THE MOST EFFECTIVE FISTICUFF.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5117, 13 January 1888, Page 2

THE MOST EFFECTIVE FISTICUFF.

[By Julian Hawthorne.]

-Meanwhile, I am willing to concede that one of the most admired nndeffeclive features of the art of fist-fighting as practiced during tho last hundred years, may be of modern invention. Tho very word " box "is a confirmation of this view. It is derived from" an old German noun signifying cheek; and to box a man meant to fetch bam a bang on the cheek or the ear; in other words, to hit him a swinging or roundabout blow. Now, thi* is the instinctive blow of tho uneducated lighter, the reason being that a swinging Wow, when it reaches its mark, is more telling than a blow of any otlur kind; It is enforced by tho lateral swing and weight of the whole body; and, when it arrives, • something has to go; sometimes it is the j- : knuckles; .sometimes it is the wrist"; hut generally speaking it is the person who , gets hit. This blow, ho wever, is open to two " objections; first, it is easily parried; and in the second place, it exposes the striker to "• a detrimental retort. Accordingly, science has dismissed it {except in special predicament) in favor of the straightforward blow, which, thotm-Ji lacking the stunniugimpactof the other, is much nioro difficult to ward off, can bo delivered nioro swiftly, and does not so expose the body to a counter. Moreover, as regards its inferior foroe, that is a matter of comparatively small consequence. A blow between the eyes does not have +6 bo heavy enough to floor an ox in order to be instructive. ■- Indeed it is surprising how effectivo a reasonably light knoek*may be, if delivered in the right way and oil the '; right place. Tho trained prize-fighter may-r not much mind such a blow ; but to the unpract'eed amateur it is full of significance - aud persuasion. It is enough; aud enough : is as good as a feast, not to speak of a.;, funeral. , • .

Furthermore, when,you have dazed your adversary with the straight hit, you may (if yon like) go in and finish him with a roundhander. But Ido not advise it; we aro not all the Marquis of Queensberry, nor is it necessary to restrict so agreeable a pastime as a square stand-up light topaltry ton or twelve minutes. Take your timo, aud enjoy yourself : you may have to wait a long time before the opportunity recurs. .'. ',;■..,-,

Shoulder-hitting, as it is technically termed, may, then, be regarded as the point of differentiation between ancient and modern fisticuffs; and a very important point it is, for all tlie science of defence depends upon it—the parrying, the countering, the dodging, and tho innumerable wiles and devices whereby the fighter foils his adversary's efforts and enhances his own. It seems to the uninitiated a very easy thing: to hit a man when you are angry; and nothing but experience will show how nearly impossible it is for the tu__nti_ted person in question, no matter how angry ho may bo, to hit tho man, if tho man understands boxing. But, indeed, tho experiment is not likely to be a protracted one.. Soma hitting will doubtless take place, as between the man of science and the man of impulse; but it will probably be very one-sided, and s», also, will be tlie countenance of the mau of impulse the next morning.