of athletic feats is to use commonsense.
This is the keynote of success for all athletes.
Commonsense
in eating, commonsense in exercising, commonsense
in sleeping, all form
a combination that brings one to success.
One thing that I want to impress upon the
young athlete is not to overtax himself at the
outset. This mistake has been the undoing of
many a youth who would have developed into
a big, strong athlete if he had not started with
wrong ideas of how to train.
Different people need different work. A
frail, delicate boy cannot stand as vigorous
work at first as a big, lusty chap; and yet the
little one has just as much chance as the big
one if he only goes about things in the proper
manner.
Good health is the first essential of an
athlete. If one is not healthy then he must endeavor to build himself up in this direction
before starting on any course of physical
exercise.
This can be done only by laying down
certain rules and following them strictly.
These rules are very simple.
Six Rules for Young Athletes
Do not drink.
Do not smoke.
Do not chew.
Get all the sleep you can.
Get all the pure, fresh air you can.
Eat plain, wholesome food, and plenty of it.
Adhere to these rules, and gradually, but
surely, you will find yourself becoming stronger
and stronger. Finally, the day will come when
you will never know a sick moment. Then is
the time to commence your exercising. At
this stage another duty presents itself.
Find Your Weak Points
You must find out your weakest physical
points. These must be built up so that they
will correspond with the rest of your body. If your back is weak it must be strengthened;
if your arms, your legs, or your chest are weak
you must pay particular attention to these
parts until you feel that they are as strong as
the rest of your body. After this has been
accomplished you are fairly upon the road to
the making of a “perfect physical man.” Now
comes the daily routine of regular training; do
not forget that this routine must never be
overdone. It is just as harmful to overtrain, in
fact more harmful, than it is not to train at all.
You may easily ascertain just how much
exercise your system can stand. Then regulate
your work accordingly. Gradually, not
all at once, must you work your system up to
the point where it is capable of standing the
strain which you desire to place upon it.
How to Train
If you are training to be a runner, you must
strengthen your legs and thighs. You must
also see that your wind is good. If you want
to wrestle, you must have good, strong back,
chest, and neck muscles, as well as strong arms
and legs. This is also the case with a boxer.
Every one of his muscles must be well devel- oped. In addition to all this, he must learn to
be quick—quick on his feet and quick with his
hands and arms. Different forms of athletics
require entirely different styles of training.
Some do not require as much headwork as
others. Perhaps the boxer has more need for .
clear, cool headwork than any other kind of an
athlete. He has so many lessons to learn
before he can be rated as even a fair boxer
that it takes a long while to reach any sort of
perfection. He has not only his body and
muscles to build up, but his brain must be
properly trained. All of this takes time, and
can be done only by long, careful, systematic
and faithful training and muscle building.
One thing that I want particularly to impress
upon the young athlete is the priceless value of
a good home and pleasant home surroundings.
Some boys and young men have an idea that
an athlete must be “tough.” This is all wrong,
and it has been proved time and again that
the athlete, whether a runner, wrestler, boxer,
or anything else, can best fit himself for manly
sports if he leads a clean, wholesome, good life.
And this can best be found amid pleasant
home surroundings.

 

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Cool Head and Good Temper Essential to
Success
BOXING is one of the best exercises that a
young man can take up. The art of self defense,
as it is called, brings into play so many
qualities and helps to develop so many traits of
character which figure in one’s daily life that
it furnishes quite a moral training in itself.
An even, peaceable temperament is developed
by boxing; patience is taught by the
same means. A cool, clear head in moments
of danger and confusion is always found in
the man who knows how to use his fists for
pleasure or protection, as the case may be.
In boxing, as in everything else, there is a
right and a wrong way. It is a long road to
travel before one can be called even a fairly
good boxer. At the start, however, it is a
good plan to memorize certain rules which
must be strictly followed. Three Cardinal Rules
Keep cool.
Do not get “rattled.”
Do not lose your temper.
The mastery of these three rules is of more
consequence than the learning of the many
blows and guards which in time become the
property of a boxer. The blows are learned
naturally. It is not everyone, however, who
realizes the importance of mastering the three
rules which I have laid down. It can easily
be seen of how much importance they are.
If a person is cool and good natured
when
boxing he has an advantage at once over one
who loses his head, gets angry, and rushes
headlong into danger. If you are boxing for
exercise and pleasure a cool, clear head will
help you to see every opening which your
opponent offers.
Keep Your Temper
Do not get excited, and you will not lose a
single chance of scoring a point. At the same
time, you are good natured and ready to laugh
at any hard knocks you may receive yourself. All this is training for the moment of real
danger.
You may be attacked in the street by footpads.
They intend to rob you, and you may
be in a lonely, dark locality. Of course, their
first efforts are directed to rendering you helpless.
Now, take the man who does not know
how to box, who has never been drilled to keep
cool and calm in moments of danger. What
happens to him? He is probably found lying
in the gutter in the gray light of early morning,
his pockets rifled, and with possibly a fractured skull.
Ruffians His Foes
Then look at the man who as a boy learned
to protect himself who knows the science of
self protection,
and who can stand firm and true
before a couple of fast flying fists.
He is probably pitted against a couple of
burly, clumsy, cowardly ruffians. They come
at him with murder in their hearts. Does he
lose his self possession? On the contrary, he
waits for the attack, selects the toughest looking
one, with the idea of getting him out
of the way first; measures his man carefully
and then sends in a well directed
blow, right or left as the case may be. Ten to one Mr.
Ruffian goes down. That leaves ample time
to vanquish footpad No. 2.
This is only one picture to illustrate the
great advantage of a knowledge of the art of
self defense
and the qualities which go with it.
A thousand instances might be quoted where
the qualities which saved this man from the
footpads would come into play.

Learn to Box

Therefore, I say everyone should learn to box;
let all parents encourage their boys to learn
to protect themselves with their fists. It does
not make ruffians of them; it does not teach
them to be vicious; it does not turn them into
bullies. But it does make of them manly,
upright, self possessed, clearheaded men.
They know their power and can afford to be
merciful; they are cool, and therefore do not
fear danger; they are mild tempered,
and therefore
lovable. When they are right, they advance
with a determination which brooks no
obstacle ; when they are wrong, they hold their
peace. Learn to box: but be sure you learn
the right way.

 

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Soft and Supple Muscles the Kind that Give
Athletes Speed, Strength, and
Lasting Power
A PROFESSIONAL strong man came into my
gymnasium one day, and said, “I would like
to be a boxer.”
“A boxer, eh?” I replied. “What makes
you think you would make a good boxer?”
“Why, I am as strong as a lion. just come
in here and I will show you.”
And then this strong man went into my
gymnasium and took the heavy weights and
the heavy punching bag
and tossed them
around like feathers. In a moment he was
puffing and blowing like a porpoise, but he
stepped back and looked at me with a smile.
He certainly was a picture of strength. The muscles stood out all over his body in big
knots. From head to foot he was one mass
of knotty, protruding cords.
“How is that for a starter?” he said.
I did not say a word. His ignorance was
pitiful to me. Walking over to one side of the
room, I took a set of boxing gloves from the
wall and handed him a pair. Following my
lead he put them on.
It took me about two minutes to show that
man how useless, unwieldy, and impracticable
his muscles were. He handled himself like a
carthorse.
He was as slow on his feet as a
messenger boy. His brain acted as did his
muscles, slowly and stiffly. Although a big
man, weighing perhaps two hundred pounds,
he did not make as good a showing with me as
many amateur lightweights
with whom I had put on the gloves.
I think I showed him clearly the uselessness
of his heavy weightlifting
muscles. They were
good for one thing—the service for which they
had been trained.
Like every athlete in his profession he was
musclebound.
Those huge masses of muscle,
gained at the expense of many hours of hard work, were for all practical purposes of no
more use than a hand organ would be to a
shipwrecked sailor on a raft in the middle of
the Atlantic Ocean.
In fact, such muscles serve to help shorten
one’s life. The musclebound man, with every
fibre of his body drawn to a tension that pulls
at the very heartstrings, most frequently dies
with what is known as an “athlete’s heart.”
A musclebound
man is worse than a skinbound
horse. He is as awkward and ungainly
as a crocodile would be in a ballroom. Take
him away from his chosen profession and he is
all at sea. He is a frightful object lesson
against the use of heavy dumbbells,
or heavy weights of any kind.
The man or boy who wants to become quick,
strong, and clever must avoid the use of heavy
weights as carefully as though they were
poisonous snakes. They completely destroy
all that suppleness and agility which mark
every detail of the clever athlete’s work.
A man who is a runner, jumper, boxer—in
fact, anything except a heavyweight
lifter—
can have no use for knotty, unwieldy masses
of strength. Even our best wrestlers nowadays recognize
the fact that muscles of that kind are of no use
to them. They know that there are right and
wrong muscles just as well as they know there
is a right and wrong way to wrestle. They
know that such muscles bring them premature
old age and early death.
Thus it is that every ambitious young athlete
should strive to train his muscles in the proper
way. Light dumbbells,
Indian clubs, and other
muscle building weights should never be forsaken.
Do not use heavy weights.
Do not exercise too much.

 

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Do you want to become an expert bag
puncher?
Yes? Well, there is nothing easier. There
is not an art or athletic exercise that can be
acquired so readily. You have to impress but
one thing upon your mind—that is, that there
can be absolutely no limit to the amount of
practice that you must take.
The merest novice can, by constant work,
become a bag puncher of no mean ability in a
surprisingly short space of time.
That is encouraging, is it not?
Another advantage that the exercise has is
that it does not cost very much to rig up a
platform and bag. Any boy can make a platform
and fasten it to the ceiling of his woodshed,
attic, or cellar. Then he can save up his
pennies until he gets two or three dollars.
That will not buy the best punching bag
in the
world, but it will buy one that will answer his
purpose. Have your platform about two feet above
your head. Let the ball hang on a level with
the bottom, and just about on a level with, or
a little bit above, your shoulders.
It is best when punching the ball to stand on
the bare floor, not on a mat, as you are apt to
become sluggish in your footwork
if you adopt the latter course.
Wear regular gymnasium shoes, and the less
clothes you have on the better. It will give
you more freedom of movement.
Put on small gloves. If you cannot get what
are known as “punching bag” gloves, take an
old pair of kid gloves. Cut the ends of the
fingers off if you wish, as the glove is worn
simply to protect the knuckles and to give
compactness to the hand.
As to the different movements and blows,
it would take up too much space to go into
details. And, again, it is hardly necessary.
Get the bag and you will soon teach yourself
how to do the punching.
At first you must be careful not to get hit by
the ball when it rebounds from the platform
after you strike it. This is only a preliminary
danger, however. You will soon become too light on your feet and expert at dodging with
your head to be in danger from this source.
Learn your straight blows, right from the
shoulder, and the full swings first. Then gradually,
after you have become fast and clever,
learn the fancy movements.
Practice just as much as you possibly can.
That is, first and last, your most important
lesson.

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EVERYONE should learn to box. It is as
necessary to a physical education as swimming.
A boy should be able to defend himself at all
times from the attack of a bully or a ruffian,
and there is no manlier way to do it than with
his fists. In civilized localities it is only the
coward who carries a knife or a pistol.
President Roosevelt taught his boys to box.
Most of the prominent men of the country,
those who have made its history, learned to
box when they were lads.
As a health giving exercise boxing has no
equal. It develops all the large and important
muscles of the body, legs and arms, and
strengthens the lungs and quickens the eye.
It gives a boy courage in the face of danger.
It makes him calm and cool and never in a
hurry to seek a quarrel, because the knowledge
that he can take care of himself renders him
good natured
at affronts which would wound
his pride were he unable to resent them.
Easy to Learn
Anybody can learn to box. But he must not
think he will be a Terry McGovern the first
time he puts on boxing gloves. It took little
Terry a few years to be the great fighter he is
now. He had to learn.
You can learn, too, if you will do as I tell
you. You will not need a man who teaches
boxing to show you the “blows” and “stops”
if you read these lessons with care and do not
try to do too much at the commencement.
The first thing to learn is the right way to
use your feet. Almost as much depends on
the way the feet and legs are used as on the
hands and arms. The legs support and back
up the arms when a blow is struck and also
when a blow is stopped.
The First Lesson
For your first lesson in boxing do not think
of your hands. jump about on your toes as if you were dancing a hornpipe. Bend the
knees and straighten them again. Spring from
one foot to the other, forward and backward.
Bring the left foot forward with a spring from
the toe of the right, and do the same with the
right foot forward. All this will make you
quick and shifty on your feet, which is a most
important requirement in a good boxer
When you can jump about like this for
fifteen minutes at a time without getting tired
or losing your wind, and if you do it quickly
you will find that it is not so easy as you think,
it will be time to learn the way to stand when
boxing. Of course, you never stand still. You
should always keep your legs moving.

Distance of the Feet
Do not keep the feet too close together or
too far apart. If they are too close you do not
have a solid stand and are easily knocked
down. If they are spread too far you will not
be able to quickly change their position, and
that you must be able to do to land a good
blow.
Put the left foot forward in a straight line
from the body. Bend the knee slightly and rest the foot on the toe. Have the weight of
the body on the right foot, with the toe turned
a little outward. Have this foot flat on the
floor.
Never stand stiffly. Keep shifting about,
but do not change this general position unless
certain blows are to be struck. I will explain
them in a future lesson. Stand near a wall.
Place your feet as I have told you. Now reach
out your left fist and touch the wall with your
knuckles. Have your arm almost straight,
bent just a little at the elbow. Push back as
hard as you can. If the push throws you out
of your position, your feet are too close
together.
Spread of the Legs
If you cannot bring the right foot up to the
left as quickly as you can hit a blow they are
too far apart. The right foot should not be
directly behind the left, but spread so that the
body may not be easily upset sideways nor yet
backward.
When you step in for a blow take the spring
from the right foot, lifting the body forward
and steadying it with the left. In landing a righthand
swing bring the right
leg forward with the blow. This will bring
the feet together. They should not be kept
together a second after the blow lands. Either
carry the right foot forward or bring it back
again to the first position. If the feet are
together it is very easy for the man with whom
you are boxing to knock you down.
In jumping backward from a blow take the
spring from the left foot, using the toe. When
you land have the feet in the same position,
still ready for attack or defense.
All this you can practice alone without an
A instructor or an opponent. Never mind about
how you hit or what kind of blows you use.
Persevere with your legwork
until you feel
at home on your feet. It is the hardest
lesson to learn, but if you learn it well you
will see how much you will have advanced
when you put on the gloves.