Keeping Fit 

by Jimmy DeForest

Originally appearing in Fight comics #7 in 1940.

The following are the words of a trainer of champs Jimmy DeForest, who trained such kings of Fistiana as Jim Jeffries and Jack Dempsey: 

"I have received many letters in which the writers ask if the art of self-defense isn't the art of fighting. Not with me, it isn't. Some of our best fighters didn't know much about the art of self-defense; fellows like Jack Dempsey, Stanley Ketchel, and Terry McGovern never bothered to learn it. They had perfected such a powerful attack that they didn't need much of a defense. Their attack was their best defense. 

Now, when I talk about self-defense, I mean protection from blows or harm. Many clever boxers can defend themselves perfectly, but they do not always come out victorious in a ring contest because you have to do something to the other fellow in order to win. Merely evading him doesn't grab the decision for you. 

"No boxer is completely equipped for the ring unless he knows how to protect himself from the attack of his opponent. Fellows who seem to be imbued with the idea that all they have to do is to go in there and slug wildly until one or the other connects don't last very long in the ring. 

"Take men of the Jack Britton, Tommy Loughran, and Benny Leonard types. Those chaps could go on boxing forever because they know how to protect themselves when the going is too hot and heavy. 

"It is all right to go in and slug with a fellow if you are as big and strong as he is, but if you know something about boxing, why not take advantage of it? The other way you're merely gambling with him, and he has just as much chance of copping you, perhaps, as you have of copping him. If the opponent is bigger and heavier or stronger than yourself, you can readily see the folly of sailing in and trading punches with him. Many a time I have seen a cagey boxer let the bigger and stronger fellow wear himself out swinging his punches and missing, and then when the time came for the boxer to step in, he had the bigger opponent all in and an easy victim for his attack. 

"The good boxer, who knows his defense, never is marked up with cauliflower ears, broken nose or misplaced eyebrows; and besides, nowadays in the professional ring, a man who has an excellent defense can quite frequently carry off the decision in a battle with a bruising slugger who might be a harder hitter, a stronger fighter and generally sturdier opponent. 

"I classify defense in four general groups, just as I have classified and arranged the different blows in the order of their importance. The four ways of escaping your opponent's punches are by (1) prevention, under the heading of which we have clinching; by (2) nullifying, under which comes 'beating the opponent to the punch' and thus knocking him out of range so that his blow loses its effectiveness; by (3) stopping, under which heading comes blocking and parrying; and finally, by (4) evading, which is the chief and most important of all the defensive groups, and includes ducking, slipping, side-stepping, and swaying away from or stepping back from the blow. 

Clinching

“Clinching, to the man not versed in self-defense, usually implies holding. When You listen to a man discussing a pair of big palookas in the ring who have resorted to holding tactics throughout their bout, you'll generally hear him say that the 'big duffers clinched all through the fight.' 

"There is a big difference between 'clinching' and 'holding.' Clinching is a perfectly legal defense, and a valuable one for a boxer, but holding is not legal and is only a stalling movement. There may be times when a boxer, no matter how clever, might get caught in a bad position on the ropes, or when he might be stunned or hurt by a rushing opponent. Possibly he may be temporarily blinded by a blow in the eye or a thumb accidentally stuck in the eye. At such times it is proper to clinch. Not only proper but advisable, I should say. 

"The best way to clinch is to step in toward opponent with the left shoulder toward him, seizing his right arm just above the elbow with your left hand and grasping him around the body just under his left arm. Bring your right elbow up and forward so as to push your opponent's left arm back with your right forearm. Bring chin over opponent's left shoulder. 

"In this manner, you prevent your opponent from effectively landing any blow. He will find it impossible to land a punch on the head or jaw with his left because, as you are keeping the elbow up and forward, he cannot get past it. He cannot bring the left up to the body because you keep shoving forward with your forearm. If he tries to pull the left-back, your forearm follows his arm preventing him. 

"Do not hold yourself stiffly in a clinch. Keep the muscles relaxed and ready to offset any movements he may try. 

How to Keep a Man from Clinching

“When an opponent gets in close quarters and you see he is about to attempt to clinch, seize his arms between your thumbs, with the hand just behind the elbow, and push forward with a quick motion. Always keep your hands inside of your adversary's arms. This will keep you in a position to hit the body or jaw with uppercuts or short snappy punches if your opponent attempts to grab you." 

"Along about how it is going to be necessary for you to have a sparring partner, in order to get the best results from the workouts to follow, and I want you to look around for a fellow about your own size and weight to practice the various defenses with. You can't very well clinch with yourself, for instance, and it is impossible to block your own blows. Try to get some chum or friend, and impress upon him that this is merely practice, not actual fighting. 

"It also will be necessary for you to have a set of boxing gloves, eight-ounce size unless you happen to be a heavyweight when ten-ounce gloves will be preferable. 

"In my next article, I will explain fully just how to block punches, how to hold the forearm, the hand, and the wrist. It is usually better to block with the hand open, but sometimes this is not feasible when the action is too fast or too hot. I will take this up, and also tell you the proper way to duck and how to evade punches. In stepping back and side-stepping, you will use the footwork that I taught you in the first of these lessons. 

"If you have practiced and mastered it, you will be surprised to find how easy and simple it is to avoid blows and rushes by an opponent." 

END