Welcome to Kirk Lawson's Western Martial Arts Library!
You'll find two types of material here.
First, you'll find re-publication of antique Martial Arts manuals, focusing mainly on manuals important to the Western Martial Arts traditions, though not exclusively. These manuals are faithfully hand transcribed from original text with the original images scanned. Though I hold copyright on the text formatting and on the scanned images themselves, you are free to download eBooks (PDF) of these historic texts, free of charge, at no cost and to re-distribute them provided you adhere to the legal terms stated in the foreword. Essentially this is that you agree not to attempt to profit my hard work. My intention here is to ensure that these works are available to the Western Martial Arts community at large.
Secondly, you'll find original material here. Again, this material focuses on the Western Martial Arts tradition. Here, again, the goal is to provide content to the general Martial arts community which is rare, obscure but unique, or otherwise difficult obtain.
Thank you for visiting here. I encourage you to check back occasionally as I add new material.
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Print: $19.92 ...the most important work on classical boxing I have seen so far ...
this book will be very very important in the history of this art.
-Ken Pfrenger
Kirk Lawson's "Banned from Boxing" is a unique valuable resource for the burgeoning study of classical pugilism as a martial art and combat sport.
-Tony Wolf
Join Kirk Lawson, a Martial Artist with more than 20 years of experience in various striking and grappling arts, both Western and Eastern as well as an avid MA historian, as he explores the exciting and mostly forgotten world of grappling in historic boxing.
Using antique boxing manuals as reference as well as a healthy dose of experience, Kirk systematically presents in easy to follow terms and sequences the throws, trips, and grapples of historic boxing.
With more than 70 illustration, both new and taken from historic manuals, modern martial artists and boxing historians alike will find this book an indispensable reference.
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Print: $9.72 Download: FREE Fox's Police Gazette was known for publishing material on combat sports, particularly Boxing.
Included are sections on not only the basics of Boxing but also details on signature techniques by the likes of Bob Fitzsimmons and "Kid" McCoy, and training advice from, not just one, but two celebrity authorities. Notably, Bob Fitzsimmons training advice contains a recipe for a kind of American "Dit Da Jow."
Finally, Fox topped off his manual with a section on the then popular boxing-related sport of Bag Punching. Posing for most of the photos in the bag punching section is Boxing Beauty (and co-ed Bag Punching Champion) Belle Gordon.
Liberally adorned with 63 photos illustrating technique and ring greats, this manual is a must have of historic Pugilism
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Print: $8.82 Download: FREE Edward C. Gallagher is credited with practically reinventing modern amateur wrestling in the first quarter of the 20th Century.
A natural athlete with a degree in electrical engineering, he turned his logical mind to wrestling in 1916 as Director of Athletics for Oklahoma State. Claiming a knowledge of more than 400 wrestling moves, he instantly produced a winning team claiming 138 wins with only 5 losses the first year.
His simply titled wrestling manual was considered the zenith of collegiate level wrestling books for decades. Faithfully transcribed from the original by Kirk Lawson and boasting a massive library of 148 photos reproduced with digital precision, “Wrestling” by E. C. Gallagher is a must for martial artists, wrestling historians, and devotees of the sport.
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Print: $9.54 Download: FREE "Gentleman" James J. Corbett held the title of World Heavyweight Boxing Champion 1892 to 1897. Boxing under the Marquis of Queensberry rules, he is sometimes called The Father of Modern Boxing. Dubbed so because his "Scientific" approach to boxing which he used to great effect securing his title against the great John L. Sullivan.
Besides a career in acting, Corbett rounded out his boxing career by teaching at the Olympic Club in San Francisco and writing this manual on his "Scientific Boxing" methods.
Loaded with 50 photographs depicting technique and other greats of the ring, in this 1912 edition Corbett gives descriptions and instruction on both legal, and illegal, ring technique. Faithfully transcribed by Kirk Lawson, the copious photographs and clear description make this manual a must for Boxing historians and modern Martial Artists alike.
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Print: $9.46 Download: FREE Frank Gotch is, perhaps, the most famous (and controversial) Catch-as-Catch-Can Wrestler of all time.
Retiring in 1913, Gotch held three wrestling titles in his career, “Champion of the Klondike,” “American Heavyweight,” and “World Heavyweight” and has been inducted into at least three wrestling halls of fame.
This book, published in 1908 at the height of his career, teaches Catch-as-Catch-Can wrestling. Packed with photos of wrestling greats and 29 instructional plates, including 4 of Gotch’s famous Toe Holds, this manual is truly a slice of grappling history.
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Print: $9.26 Download: FREE Billy Edwards, born in England, traveled to the United States of America to pursue his passion of boxing. Facing such greats as Mike Donovan and Sam Collyer throughout his career, Edwards earned and held the title of Lightweight Champion of America during 1868-1872.
In 1888, Edwards published his manual, together with the help of his friend, long-time sparring partner, and oft-times professional ring opponent, Aurthur Chambers. This manual catalogs footwork, striking technique, throwing, diet, exercise, and training recommendations for both amateur and professional boxers. Edwards provided his manual liberally with illustrations, 26 in all, in which he and Chambers pose. Additionally, Edwards includes and recommends for amateur use the American Fair-Play Rules for boxing, a little known and never officially adopted rule set.
Most uniquely, this manual was actually used a significant court case, namely Louisiana State vs. Olympic Club, 1894.
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Print: $8.14 Download: FREE Prehn, a member of the Wrestling Hall of Fame, was one of the early 20th Century "Big Names." He dedicated a good portion of his life to promoting Wrestling including acting as a professional wrestling coach for the Illini, successfully placing in top 10 matches such as the 1928 NCAA Collegiate Championship. As a G.I., he was a hand-to-hand instructor and won the 1918 Middle Weight Inter-Allied Games championship. He was Chairman of the Illinois Athletic Commission. Prehn was elected President of the National Boxing Association in 1928 which added wrestling to its responsibilities.
Possibly his most important contribution is his wrestling manual. It includes many techniques which are now illegal, such as arm-bars and neck-cranks.
Packed with more than 70 photographs, this manual, faithfully transcribed by Kirk Lawson, is one of the best "Scientific Wrestling" manuals of the early 20th Century and is an indispensible reference for modern wrestlers and historians alike.
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Print: $5.64 Download: FREE Born about 1865 in Cincinnati, Len Lanius began wrestling around the age of 12, eventually wrestling on the Vaudeville circuit before retiring and joining the Sports staff with the Cincinnati Post. Lanius claimed to have held the title of Lightweight Champion Wrestler of the World, which would have been around 1890. After the famous Gotch-Hackenschmidt matches of 1908, Lanius started developing his “American Jiu Jitsu.” In his own words, “it was the invasion of the Jap wrestlers around that time that put me to work on perfecting a style of defense to check their attack. Their methods were quite baffling.” In March of 1921, Lanius demonstrated his creation, “Yankee Jiu Jitsu,” to the Rotary Club and, again in June of 1921, he demoed his Jiu Jitsu to the Kiwanis. In 1922 he published this book, “American Jiu Jitsu.” Special thanks to Jason Couch and the Martial History Magazine at: http://martialhistory.com for making the original of this document available for republishing.
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Print: $5.76 Download: FREE In 1936 K.S. Akali, the Physical Director of his college, published a book on the then little known Martial Art from India known as Gatka.
Boasting 19 photographs and illustrations, K.S. Akali's book offers over 60 pages of instruction on footwork, handling, and use of "the Gatka." This instruction, considered training for the sword, offers a unique perspective into not only the Martial Arts of India, but also the efforts to include "scientific" physical education of the time. The emphasis of K.S. Akali's book is on the sporting aspect of the Art which is similar to Japanese Kendo or English Singlestick. He ends his book with rules for the competition with specific instructions for both the competitors and the judges.
Faithfully reproduced by Kirk Lawson, this book is an invaluable resource that both historic researchers and modern Martial Artists alike will find beneficial.
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Print: $6.50 Download: FREE This booklet has been designed for students of Cumann Bhata Dayton to use as a study aid. It draws from the many historic manuals and drill books that our club has incorporated into practice and is not based on any one specific body of work. We practice 19th century Anglo-American military saber specifically and, because of that distinction, our philosophy is more suited to the historic battlefield than it is to a duel.
Anyone who is not a member of our club is welcome to use this booklet as a training aid. I encourage anyone who is trying to learn from this or any manual to do everything you can to find a teacher. A book is a poor substitute for learning from an experienced practitioner.
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Print: $8.91 Download: FREE Winning most of his matches in under 10 minutes with a career record of over 2000 wins 5 losses, the "Russian Lion" as he was known, was considered the top wrestler of his day and is still thought one of the top Catch-as-catch-can wrestlers of all time.
First published in 1909, this manual, lavished with 70 photographs, introduces what Hackenschmidt thought was the most important elements of Catch-as-catch-can wrestling, with particular attention to what was not included in competing manuals.
Though he had earned a reputation as a true gentleman, his manual includes details on trips, leg-locks, arm-locks, chokes, skirting the rules, "punishing" holds, and various "tricks" that could be used in a match.
This manual, faithfully transcribed from the original, contains a wealth of information for modern Catch-as-catch-can wrestlers and remains an important and valuable wrestling resource to this day.
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Print: $5.28 Download: FREE The Boy Scouts long have issued a Master at Arms Badge. In the U.S., the Badge was retired in 1911. In England the badge lives on and can be fulfilled with many great sports such as Target Shooting, Archery, or after-school Asian martial arts. However, to many western martial artists, it lives on as a pale shadow of its former self, consisting all too often of “a note from the boy’s Sensei saying, ‘yes, he attends class regularly’.”
Ah, but in “the good old days,” when politicians represented the will of the people and the grass was greener, the Master at Arms Badge reflected a more western heritage by requiring skill in any two of Singlestick, Fencing, Boxing, Quarterstaff, Ju Jitsu, Wrestling, or Gymnastics.
While myth, as usual, overshadows reality, I was excited to read the post by Robert Reinberger of http://www.budoforum.net when he made the 1925 English text available in raw scans. I am grateful that he has preserved this text and given me permission to republish.
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Print: $8.20 Download: FREE Born June 4, 1862, Robert Fitzsimmons began boxing first as an amateur in New Zealand and Australia, defeating four men in his debut. He quickly transitioned to professional and in the late 19th Century met and defeated numerous well known champions of the day including Dempsey, Maher, Hall, Creedon, Corbett, Ruhlin, Sharkey, "and others of like note..." retaining and defending the Heavy-Weight title until June 9, 1899.
In retired life, Fitzsimmons taught Boxing, Self-Defense, and Physical Fitness, then known as "Physical Culture." In 1901, he published his Fitness and Boxing manual titled "Physical Culture and Self Defense" which included material from earlier articles he had written.
This book is a faithful retranscription by Kirk Lawson of the original text. Special attention has been given to recreating the look and feel of the original document, including similar fonts, the preservation of spelling, hyphenation, and intentionally blank pages.
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Print: $6.86 Download: FREE In the early 1920's, Superintendent of Police in India H.G. Lang introduced the Walking Stick Method of Self Defense based upon the instruction of Swiss la canne Professor Pierre Vigny. He published this historic manual documenting his cane fighting system.
This manual, faithfully transcribed by Kirk Lawson from the original (copyright held on text formatting and images), Lang included 116 pages of text in his orginal manual including 66 pages of specific instruction and 60 images illustrating his techniques.
Special thanks to Ralph Grasso for preserving this historic text in his library. Additional thanks to Joseph P. Sullivan for providing a copy to me.
Finally, special thanks to The Exiles (http://www.the-exiles.org) for hosting the original PDF transciptions.
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Print: $5.40 Download: FREE In 1797, W. Pepper of the Notts Yeomanry Cavalry printed the second edition of his Broad Sword instruction manual.
Carefully transcribed from the original text by Kirk Lawson, this manual is intended to train Cavalry recruits in the basics of the horse mounted Military Saber or "Broad Sword." Instruction begins unmounted with details of the basic guards and cuts and ends with detailed cut and parry drills to be directed by the Fleugelman.
Pepper provisioned his Saber manual with seven line drawing illustrations, providing both internal decoration and visual instruction. These illustrations, restored with digital precision by Kirk Lawson, offer a treasured window into the exciting history of this historic Western Martial Art.
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Print: $9.75 Download: FREE George Bothner, was considered alternately the "most Scientific" and best "defensive wrestler" of his day.
Bothner, began his wrestling career at 13 years old and, as a "youth" won the amateur 125 lb. title and then, 2 hours later, won the 158 lb. title. His amateur career, lasting 7 years, was undefeated.
His professional career began in 1896 under Hugh Leonard. In 1899 he wonn the Lightweight Championship, and twice defended the title. During this time he fought exhibitions matches with greats of the time and was a pioneer in the wildly popular "Wrestling versus Jiu Jitsu" matches. He won against Katsukuma Higashi in 1905 and 9 years later, at the age of 48, he defended the honor of Catch wrestling against Tarro Miyake, retiring afterward.
This comprehensive manual is lavished with more than 60 instructional photographs. This is truly a "must have" for the Catch-as-Catch-Can practitioner and a valuable resource for grapplers, and martial historians.
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BoxingBoxing (book)
Print: $9.70 Download: FREE Philadelphia Jack O'Brien, Light Heavyweight, claiming "American Middleweight," and boxing in all divisions, including a Championship match for the Heavyweight Championship of the World against Jack Johnson, wrote his manual in 1928.
In his career he fought such notables as Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Bob Fitzsimmons, and even Anthony J. Drexel Biddle.
O'Brien's comprehensive manual includes not only the standard instruction on how to punch, defend, and footwork but also covers fine aspects of ring generalship such as reading an opponent's intention, likely fighting styles, how to escape being cornered. O'Brien also provides in depth instruction of training up, diet, even sleeping advice. He includes instruction on how to minister to common injuries, advice on body toughening methods, and teaches the aspiring Referee.
This manual is a classic piece of history and an indispensable addition to the library of any boxing historian, boxer, and aspiring martial artist.
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Print: $8.12 Download: FREE Published in 1887, William B. Dick's manual packs big information in a small package.
Dick includes details on several distinct styles of wrestling: German, Cumberland, Loose (Catch as Catch Can), Swiss Swing, and Styrian as well as a simplified boxing method.
Dick includes the basics of throws, trips, and grapples and, unusually, the counters for nearly all.
His manual includes 27 clearly drawn engravings illustrating techniques and positions making it, altogether, a valuable addition to the grappling boxer's historic library.
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BoxingBoxing (book)
Print: $9.22 Download: FREE In 1915 R.G. Allanson-Winn published this abridged version of Boxing.
The Lord Headly, an avid boxer, martial artist, and self defense enthusiast, included not only sections on the basics of boxing, old pugilistic grappling, judging advice, training, and diet, but also a section of self defense and la Savate.
He included over 30 posed photographs and drawings detailing important elements of this golden age boxing system, making this manual a must for boxers, researchers and martial artists of today.
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Print: $9.58 Download: FREE As a student at the University of Illinois, "Barney" Cosneck won two Big Ten wrestling championships. Later he served as Judo instructor in the armed forces, where he co-authored "How to Fight Tough" with Jack Dempsey. In "American Combat Judo" he has adapted the best of Japanese ju jitsu, French foot fighting, Chinese boxing and American wrestling to produce simple but effective techniques for defense and counterattack.
Authored in 1944 and illustrated with 188 photo sequences, this book, considered one of the cornerstones of American WWII era "Combatives" is a unique window into self defense theory and the early evolution of combined martial systems.
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Print: $8.32 Download: FREE Writing decades after Gotch's death in 1917, George Robbins pens this instructional manual on Frank Gotch's wrestling style.
It is unclear where Robbins got his material and quotes from Gotch, but working for the Sporting Staff, The Chicago Daily News would have potentially given him access to Gotch personally at some point and the two may have even been friends. The 27 instructional pictures included are clear, well done, drawings which some have suggested may have partially been redrawn from the photographs of Gotch's earlier book, "Wrestling and How to Train."
The real gems of this little instructional manual are Gotch's discussion of his famous "toe hold," including, most interestingly, its origins, and instruction on the Strangle hold with a drawing of the legendary "Farmer" Burns demonstrating.
Altogether, this manual is a unique and important bit of catch wrestling history.
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BoxingBoxing (book)
Print: $9.56 Download: FREE Edwin Haislet, noted Boxing Coach, wrote his seminal book on the subject in 1940.
Haislet served as Executive Director for the Department of Alumni Relations, University of Minnesota.
His boxing credentials come from his time served as Boxing Coach and Assistant Professor of Physical Education and Recreation there, as well as Director of the Northwest Golden Gloves.
Still considered one of the most relevant early 20th Century books on Boxing, Haislet's work is known for his advice on footwork, training, and his inclusion of the Inside and Outside Triple.
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Print: $8.26 Download: FREE In 1840,Owen Swift published "The Hand-book to Boxing."
Drawing on his experience as a professional boxer, having killed at least two men in the ring, his ambitious booklet attempts to treat the subject of boxing comprehensively.
Swift first offers a defense of pugilism, arguing for its legalization to the Marquis of Normanby. He follows with a brief history of boxing from ancient greeks to contemporary times. He continues with a discussion and advice for the proper forms to enjoy boxing as an upper class spectator. Thense he careens into a discussion of boxing schools and differences between “modern” and “old” styles. Finally, at long last, he gives instructions for how to box and train, the requirements of Seconds, and the "new rules of prize-fighting."
Swift wraps up with a chronology of boxing spanning from 1740 to November 1840.
This inclusive and unique manual is a requisite for pugilism enthusiasts, martial artists, and boxing historians alike.
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Print: $7.96 Download: FREE Published from New York in 1878, this manual on Boxing and Wrestling offers instructions for the budding enthusiast of Physical Culture and "Scientific" self defense.
Lauded by publications from the New York Sun to the St. Louis Herald, this instruction manual is liberally provided with 21 illustrations outlining both pugilistic and grappling techniques.
Most uniquely, Ed James offers details on the mysterious art of "Japanese Wrestling," completely unknown in the West at the time of original publication.
Altogether, this book is a must-have for students of 19th Century Pugilism and Wrestling as well as for modern advocates of the sports and historic self defense.
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Print: $9.82 Download: FREE In 1923 "Bombardier" Billy Wells, wrote "Physical Energy."
Inside, Wells, 8 time British Champion, describes his method of Physical Culture using Boxing. In it, he builds his case for why it is superior to previous methods of Physical Culture, explaining that the primary ingredient of health is "nervous energy," describeing how lack of "nervous energy" due to ineffective, or outdated Physical Culture methods allow illnesses ranging from anemia, to "Incipient Tuberculosis." All of which, and more, may be cured by his method. Further, use of his method will promote intelligence, due to the fact that "nerve energy" is a primary component of intellect and creativity.
The original book is intended for an upscale audience with heavy weight, high rag, paper and artist attributed photos of the Wells himself posing in the manner of a greek god, in the buff, complete with a fig leaf. This book offers an absolutely fascinating and priceless look at theories of health and fitness in the early 1920's.
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Print: $7.54 Download: FREE Writing in 1825, the anonymous “Celebrated Pugilist” penned “The Art and Practice of Boxing.”
This early boxing manual, as is typical, teaches footwork, striking, blocking, and training details. This includes specifics of diet, exercise, & grappling.
However, he deviates from the norm in two important ways. First, he dedicates an unusual amount of his text to discussion (and derision) of methods and strategies which, though technically legal under boxing rules of the time, he considers “unmanly.” Second, he cites an earlier Wrestling text, Sir Thomas Parkyn’s “In-Play” for advice and description on performing some of the grappling and throwing which were part of orthodox boxing of the period.
He includes in his text images of 9 techniques which he considers either confusing or foundational, rounding out his relatively short text with a recitation of Broughton’s rules which, like this manual itself, were authored before the adoption of the London Prize Ring rules of 1838.
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Print: $8.86 Download: FREE Writing in 1863 John Henry "Stonehenge" Walsh and Rev. J. G. Wood published their manual apparently intended for the "historic combat sports" market, in vogue with the middle class of the time.
Despite the blatant plagiarism, most notably, plagiarizing significant amounts from John Gaspard le Marchant who wrote his popular military and Broadsword manual 67 years prior, they compiled a fairly comprehensive yet concise little manual covering Archer, Fencing with the Foil, and Broadsword.
The Archery section contains basics of equipment, usage, and uniform as well as itemizing several type of competition, and even detailing the basics of an Archery Club.
The Fencing section includes the basics of the use of the Foil, positions, terminology, engagements, and general advice.
The Broadsword section incorporates details on the training and usage of the Broadsword, in a Military Saber configuration, training, set drills, and suggestions for "loose play."
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Print: $9.91 Download: FREE Spalding's Athletic Library published massive numbers of sports books. Their wide ranging topics, predictably, included martial sports such as Archery, Fencing, Boxing, and, yes Wrestling.
This installment to the expansive "Red Cover" series reviews wrestling and combines two separate books on the subject into one.
The first, "How to Wrestle" by Frederic Toombs, presents a general overview of the subject including advice for beginners and general instruction on various techniques of wrestling. The book closes with rules 6 forms of wrestling.
Following Toombs work is E. Hitchcock's "Wrestling Catch-as-Catch-Can Style." Not intended to be a "Complete Guide to Wrestling," Hitchcock focuses on Catch. Further, he states that Catch-as-Catch-Can is the “most universal,” practical, and "natural" of all forms of wrestling. True or not Catch was certainly the most popular style of the time.
Altogether, this double-manual is a fascinating and valuable piece of Combat Sports history.
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Print: $7.38 Download: FREE In 1907, the War Office of Great Britain authored a new Bayonet training manual. Intended to update the Bayonet training section of the 1905 Training Manual, this short text lays out a course for training raw recruits in the use of the Bayonet affixed to the, then standard, Lee-Enfield bolt action repeating rifle.
Measuring as much as 53" long with bayonet affixed, and tipping the scales at a bone crushing 8.8 lbs., half spear, half club, the rifle with bayonet made a truly dangerous melee weapon; and the British soldiers were expected to become familiar with it.
To that end, the manual lays out a regiment of 17 lessons consisting of drills lasting an hour a day over the course of twelve days leading eventually to "Assaulting" or "Loose Play."
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Print: $9.46 Download: FREE Not much is known about Bart J. Doran save what he writes in this 1889 boxing manual. Ah, but what a manual!
Doran claims to have been an instructor of Boxing at the University of Michigan and at clubs in Memphis, Cincinnati, and even Canada.
He writes for new boxers with no prior instruction or access to a regular instructor with an emphasis at covering information left out or poorly instructed by other "famous" writers.
Doran includes a tantalizing early look at a power generation technique which the great Jack Dempsey would later dub the shoulder whirl. Further he includes instruction for a "wall pad"; what readers today would identify as a Makiwara, fully 10 years before E.W. Barton-Wright introduced Japanese martial arts to the West.
Packed with 36 digitally restored illustration, instruction on bag punching, a dumb-bell workout, and a unique version of the American Fair Play Rules, this rare manual is sure to please modern martial artists and boxing historians alike.
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Print: $8.04 Download: FREE Daniel Mendoza, considered perhaps the greatest boxer of the Broughton era, records in this book one of the earliest and most important manuals on English Boxing.
In this manual, probably written late 1789, the immensely popular Mendoza details the “scientific” methods he used to successfully compete in a terrifically physical sport for which no weight classes existed, himself being 5’7” and 160 lbs.
Herein he stipulates specifics on training, diet, and sleep. He then describes fight strategy and, perhaps most importantly, lays out a series of 6 detailed blow-by-blow lessons for instructing students in the science of English Boxing.
He closes out his manual with a description of one of his most famous fights against Richard Humphreys, the first three rounds of which read like the script for a Bruce Lee movie with Humphreys striking out, Mendoza parrying and then returning a single blow which knocks Humphreys off of feet, ending the round.
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