Dedication

To my wonderful wife, Mylinda, who's borne untold

horrors by listening to me drone on incessantly on the topic
of Western Martial Arts in general and this book in particular,
who has put up with my bruises and injuries, and who, once
as a birthday present, actually convincingly feigned interest
for my somewhat unusual hobby.
To my fantastic son, Christopher, who is always eager
to wrestle or punch his daddy and to whom I hope to leave a
legacy of love for the historic Martial Arts unique to his
heritage.
To my beautiful daughter, Allison, who makes me
smile whenever I look at her and who lights up the room with
her mere presence.
To my Father, Russ, and Mother, Melody, who
instilled and fostered curiosity and a sense of adventure in
me. I will never forget the many stories of wonder and
adventure from your library Dad, nor will I forget the “super-
hero” capes sewn from old towels, Mom.
To my Western Martial Arts friends, training partners,
associates, and mentors without whom I would not have been
able come as far as I have. You each deserve to be named but
I fear I would double the length of the book were I to do so.
Nevertheless, I would be remiss if I did not mention Ken
Pfrenger who started me on the path of Western Martial Arts
and Mark Rainey, my sparring partner and co-founder of
Cumann Bhata Dayton Western Martial Arts Club.
I dedicate this book to each of you.
Special thanks to Tony Wolf for his efforts in
proofing this document.
Table of Contents
Grappling? In Boxing? C'mon now!.....................................1
In­Fighting............................................................................9
The Clinch and Chancery....................................................21
More Chances at Chancery.................................................37
The Cross­Buttock..............................................................50
The Backfall........................................................................66
The Side­Fall.......................................................................72
The Backheel......................................................................82
"Throwing": The Other Backheel.......................................92
The Back Hip Fall...............................................................98
Pull the Hair, Poke the Eye, Oh My!.................................104
Wrestling as an accessory to Pugilism..............................119
Drills.................................................................................126
Conclusion........................................................................135
Bibliography......................................................................139
Illustration Index
Donnelly's In Fighting.........................................................10
Sullivan's Inn­Fighting........................................................10
Allanson­Winn ­ Straight Hit..............................................12
Walker ­ Straight Blows......................................................13
Walker ­ Guard for Left Lead..............................................13
Allanson­Winn ­ Guard for Left Lead.................................13
Modern Peek­a­Boo Boxing Guard.....................................14
Fewtrell ­ Johnson's Attitude...............................................14
Edwards ­ Side­Step 1.........................................................17
Edwards ­ Side­Step 2.........................................................17
Edwards ­ Head­Slip and Body­Blow.................................17
Edwards ­ The Clinch 1......................................................24
Edwards ­ The Clinch 2......................................................24
Edwards ­ In Chancery 1....................................................26
Edwards ­ In Chancery 2....................................................26
Sullivan ­ Chancery.............................................................27
Donnelly ­ Chancery...........................................................27
Sullivan ­ Cross­Counter.....................................................31
Sullivan ­ Change in position for Cross­Counter................31
Fitzsimmons ­ Duck and Righ­Hand Body­Blow...............32
Sullivan ­ Counter to Body.................................................33
Sullivan ­ Change in position for Counter to Body.............33
Sullivan ­ Escape from Chancery.......................................35
Sullivan ­ Side Chancery....................................................38
Allanson­Winn ­ Side Chancery.........................................39
Price ­ Side Chancery.........................................................40
Sullivan ­ Front Chancery...................................................42
Price ­ Front Chancery........................................................43
Sullivan ­ Break for Side Chancery....................................45
Price ­ Escape from Side Chancery....................................46
Sullivan ­ Break for Front Chancery...................................47
Price ­ Escape from Front Chancery...................................48
Allanson­Winn ­ Cross­Buttock..........................................52
Sullivan ­ Cross­Buttock.....................................................53
Walker ­ Cross­Buttock.......................................................54
Price ­ Cross­Buttock ­ side view.......................................56
Price ­ Cross­Buttock ­ front view......................................56
"Gunner" Moir ­ Cross­Buttock..........................................58
Sullivan ­ Break for Cross­Buttock.....................................59
Hackenschmidt ­ Counter to Cross­Buttock.......................62
Hand­on­hip stop for Cross­Buttock...................................63
"Hipping in" stop for Cross­Buttock...................................64
Sullivan ­ Back­Fall.............................................................67
Price ­ Back­Fall..................................................................68
Sullivan ­ Break for Back­Fall.............................................70
Sullivan ­ Side­Fall..............................................................73
Price ­ Side­Fall...................................................................74
Allanson­Winn ­ Side­Fall (he names Back­Fall)................75
Art and Practice of Boxing ­ The "Lock"...........................77
Allanson­Winn ­ Back­Heel................................................83
Edwards ­ Back­Heeling.....................................................84
"Gunner" Moir ­ Back­Heel................................................85
Edwards ­ Back­Heeling ­ variation 1.................................88
Allanson­Winn ­ stop for Back­Heel...................................89
"Gunner" Moir ­ Block for Back­heel.................................90
Art and Practice ­ Throwing...............................................93
Walker's Backheel...............................................................95
Escape from Backheel.........................................................97
Sullivan's Back Hip Fall......................................................99
Art and Practice ­ Back Hip Fall.......................................100
Check Lead Hand and enter for throw...............................101
Hair Pull assisted balance break........................................106
Inn­Play ­ The Pinnion......................................................108
Inn­Play ­ Elbow assisted Pinnion.....................................108
Inn­Play ­ Arm­Wrap style Pinnion...................................109
Inn­Play ­ Boxing Choke...................................................110
Inn­Fighting ­ Twist the head............................................113
Escape from Parkyns Head­Grappling..............................115
Inn­Play ­ Elbow strike breaks Front Choke.....................116
Walker ­ Stop for Cross­Buttocks: The Lock....................122
Walker ­ The Chip.............................................................123

Note: I have redrawn, by hand, sketches of any images for

which I do not own Copyright on or have specific written
permission to use original scans of the images found in the
historic texts. Although the text itself from these historic
manuals has long since passed out of Copyright, the digital
scans of the images are considered “new art” and have not.
Images which I have re-sketched are denoted by the presence
of a block style typeface “LKL” in one corner of the image,
indicating that I have re-sketched this image and it is not the
original scan of the image, which the originating individual
still holds Copyright on. Images with a hand-written “LKL”
in one corner indicates an original sketch by me.
 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

CHAPTER I
~
Grappling? In Boxing? C'mon now!
That seems to be one of the most common responses to
the assertion that, yes indeed, Boxing contains grappling.
Well, at least it used to, that is. This is often accompanied by
the suggestion that “proper” Boxing doesn't contain grappling
but that low-brow “street fighting” type Boxing, used by thugs,
leg-breakers, and ner'-do-wells possibly could. Sometimes the
response is a variation of the idea that “proper” Boxing doesn't
contain grappling but that the popularity of Mixed Martial Arts
(MMA) competitions such as the UFC has seen a sort of
bastardization of the real, technical, “Sweet Science,” Boxing
to include things that have never, ever, been a part of “true and
proper” Boxing. A somewhat more charitable variation asserts
that, though “proper” Boxing doesn't include grappling, certain
practitioners have contaminated the pure sport by including it,
perhaps from some unspecified and un-Boxingish martial art,
'um, maybe Muay Thai, Karate or something'.
You may already be familiar with the fact that older

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 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

styles of Boxing, older rule sets, which for convenience sake

I'll call 'Classic Pugilism'1, did, in fact, contain a great deal of
grappling. Or, perhaps, you're new to the idea and are
intrigued. If so, welcome to a new, well old, and valuable slice
of Boxing from the past.
Yes, it's true. Classic Pugilism historically included
numerous elements of what we call today, “grappling.” It was
common during earlier periods to call it wrestling or, often, to
refer to individual techniques. Nevertheless, include them they
did. These techniques encompassed trips, throws, body-
grapples, body-clashes, and, sometimes, what we today would
call downright dirty fighting. Our pugilistic ancestors were
rough men who participated in a rough sport. There were
several evolutions of the rules of boxing, but again, for
convenience sake, let's separate it by its three major divisions.
Boxing can be said to be one of man's two oldest
sports, the other being Wrestling. Boxing historians can, and
have, made a case that the roots of Modern Boxing hearken
back perhaps as far as ancient Egypt, but most are content to
trace it back to ancient Greece where it appeared in various
forms. Nevertheless, the verifiable roots of Modern Boxing
are difficult to trace earlier than post-Roman occupation
England. Yes, there likely has always been a sport in which
two men punch each other in the head, but was that Boxing?
Well, maybe. It depends on the definition. Clearly the
sporting context of Modern Boxing has its roots in the
fisticuffs sports of England. Maybe the Romans brought it
with them as a sport adopted form the Greeks, as they did with
so much of Roman culture. Maybe the indigenous tribes of the
British Isles already had the sport. Maybe, as some research
indicates, James Figg, the first of the “stage gladiators” to
practice Classic Pugilism in London, imported it from Italy.
Perhaps it sprang full fledged into the culture much as Athena

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 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

burst full grown from Zeus' skull. Whatever the case, the
history of Modern Boxing is clearly English in origin.
Even within that history we we want to look at certain
periods which we will define by rule sets. These rule sets are
the Broughton era rules, the London Prize Ring rules, and the
Marquis of Queensbury rules. We'll focus mainly on the
Broughton era rules and the London Prize Ring rules but touch
upon the Marquis of Queensbury rules as well.
Broughton is said to have coined his rules after killing
a man in the ring (I did mention that Classic Pugilism was a
rough sport). Apart from details of the ring, winning the bout,
rounds, and awarding of the purse, his rules were thus:

"That no person is to hit his Adversary when he is

down, or seize him by the ham, the breeches, or any
part below the waist: a man on his knees is reckoned
down."

Notice that this leaves more than a bit of play. What, among
the modern “dirty tricks,” is legal under this one sentence rule
set? Quite a lot.
The London Prize Ring rules were somewhat more
extensive and, among other things, stipulated:

● No butting.
● No hitting a downed man.
● No hitting below the belt.
● No gouging or biting.
● No kicking or falling on an opponent knees
first.
● No grabbing from the waist down.
Again, what isn't forbidden speaks volumes.
The Marquis of Queensbury rules effectively

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 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

eliminated grappling from the sport by stipulating, “No

wrestling or hugging allowed.” However, that is not to say
that Marquis rules were immediately adopted by all. There
remained a period of overlap between each of the rule sets and
many of the manuals written after the Marquis of Queensbury
rules were published give eloquent testament to the fact that
matches including grappling were still fought for quite some
time.
But is it useful to me today? I mean, really, what's the
point of it today? Can't you just go down to the Brazilian Ju
Jitsu or Judo club? Well, sure you could. But at those clubs
you'll learn Brazilian Ju Jitsu and Judo. You won't be learning
the historic grappling of Classic Pugilism. Sure there are a lot
of similarities, however, most Brazilian Ju Jitsu and Judo
schools are not going to teach you how to integrate their
excellent grappling arts with Pugilism. Yes, if you're creative
and hard working you can figure it out. Sounds like a pretty
good plan. But wouldn't it be nice if you had some hints on
how to integrate?
You might also think about going to a Mixed Martial
Arts (MMA) school. These schools do a lot of work on
integrating grappling and striking, it's true. And they do a very
good job at what they do. Again, however, it should be noted
that, though a fine approach, the training outcome is not the
same. MMA schools are generally training with a sport MMA
goal. Now, I'm not talking about that old saw of “they have
rules and a 'real fight' doesn't.” We certainly don't need to
cover that well trampled ground again. A fundamental
difference in the training goals, and therefore the training
methodology, is the outcome. MMA focuses on submission.
Classic Pugilism was focusing on a similar, yet different, type
of submission. Remember, in Classic Pugilism, ground
grappling was forbidden. Wins in the ring came from knock

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 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

out or pummeling so severe that the opponent could not

continue with a general stipulation that, and this is important,
the combatants were Bare Knuckle. You already knew this
but I want you to pause in consideration momentarily. Often,
intentionally or otherwise, MMA schools teach from the
position that your fights are going to be conducted with some
sort of hand and knuckle protection, however light you might
think it is. And though this produces very good results, it's still
not truly comparable to how you have to fight Bare Knuckle.
As you learn the grappling used in Classic Pugilism
you'll notice one very interesting and useful fact. All of the
grappling techniques have variations which do not require the
use of the fingers for grasping. You can see this even in the
manuscripts which are transitional between the London Prize
Ring and the Marquis of Queensbury rules. In those manuals
the illustrations usually show the participants wearing gloves,
often called “mufflers” or “mittens,” still performing these
grappling maneuvers. Even when their hands are effectively
useless for grabbing, these grapples still work.
Can you imagine any situation you might find yourself
in that it might be advantageous to know effective grappling
while unable to grab? Perhaps, for instance, if you hit
something wrong at the wrong time from the wrong direction
and now have a fractured hand? If it can happen to Tyson, it
can happen to you.
Another striking property of these grapples is that they
are “high percentage.” “High percentage” generally means
that a given technique is simple to perform and uncomplicated,
making it easier to remember and execute with a higher
likelihood of successfully being performed under stress against
an opponent doing his utmost to prevent you from performing
the technique.
Finally, it should be noted that Classic Pugilism was

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 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

considered Gentleman's Self Defense and taught as such. Billy

Edwards his manual Art of Boxing and Manual Training said,

“I have already said that in usual sparring no such thing

as hugging, holding, wrestling, or kicking should be
permitted; but taking it for granted that having made
yourself thoroughly at home with the regular methods,
you are naturally anxious to know something about
modes of fighting that are confined, I am happy to say,
only to the prize ring proper, and the knowledge of
which will often stand you in good stead at a pinch...”

Note the number of Classic Pugilism manuals which are titled

“Defence” in one way or another, such as The Science of Self
Defence, or Boxing, a Manual Devoted to the Art of Self-
Defence. Additionally there are any number of articles printed
in period sporting and men's magazines such as The Practical
Value of Boxing as a means of defence against Attack by
Hooligans by “Gunner” Moir (which is specifically intended
as self defense against an attack on the street rather than as
sport) or Boxing for the Man on the Street by Reg. L. Baker2.
In other words, society at large during the time Classic
Pugilism was practiced recognized it as valid and effective self
defense. It worked for them and it can work for you as well.
With that said, a note on what this book will cover is in
order. As the title and previous text implies, we will be
looking at grappling in Classic Pugilism. We will examine the
historic grapples recorded in period manuals. We'll look at
them in detail, deconstruct them, study how they are
performed, what some setups for them are, and what the
counters are for them.
One thing you'll find as we investigate these historic
grapples is that there were no hard-fast naming conventions.

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 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

One of the most common grapples, appearing in nearly every

manual, is named the “Cross Buttock.” Yet the Cross Buttock
illustrated by the anonymous “Celebrated Pugilist” in his
manual The Art and Practice of Boxing is remarkably different
from what Edmond E. Price illustrates in his manual The
Science of Self Defence. However, the “Celebrated Pugilists'”
Cross Buttock is the same as John E. Sullivan's “Back Hip
Fall” in his manual Boxing, a Manual Devoted to the Art of
Self-Defence. In the following chapters devoted to each
technique, we will follow the naming convention that seems to
be best represented for each technique or, failing a greater
consensus, with whatever seems most logical to me.
What we won't cover in this book are elements of
Classic Boxing clearly distinct from grappling. While some of
the setups and defenses will require striking, blocking, or
footwork, and some description may be necessary, we won't
be closely examining these aspects. Not that these portions of
the composite are less important, simply that this book is
focusing on the grappling element.

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 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

1
I did not coin the term 'Classic Pugilism' in reference to older
styles and rule sets of Boxing. I first became acquainted with
the term through my association with Ken Pfrenger, a Western
Martial Artist, researcher, and Classic Pugilism advocate.
2
Both articles republished on the web by Craig Gemeiner at
http://www.savateaustralia.com

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 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

CHAPTER II
~
In-Fighting
“In-Fighting” today conjures images of a group of
people airing petty squabbles amongst themselves. However,
as you pugilistic readers know, the term had a very specific
meaning in Classic Pugilism. But what is it? It's more than
just “boxing at close quarters,” as it's commonly thought of
today. Also called “Rallying,” effectively the term referred to
fighting from a range where clinching is often a natural
consequence while avoiding the clinch. In Modern Boxing,
this would be an ideal place to use close range hooks and
punishing body blows and often sees boxers enter into the
Clinch and “hug” when tired.
Georges Carpentier in his manual The Art of Boxing
said of In-Fighting,
“In-Fighting, as the name implies, is boxing or fighting
at close quarters, the bodies of the opponents even
touching each other.”
More than simply boxing at close quarters, though it is also
that, the opponents are “touching” each other.

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 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

Sullivan, in his manual, says that In-Fighting,

“...Consists in getting your arms inside your opponent's
an delivering several blows in rapid succession.”
The key here is to have both of your arms inside of both of his.
Or, as Carpentier so elegantly sums up,
“The point in in-fighting is to get clearly inside your
opponent's guard, your arms between his, to have a
clear opening to hammer in blows, upper-cutting being
also made easy from a close inside position. In that
case the opponent is outside, and can only rap away
uncomfortably at the back of the head, or strike out at
your flanks.”
Note the illustrations from Sullivan and Donnelly both show
the boxer engaged in In-Fighting has a superior position in that
he's inside the power of his opponent whose only option would
be hooks and body blows. [Ill. 1-2]

Illustration 1:  Illustration 2: 

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 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

So why is In-fighting an important element to

grappling in Classic Pugilism? No doubt it is obvious that it
places the boxer in an ideal position to grasp and grapple. As
R.G. Allanson-Winn, says in his manual Boxing,

“'In-fighting' generally resolves itself into a wrestling

match, or one man gets the other's head in chancery...”

This is a dominant position for most of the front, or head on,

grapples. For instance, as a prelude to Fibbing (see Chancery),
Price says,

“Soyer, or some other great cook, enjoined as a

preliminary to skinning your eel, 'first catch him;' we
would bid our reader first to get in close to his
opponent; indeed as close as possible.”

...but gives little enough detail on how to get in that close.

However, we can see that In-Fighting is the ideal position from
which to launch this particular grapple.
Billy Edwards presents his description of In-Fighting
separate from his instruction on grappling. On how to secure
the proper hold for Chancery, Edwards claims that “I know
not. No rule can be laid down...” He doesn't know how to
instruct it but that an experienced boxer will somehow 'just
know' where and how to secure the hold; “...but in close
quarters and at 'in-fighting,' opportunities present themselves,
and the expert takes advantage of them.” He expounds upon
In-Fighting earlier in his manual, apparently without showing
the obvious connection between In-Fighting and Fibbing,
Chancery, Chipping, Cross-Buttocking, etc. I think, perhaps,
the estimable Mr. Edwards was being too modest.
OK, great. So the ability to get to In-Fighting is a

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 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

wonderful skill and an ideal setup for the grappling of Classic

Pugilism. But how does one get there? Experienced boxers,
as with Edwards, sometimes don't really realize the what the
process was that put them into In-Fighting, it's become so very
natural for them that it seems to happen without conscious
thought. There are any number of tactics or tricks that will
place fighters into In-Fighting but for simplicity sake, we'll
look at two of them, one historic and one somewhat more
modern.
In much of Classic Pugilism the strikes were often
initiated from longer range, as would be expected in a match
where closing range could result in one party being grappled
and thrown violently to the ground. As a result, strikes tended
to be much more linear. Two common strikes, in particular,
were the Straight Punch, either Lead or Rear, [Ill. 3-4] and the
Rounding Blow. The Straight, similar in some ways to a
modern jab, proceeds linearly to the target while the Rounding
Blow takes a somewhat more hooking path, an outside arc, to
the target.

Allanson­Winn:
Straight Hit

Illustration 3: 

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 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

Illustration 4: 
In both cases, one standard defence was to intercept
and block to the outside using the forearm on the same side as
the attack. If the opponent strikes with a Straight Left then
block it to the outside with your right forearm.[Ill. 5-6] Note
how this immediately places your right arm in the proper
position for In-Fighting? Though you have many options to
counter-punch by simply stepping forward you are
automatically propelled into In-Fighting position.

Allanson­Winn

Illustration 5:  Illustration 6: 

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 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

From a more modern perspective, another option would

be to simply “crash guard” and force the way in. This is
accomplished by adopting a protective guard position with the
hands, called an “Attitude” in Classic Pugilism, and push in.
The Attitudes best suited for this entry tend to be somewhat
wedge-like, using the forearms and hands to protect the head.
Modern examples of guards well suited for this would be
Rodney King's “Crazy Monkey” style or a classic Peek-a-boo
position. [Ill. 7] The goal is to protect the head from the
punches which will be inevitably thrown as driving in and
crashing the guard. Examples of Attitudes appropriate for this
entry from Classic Pugilism are in evidence as well. Again,
not surprising considering that, even then, it made sense to
maintain a guard which would protect your head. Two strong
candidates would be Mendoza's Guard or the guard which
Fewtrell attributes to Johnson. [Ill. 8]

Illustration 7:  Illustration 8: 

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 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

No treatment of the subject would be complete without

considering strategies to prevent closing to In-Fighting rage
and how to manage when forced into In-Fighting.
Preventing an opponent from closing to In-Fighting
when he is determined to is very difficult. It's axiomatic that if
someone wants to close to In-Fighting or grappling range,
there's little enough to be done to prevent it, particularly if he
is smart about the entry and uses a strong defensive posture or
a good setup in combination with a strong defensive posture.
That is not to say it is impossible but only that odds favor the
person attempting to close range rather than the person
attempting to prevent it.
Unsurprisingly, the historic methods for preventing an
opponent from closing to In-Fighting closely match modern
methods. The “Celebrated Pugilist” in his manual The Art and
Practice of Boxing offers this advice for preventing an
opponent from entering into grappling (tripping) range:

“To prevent which, follow the directions given just

now, strike sharp forward; and if you are attentive to
your adversary's motions, you will quickly perceive,
that before he attempts to trip you up, he will look at
your feet that he may make good his attempt, by which
means you may easily discover his intentions; strike
him instantly in the face or about the head, and thus
you will render his preparation ineffectual, and make it
tend to his own discomfiture.”

The “Celebrated Pugilist's” advice then is to use a preemptive

strike to the face, sometimes called a Stop-Hit, to halt forward
motion and distract the opponent. This, again, emphasizes the

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 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

necessity of maintaining a guard which protects the head when

initiating the move into In-Fighting. His advice, further, is to
note telegraphing or “tells” from your opponent. Pay
attention to how your adversary fights. Less experienced
fighters will often have a “tell” when they are preparing to use
a certain tactic, be it grappling or something else. As
Carpentier says,

“Note a boxer at work, and you will ascertain at length

that the feet take certain characteristic positions prior to
certain attacks.”

Additionally, the various side-step and punch tactics are often

illustrated as a response to forward movement, usually in the
form of a response to a Straight Punch, which were often used
in combination with a drop-step movement. However, in his
manual, Daniel Mendoza wrote,

“If he [...] plunges at you head-long, you may either

strike straight forwards and catch his face on your fist;
or turn round on your left heel, and let him fly over
your thigh; or jump on one side and strike him with
one hand as he advances, and the other as he passes
by.”

Consistent with advice from later writers, Mendoza suggests a

stop-hit. He then suggests a preemptive grapple and throw, a
variation of the Cross-Buttock; more of a trip really, which we
will examine in more detail later. Finally, Mendoza offers a
combination of footwork and body movement simultaneous
with counter-punching which is well illustrated in Edwards'
manual. [Ill. 9-11]

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 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

Illustration 9: 

Illustration 10: 

Illustration 11: 

17
 THE GRAPPLING OF PUGILISM

Again, in his manual Defensive Excercises, Donald

Walker reiterates the stop-hit method,

“To prevent his closing with you, as soon as you expect

him to do so, you must instantly strike at him in the
face or body with great quickness, by way of keeping
him busy,—and retreat;—then advance again,—and so
on, to perplex him”

Of course, this leads to the next logical question; how

to manage the fight when the opponent has already
successfully closed to In-Fighting?
Edwards says,

“If, then, you are caught in this predicament (which, by

the way, is just what happens in a general street row),
stand up square, bringing up the right foot and right
shoulder; let the heels be pretty even and about a foot
apart; slightly bend both knees; drop your chin well
down into your throat and lean forward. Keep your
eyes open; no amount of blows must cause you to shut
them in this extremity. If you do you are lost indeed.
Strike out with right and left just as fast as you know
how, but do not draw the fists farther back than the
ribs, and swing the shoulder in with each blow. Make
play at the face if you can, and keep the fists and arms
close together, so that your opponent don't get a chance
to get in between them. If you are so unfortunate as to
let your adversary have the inner gauge of you and you
cant get at his face, why, then all you can do is to get in
all your work on his body, and be sure to let the blows
go home hard and heavy. Of course when “in-fighting'
you will not choose to make play at the body rather

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than the head and face, but hit at the body rather than
not hit at all.”

Sullivan's advice is similar, if somewhat more

abbreviated.

“Having the feet close together lean forward, lower the

head, keep your eyes on your opponent, use both hands
and swing the shoulders forward with each blow.

In In-fighting the arm should not be drawn back, the

force of the blow being given by the movement of the
shoulders.”

Carpentier has a somewhat different approach,

however. Since, in his view, one of the main advantages of
having the inside position in In-Fighting is “to have a clear
opening to hammer in blows, upper-cutting being also made
easy from a close inside position,” his advice is:

“Should he attempt that, the manner to prevent him is

very simple, and consists of raising the upper part of
the arms, having the elbows sticking out, much as one
would do if mounted on a bicycle which is too small or
too low.”

There is an additional option mentioned by both

Mendoza and the “Celebrated Pugilist.” That option is to beat
your opponent to the punch (groan) and initiate grappling.
Recall that Mendoza said,

“If he [...] plunges at you head-long, [...] turn round on

your left heel, and let him fly over your thigh...”

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The “Celebrated Pugilist,” for his part, said,

“When your adversary's body and your's are almost in

contact, before he can grasp hold of you properly, dart
your left under his right arm, and bringing it round his
back, seize hold with your hand of the inside of his left
arm near the elbow...”

Though some writers mention the possibility of

stepping back out of range as a potential option, they never
offer it as a first option, nor on its own, in a vacuum, without
striking. Further, this seems to be the least effective of options
since it is always easier for the opponent to step forward than
for the defender to step backwards.

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CHAPTER XIV
~
Conclusion
It is unarguable that beginning sometime in the first
half of the 20th Century, some time after WWI, there began a
gradual decline in popularity of martial arts native to Western
Civilization. This may be attributed to many causes such as
the devastating casualties of WWI which had the effect of
culling countless practitioners of Western Martial Arts with
fewer practitioners than some more popular arts. Further there
was the homogenizing effect of the re-instituted Olympic
Games which promoted some Western Martial Arts at the
expense of others.
At the same time, martial arts from Asia slowly began
to take public attention and fascination. These Eastern Martial
Arts gradually replaced the Western Martial Arts in the minds
of westerners. There was a particular and noted upswing in
Japanese based martial arts following WWII. There was
another for Korean based martial arts following the Korean
conflict. Yet another surge, this time of Chinese martial arts,
followed the collective events of Nixon's visit to China, the

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entrance of the weekly serial TV show “Kung Fu,” and the

huge splash Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do made.
That is not to say that these various Eastern Martial
Arts were unknown in the West. Edward William Barton-
Wright introduced Judo and JuJitsu to Europe in 1900. Teddy
Roosevelt studied Judo with Professor Yoshiaki Yamashita in
1904. Mitsuyo Maeda traveled to Central America in 1908.
Hawaii was a well known center of Japanese Martial Arts prior
to WWII. Chinese immigrants brought Chinese martial arts
with them during the Chinese Immigration waves of the mid-
19th Century.
Nor is it to say that Western Martial Arts were
completely forgotten. Boxing enjoyed then, and continues to
enjoy today, a popular following as a well developed sport.
Wrestling is still practiced as a competitive sport in High
Schools and Elementary Schools in the U.S. and abroad. The
U.S. military prior to, during, and following WWII taught a
knife and bayonet system based first on european fencing and
later on bowie knife methods.
Nevertheless, Boxing slowly morphed in the public
mind from a “science” of “defense” into the “Sweet Science”
of a sport. Wrestling was relegated to increasingly smaller
youth sporting events and the popular but schlocky “B” grade
entertainment. Fencing became something that nerds in white
leotards did while fantasizing they were Captain Blood.
Western knife methods were relegated to something that
grandchildren asked WWII veterans about and were answered
with vague stories of rough military training and “behind the
lines” remembrances.
To the public at large, Western martial skills were
replaced with Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, Judo, Escrima,
and Arnis. Though the origin of the very term “Martial Arts”
is steeped in Western martial tradition, in most dictionaries

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today it specifically defines it as:

“any of the traditional forms of Oriental self-defence

or combat that utilize physical skill and coordination
without weapons, as Karate, Aikido, Judo, or Kung
Fu...”

Though not entirely forgotten, Western Martial Arts

were largely the reserve of a distinct minority struggling to
gain even the smallest bit of attention amidst the ever
expanding deluge of Eastern Martial Arts.
And then something happened.
Perhaps it was a subtle shift in public perception.
Maybe it was a resurgence of interest in Western history by
westerners. Perhaps it was the influence of popular
entertainment with a Western Martial Arts theme such as that
of Tolkien and movies such as The Mark of Zorro. Whatever
the cause there's been a new Renaissance for the Western
Martial Arts. Interest in these unique and culturally rich
historic skills is again on the rise. There has been an explosion
of activity and attention for the Western Arts. People who
once only thought of Kung Fu, Judo, and Kali are now looking
at Boxing, Wrestling, and Fencing.
However, in comparison with the amount of written
material for Eastern Martial Arts, there is a dearth of written
material for Western Martial Arts. Oh, there are many historic
manuals, if you can find them; mostly in the hands of private
collectors or forgotten and molding in the corners of antiquated
libraries. Yet new writings on Western Martial Arts are
fighting to catch up to the sheer volume of material already
written on Eastern Martial Arts. It is a fight that practitioners
of Western Arts are stepping up to. They are “Toeing the
Scratch” so to speak.

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Similarly, there is an equal shortfall of written material

concerning the specific topic of grappling in historic Boxing.
And so, into this exciting Renaissance, I present this book. I
hope that it is informative, interesting, entertaining, and
helpful. I hope that you use it as a reference, loan it to your
friends, recommend it to your associates, and enjoy the heck
out of it. With it, I hope to do my part in promoting the rich
heritage of Western Martial Arts and to add my name to the
roll of those Toeing the Scratch.

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Carpentier, Georges. The Art of Boxing. New York, George H.

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