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Western Boxing
Sijo
Bruce Lee, once he discovered Western
Boxing methods and the scientific form of fighting
strategy and its training regiment he quickly incorporated
it into Jeet Kune Do.
He abandoned Kung Fu and
Wing Chun
by calling it the classical mess, similar to a ballet dancers in its form
and beauty but poorly ineffective in its fighting combat form of
self-defense...
According to Bruce
Lee's student Dan Inosanto:
“Most people aren’t aware of it, but Bruce was very into boxing.
Scientific boxing. He taught boxing at his school. Even with this interest
in boxing, however, he never went to the fights. But he did watch the
fights on TV whenever he could. His theory of training was through
self-discovery. He’d spar with anybody he could. All his technique was
derived through self-discovery. He used to call it “discovering
the source of your ignorance”. Anybody who
would visit him, he’d spar with them, with or without the gloves.
Muhammad Ali was
probably his favorite fighter, but Bruce took something from everybody. He
liked Ali’s footwork and admired his outside fighting. He liked
Rocky Marciano’s
short punches. He used to study all the knockout punches of
Joe Louis.”.
Boxing was part of
Bruce Lee’s beginning. He boxed in Hong Kong as a teenager and was good
enough to win a tournament involving fifteen high schools in the late
fifties. Inosanto is confident that he could have been a top-ranked
lightweight in the sixties, during the era of
Carlos Ortiz. His
intensity, speed, and dynamism would have been assets, though what would
have set him apart was the “unbelievable power” he could generate despite
his size.
In 1959, Lee left Hong Kong and went to the United States. He had not, at
the time, evolved out of the traditional school of martial arts with its
upright stance and straight-ahead attack and he had not yet incorporated
the feints, angles, and broken rhythm he would become known for. It took a
Golden Gloves boxer named Leo Fong
to demonstrate the value of these decidedly Western ideas. He did it by
inviting Lee to attack him. Lee rushed forward with chopping hands and
Fong simply stepped off to one side and turned over a left hook. It was an
epiphany for the young master.
Fong would soon
convince him that the typical martial artist’s stance, with the lead hand
held high and the back hand held by the solar plexus, was inferior to the
American boxer’s stance, where the lead hand is low and the back hand is
high enough to protect the chin. “I like it
because I can’t trap your lead hand”, Lee
told Fong. “Over the next few years,” Fong recalled, “Bruce completely
changed his primary fighting stance and eventually adopted more of a
boxing stance as his own.” This happened around the time that Lee began
developing his dynamic style.
Boxing, practical, spontaneous, and multidimensional, may have been the
impetus that shifted Lee away from traditional forms and toward the
fighting system that became Jeet Kune Do.
The book Tao of Jeet Kune Do,
which is a compilation of his notes, relies heavily on boxing principles.
Lee referenced Jack Dempsey
and Edwin L. Haislet’s
Boxing (1940) at least twenty times. He reportedly owned more than a
hundred boxing books in his library.
He also owned one of the largest collections of fight films in the country
and would invite associates to his house for marathon viewings on
Wednesdays. “Bruce used to analyze those films,” recalled one of them. “We
could only take it for a couple of hours, but Bruce could sit there for
eight or 10 hours and still show the same interest and enthusiasm he
showed in the first five minutes.” He was capable of mimicking not just
the Ali shuffle,
but the Sharkey roll,
Joe Louis’s six-inch punch,
and Kid Gavilan’s bolo punch
(which was, incidentally, another import from the East, as is the bolo
itself. Filipino fighters based in California during the 1930s introduced
it.) Whenever a move interested him, Lee, a southpaw, would rewind the
film, stand and turn his back to watch it in a mirror, and practice it.
 Western
Boxing
Boxing is a combat sport in which two people, male or female, generally of
similar weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by
a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to
three-minute intervals called rounds. There are three ways to win. Victory
is achieved if the opponent is knocked out and unable to get up before the
referee counts to ten seconds (a Knockout, or KO) or if the opponent is
deemed too injured to continue (a Technical Knockout, or TKO). If there is
no stoppage of the fight before an agreed number of rounds, a winner is
determined either by the referee's decision or by judges' scorecards.
Although fighting with fists comes naturally to people, evidence of
fist-fighting contests first appear on ancient Sumerian, Egyptian and
Minoan reliefs. The ancient Greeks provide us our first historical records
of boxing as a formal sport; they codified a set of rules and staged
tournaments with professionals. The birth hour of boxing as a sport may be
its acceptance as an Olympic game as early as 688 BC. Modern boxing
evolved in Europe...
In some countries with their own fighting sports, the sport is referred to
as "English Boxing" (e.g. in France to contrast with
Savate,
or in Burma with
Bando
or in Philippines with
Panantukan
and in Thailand with
Thai
Boxing).
There are numerous different styles of boxing practiced around the world.
Boxing does not allow kicks like the styles above.
 The
Sweet Science of Bare-knuckle Pugilism
Striking with the fist as an
organized sport came to the British Isles in 43 C.E. with the Roman
invasion. The Romans adopted the Greek Olympic sport and created even more
brutal versions of their own often involving the use of studded gauntlets.
The sport of boxing left the British Isles with the last of the Roman
legions in 436 C.E. and did not reappear for almost 1300 years. During the
Middle Ages, armed combat was the order of the day, and wrestling reigned
as the combat sport of the common people appearing at fairs and festivals.
There was no art or science to striking techniques which were only used in
all-out brawling.
In the second decade of the 1700's, the premier fencer in England was
James Figg.
He was considered to be the national champion of backsword and
quarterstaff which he taught at his Fighting Academy on Tottenham Court
Road in London. It was at this Fighting Academy that Figg devised his
method of "fencing
with the fists" and
in 1719, declared himself to be the Bare-Knuckle Champion of England. He
defended this title against several challengers including his arch rival
Ned Sutton whom he defeated with fists, staff, and sword.
With the help of his patron, the Earl of Peterborough, Figg opened the
first London arena devoted to prize fighting. It was located on Oxford
Road and known as Figg's Ampitheatre. His advertising card was designed by
the famous artist William Hogarth. Hogarth painted a portrait of his
friend the fighter dressed as a gentleman with a powdered wig, lace shirt,
and fists clenched in front of him. Figg's Amphitheatre catered to the
gentlemen of London's upper classes so Figg often performed at Southwark
Fair to the delight of his working class fans. He would set up a booth and
take on all comers.
Figg remained undefeated in these booth matches and his occasional formal
title defenses until his retirement in 1734. Upon Figg's retirement, his
top student George
Taylor declared
himself to be the new British Champion. Figg remained popular with the
gentry and socialized with the Prince of Wales and other Royal Family
members until his death in 1740. Years after his death, Figg became known
as the "Father of
Boxing".
Boxing during the Figg and Taylor decades was an all-out anything goes
bare-knuckle fight with absolutely no rules.
Figg and Taylor defeated
their brash opponents by adapting fencing techniques to fist fighting.
They fought out of a fencer's stance and threw power punches with a
fencer's lunge. All
this would change with boxing's first Renaissance Man, the third British
Bare-Knuckle Boxing Champion,
Jack Broughton.
Broughton defeated Taylor in 1738 to win the championship. The turning
point of his career and the art of boxing came in 1741, when Broughton
defeated George "The Coachman" Stevenson in a brutal 45 minute bout.
Stevenson died as a result of the beating he took from Broughton.
Broughton was so moved that he decided to affect a change in his beloved
sport. He was already the first boxer to use a preconceived strategy.
Broughton would size up his opponent's technique before a bout and adjust
his style to take advantage of his opponent's weaknesses. The Stevenson
bout led Jack to write the very first rules for the sport of Boxing.
Broughton's Rules
stated that the contest would take place on a raised platform with a
wooden rail around it, and a three foot square marked in the middle. A
bout began with both fighters placing one of their feet on a line of the
square and across from his opponent. A round lasted until a man went down,
then both fighters had a half minute to "toe the line" and begin to fight
again. This was thirty assisted seconds in which a boxer's handlers would
work on him for the entire time. This made it difficult to knock a man
out. Many fighters broke a knuckle with a punch that would end a fight by
modern rules. Thirty seconds later they were facing a refreshed opponent
and a broken knuckle. This led to a great deal of body punching, grappling
and long fights of attrition. Any fighter who could not toe the line in
the allotted time was the loser.
Broughton's Rules also said that nobody could be on the platform, but the
boxers and their seconds, that two umpires would be chosen from the
audience to settle disputes, and that fighters could not hit a fallen
opponent nor could they touch the other fighter below the waist at any
time for any reason. These rules still left ample opportunity for martial
improvisation. All types of striking and grappling were allowed as long as
it was above the waist and the opponent was standing. This style of
fighting was not too different from the Chinese Platform Challenge Matches
that were taking place on the other side of the world then.
Broughton's Rules were accepted in 1743 and were Boxing's only rules until
1838. Broughton also invented Boxing's first gloves, which he called "The
Mufflers." Broughton's mufflers were used in training and exhibition
matches and contributed greatly to the number of young noblemen who
studied Boxing for health and fitness in Broughton's school. The Duke of
Cumberland was Broughton's patron and he got Jack a position in Yeomen of
the Guard, which Broughton held until his death at the age of 85.
The Duke bet heavily on Broughton when he met Figg's grandson, "The
Norwich Butcher," Jack Slack. Slack was a rough and tumble fighter who
billed himself as "The Knight of the Cleaver" and was known for his
"Chopper" punch. The Chopper punch was the equivalent of a modern rabbit
punch to the back of the neck, and mimicked the motion of work in his
butcher shop. During the first ten minutes of the match Slack all but
closed Broughton's eyes. The Duke of Cumberland, fearing for his wager,
called out, "What are you about Broughton? You can't fight! You're beat!"
To which Broughton replied, "I can't see my man, your Highness, I am
blind, but not beat; only let me be placed before my antagonist, and he
shall not gain the day yet!" This bravado did him no good and Slack won
the bout at the 14 minute mark. The Duke of Cumberland withdrew his
support and Broughton retired from Boxing. He turned his arena/school into
a profitable antique shop.
Despite his illustrious heritage, Slack brought about Boxing's first of
many disreputable periods. He threw fights of his own, fixed the results
of other boxers matches and generally brought on the first era of the
boxing scandal.
Boxing as an art form was raised to new heights with the rise to
prominence of the Spanish-English Jew,
Daniel Mendoza.
Being raised in London's East End, and of Spanish descent and Jewish
faith, one can assume that Mendoza learned to fight early, although he was
only 5 feet 7 inches tall and never weighed more than 168 pounds.
Mendoza competed from the mid-1780's until 1820. Probably due to his size,
Mendoza was the first boxer to popularize a style in which footwork,
jabbing and defense were used to overcome brute force. It is often said
that Mendoza was the first to put the "science" into the Sweet Science.
In his first match, Mendoza beat a fighter who was known as Harry the
Coalheaver. Daniel was first recognized as a top rank boxer in 1787 when
he defeated Sam "The Bath Butcher" Martin. However, it was his four-fight
series with "The Gentleman Fighter" Richard Humphries that really brought
him to the public eye. The two were very well matched and Humphries won
their first match in 1787. Mendoza was ahead in their return match the
following year, when he suffered a leg injury at the 29 minute mark and
had to throw in the towel. In 1789, Mendoza dominated their third match
and won in 52 minutes. When he beat The Gentleman in 15 minutes the
following year, Humphries retired.
Mendoza became the British Boxing Champion with his win over Bill Warr in
1794. With this title he toured England, Scotland and Ireland with the
Aston Circus. This tour greatly increased the popularity of Mendoza's
Scientific Style of boxing and it became the rage of young boxers
throughout the British Isles. While touring Ireland, he was challenged and
had his skills, heritage, and faith insulted by one Squire Fitzgerald.
When Mendoza met and thoroughly thrashed this upstart member of the Irish
gentry, he and his boxing style became the pride of the Irish working
class and their inspiration to learn to box. It was in this manner that a
Spanish-English Jew became the Patriarch of Irish Clever Boxers. In April
of 1795, Mendoza lost the title to "Gentleman" John Jackson, who weighed
over 200 pounds and specialized in the left jab. It was Jackson's third
and last fight.
Mendoza became one of Britain's most respected boxing instructors, and
continued to fight on and off until 1820. At the age of 56, he lost his
last fight to 52 year old Tom Owens who invented the dumbbell weight.
Mendoza lived until the age of 73.
The early years of the 1800's saw the rise of the first Afro-American
boxing stars. Bill Richmond was born on Staten Island, New York, which
housed British Military Headquarters in the American Colonies. During the
Revolutionary War, Richmond worked for the household of General Earl
Percy. When Percy returned to England as the Duke of Northumberland
Richmond went with him. Although he was only a 5 foot-6 inch, 165 pound
middleweight under the Duke's patronage, Richmond met and defeated a
number of England's top heavyweights. He beat Jack Carter, Atkinson of
Bandbury, Ike Wood, Tom Davis, Tom Shelton, and split a pair of fights
with George Maddox. But he couldn't defeat the Champion, Tom Cribb, who
knocked Richmond out in 1805. Although he fought as "The Black Terror,"
Richmond was known for his gentlemanly demeanor and lifestyle.
Tom Molineaux was born a slave, on a plantation in Virginia. He, his
father and brothers fought matches against slaves from other plantations
for their owner, Algernon Molineaux. One time before a fight upon which
very heavy stakes were wagered, the master offered Tom his freedom if he
won. Tom won, Algernon was true to his word, and Tom was off for New York.
While working on the docks in New York, Molineaux heard about the success
of Bill Richmond and immediately signed on as a deck hand headed for
England. Once in England, this 5 foot 8 inch-tall, 195-pound ebony warrior
announced that he was "The Moor" Champion of America (a title that did not
exist), and that he could beat any man including retired champion, Tom
Cribb. He then found Bill Richmond and convinced him to both train him and
back him.
Cribb was not pleased with any of this and talked his friend and protege,
Bill "the British Unknown" Burrows into taking on the Moor. When Molineaux
stopped the British Unknown with a series of short punches to the head,
Cribb turned to veteran boxer Tom Blake. When Molineaux easily defeated
Blake, he tried to declare himself the Champion of England. This prompted
Cribb to finally accept the challenge of Molineaux the Moor.
The two fighters met in an outside ring on a cold and rainy December day
in 1810. It was perhaps one of the two most outstanding matches of the
Bare-Knuckle Era. Molineaux drew first blood in the second round, and was
clearly the harder puncher of the two. Cribb was relentless and kept up a
continual body attack. The Moor dropped the champion in the 28th round,
and Cribb failed to beat the 30 second count. But Cribb's second accused
the black fighter of hardening his punch with bullets in his hand. While
the umpires searched for the nonexistent bullets, Cribb revived and the
match continued. A couple of rounds later, Molineaux began to shiver from
the cold and show signs of exhaustion. In the 33rd round he collapsed to
the ground, looked up at his second, Bill Richmond, and said, "Me can
fight no more! " He then fell into unconsciousness and had to be carried
from the ring.
Cribb tried to retire again, but within a few months a revised Molineaux
defeated Jim Rimmer and tried to claim the championship again. This
brought the 5 foot 10 inches tall 200 pound champion out of retirement
again. While Cribb was training arduously in Scotland, training camp being
an innovation in boxing, Molineaux, now estranged from the gentlemanly
Richmond, was enjoying his very first stint as a party animal.
They met for the second time in December of 1811, and the Moor's power
almost won the day early when he completely closed one of Cribb's eyes.
The Champion couldn't see until one of his seconds lanced the bruised area
around the eye. From that point on, Cribb's stamina began to win the day.
He dropped Molineaux with a body punch in the sixth round and finally
caught the Moor flush in the 11th, breaking his jaw and stopping him.
Molineaux traveled Britain with a Boxing and Wrestling Show, but continued
his dissipated lifestyle and died in Ireland at the age of 34. Cribb
finally retired in 1822 opening a successful tavern called The Union Arms.
He lived until the age of 68. British fight fans always loved Cribb for
exemplifying their favorite qualities in a boxer: "Pluck and Bottom."
Pluck meaning courage and Bottom meaning stamina.
The first official boxing match in America took place in New York City in
1816. Dutchman Jacob Hyer defeated Tom Beasley in the only match that
either of them fought. Thirty-three years later, Jacob's son, Tom Hyer,
won the first American Championship when he defeated small-time criminal,
James Ambrose, who fought as "Yankee Sullivan."
In 1838, Broughton's Rules for prize fighting were superseded by the
London Prize Ring Rules.
The structure of the match remained essentially the same, but the fighting
area was to be surrounded with rope instead of a wooden rail, and,
preferably, the bout would be contended outside on turf. There was also an
adjunct rule about not using the ropes to your advantage. The biggest
change brought about by the adaptation of the London Prize Ring Rules was
the prohibition of what had formerly been common techniques. Head butting,
hair pulling, eye gouging, and neck throttling, which included choking,
head locking and neck cranking, were expressly forbidden. The earlier
prohibition against leg contact was extended to knee strikes. Until then,
the knee strike to the body had been a common technique known as
gut-kneeing. The London Prize Ring Rules also forbade throwing yourself to
the ground in order to end the round and get yourself half minute of rest.
It was a rule that some of the better technical boxers learned to
circumvent.
Bare-knuckle pugilism may have reached its height as an art form under the
London Prize Ring Rules. Due to the limitation of brawling techniques,
more boxers began to learn the Scientific Style that was developed by
Daniel Mendoza. Many fighters began to add the art of Cornish Wrestling to
the Mendoza Scientific Style. This style of wrestling perfectly adapted to
the new rules of boxing. It developed through centuries of competition
with its rival of English Westlands Wrestling, the Devonshire Style.
Traditionally the Devon men were known as the "kickers and trippers,"
while the Cornish men were known for their "hugging and heaving."
Techniques of Cornish Wrestling consisted mostly of upper body throwing
techniques, because it was a standing style in which a throw constituted a
win. All the old Celtic styles of wrestling ended in this fashion, because
the Celts considered ground grappling to be unmanly. Bare-knuckle Boxers
favored a type of spring hip throw, in which they followed their opponent
down, landing their full weight on his abdomen. This technique was called
a "Cross Buttock." Another favorite technique under the London Prize Ring
Rules was to "Seize and Fib," grabbing and pulling in your opponent with
one hand while delivering short punches with the other hand.
The spinning backfist was also a common technique and was called the
"Pivot Punch." When a bare-knuckle fighter added the sweeps and low kicks
of Devonshire Wrestling to his arsenal he was in command of a practical
fighting system. This mixture of striking and grappling brought boxing to
its highest level as a complete martial art.
The most outstanding fight ever to be contested under the London Prize
Ring Rules took place in 1860. It was the First World Boxing Championship
and was between the English Champion, Tom Sayers, and the American
Champion, John Carmel Heenan. This fight and the events surrounding it
were a drama worthy of a Pulitzer Prize winning novel and an Academy Award
winning motion picture. It was a story of courageous warriors, loyal
managers, treacherous wives, adoring fans, and outraged police.
Tom Sayers was a 5 foot 8 inch tall bricklayer from Brighton, England who
fought the early part of his career as a 140 pound middleweight. As a
19-year-old novice prize fighter he fell in love with an attractive 21
year old divorcee, named Sarah Powell. She would be the love and the bane
of the rest of his life. In their second year together, she had their
first child, Young Sarah. Young Tom was born 3 years later. Tommy loved
his "little nippers" more than life itself and would do anything for the
kids.
In 1853, Tommy got his shot at the British Middleweight Title, which was
held by Nat Langham. Langham was a lanky 37-year-old veteran, known as
"Old Clever Nat." He was a master of the left jab to the eyes and then
slipping under his opponent, and looking like he had been thrown whenever
he needed a rest. He was at his best when the grass was wet, as it was
when he met Sayers. The 25-year-old Sayers was the stronger of the two and
won all the early and middle rounds, but Langham was slowly working on the
younger man's eyes. In the 48th round Tom's eyes were so swollen that his
handlers had to cut the bruise areas to allow him to see. Langham was
almost completely exhausted, but continued throwing every punch at Tommy's
eyes. When Tom rushed Old Nat at the beginning of the 60th round, he was
met by a left jab to each eye and a wild hook to the ear, which Langham
threw with such force, that both men went down.
Tom waved off the 30 second rest and charged right back at Langllam, who
caught him coming in with a left-right combination to Tommy's battered
eyes. Sayers spun and groped blindly towards his corner ending the match.
It had lasted 61 rounds, averaging 90 seconds each. Sayers learned a lot
about boxing techniques in that match, but he couldn't ever get Langham
into a rematch. Old Nat retired and opened a bar. Seven years later, he
would sell tickets to the Sayers versus Heenan match at his bar. The
following year found Tom so broke that he had to tour the countryside in
search of matches.
While Torn was out of town, Sarah took up with Alfred Aldridge, a young
handsome gambler, who was a member of Tommy's entourage. When Tom returned
from a rather unsuccessful tour, Sarah announced to him that she was
seeing Aldridge and would continue to do so. If Tommy gave her any trouble
about it then she would explain to the kids that they were born
illegitimately because Tom married Sarah after their birth. Tom had
married her as soon as her first husband died, but he didn't want his
children stigmatized in Victorian England so he agreed to Sarah's demands.
He moved in with his sister and continued to spend time with Sarah and the
children whenever it struck Sarah's fancy. Matters were really complicated
when Sarah had three children by Aldridge while married to Tom, making
them Tom's only legal heirs.
In 1855 Sayers was completely broke, so he accepted a match with
heavyweight contender Harry Poulson, who weighed over 200 pounds. Tom went
up to 152 pounds for the bout. Sayers first slowly, but methodically
closed the big man's eyes, then knocked him so unconscious that Poulson
couldn't be revived within the mandatory 30 seconds. This fight brought
Tom to the attention of his new manager and soon to be close friend, John
Gideon. It also started his lucrative heavyweight career and Sarah was
right there to spend the money.
Two years later, Tom Sayers won the British Heavyweight Title from William
"The Tipton Slasher" Perry, in a bout which the champ's corner tossed in
the sponge, at the one hour and 45 minute mark. By this time, Gideon was
regularly advising Tom to divorce Sarah. but Tom steadfastly refused. He
claimed that it was for his nippers' sake, but he obviously still had
strong feelings for Sarah.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, John C. Heenan had become
Heavyweight Champion of the Americas by default and without winning a
major match. This 6 foot 1 inch, 200 pound, muscular, handsome young
Irishman, was born in upstate New York. but gained his reputation as a
fighter while working for a steamship building company in Benicia,
California. A number of successful street fights led to Heenan's best
friend, Jim Cusick, settling up a number of pick up bouts for Heenan.
Cusick was a nervous little man who talked incessantly and always wore a
bow tie. He was also a genius manager and totally dedicated to Heenan.
Cusick parleyed mere pick up fights into a chance for John to fight for
the American Heavyweight Title, against title claimant, "Old Smoke." John
Morrissey.
The 23-year-old Heenan met the 26-year-old Morrissey on October 19, 1857
in Canada just across the border from Buffalo, NY. The steamboat carrying
the fighters and crowd left Buffalo at 8:00 AM, but spent all day avoiding
police boats and the fighters didn't come to scratch until almost
midnight. Heenan overpowered the 5 foot 10 inch tall, 180 pound Morrissey
in the first round and may have knocked him out, except for a missed punch
that hit a rig post, hurting Heenan's hand. Heenan still won all the early
rounds, but when an old leg abscess reopened and began to weaken the
Benicia Boy, Old Smoke got a second wind and began to pummel the weakening
youngster. In the 11th round, both men had to be led to the scratch line,
where Heenan swung wildly, missed, fell down and passed out, giving
Morrissey the match.
Morrisey promptly retired from boxing and went on to become a successful
gambler and New York politician. When he refused to give Heenan a rematch,
the Benicia Boy was declared the American Champion. This was a title which
Cusick would use to set up the match with Tom Sayers.
It took a year and a half to get the trans-Atlantic match set up during
which Jim and John stayed in New York. While visiting a newspaper office,
Heenan met a very cute, short, curvaceous little actress from New Orleans,
named Adah Isaacs Menken and he promptly fell in love. Adah had that
effect on men. She was sort of a cross between Marilyn Monroe and Betty
Boop and men seemed to do what she wanted. Adah and the "Boy" were seen
everywhere together right until he left for training in England. Just
before he left, they announced that they had secretly married. When John
was gone, Adah billed herself as Mrs. John C. Heenan, making a big name
for herself on the New York Stage. In her most famous and oft repeated
role, she donned flesh colored silk tights and played a naked, captured
princess. Her fame spread far and wide as "The Great Naked Lady of the
Stage." It finally spread too far and Mr. Menken appeared and explained to
the press that Adah had somehow forgotten to divorce him.
When John Morrisey departed for England to help Tom Sayers train for a
match against Morrisey's old nemesis, he was only too happy to bring the
news of Adah's bigamy. Heenan did not however come apart at the news. He
simply announced that he and Adah had never really, legally married and
began to train harder than ever. Jim Cusick, who hated Adah and was
detested by her in turn, was very happy at this outcome.
Heenan finally met Tom Sayers on the morning of April 17, 1860. Sayers
threw his hat into the ring at 7:20 AM and Heenan quickly followed him
into the ring. It was a fine morning, in that field in Farnborough, and
Tom remarked to the boy, "How are you M'boy? Fine morning, this." John
replied, "Yes, we've got a beautiful morning for it." To which Tom
answered, "Yes, if a man can't fight on such a day as this, he can't fight
at all!"
When the boys toed the scratch at 7:29, it was noted that Tom's face was
stained walnut brown by the pickling solution that he used to toughen his
skin. Heenan was fair skinned but much larger. The first five minutes was
a warm up dance, with lots of movement and no punches actually landed.
Just as they worked their way into Heenan's corner, they started to
exchange punches. When they backed out of the corner, Heenan's nose was
bleeding, causing money to exchange hands on the "first blood" bets. When
the Boy noticed the blood, he charged forward and effortlessly tossed the
smaller man to the turf, ending the first round.
Sayers began the second round by slipping, sliding, jabbing, and generally
confusing the big youngster, until a big, wide Heenan left hook dazed him,
allowing the Boy to wrestle him down and land his full weight on Tommy's
ribs. For the next four rounds, Tommy took a beating, being countered and
knocked down in each of them. He was even knocked senseless in the fourth,
but was revived by his seconds. Sayers knew that Heenan's hands were
taking damage from the heavy head punching.
The seventh and eighth rounds were legendary, lasting thirteen and twenty
minutes, respectively. They are even more amazing in retrospect, knowing
that Tom's right arm began to swell at the end of the sixth round,
heralding an injury that would later prove to be a broken arm.
Tom Sayers got his second wind and began to time the Boy with lighting
left hand counter punches, that cut Heenan's right cheek and closed his
right eye in the seventh. The round still ended with Heenan knocking
Sayers off balance and down, but Sayers had scored the damage. Both men's
mouths were bloodied in the eighth, with the right side of Heenan's face
getting worse and Sayers' right arm swelling and stiffening. The round
ended with Sayers still going down.
Local police arrive during the ninth round, but there weren't enough of
them to do anything, so they just watched. Round after round Sayers
punched Heenan's face with his lightning left and was then thrown or
knocked down. His right arm is a mess, but Heenan's face looked worse.
Round 21 began at 8:38 AM, the beginning of the 2nd hour of unarmed
combat. In the 26th round, Sayers left jab finally found the mark, of
Heenan's left eye. The round still ended with Sayers going down from a
Heenan wild hook. As the fight progressed it became a continual sequence
of damage to Heenan's face followed by Sayers being knocked or thrown to
the turf.
The police reinforcements finally arrived and tried to stop the fight. The
fighters finished several more rounds, while the police fought their way
through the crowd and past the "Ring Bullies," which was the current term
for boxing match security guards. In the 36th round the police finally
reached the ring and distracted the referee, just as an almost blind
Heenan tried to strangle Sayers with a ring rope. One of Sayers' seconds
cut the rope and the ring came apart in the ensuing riot. However, a group
of 30 or so hard core betters threw their arms around each other, and made
a shoulder to shoulder ring, allowing the riot to swirl around them.
The boys fought six more rounds, before referee Dowling broke into the
ring of betters and declared the fight over. At which point everyone broke
and ran for the train. Both of the combatants had to be assisted to the
train. The bout had lasted for 2 hours and 20 minutes, dissected into 42
rounds.
Later the match was declared a draw and each fighter was presented with a
silver belt. After a lengthy healing period, Sayers and Heenan toured
Britain together reenacting their famous bout. During this trip they
became fast friends. Tom's health began to fade and he never fought again.
John returned to the States to make up with Adah, but when she spurned
him, he returned to England to wait out the Civil War. When he lost to the
new English Champion, Tom King, Tom Sayers was a second for Heenan. Sayers
was obviously sick at the time. Two years later, in 1865, Tom quietly died
of diabetes at his sister's house. Sarah got all of his money and Gideon
set up trust funds for Young Tom and Young Sarah.
John Heenan returned to America and became successful in Tammany Hall
politics, in New York City. Unfortunately, he was connected to Boss Tweed
and when the Boss went down in 1871 John lost everything. By 1873, he was
in bad health and was trying to make a living as a sparring partner. His
ever present friend and manager suggested that they return to their roots.
SO, they boarded a train for the sunny skies of California. However, at
the station in Green River, Wyoming, Heenan died in the arms of his
friend, Jim Cusick. Heenan was 38 years old, a year younger than Tom
Sayers was at his passing, 8 years earlier.
In 1867, famous English amateur sportsman and athletics organizer, John
Graham Chambers wrote a new set of rules to govern gloved, amateur boxing
contests and exhibitions. Chambers had been a much heralded oarsman for
Cambridge, and was the organizer of the Amateur Athletic Club, and a key
figure in the beginnings of England's first Amateur Athletic Association.
Besides mandating the use of gloves, his rules created the first three
minute timed round, forbade all types of grappling, and invented the 10
second long unassisted knockout. The limited number of timed rounds
created the first need for judges' decisions.
When Chambers got his old college buddy, John Sholto Douglas, the Eighth
Marquess of Queensberry, to sponsor his rules, they became known as the
Queensberry Rules.
It would be almost two decades before these rules would begin to influence
the ranks of the professional prize ring.
The late years of the 1870's saw the rise of the last of the great
bareknuckle fighters, "The Boston Strong Boy," John L. Sullivan, himself.
His reputation began in his teens, when he would walk into various Boston
taverns, thump loudly on the bar and announce, "I'm John L. Sullivan,
himself, and I can lick any man in the house!" It was a boast that he
never failed to back up. At 5 feet 10 inches tall and 190 pounds, the
young Irishman was a natural power puncher. From the beginning of his
career, he would fight by either the London or Queensberry rules. He
always favored the gloves, which protected his hands while throwing
multiple power punches at the large bones of an opponent's jaw and
temples.
Sullivan's first big match took place on a barge in the Hudson River in
New York, in 1881. It was a bare-knuckle affair, and when the Boston
Strong Boy knocked "the Bulls Head Terror," John Flood, down eight times
and stopped him in the ninth round, he set up a match with Paddy Ryan, the
American Champion. They met in Mississippi City on Feb.7th of thc
following year. It was a one-sided match, with Sullivan knocking Ryan
senseless, with a right to the jaw in the ninth. This fight made Sullivan
the Bare-Knuckle Champion of American and a national hero who most people
considered to be unbeatable. In January of 1885, Sullivan stopped Ryan in
the first round of their rematch and in August of the same year he stopped
Dominick McCaffery, in the sixth round, with gloves on, to win the new
Queensberry Rules World Heavyweight Boxing Championship.
The following year, Sullivan fought a third bareknuckle match with Ryan
and stopped him in the third round. In 1889. Sullivan met Jake Kilrain for
the Bare-Knuckle Championship of the World. Kilrain had recently defeated
the current English Champion and was already called the World Champion by
a handful of publications. When Sullivan won a grueling 75 round contest,
he became the undisputed World Heavyweight Boxing Champion.
The Sullivan-Kilrain fight became the last of the Bare-Knuckle
Championship Matches and John L. Sullivan the last of the Bare-Knuckle
Champions. When the Great John L. decided to defend his overall title by
the Queensbury Rules in 1892 it was the end of bare-knuckle boxing. When
he was stopped in the 21st round of that match by Gentleman Jim Corbett
there was no turning back. The San Francisco bank clerk was strictly a
gloved fighter and after him the sport never looked back.
The Queensbury Rules were always presented as safer than bareknuckle
boxing, but, in reality, they became the standard of the sport because
they created a faster paced and more exciting sport for the new industrial
age. The timed round with a mandatory minute rest kept the fighters going
at a quicker pace as well as the ten second, unassisted knock-out which
presented the possibility of an abrupt and exciting stoppage at any
moment! The absence of grappling stopped a lot of bone injuries, and the
padded gloves produced less facial blood, however, the same protection for
the hands allowed for more power head punches with less damage to the
hands leading to increased brain trauma. In the long run, the sport was
probably not more or less safe, but, rather, faster, more exciting, and
more saleable to the pubic. This exciting new sport was also much less of
a complete martial art than it had been in the days of the London Prize
Ring and the warriors of the Sweet Science of Bare-Knuckle Pugilism.
 Basic
Boxing Stance
Stance
is the most critical aspect of boxing because without a fundamentally
sound stance all other aspects of boxing will suffer. A proper boxing
stance allows you to:
Have power in your offensive attack,
Effectively defend yourself against incoming attack,
Have balance and effective footwork.
Foot Placement
Your boxing stance starts with foot placement. Foot placement is
incredibly important because more than anything else it dictates your
balance and your ability to move quickly. Proper foot placement dictates
that: Feet are shoulder width apart. Your dominant foot is back, and weak
foot is forward. The toes of your front foot line up with the heel of your
back foot. Your toes point at approximately 45 degrees. In reality, your
front foot cant point slightly more forwards, and back foot slightly more
outwards. If is also important to understand what happens as a consequence
of poor foot placement. Feet too far apart causes a loss of mobility,
while feet too close together causes loss of stability. Feet in front of
each other causes poor balance and makes you easy to knock down, while
feet too wide causes a loss of mobility and makes it hard to generate
torque. Toes pointing too far forward or sideways also cause a loss of
mobility.
Balance and Weight Distribution
Your weight should be evenly distributed between your front and back foot.
A common misconception is to place too much weight on the front foot,
resulting in a forward lean, which can expose your head and chin, and
limit your mobility. Maintaining weight on the back foot allows you to
move quickly off of it with force. Your weight should be on the balls of
your feet, and not on the heels, so that you are ready to move at all
times.
Bend the Knees
Your knees should always be slightly bent while boxing. This bend helps
ensure balance and torque. If your knees are straight, you lose balance
and are a easy target to knock down, but if your knees are too bent it
becomes hard to move effectively.
Body Orientation
Your upper body is a wide target, and as such you want to minimize it to
your opponent. Your shoulders should be aligned with your feet so that
your body is facing partially sideways, minimizing the target area that an
opponent can attack. This also helps provide power when you rotate to
strike with your rear/dominant hand.
Arm and Hand Placement
Your front hand should hover near your left cheek, protecting your head,
and your rear hand should hover near the read side of your chin. Elbows
should be tucked in order to protect your body. There should not be a huge
opening between your elbows for an opponents jab to sneak through.
Head Position
Last, but not least, is your head. Your chin should be tucked at all times
when boxing. A blow to the chin is the easiest way to cause a knockout, so
you do not want the point of your chin exposed.
 How to
throw
punches
1 – Left Jab
The jab is the most important punch in boxing because it is used both
offensively and defensively and is used to set up other punches. The jab
should be thrown almost continually throughout a fight. It serves to keep
the other boxer on edge, get a feel for the distance between you, and to
expose vulnerabilities that your opponent might open when he reacts to
your jab. Additionally, jabs are often thrown to counter an opponent’s
punch, and to protect yourself while pivoting or retreating.
To throw the jab, shoot
your left hand in a straight line outwards from your chin. You do not want
to use your elbow to generate power, but rather your shoulder. Think of
your arm as a coiled spring.
On contact, the back of your hand
should be parallel to the ground and you want to make contact with the
knuckles of the pointer and middle finger primarily. Your fist should be
relaxed, and tighten just before impact.
Because you are vulnerable
with an arm extended, your must quickly “recoil the spring,” pulling your
hand back into a guard.
2 – Right Cross/Straight
The cross, or straight, is the notorious knockout punch. If you have heard
the saying “The old 1-2”,
this is what it is referring to – jab, cross. The cross is thrown with the
same “coiled spring” concept as the jab, with the additional factor of
torque provided by your shoulders and and hips. The straight can be
extremely powerful, but that also makes it easy to over extend and leave
yourself vulnerable. Because the cross takes longer to throw, it should
almost always be thrown after a jab or other punch, so that your opponent
has a hard time reacting or seeing it coming.
To throw a cross,
turn your upper body
towards your opponent by pivoting on your back foot and rotating your
hips. Do not lunge forward with your body as this will leave you
vulnerable.
As your back shoulder rotates
forward, extend your arm like a coiled spring. Upon impact the top of your
hand should be parallel to the ground. Keep your fist relaxed until just
before impact.
Throughout the punch, maintain
your guard with your left hand near your chin. After impact, quickly
recoil your arm, and pivot back into your normal stance and guard.
3 – Left Hook
The left hook is a punch that can be both quick and powerful. Lenedary
trainer Freddy Roach once said that he would rather have a strong left
hook than a right cross, because of its proximity to the opponent (being
your front hand). The left hook can catch your opponent off guard, can
catch them on their chin, or be thrown to the body. It works well at close
range, or in response to a punch thrown by your opponent that leaves them
exposed.
To throw a left hook
transfer your weight briefly to your left side. It is important that you
do not swing your body in this direction, but simply transfer weight
subtly.
Quickly use your weight on the
left foot to pivot back to the right, raising your elbow, and punching
across your body with your arm parallel to the ground. Your arm should be
bent at approximately a 90 degree angle. Your arm should be tight to your
body, and not extended far.
The top of your fist can either be
facing your opponent or parallel with the ground, but should be flat and
in-line with your forearm.
Be careful not to over-extend
yourself to your right leaving yourself vulnerable, and make sure to keep
your right hand at your chin maintaining your guard throughout the punch.
4 – Right Hook
The right hook is similar to the left hook, but can be more challenging to
use because it is coming from your rear hand, making it slower. It is
often used in combinations with the left hook, and while fighting at close
range.
Throwing a right hook is
done just like the left hook, but with directions reversed.
To throw a right hook,
transfer your weight briefly to your right side. Quickly use that weight
to then pivot left, while raising your elbow and punching across your body
with your elbow bent. Keep your arm tight to your body and not extended
far.
Make sure not to over-extend and
leave yourself vulnerable, and to maintain your guard with your left hand
near your chin throughout the punch.
5 – Left Uppercut
Uppercuts can be very dangerous punches, that are typically thrown when
fighting in close range, or in response to a punch thrown by your
opponent. Uppercuts can be knockout punches if they connect with the chin,
but are also used rapidly to the body which can significantly harm an
opponents balance and strength. Like hooks, uppercuts should be tight and
controlled because you will be vulnerable if thrown wildly and
over-extended.
To throw a left uppercut
(front hand) dip slightly to your left at your waist. Raise your back
heel, put pressure on the ball of your front foot, and dip your left elbow
slightly.
Rotate your fist upwards, and
explode up in a sharp movement from the front foot. Do not over-extend
your arm, but keep it close with a sharp bend in the elbow.
Maintain your guard with
your right hand throughout the punch, and pull your left arm back into
your guard as soon as it carries through.
You arm should remain close
to your body, and not dip excessively low, or carry through excessively
high.
6 – Right Uppercut
As the right hook mirrors the left hook, so the right uppercut mirrors the
left uppercut. It is thrown in the same situations as the left uppercut,
and often in combination with the left uppercut to work an opponents body.
To throw a right uppercut,
dip slightly right at your waist. Raise your front heel, put pressure on
the ball on your back foot, and dip your right elbow slightly.
Rotate your fist up, and
explode upwards in a sharp movement from your back foot. Maintain your
guard with your left hand throughout the punch, and pull your right hand
back into a guard after it carries through.
The Danger of Over-extending
Over-extending can mean two things, both of which are dangers you need to
avoid.
First, over-extending can
refer to swinging a punch farther away from your body that it is meant to
be thrown. This is commonly done with hooks and uppercuts. This makes the
punch easy to avoid, and leaves your body wide open to be attacked.
Second, over-extending can
refer to extending your arm (in a jab or cross) to the point where your
elbow locks out. In practice or shadowboxing, if you throw your punches to
full extension, you will hurt your elbow. Your punches should end prior to
full extension of your arm.
 Basic Boxing Combinations
1-2
(Jab-Cross)
The old 1-2 is the staple boxing combination and is often used as part of
larger more complex combinations. It is both fast, and can be powerful.
When throwing a 1-2, your
cross should extend at the same time that your jab is recoiling. Make sure
that when a hand isn’t extended it should be guarding your head.
1-2-3 (Jab-Cross-Left hook)
Follow the 1-2 with a left hook and you have a 1-2-3. Often an opponent
might be occupied or slow in reacting to your cross, which leaves the side
of their face wide open for a hook.
At the end of your cross,
your hips and shoulders should have twisted to bring your back shoulder
forward. Use this position as the beginning weight-transfer for your hook.
With your body already pivoted, raise your front elbow and throw your hook
as your back hand recoils from the cross.
2-3-2 (Cross-Left hook-Cross)
This combinations heavily relies on weight transfer.
Like in the 1-2-3, you
throw a hook using the already pivoted position that resulted from a
cross. But this time, as your cross twists your body and transfer weight
to the right, you use that point as the starting position for another
cross.
Visualize your right shoulder
coming forward with a cross, the left hook rotating your right shoulder
back into it’s original position, ready for it to return once more with
another cross. Lots of power is generated from the hips in this
combination.
3-2-3 (Left hook-Cross-Left hook)
This is exactly like the 2-3-2 but with hooks at the start and end.
Throw a hook, which pulls
your right shoulder back as a result of the hips/shoulder twist, then
rotate with a powerful cross which puts you right back in position to
throw another left hook.
3-6-3 (Left hook-Right uppercut-Left hook)
The 3-6-3 catches many opponents off guard because they might be expecting
a 3-2-2 and because the punches come from both high and low.
Throw a left hook, and then
when your weight is on your right/back shoulder dip your waist to the
right, raise your back heel, and throw a right uppercut. The uppercut
should leaves shoulders open – in perfect position to return another left
hook.
16 Fast Boxing Combinations
1. 1-2-3-2
(Jab, cross, left hook, cross)
Make sure to keep the left hook tight and close to your body. A long
looping hook will ruin the following cross.
2. 1-2-3-4 (Jab, cross, left hook, right
hook)
Do not over-rotate or throw your momentum around when you throw two
successive hooks.
3. 1-2-3-6 (Jab, cross, left hook, right
uppercut)
The uppercut should sneak up on your opponent, so avoid a “windup” but
still bring it up quickly and with power.
4. 1-2-5-2 (Jab, cross, left uppercut, cross)
Throw the uppercut like a light punch, not a power punch, and save the
power for your cross.
5. 1-2-5-6 (Jab, cross, left uppercut, right
uppercut)
The danger here is to make sure your alternate hand remains up in a guard
when you are throwing two
uppercuts.
6. 1-4-1-2 (Jab, right hook, jab, cross)
Don’t give your right hook away with a big windup.
7. 1-4-1-6 (Jab, right hook, jab, right
uppercut)
Put all your power into your uppercut without making it obvious that it is
coming.
8. 1-4-3-2 (Jab, right hook, left hook,
cross)
Again, with two successive hooks, make sure not to over-rotate.
9. 1-4-3-6 (Jab, right hook, left hook, right
uppercut)
Same as before, be wary of over-rotating.
10. 1-4-5-2 (Jab, right hook, left uppercut,
cross)
Keep your uppercut tight and high. Don’t dip to low to throw it.
11. 1-6-1-2 (Jab, right uppercut, jab, cross)
The jab-uppercut works best if you close the distance between you and your
opponent with the jab.
12. 1-6-1-4 (Jab, right uppercut, jab, right
hook)
If you catch your opponent off-guard with the uppercut, the hook coming
can be devastating.
13. 1-6-3-2 (Jab, right uppercut, left hook,
cross)
One of my favorites, the 6, 3, and 2 all have the power to do serious
damage in this combination.
14. 1-6-3-4 (Jab, right uppercut, left hook,
right hook)
Keep your balance when throwing the last hook so you are ready to defend
yourself.
15. 1-6-3-6 (Jab, right uppercut, left hook,
right uppercut)
Right after they recover from one uppercut, you come in with the next one.
16. 1-6-5-2 (Jab, right uppercut, left
uppercut, cross)
Throw the uppercuts fast and keep your alternate hand up during them.
Western
Boxing Combinations
1. jab
2. double jab
3. jab, jab to body
4. jab to body, jab
5. jab, cross
6. jab to body, cross
7. jab, cross to body
8. jab to body, cross to body
9. cross to body, hook
10. jab, cross to body
11. fake jab, cross
12. fake body jab, l hook
13. jab, cross to body, hook
14. jab, cross, hook
15. jab, hook, cross
16. cross, hook, cross
17. cross, uppercut, cross
18. jab, cross, uppercut
19. overhead, uppercut, overhead (lead, rear, lead or rear, lead, rear)
20. uppercut, overhead, uppercut (rear, lead, rear or lead, rear, lead)
21. cross, body hook, cross
22. rear uppercut, hook, cross
23. lead uppercut, cross, hook
24. jab, lead uppercut, cross
25. jab, cross, rear uppercut (on same mitt)
26. jab, cross, hook, rear uppercut
27. jab, cross, hook, cross
28. jab, cross, uppercut, cross
29. cross, hook, cross, lead uppercut
30. cross to body, double lead hook, cross to body
31. double jab-cross, lead body hook, rear body hook, lead hook
32. cross, double lead hook, cross, lead uppercut, cross
33. jab, cross, lead hook, cross, lead hook
34. cross, uppercut, cross, lead hook, cross to the body
35. jab, lead hook, cross, lead body hook, lead uppercut to the body, lead
hook
36. jab, cross, overhand lead
37. jab, rear hook, lead body hook, rear uppercut, lead hook
38. hook, cross, hook, cross, hook
39. cross, hook, cross, hook, cross
40. jab, cross, hook, cross, lead body hook, cross, lead uppercut
41. jab, cross, lead hook, rear hook, lead uppercut, rear uppercut
42. jab, cross, hook, cross, lead uppercut
43. jab, jab, rear uppercut, hook, cross
44. jab, cross, lead uppercut, cross, hook, cross
45. jab, jab, cross, lead uppercut, cross, hook, cross
46. jab, cross, lead body hook, rear body hook
47. jab, cross, lead body hook, rear hook, lead hook, rear body hook
48. jab, cross, lead body hook, rear uppercut, lead hook
49. jab, cross, lead uppercut, rear body hook, lead hook, cross
50. jab, cross, lead hook, rear uppercut, cross, lead hook, cross
Bruce Lee Punching
Routines and Boxing Workouts
Bruce
Lee was very thorough in his training regime and was a great believer in
performing repetitive movements to enhance muscle memory, strength,
stamina and speed. His punching workouts were certainly not an exception
to this rule.
Bruce used to train his punching technique tirelessly. He may today be
most famous for his one inch punches in which he transferred a huge amount
of energy over a very short distance, but his devotion to traditional long
punches and also the understanding of the importance of the Western style
punch meant that he spent a lot of time on the bag honing his skills and
perfecting his art.
Simple Boxing Drills
Bruce sometimes performed his punching routine as a circuit which also
included kicking. He would often start with some jog/sprint intervals to
warm up and then start his boxing routine using a variety of methods. This
was one of his workouts:
3 minutes of shadow boxing to loosen up the
arms
3 minutes of shadow kicking to loosen up the legs
5 minutes of skipping to get some more cardio in
3 minutes of punching on the heavy bag performing single punches and some
combos
3 minutes of kicking on the heavy bag, single power kicks plus combos
3 minute punching on the light bag, fast continuous punching
2 minutes shadow kicking to cool down
Each exercise would be followed by 1 minute of complete rest. This is a
great cardio workout as well as a fantastic conditioning workout. Every
martial artist can benefit from this.
Advanced Punching Routine
Later in his development Bruce Lee planned his boxing workouts more, so
that he would concentrate on more specific punch training. He started
splitting his punching and kicking workouts, alternating them each day so
that he would do 3 punching routines and 3 kicking routines each week.
Bruce Lee performed many of the exercises at 3 levels of intensity: a warm
up, a fast workout then a maximum intensity workout. For his punching
workouts he followed this routine:
Skipping to warm up and loosen up
Shadow boxing – warm up; fast punching; maximum intensity
Shadow boxing – loosen up; maximum intensity; warm down
Jab training – top and bottom bag; heavy bag; focus mitt
Hook punch training – Heavy bag; focus mitt
Cross training
Spinning back fists
Finger jabs (biu jee)
Elbow smash – inward; outward (elbow smashes are designed for break joints
and bones)
Punching on a
padded
board
The padded board, which is literally a padded board fixed to a wall, is a
Kung Fu favorite. Unlike
heavy bags that move and teach you to focus power at various angles on a
moving target, a padded board is designed purely for the development of
power in a straight line and to condition your hands, joints and tendons.
Bruce Lee would perform the following simple routine on the padded board,
practising all the major strikes:
Jab
Finger jab
Hook
Cross
Upper cut
Palm strike
Elbow
Punching with Wrist Weights
One method Bruce Lee used to develop power was to punch while wearing
wrist weights or holding light dumbbells. You do not need to hold a heavy
weight, in fact a heavy weight will tire you too soon. Lee explained that
the main purpose of punching with weights is to build strength in the
lats, the latissimus dorsi muscles. He would generally perform 100 crosses
with each arm. Bruce Lee also performed bent over barbell rows to build
his powerful lats.
General Boxing Training
Bruce Lee also performed a lot of boxing combinations. Practising combos
over and over is the only way to develop speed in boxing. Only through
hours of practice you can train your body to flow, so that each punch
follows effortlessly from one to the other while still delivering maximum
impact. All combinations would be practised, from simple jab-crosses to
multiple combos with jabs, crosses, hooks and upper cuts. This form of
boxing training was inspired by Western boxing.
Endurance Punching Training
Bruce Lee’s training logs also reveal that he did a lot of endurance
training to develop his punching power. He was well aware from personal
fighting experiences that you could soon lose steam in a fight if you did
not have the required muscular endurance to punch hundreds of times. So he
simply trained punching for hours on end to develop his skills. Here is a
typical session from January 1968:
10 minutes general warm up
500 punches on left arm
500 punches on right arm
15 minute run
20 minutes of punching with weights and punching through paper (to develop
the “snap”)
According to his training diaries he usually finished a session off with
500 more punches. He referred to these as supplemental punches, which
suggests that they are not planned in his routines, although he performed
500 at the end of most routines.
By February 1968 he had developed his punching routines further still,
adding even more reps. In one training session he performed 2000 right arm
punches followed by 100 left. The following day he did 1000 right arms
followed by 200 left. On the 2nd March 1968 he performed 2000 right arm
punches followed by 500 on his left arm. A sign that he was moving away
from symmetrical training and starting to focus on building maximum
strength in his right arm, his leading arm. Although he liked the Western
boxing approach he still fought in the kung-fu stance with his strong hand
leading.
Heavy Bag Workout
This heavy bag workout is actually a series of drills. Bruce would often
mix them up, but always perform the first drill and then add another 1 or
2. So although there are many drills here not all are done on the same
session.
They are just picked for your punching days when you have to work the
heavy bag. If you keep tabs on which drills you have done on the heavy
bag, you can ensure you train all punches in time on the heavy bag, even
if it takes a few weeks to get them all done.
This is not all the combinations that Bruce performed, but these form the
most important combos for boxing training. Remember, high means a head
shot and low means a body shot. So when training do not swing your arms
about your head height or below your waist line. Aim for your imaginary
opponents ribs and solar plexus on the low shots.
Single jab or double jab
Low right jab followed by high right jab or right hook
Inside right jab followed by outside right hook
Right jab, right back fist
Right jab, left cross or left hook
High right jab, low left cross
Low right jab, high left hook, high left cross
Outside high right jab, left body cross/hook to low right hook
High right jab, low left cross, high left hook
Low left cross, right jab, high left hook
Low right jab, high right hook/jab, low left cross/hook
Low right jab, high left cross, high right hook, low left hook
High right jab, high left cross/hook, high right hook, high left cross,
low right hook
High inside right jab, high centre right jab, high right hook, low left
cross/hook
Low right jab, high right hook, low left cross, high right hook
High right jab, high right hook, high left cross, low right hook
High right jab, medium right jab, high right hook, low inside left cross
Low right jab, high right hook, low right jab
In addition to performing these routines over and over on the heavy bag
Bruce also would add in feints, so for some initial attacks he would
perform a feint and not jab, then perform the subsequent strikes. This
trains you to still strike with force when you are not rebounding from the
original strike. It is important to learn that sometimes you miss and when
this happens your momentum is easily thrown off-balance. It is also a way
to improve your feints.
This is really just the tip of the iceberg of Bruce Lee’s punching
training. In addition to the routines mentioned above he incorporated many
strike routines into the stepping training. Also in addition to the
standard weight training he performed isometric exercises to strengthen
his punches, such as isometric upper cuts and hooks. This type of training
is rarely seen in martial arts gyms today.
What is most revealing when looking through Bruce Lee’s training journals
is the sheer volume of training he performed. He was truly dedicated to
training. Remember that these punching exercises were done in addition to
kung-fu training, kicking workouts, strength training, stretching routines
and teaching his students and later making films.
To build the power, speed and endurance that Bruce Lee was famous for you
need to train hard for 6 days a week, for many hours every day. Proper
nutrition and rest are essential, only a full-time fighter can really
train to these levels, but you should be able to take something from his
punching drills to improve your own skills. Just doing 2 heavy bag
workouts each week with 9 of the routines trained for 5 minutes each will
give you two intensive 45 minute punching sessions. Put on your favorite
music and give that bag hell.
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Edwin L.
Haislet & Bruce Lee Connection
JKD Boxing Set Ups
1) The One-Two-Three Series:
1-2,
1-3,
1-step-3,
1-2-3,
1-3-2.
2) The Triple Blows: Inside, Outside
The inside triple,
which Haislet asserts was a favorite of Jack Dempsey,
is to slip to the inside (left for an orthodox fighter) while throwing a
right hand to the body, then come back with a left hook to the body and a
right hook to the head. This is called the inside triple because you are
moving to the inside of your opponent's lead hand and leg,
to infighting position, “inside position”.
The outside triple begins with a slip to the outside and a left hook to
the body, followed by a right to the body and a left to the head. It is
called the outside triple because you are trying to take a slightly
dominant angle, on the outside of the opponent's leg, rather than pushing
into the opponent's chest.
3) High-Lows and Low-Highs
The favorite of Haislet is the left hook to the body, right straight to
the head,
which also demonstrates one of his principle beliefs, that linear and
circular strikes are used to set each other up. The left hook to the body,
right hook to the head has been responsible for many a brutal knockout or
knockdown.
Sijo Bruce Lee's tips on
sparring
*Use
protective gear. Try to make sparring as similar as possible to a real
fight. To avoid unnecessary damage is fundamental to use protective gear.
Mouth piece, head gear, gloves, shin pads, groin cup, etc.
*Keep
good posture. A posture from which you can attack and defend, from where
you have mobility and can deliver powerful blows.
*Use
good technique. Good technique is the key to our future progress. If we
have good foundations we can build upon them. Otherwise, we will reach
stagnation pretty soon
*Keep
a solid guard. A good guard is the first step in a strong defense
*Don’t
neglect you defense. While wearing protective gear many fighters neglect
their defense, don’t make this common mistake. Protect yourself at all
times, remember the way you train is the way you fight.
*Learn
to judge distance.
*Learn
to slip, duck, weave and other defensive tactics, to avoid being hit.
*Attack is the best defense. Attack and defend at the same time.
*Maintain a balanced stance, not too wide, not too short.
*Learn
to deceive your opponent. It is hard to hit a skillful fighter with a
straight punch. Be a master at feinting.
*Hit
without getting hit back. To learn to control the distance, work on your
footwork.
*Kick
and punch instinctively to open your mind to strategy. You must
internalize every technique to use them without thinking.
*Don’t
throw punches while leaning back. A punch must be thrown from a balanced
stance, with the weight shifting towards the lead food. That’s the way to
cause real damage.
*Don’t
hit while backing away. Reposition properly before delivering. Step back,
stop, then hit. There is no power behind a punch thrown while backing
away.
*Learn
to maneuver quickly from defense to offense and vice-versa.
*Learn
to hit from any angle, like boxers do. This will make you a more versatile
and unpredictable fighter.
*Be
patient, deliver your blows when certain to reach the target. Why thrown a
punch if you are going to miss?
*Step
in with your punches. Close the distance and put your body weight behind
them.
*Don’t
overshoot your target. You can get out of balance if you miss, leaving you
vulnerable to a counter attack.
Western Boxing vs. Filipino Boxing,
two
similar but distinct arts?
Article by Krishna Godhania
The
largest obstacle facing Filipino martial artists - is the lack of written
documentation regarding the technical evolvement of their art. The
earliest surviving - instructional manual on the art is Placido Yambao's -
Mga Karunungan sa Laring Arnis (1957). However, this is a book focusing on
classical espada y daga as opposed to empty hands. A copy of Don Baltazar
Gonzales' book De los Delitos (1800) remains to be found, according to the
late Manong Eulogio "Yoling" Canete - this book made references to
Pangamut (empty hands). According to Manong Abner Pasa the only copy which
Yoling had seen - was destroyed during the second world war. As a result,
we must rely on oral tradition...which some critics regard as unreliable.
In contrast, about 20 instructional western boxing manuals were published
before 1850. Since 1850, over 200 instructional manuals are known. This
allows us to trace the early evolution of the art through literature. Some
years back, I spent a considerable amount of time - reading most of these
manuals - at the British Museum Library. The following are my thoughts on
the evolution of Western Boxing.
Early boxing (1740 - 1780) was somewhat crude and highly individual.
Footwork was meager, the only individual to have used it to any great
extent during this period - was Ned Hunt - a pupil of Broughton (the
father of modern boxing). Broughton was extremely proficient at body
punching - and the solar plexus, was often referred to as Broughton's
"mark". During this period, chops with the hammer-fist and swings were
widely used. Defense was essentially guarding with the forearm. The
forearms were used to deflect straight punches and to block swings and
chops. Counter attacks called "returns" were made after the initial attack
was complete. Straight punches using a modified fencing lunge - so as to
throw the body's weight into the punch - were known from the earliest
period. The stance was the same as that of English singlestick play -
which many boxers of this period cross-trained in.
In the 1780's, the great pugilist Daniel Mendoza did much to evolve boxing
footwork; retreating and side-stepping gradually began to lose their
overtones of cowardice. "Gentleman" John Jackson perfected the straight
left lead in 1790 and used it with authority. During the same period Ben
Brain fathered the straight right, and Dutch Sam introduced the uppercut
in 1800. The hook was hardly used - because it is a short range blow - the
hook would more easily expose its user to a close and throw. Throws played
a great part in the fights of this era, cross-buttocks (high hip throws),
and a variety of trips - such as the back heel were common. Fighters often
"accidentally" fell on their opponent - so as to maximize the impact of
the throw. "Fibbing" later called "head in chancery" (holding the
opponent's head with one hand whilst hitting it with the other) was widely
practiced. Defensive hitting (the ability to hit effectively whist
retreating) was known during this period, but was called "milling on the
retreat". It was developed by Tom Cribb in 1810.
Sometime, during the 1840's the on-guard position changed. Perhaps the
decrease in boxers cross-training with weaponry (principally singlestick)
influenced this development. The hands were lowered (note: not always to
their detriment), the left pointing forward and the right held across the
mark. The stance was more upright, sometimes effaced and sometimes with
the shoulders square. The lower guard led to the development of "head
movement" -slipping, ducking and swaying back. It also contributed to the
development of "drawing". Counters (counter-attacks delivered
simultaneously with the attack) were also developed during the mid 1800's.
It is interesting to note, that under Broughton's Rules (1743), and the
Rules of the London Prize Ring (1838, 1853), few blows were barred,
wrestling was allowed, and the fight continued until one man or the other
could no longer rise ("toe the scratch") or be dragged to his feet at the
end of thirty seconds. The Marquis of Queensberry Rules (1867) introduced
the wearing of gloves for fights (although they were known as "mufflers"
and were worn for sparring since Broughton's time). The Queensberry Rules
also introduced the 3 minute round, and the 10 second knockout. This
further changed the shape of boxing. In some cases, it increased the
severity of professional fights - for gloves protect a fighter's hands
more than his opponent's face.
Swings became popular again, because protection of the gloves helped
reduce the risk of damage to the hands - when delivering these punches.
James J Corbett was credited with developing the short or "shovel" hook in
1889. In the same year George La Blanche - knocked out the original Jack
Dempsey - with the "pivot punch" - a move taught to him by the english
lightweight - Jimmy Carroll. The "corkscrew blow" - which involved
rotation of the fist from palm up to palm down - was popularized during
the 1890's by Kid McCoy (although it was taught to him by the great
trainer - Jimmy DeForest). The Queensberry rules banned wrestling - as a
result the natural crouch gained in popularity, and was used effectively
by such fighters as Frank Slavin and Jim Jeffries.
During the early 1900's, Jack Johnson (perhaps the greatest defensive
boxer in the history of the game) - perfected the "catch" - a defensive
maneuver whereby you literally catch the opponent's punch - in the palm of
your glove. "Infighting" was also developed considerably during the early
1900's. The bob and weave was used more often - to gain the inside
position. Concepts such as "shifting" with the opponent's punches and
different types of clinching were developed.
Western Boxing came to the Philippines (via US servicemen) in the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. As can be seen from the above,
it was already a highly evolved art. Manong Dan Inosanto has mentioned
that "when the Americans saw the Filipino's box (early 1900's) - they
noticed a high on-guard position, unusually quick punching and lots of
footwork...unknown to them - this was as a result of previous training
with knife".
In my archives, I have a boxing article called "the Father of Philippine
Boxing". (1927). the article is about Eddie Tait, one of the first boxing
promoters in the Philippines. However, it contains some interesting
observations - such as "...there has been a gradual discarding of the
deadly knife without which the average Filipino once thought himself
hardly dressed."
It should be noted - that not many discarded the knife. Even today, the
Philippines has a blade culture.
I believe it is the influence of the knife, which makes Panantukan (aka
Pangamut) unique.
I trained extensively with Manong Estaneslao "Tanny" del Campo. Tanny was
one of the best boxers to come out of the Philippines. He fought for the
world bantamweight title in the 50's, and fought two - very close fights
against Gabriel "Flash" Elorde. Tanny told me the Filipino method of
boxing differs from western boxing in the following ways.
"It is essentially a bare-fist art. It makes use of punches to the groin,
elbows to the body and face, arm wrenching, head butting, and "turning" or
"spinning" the opponent so as to disorientate him. The parry is favored -
against the block, because your opponent may be attacking with a concealed
weapon in the fist. In short it is designed for the street. If you want to
box in the ring, you must learn western boxing, if you use Pangamut in the
ring - you will surely get disqualified".
My belief is that any western boxer can - benefit from cross-training in
the Filipino method. From a self defense perspective - it will give him
many more options. From a ring perspective, some of the following training
methods will help enhances his boxing.
Try using a training knife in conjunction with the focus pad, as a
"coaching tool" - to improve punching, and body evasion.
For example, let's take the jab. Hold a focus pad - in your right hand,
and knife in your left hand. If the puncher drops the arm upon retraction,
hold the knife at chest level. This will give him feedback. If the
punching arm is slow to retract - after hitting the pad, cut it with the
knife. If the puncher has a tendency to lean "over" the central-axis when
punching with the right cross, put the knife in front of the sternum -
this will make him rotate his torso "around" the central-axis. If you want
to increase speed of footwork, get the puncher to move into range with the
jab and stab the lead leg, so that he moves rapidly out of range - after
jabbing.
To conclude, the Filipino's must have embraced western boxing, and then
applied their knowledge of the knife to create a similar - yet distinct
art. Unfortunately, there are no old surviving books on the subject
(although Guro Rick Faye's recent book - is an excellent effort). Old
teachers are rarer yet. Most have passed away. I was fortunate to find two
in the Philippines (Manong Tanny Campo and Manong Dicoy Veraye); this was
after a decade of research - most of which was off the beaten track.
The US - is fortunate to have Manong Dan Inosanto, who's Panantukan is
highly evolved and unique. These teachers - continue to keep this
wonderful art alive.
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