The ESB Fitzsimmons Project

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I'll post the most relevant chapters of his book on this thread (Unfortunately, most of his book is devoted to reminisces, reflections on the utility of boxing, and advice for exercising. Great for historians, bad for somebody who's looking for his system). Hopefully, the pictures from Google Books will remain up. If not, you'll still have the text.

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THE WRONG POSITION IN BOXING

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THE RIGHT POSITION IN BOXING

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STEPPING BACK WITH THE LEFT FOOT-THE INCORRECT

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STEPPING BACK WITH THE RIGHT FOOT-THE CORRECT

CHAPTER IX​

BAG PUNCHING​

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 foot-work 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

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PUNCHING THE BAG. IN A POSITION TO DELIVER LEFT

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PUNCHING THE BAG


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.

 

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 right-hand 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 instructor or an opponent. Never mind about how you hit or what kind of blows you use.
Persevere with your leg-work 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.

 

Wrong Beginning​

It is natural for the American boy to box. He picks up a bit of the art himself in sparring with his playmates. But the trouble with this is that he is likely to begin all wrong, and then he has to unlearn all he knows before he can learn the right way.
Quite recently I saw a case in point: two boys, without the knowledge, attempting to box. The way they held the body, feet, and hands was all wrong. The style of one boy was worse than that of the other. He held his body away back. A gentle push would have taken him off his feet. He had no brace with the body to back up the force of his own blow or to stand against t)iat of his playmate.
The other boy was not so bad, but his muscles were too stiff and his shoulders too square. Neither of the boys could move about quickly and easily. They were not supple or graceful. They did not have that sure movement of the body which gives to it so much health. Movement is fuel to the body. Where there is plenty of fuel there is plenty of steam.
In taking your stand for a "bout" with the gloves, let the body lean a little bit forward from the hips. Have all the muscles loose. Put the left side forward. Do not stand with your body square to your opponent: it gives him a wider target to hit and does not allow you the swing of the body and shoulders which you need in order to strike a good blow.
Hold your shoulders down, the left one particularly. This gives you length of reach and ease of arm movement. Keep your left arm out, but not straight. Always have your elbows bent a little. A perfectly straight arm is easily hurt. If the arm is bent a little at the elbow it gives it strength and quickness of action.
Swing your body with the waist as a pivot. Do not have it "set;" that is, held rigid. Always keep it swinging, not so hard as to tire you, but so that it is ever ready to start in any direction. The body can start much quicker If it be moving than if it be still.

Getting Away from Attack
A boxer with his shoulders about his ears and his body held rigid cannot move quickly. When you jump back from an attack do not alter the position of your body; in other words, go back with the body held in the same manner as when you began to spar. The reason for this is, that when you land away, on your feet, you are still in a position for either attack or defense should your opponent follow you.
The man who would evade an onslaught by thrusting back his head and body so that he is almost falling backward is all wrong. His adversary could follow the attack and easily have the "backward" man at his mercy.

Fill the Lungs​

When boxing, keep your stomach in and your chest out; not stiffly, but naturally. It may be awkward at first, but you will soon learn how easy it is and wonder how you ever stood any other way.

By keeping the stomach in and the chest full of air you enjoy all the lung strengthening benefits of boxing and keep the stomach out of harm's way. That part of the body is always a point of attack and should be protected.
I will next tell how to hold the hands while boxing.

 

CHAPTER XII​

POSITIONS FOR THE HANDS
In my last chapter I told how to hold the body while boxing. The position of the body plays a most important part in the art of self- defense. Now, that you have learned the correct way of holding the body, I shall tell you how to hold the hands.
In boxing never have the muscles "set" and tense. Always have all the muscles of the arms and body and legs loose and ready for action. Hold your hands open. Never close your fist, except at the moment when you land a blow. The reason for this is plain: holding your fist closed strains the muscles of the forearm and uses up a certain part of your strength unnecessarily. Always remember that you should never use any physical force until the moment arrives when you need it. Do not have your muscles strained and rigid. Keep everything loose. It is easy to do so, and the best exhibition always comes from a

man who is not muscle-bound. In landing a blow remember this particular piece of advice: never hit with the thumb. Always keep the thumb up, and when you land a punch have the impact and your opponent's head in such relation that your hand will not be injured; that is, use the first two knuckles of the hand.
In hitting a blow never close the hand until the blow is landed. The reason for this is that it strains the muscles of the forearm and tires the boxer needlessly. Holding the hands open not only relieves the muscles from any unnecessary strain, but keeps a wider space of glove always ready to defend from attack.
Now, in stopping a blow there is a wrong and a right way. Always turn the palm of the glove outward in stopping a blow. Keep the hand open. This presents a larger surface to the glove of your opponent and will do more to prevent his blow from landing than if your fist was closed.
In guarding always keep your elbows close to your sides. This takes in the benefit of the forearm, and if the glove be held close to the face all that side of the body is protected. Never land a punch without having the block ready to meet the counter. Every time you
start a punch remember that your opponent intends to come back with another punch.
The particular art of the game is to land a blow without a return; but every time you make an attack you render yourself liable to an offensive demonstration from the man with whom you are sparring.
One of the best uses of the hands in boxing is not to use them. When a blow is struck the proper way to avoid it is not to stop it with the hand or forearm, but to "slip" it. By "slipping" a blow, I mean that you should get away from it in such a manner that no part of your opponent's arm touches you. This is known as "ducking" and "side-stepping." For instance, if your sparring partner swings his right for the side of your face, lower your head and let the blow go over. Do not "duck" in toward him. Let your head go under the blow and away from it to the side. This prevents your opponent from landing an upper-cut, which he would do if you were close enough to him.
Always remember that the hands are a most important factor in boxing. Never land a blow that will hurt the hands. When you lead a straight punch, keep the thumb up. When you swing, always keep the knuckles up. A blow is landed with the first two knuckles of the hand.

 

CHAPTER XIII
HOW TO LAND BLOWS

Having learned how to use the feet, hands, and body, I will now explain how some of the blows used in boxing are struck. I will not show you all the blows in this lesson. It would take more than a chapter to show them all.
You have not forgotten that the feet must be held apart, with the left leg before the right and the left knee bent a little. Also, that the weight of the body rests on the right leg. You remember what I told you about keeping the muscles free and easy, and not held stiffly. All this is important in striking a blow.
It is not only the hand and arm that are used in striking ; the legs, body, and shoulders also come into play. There used to be an old idea of striking with the arm working like the piston-rod of an engine. In story-books the hero always knocks down the villain with a blow "straight from the shoulder."
That is all changed now. A blow to have force must have the "send" of the legs and the swing of the body with it. A straight blow has not the telling force of a swing. This is because the swing has all the weight of the body behind it.

A Simple Blow​

An important blow is the straight left lead for the face. It is a simple blow and easily landed. But it is not one of the hard raps in boxing.
To deliver a straight left lead watch your chance when the other has his guard low. Step in quickly. Swing the left shoulder forward from the hip, at the same time sending the arm out in a straight line. As the arm goes out shut the fist. Keep the palm of the hand turned inward and partly downward so that the top knuckles will strike.
While you are striking you must not forget that your opponent may strike you at the same time. Therefore, you must learn how to prevent him. I will tell you how to do this in a future lesson.

Will Confuse a Boxer​

The straight lead has many uses. It will confuse a boxer so that he cannot tell what to

do. A good time to send in this blow is when your opponent starts a swing at you.
A straight lead in the face will stop many a hard swing before it can land. It will also go through an open guard when a swing would be warded off.
The best time to send in a straight blow is when your opponent is coming toward you. This lends added force to the stroke. Beside, it may stop the other's rush.
In landing this blow I told you to send the arm out in a straight line. I do not mean that you should straighten the arm entirely. Have the elbow bent a little, as this prevents a strain at this point. If the arm be straightened out there may be a snap at the elbow, and an injury there is almost impossible to cure.
Always be careful not to injure your arms or hands when striking. It sometimes happens that a blow does more harm to the boxer who delivers it than to the one who receives it.
A straight right lead is like one with the left hand, only, of course, the right is used. In this lead the right leg is brought a little forward, adding its swing to the force of the blow. This stroke is not so often used as the left lead. The reason for this is that the right glove is so much further away from its intended mark. Then, again, the right arm is used more for a guard and for heavy swinging. Now we come to the swing.

One of the Best Blows​

The right-hand swing, when rightly delivered, is one of the best blows in boxing. It is hard to land, as it travels in a half-circle and has a long distance to go. This makes it easy to avoid or stop.
In landing this punch wait until you get your opponent's guard low. You can do this by making believe to hit him in the body. Then, when you think you have the opening, drop your right hand down and back with the elbow bent so that the forearm and upper arm are almost at right angles. From this position throw your arm in a half-circle up and over to the side of your opponent's head.
Close your fist while the blow is travelling. Keep the palm of the glove up and down in a line with the body. As the blow starts swing the right leg and all the right side of the body with it. Just as it is landing stiffen the arm and push the shoulder forward, turning the body at the hips. The force of the blow should not be ended the moment it lands. Keep it going: it will have more effect that way.

The first two knuckles of the hand should land the blow. If you throw your palm down and hit with the thumb you are liable to break it even with the protection of a glove.
The left swing is made with the left hand in the same manner as the right swing, only the position of the legs is not changed. It does not have as much force as the right swing, because it does not get a like shift of the body with it. But it is easier to land, as it travels a shorter distance.

 

CHAPTER XV​

HOW THE HEAVY MAN SHOULD TRAIN AND FIGHT
The big men often do not know how to handle themselves when in a fight, so I will tell them.
The greatest mistake that big men make is in spending so much of their time in doing all kinds of work to develop their muscles and wind and hitting powers, and so little in studying out the tricks of the game. Any big, heavy athlete has an immense advantage, if he wants to become a boxer, right at the start. He has the power; all he lacks is the knowledge how to use it to the best advantage. I will give him three rules to follow:
Be aggressive.
Do not be careless.
Remember that you have the punch.
Your natural strength and weight are enough to put you on the aggressive at all times. You are not like a little, weak chap who is forced to keep away from his opponent and protect himself. Your mere weight is bound to give you the upper hand over an opponent if you keep boring in at him. But at the same time you must not let this idea of forcing matters make you careless. It is so easy to fight in a slipshod, careless fashion. And it is just as easy for the other fellow to suddenly reach out and hit you a blow that puts you down and out when he catches you in one of your careless moods.
The idea of " taking a punch for the opportunity to give one" is all right if you are careful to see that the punch which you "take" does not land on a vital spot.
As to the next item in a big man's fighting schedule—his ability to give a punch that will bring down his man — too much attention cannot be given to his education upon this line.
He is built upon lines that give him a natural advantage for sending in a hard blow. He should cultivate his ability in this line, and study out how he can land the hardest blow.
Remember you have weight to add speed to the blow if you only throw it behind your arm.

Do not waste your energy and strength in hitting lightly; study well just where to land the blow, and when you hit do it with all the strength and force and weight you can muster.
Just as your fist strikes your opponent's body, set your arm rigid and throw your weight against it.
When you have knocked your opponent down do not rush at him as soon as he is on his feet.
Take your time. Feint him once or twice, thus confusing him. Then he will probably leave an opening, and you can administer the knockout without danger to yourself.
I have seen men unduly eager to finish an opponent whom they have knocked down or dazed, rush into the fight, only to receive a wild swing on the jaw and meet defeat just at the moment when the battle was all in their hands —because of failure to defend themselves.
Points for the Big Fighter to Remember
Do not fight on the defensive; be aggressive. Keep cool at all times.
Do not get careless, particularly when you think you are winning.

Remember that your weight gives you a great advantage.
Use this weight to add greater force to your blows.
Put in every blow as if you meant it to be the last

CHAPTER XVII​

THE PLAN FOR AN AMATEUR'S SUCCESSFUL ENCOUNTER
All amateur boxers are inclined to be nervous. This is a fault. The best way to cure it is to do all the boxing you can with men whom you know you can best, but men who will give you a hard battle. Take your lessons from a competent professional teacher.
After boxing a while with men to whom the gloves and the ring are as familiar as their daily meals, the amateur game will seem like child's play to you. That is one hint for you. Now for another. Be sure you go into the ring in good physical condition. Get your stomach "right" and keep it "right." Be careful not to catch cold. There must have been no training on hot birds and cold bottles ; no theatre parties, late suppers, or cotillons.
When you step into the centre of the ring do not rush blindly at your man. I have seen many amateurs do that. If the other fellow comes at you that way stick out your left hand as hard and as often as you can, and jab him in the face. If things go quietly, however, you should feel your opponent out well. Use your cleverness to the best of your ability to confuse him. If you are successful in that then comes the time to be aggressive. Jab him, if you can, with your left. Failing this, send in both hands, straight from the shoulder, to his face and head. Keep at this until you get his guard up. If he finds you fighting at his head all the time he will forget to protect his stomach and wind.
When he forgets, the time has come for you to get in your fine work. Watch your opportunity well, and when the proper moment comes step in as close to him as you can, and a little to one side, and strike with your left or right hand, whichever is convenient, hard in his solar plexus. Throw every pound of your weight behind the blow, put all your strength in it, and pivot slightly on your foot as it lands.
If you execute the blow properly, it is almost certain to score a knockout.

 

CHAPTER XVIII
THE FAMOUS BLOWS OF ROBERT FITZSIMMONS
Photographed During a Boxing Bout with
George Dawson, Physical Instructor
of the Chicago Athletic Club

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The correct position in boxing

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Stopping a right-hand body punch

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Blocking the left-hand swing and delivering a left hook on the jaw

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Side-step, pushing the left hand lead with the right hand

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Duck and right-hand body blow

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Withdrawing the body from left-hand lead and delivering a left to the face

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Left-hand body-punch and duck

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Blocking the left hand lead and delivering the right-hand solar plexus blow

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Right-hand counter and block

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FOUL PIVOT-BLOW [Note: essentially a spinning backfist --CT]

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Proper way to pivot

1-​

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THROWING THE LEFT-HAND LEAD OF YOUR OPPONENT UP WITH YOUR LEFT AND DELIVERING THE RIGHT-HAND BODY-PUNCH

 

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Beating the left-hand down with the left and delivering right simultaneously on opponent's jaw

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Drawing back from left hand lead to a position to deliver left on opponent

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Returning left-hand counter after feinting your opponent

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Stopping a left-hand lead

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Inside right-hand cross-counter

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This movement is called "the slip"; resorted to in the face of threatened punishment

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The slip--second position

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The slip--third position. Side-stepping left hand lead and delivering right on the neck.

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The famous left-hand shift for the solar plexus

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THE FAMOUS SHIFT. AFTEK DELIVERING THE SOLAR-PLEXUS BLOW WITH THE LEFT, YOU WHIP THE SAME HAND UP TO THE JAW WITHOUT MOVING THE POSITION OF THE FEET
(This blow retained Fitzsimmons the championship of the world by defeating James J. Corbett at Carson City, March 17, 1897)

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Can you see the pictures as well, or are they not loading on your computer? (I wasn't sure if transferring them from Google Books worked)

One oddity with Fitz that I haven't seen in any other manual modern or early is that he raises his front heel from the ground instead of his rear--presumably to allow him to lean back and quickly lunge/shift his foot position forward.