Karlsson - Ulf - Lindholm - David The Bare Knuckle Boxer - S Companion - Learning How To Hit Hard and Train
Karlsson - Ulf - Lindholm - David The Bare Knuckle Boxer - S Companion - Learning How To Hit Hard and Train
Some of the techniques depicted in this book are dangerous. It is not the
intent of the authors or publisher to encourage readers to attempt any of
them without proper professional supervision and training. Attempting to
do so can result in severe injury or death. Do not attempt any of these
techniques or drills without the supervision of a qualified instructor.
The authors, publisher, and distributors of this book disclaim any
liability from any damage or injury of any type that a reader or user of
information contained in this book may incur from the use or misuse of said
information. This book is for academic study only.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Who Are We?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INTRODUCTION
This book deals with the European art of fighting by using the hands for
striking—the martial art of pugilism, or bare-knuckle boxing. We are not
talking about the modern sport of boxing. We are going to deal with
something else here; namely how to fight using your hands without gloves,
wraps, and other aids. The modern sport of boxing is a tough and valuable
practice that certainly has self-defense applications, but it is an athletic
contest, which means it is regulated and relatively safe. Bare-knuckle
boxing, on the other hand, is historically speaking a martial art, at least in
the modern sense, as well as a sport. It involves slightly different
techniques, methods of training, and even perhaps another sort of fighter—
similar to the modern boxer, yet not identical.
Our book is intended as a how-to guide, a companion of sorts, rather
than a discourse on the history of bare-knuckle boxing. We’ve included
some aspects of history, because it is important to understand the context of
one’s field of study. But our main focus is to extract the practical material
from historical bare-knuckle boxing and show how it can be applied in
modern self-defense.
Exceptionally skilled people who fight with bare hands still exist today.
I am thinking of the Irish and the Gypsies, who stand out as the last
proponents of the old bare-knuckle art. If you have a chance, seek them out
and learn from them and assimilate what is good. Learn what you can from
the old masters we deal with in this book, as well from such great boxers as
Sullivan, Dempsey, Marciano, and Ali. Fighting unarmed with the hands is
a simple concept but a complex skill, too complex to be encompassed by
one book, person, or martial art system. Therefore, learn from as many
relevant sources as possible.
Don’t be fooled by the seemingly quaint, antiquated poses of the boxers
in the period illustrations. The fighters of the bare-knuckle era were tough
men and skilled combatants. They had to be in order to endure brutal, often
bloody bouts that could last for hours. To demonstrate their techniques as
clearly as possible, we have adapted their somewhat formal postures. When
actually applying bare knuckle in a self-defense situation or during a
training session, the action would be much more dynamic.
Please remember that a person who trains in bare-knuckle boxing is
training to be a hard hitter. Therefore, be responsible with what you do with
this knowledge, whether in training or in a real confrontation.
Our aim for this chapter is not to write an in-depth history of the art of
pugilism. Other more learned scholars can and have done that. Instead, we
will sketch a brief history that serves as a backdrop to the actual techniques
and advice on how to fight that follow in the technique chapters.
We have to go far back to find the first sources of an unarmed system of
combat—i.e., striking with the hands, with some kicking, a few throws, and
an elbow for good measure—practiced in Europe. The first traces emerged
in ancient Greece and Rome, which we will discuss in more detail below.
But first, it is significant to note that the style of boxing practiced in Greece
and Rome corresponds closely with the system as it survived on the British
Isles. We would even go so far as to hypothesize that bare-knuckle boxing
is the direct descendant of the ancient art of pugilism as seen in Greek and
Roman boxing. In other parts of the world, fighting systems using the hands
came up with different ideas and solutions, but we believe that the close
resemblance of British pugilism to the evidence we see in ancient art is not
a coincidence.
From Greece to Spain to North Africa, we can find traces of the same
pugilistic system, but not in the far-flung regions of the empire, in Persia
and India or in the outlying Germanic areas. The core areas seem to be the
European heart of the ancient Roman world, and in some respects Britain
was one of the most Romanized areas of the entire empire. This seemingly
unbroken line is remarkable, since it opens up the possibility of a surviving
system of unarmed combat that is both the oldest still practiced today as
well as a true Western unarmed martial heritage stretching back to the
learning of classical Greece and the glory of ancient Roman.
So let us begin this little trip back in time and see what the evidence has
to say and, along the way, pick up the foundations of the art of bare-knuckle
boxing.
Close-up of the 1st century B.C. bronze piece showing the wrappings of the boxer’s hand and the
himantes tied in place over the knuckles.
In Greek art, the boxer was portrayed less frequently than the wrestler,
who seems to have represented a much more common form of personal
unarmed combat and physical regimen. There is an interesting piece of
evidence as to why this may have been the case, and it is found in the words
of the philosopher Socrates, as told to us by his student Plato. The
philosopher makes two roundabout references to boxers, the first from the
dialog Gorgias:
ABOVE: Greek krater showing two boxers on the left. The combatant on the right is striking and the
one on the left is blocking the attack.
Greek boxer. Notice the coverings on both hands, indicating that he strikes with both, and the
extended guard, with the other hand coiled back to strike.
Plato here refers to people who were sympathetic to the Spartan way of
life, one that emphasized the arts of combat in all their forms.
Unfortunately, Sparta was not known for its fine artisans and exquisite
prose, and thus we have scant evidence of boxing from that culture.
However, boxing was evidently seen as being enough of a characteristic of
the Spartans for Socrates to make a joke about it, giving it at least some
credibility as a piece of circumstantial evidence.
Physical evidence of pugilism from classical Greece exists mainly in the
form of paintings and decorations on ceramics and statues. A society like
Sparta, with limited emphasis on producing art, would have left fewer
pieces of evidence for us to find, but fortunately we have other examples.
We see, for instance, two boxers in an Attic black-figure amphora painted
by Antimedes of Rhodes, one throwing a straight punch to the opponent’s
stomach.6 On another Attic black figure Samos from the 6th century B.C.,
we see two boxers in a fight, one throwing a straight punch. Curiously, both
wear loincloths. This was not common among the Greeks, who preferred to
exercise in the nude, but it was common among the Etrurians on the Italian
peninsula. This leads one to wonder if boxing was also enjoyed there,7
especially since this particular item is considered to have been made for
export to Etruria, which means the decoration would have had to been one
that was sellable there. Boxing was obviously taken to have been such an
appealing decoration.
Greek amphora Attic black figure Samos of two boxers, 6th century B.C. The left figure is striking
from below. Notice how close they stand as well as the bent arms, indicating close-in work and thus
no reliance on long, straight strikes only.
Attic black-figure amphora by Antimedes of Rhodes, depicting two boxers. Again, notice the
closeness and the even guard of the left fighter, who is possibly beating down the opponent’s left arm
to create an opening. Alternatively, it may show the fighter on the right striking at the opponent’s
stomach.
In the Roman world, boxing became more popular than wrestling for an
obvious reason—while the Greeks practiced wrestling and sports mainly
for health and competition, the Romans enjoyed looking at other people
doing it. And to be frank, wrestling is not that exciting to watch, whereas
two grown men pummelling each other into the ground has an undeniable
entertainment value, as we recognize even today.
Boxing in the Roman world was at first a minor event at the games,
overshadowed by chariot racing and gladiator sports. But boxing became
more popular as time went on, and as it became more popular, the
bloodiness of the bouts increased. If we look at the rather limited evidence
of boxing in the Roman world, we see this rise of its “blood sport” aspect,
such as the himantes of the Greeks evolving into the bronze or copper
caestus of the Roman arena. This is not to say that Greek boxing was not
hard on the practitioner, but the Romans often made a point of staging
things so that it would be more of a bloody spectacle to entertain the crowd.
In our quest to trace the roots of pugilism, we found that the medieval
world has left us the greatest treasures in the form of manuals of personal
combat. Yet for reasons that are unclear, the evidence from these manuals
suggests that medieval unarmed combat focused on wrestling rather than
striking and kicking. The assertion that it was due to the inefficiency of
striking a man in armour ignores the fact that, in most areas of medieval
life, men fought men without armour (e.g., common brawls). Whereas the
ancient world emphasized wrestling in unarmed combat, the evidence
suggests that boxing and wrestling were practiced side-by-side and
coexisted as two coherent systems. The medieval world seems to have
neglected the striking arts.
Jack Broughton (left) and his opponent, George Stevenson, depicted in a suitably muscular pose at
George Taylor’s gymnasium in February 1741.
Bare-knuckle fight in the 19th century. Notice the guard positions and the close distance between the
fighters.
Interest in the pugilistic arts seems to have taken off in earnest in the
18th century, when we begin to see an increasing number of texts dealing
with pugilism, as well as reports of matches and masters of the art. It is
from this tradition, especially from the British Isles, that we get the bulk of
our material on bare-knuckle boxing today. This includes the work of such
bare-knuckle greats as Daniel Mendoza (The Art of Boxing, 1789), Thomas
Fewtrell (Boxing Reviewed, 1790), Edmund Price (The Science of Self
Defence, 1867), and James Sullivan (Boxing, 1893).
This rise of pugilism corresponds roughly with the decrease of other
forms of combative sports, i.e., martial arts played for fun, with some
general agreements to reduce injuries. In England and Germany, these
events still could be rather bloody affairs, involving polearms and swords.
By narrowing the focus to fistfights only and introducing other limitations,
the pugilistic arts gradually evolved into the safer but still rough sport of
bare knuckle.
Originally, there seems to have been very few restrictions in bare
knuckle. Basically, you could not use weapons, kick a man lying down, or
bite him. The bare-knuckle era ended in the early 20th century when gloves
were introduced, stricter rules were instituted, and oversight organizations
formed. These developments focused on enhancing the safety of the
combatants, and this led to the loss of knowledge of striking without gloved
hands, as well as such techniques as throws, kicks, and elbows. The
remainder of this book is devoted to reviving this practical combative art.
NOTES
1. Doumas, Santorini: A Guide to the Island and Its Archaeological Treasures.
2. Pedly, Greek Art and Archaeology, p. 338.
3. Homer, Iliad.
4. Plato, Gorgias.
5. Plato, Protagoras.
6. Boardman, The History of Greek Vases, p. 161.
7. Boardman, The History of Greek Vases, pp. 236–237.
Chapter
2
BARE-KNUCKLE BASIC TECHNIQUES
Guard positions of Humphreys on the left and Mendoza on the right, from a book by one of
Mendoza’s students.
Mendoza shows a stance where he leans slightly forward at the waist,
but with the body upright. The feet are shoulder-width apart, but the lead
foot is more to the side than the front, creating a more square stance. The
legs have a pronounced bend in the knees, his weight is on the lead leg, and
he is guarding his face with the hands positioned almost parallel in front of
his chin, with the left slightly more forward. Mendoza’s crouched posture
withdraws his mark as far from his opponent as possible. This stance offers
very good protection and will let you strike faster blows in more rapid
succession compared to other guards. The downside is that you will not get
your body behind your strikes to the same extent as you would with a more
upright position.
Mendoza’s stance should also be understood in light of the fact that
several sources say he was a somewhat short man. If you are short, your
reach will be shorter than many opponents. To counter this you must move
in close, but as you do you risk getting hit. A possible solution is to make
yourself even smaller while protecting your face with your hands so that
when the opponent tries to strike you, he will at best hit the top of your head
as he strikes downward. This works well whether you are short or simply
prefer to crouch. Your reach will suffer, though, as will the ease with which
you move since you must by necessity bend your knees more and widen the
stance. Although this will slow you down as you move, it does not mean
you cannot move—just watch modern boxers who use this type of stance
for proof of that. It does mean, however, that any change in your angular
direction will be slower since your base is wider.
Mendoza in a guard position. Notice the equidistance of the hands.
Ulf demonstrating the basic guard stance. (See illustration at top left on page 16.)
Mendoza’s crouched stance.
Ulf demonstrating Humphreys’ rear stance.
Thomas Johnson in a guard position, from Boxing Reviewed, or the Science of Manual Defence,
1790.
Johnson’s stance has the feet almost square, with the legs bent and the
upper body bent sharply forward at the waist. Weight is evenly distributed
between the feet. The hands are held in front of the face at equal distance
from the head. This stance was recommended to pugilists who had great
strength in the legs, and it supposedly was rather decent, being equally
suited to defense and offense. But Fewtrell points out that few used it in his
day.
Edmund Price advocates something in between them all. He stands
upright, with a slight bend in the knees, and holds his hands at chest height,
leading with the left and guarding with the right. This gives him cover,
reach, and mobility. It is also a rather natural stance to be in, which is
essential to self-defense, where anything contrived will cause you problems
once you get the adrenaline dump in a conflict situation.
This is a good stance when you fight for real rather than for points or
technical knockout, and let us consider why. When you don’t wear gloves,
it becomes of paramount importance to avoid getting hit. Simply parrying
an attack, rather than avoiding it altogether, will let the opponent keep the
initiative and attack again. What does this have to do with a narrow stance?
A narrower stance enables you to move faster and change the angle of
attack easier and more often than you can with a large, deep stance. (The
importance of this concept of angling will become apparent as we discuss
deflection and counterattacks.) The value of the hand position also becomes
apparent: if you do not wear gloves, you can’t hide behind them and use
them for blocking, period. It is that simple—without gloves, you must use
the hands and arms to deflect attacks or avoid them altogether. In modern
boxing, on the other hand, it is often the glove itself that is used almost as a
shield. It is a radical difference, and it is the reason why the ordinary boxing
stance is not that good, in our and the historical masters’ opinion, in a self-
defense/fighting situation. It is adapted for an athletic contest and not
primarily for self-defense, and it should be evaluated for its utility in the
ring and nothing else.
Leading with one hand as opposed to holding both at a more or less
equal distance from the body is beneficial for many reasons. First, it keeps
the opponent at bay somewhat; if he wants to close in, he must negotiate
your lead hand or else he will get hit in the face with it. (We will deal later
with the fine art of making a true left-hand strike rather than a weak jab,
which is good if your aim is to score points in a 12-round match but less so
in a real fight that may be over in seconds.) The front hand is also a first
line of defense with which to set an incoming attack aside and, through that,
open an angle into the opponent.
The rear hand is held close to the body and often at breast height. The
arm is relaxed but the fist is tensed, creating a slight tension between the
shoulder blades, which is essential for all explosive muscular movement.
The arm is pulled back as far as conveniently possible while still providing
protection. From that position, it is used to strike or deflect an attack to the
head or body.
We now have a guard position that is working. Feet are slightly less than
shoulder-width apart, toes toward the opponent, weight of the body more on
the toes than the heels, left arm held out, and the right close to the body at
chest height. A variation found in the twilight years of the bare-knuckle era
had the lead hand out almost straight, with the rear hand cocked for a
punch. This is actually a decent stance, with some very interesting points.
A rather special skill that was stressed by the bare-knuckle boxers was
that you should be able to lead with either hand. This means you must train
to be ambidextrous in your fighting. It can be very effective to confuse the
opponent by suddenly switching sides, but in doing so from the variation
stance described above, you can also quickly torque your hips and strike
with your cocked rear hand to the opponent’s now open side. So the guard
must be practiced on both sides, as must smoothly changing sides. It gives
you the ability to actually step and punch with either foot and hand, which
is of great use in a real self-defense situation.
Greek black-figure amphora depicting two boxers. Notice the similarity of the guard position with
that advocated by Mendoza; clearly he was not the first to use it. It was probably one of several in
use at the time that had been handed down since antiquity.
When boxers punch, it is often done with the middle of the fist. This
works well when wearing gloves, but if you try that without gloves you will
break your knuckles. To understand the proper bare-knuckle strike, you
must understand the anatomy of the hand.
The striking surface of a clenched hand is shaped like a slope, with the
upper knuckles protruding the furthest. The trick is not to strike with the
most protruding knuckles. In bare knuckle, you want to strike with the
largest and flattest surface in order to spread the force of the impact over a
larger area of the fist. That means you want to hit with the three lowest
knuckles—the pinkie, the ring finger, and the middle finger to be precise—
and you aim with the ring finger knuckle.
The hand pulled upward, aligning the bottom knuckles with the arm.
The fist seen from the front inside, twisting the wrist upward in order to extend the lowest three
knuckles and giving you a large, flat area with which to impact.
Striking with the bottom knuckles enables the entire arm to absorb the kinetic energy of the strike.
Stepping diagram of the angles and distances in the guard position, from R.G Allanson-Winn’s book,
Boxing.
Footwork
Moving in combat is important. The medieval sword master Johannes
Liechtenauer said, “That which moves is alive and that which is still is
dead.”4 True indeed, and even more so if you have no gloves to cover
yourself and no ropes to lean on and the opponent has a friend and both are
hell bent on reducing your face to pulp. Under such circumstances, when
and soaking up hits to score points is not an option, moving and doing
damage to your opponent become of paramount importance.
Considering the rather narrow, high stance that most bare-knuckle
boxers seem to recommend, their footwork must have been very quick, with
short steps. (A similar high stance can be seen in early photos of karate
masters and Chinese martial artists.) With all footwork, the issue of balance
is crucial. If we again look at Mendoza and Humphry (page 17), we see
they have balanced their bodies differently—Mendoza has the weight on his
front foot, while Humphry has his on the rear foot. Both ways have
something to recommend them, but it is easier to shift the feet if you stand
with your weight on your rear foot.
From a self-defense point of view, however, it is perhaps better to have
the weight on the rear leg when in a high stance. Once you step in close to
strike, your stance must become wider in order to facilitate the hip torque
that is the prime powerhouse of the punch. As you retreat, you must again
narrow the stance somewhat. Having your weight on your rear leg not only
facilitates the ability to widen and narrow your stance quickly and in
balance, but it aids greatly in moving in every direction. We can always
move forward, but the further forward you are in your stance, the more
difficult it becomes to move in other directions. With the weight on the rear
leg, you are more at the point of equilibrium (or slightly behind it), and you
will be able to move more quickly and with less effort in directions other
than forward.
The step.
The Step
This is a simple step forward with the lead foot, and the rear foot
follows. To the rear it is reversed: the rear foot moves first and the front foot
follows. Neither foot passes the other—the lead foot is maintained moving
forward or backward. This step is used to close with the opponent as well as
when you want to throw a strong, decisive strike with your lead hand.
This is also the way to sidestep the opponent in order to come in from
the side. Your lead foot steps to the side as your body sinks down in the
step, and the other foot follows. The attack lands as the foot lands on the
ground.
The Pass
The pass is when one of your feet passes the other while moving
forward or backward. You use this step when you walk normally, so there is
nothing strange about it. Do not strike while passing if you can avoid it,
because doing so would result in an unbalanced, slow strike. Rather, the
pass is simply a step that takes you to a spot from where you can throw a
solid punch.
The pass.
Angular Stepping
Done with either leg, angular stepping places you to the outside of the
opponent’s attack, either forward or backward depending on the situation.
Here it is even possible to cross your legs for a brief instant while changing
the leading leg.
Angular stepping.
Flying Out
This concept is found very early in English martial arts literature. It is,
for instance, one of the key concepts of George Silver’s method of
swordsmanship outlined in his writings of the late 16th and early 17th
centuries. Flying out is done after you have closed in and made your attack;
if you did not take down the opponent, you “fly out” to regroup for the next
attack. In boxing, flying out can be taken to mean throwing your body and
head backwards. It can be a pass or a shuffle, but do not change the
relationship of the feet during the move, i.e., the same foot remains in the
lead.
There is no way around this—flying out must be done with agility and
speed. This means you need strength, while remaining light on your feet.
With training, flying out can be done very explosively and can move your
body a significant distance backwards.
TARGET AREAS
Bare-knuckle boxers did not limit their strikes to soft targets, as some
people erroneously state today. Favorite targets certainly included soft
targets like the pit of the stomach, but they also included the ribs on either
side (with the liver shot a favorite), between the eyes, the chin, behind the
jaw in front of the ear, the back of the head, the nose, and the mouth. Strikes
to the heart were known as well. Striking the bony portion of the head was
also an option if that was all that presented itself, but that meant the hands
had to be that much more conditioned to withstand the stress.
The kidneys, with the knuckles facing two different ways.
NOTES
1. Fewtrell, Boxing Reviewed.
2. Dempsey, Championship Fighting.
3. Boxing Made Easy, or the Complete Manual of Self Defence, p. 6. (This is likely a reprint of the
English work from 1789 printed in London by Kearsley titled, The Art of Manual Defence, or
System of Boxing Perspicuously Explained in a Series of Lessons and Illustrated by Plates,
authored “by a pupil of both Humphreys and Mendoza.”)
4. Cod.HS.3227.a. Quote from the so-called Döbringers fechtbuch in translation by David Lindholm,
fol.32R (wer do leit der ist tot / Wer sich ru[e]ret der lebt noch), http://www.mhfs.se/bibliotek.htm,
26 June 2006.
Chapter
3
BARE-KNUCKLE STRIKES
The strikes that were used in bare-knuckle boxing were basically the
same as those seen today in schoolyards across the world. They included a
straight strike, round strike, uppercut, and back fist. Some fighters added
the low straight kick to the knee and groin, elbow to the head and torso,
knee in the groin, and simple hip and neck throws. This is the core arsenal
we will cover in this chapter.
The strikes commence from the guard position. This way you avoid
cocking the shoulder prior to striking and thus telegraphing intent. The
knuckles of your hands should always point toward your opponent—
another reason why the guard positions sometimes look a bit differently.
Depending on angle and the strike you choose, the path of your strike may
change slightly in the heat of the action, but it is important to always try to
maintain proper form.
In all strikes, it is very important to strike through and thus true. You do
not want to hit on something; rather, you want to strike through it. In other
words, to deliver a hard punch, you must drive through the target when your
hand makes contact. The simplest way to accomplish this is to actually aim
your hand beyond where you intend to hit.
The next step is withdrawing the hand, and that must be very quick, but
many people mistake the two steps and blend them into one. You must not
pull your hand back from the target as soon as you connect. The result is a
weak punch that is jerked back before it has delivered its damage. You need
time on target to be able to punch through it and ultimately deliver a hard
strike.
Image
Straight strike on the opposite leg side. This has shorter reach and is best done after closing in.
Straight strike on the opposite leg, this time holding the body back.
Same strike, but this time leaning into it.
A straight strike to the mark, opposite hand and foot, without leaning into the strike too much for fast
withdrawal.
Round strikes were well known and understood, but they were
considered by bare knucklers to have limited use in a real fight. This
attitude was mainly based on fencing theory relating to the small sword, and
to the rapier before that. It stated that any cut (which in this case would
have been synonymous with a round strike) will arrive later than a straight
thrust. This theory could be verified through geometry, but the real reason
round strikes were not favored by bare knucklers may have been because
they left you vulnerable. A round strike’s swinging motion requires you to
commit the body for the strike to have any power. This will put you in
motion in such a way that you will not be able to react to any opposing
movement or attack until your technique is complete, leaving you open to
all sorts of counters.
Because they increase your risk of getting hit, round strikes are not used
as a closing attack in bare knuckle. They are used, however, as a
counterattack to an opponent’s closing attack. The counter is usually done
to the outside of the opponent’s arms.
The Hook
There is scarce material on the proper way to throw a hook; most old
bare-knuckle manuals focus exclusively on straight strikes and back fists.
Typical, sloppy hooks consisting of flailing arms do little to increase
damage; a proper hook has your body weight behind it. Throwing a solid
hook is a matter of locking the elbow at an angle and violent twisting the
body at the waist. The arm remains more or less stationary as it hooks
toward the target. The smaller the angle in the elbow, the more the strike
becomes a round strike. An acute angle enables you to hook very hard
indeed.
In throwing a hook, it is important that you do not strike with the arm
only but with the body behind it. Try to deliver the hook either in a slightly
rising or falling motion, i.e., start from below and drive your body weight
up with it, or from above so you in a sense sit down a little as you strike,
putting your weight into the technique. It is certainly possible to throw
knockout punches this way.
A hook can be delivered low to the sides of the body and high at the
head and face. After blocking a strike at your ribs, for instance, your arm is
perfectly placed for a hook to the opponent’s body. Hooks can also be done
to great effect when the opponent throws a straight punch and misses—say
if you sidestep his strike and then hook to the kidneys or floating ribs or
over his arm at his head and face.
This is the kind of swing that the masters warn against. It takes time and leaves you open.
This is a more proper form of hook, with the arm held close to the body and delivered from very
short range. Observe that the elbow on the striking arm should be a bit lower.
A hook delivered more from below rather than the side.
THE UPPERCUT
The uppercut is another close-in attack that does not lend itself well as
an opening move. The body rises into the strike by driving up with the legs.
The fist is held at roughly 45 degrees, giving you the ability to aim with the
lower knuckles and strike with the correct power line.
As far as I know, there is not a single mention of the uppercut in a bare-
knuckle text prior to the late 19th or early 20th century, when stances and
guards changed to accommodate gloves and rules. The fact is that if you
rely on the recommended guard positions and bare-knuckle strikes, and if
you include such moves as throws and head butts in your arsenal, the
uppercut becomes of limited use. I am convinced that it was used in bare
knuckle, but it would have been of limited importance due to these factors.
Mendoza does mention a form of uppercut (or it can be understood as such)
after blocking a blow to the mark, as do other writers, but it is not
categorized as a strike on its own.
A standard form of uppercut delivered at close range.
The back fist, or chopper, is used to attack an opponent after you have
parried one of his attacks. It is a counter or a continuation of an attack
already under way; it is not an opening move. Very difficult to defend
against if done well, it was a favorite attack of Daniel Mendoza, but others
were not so enthusiastic about its efficiency. It is perhaps safest to say that it
offers a quick, relatively safe return strike after performing a successful
parry, and this makes it an important part of your arsenal. It can be done
from any high parry; low parries provide better avenues of countering. In
striking a back fist, you flick the knuckles downward in a dragging motion
that goes across the opponent’s face from above to below. It is not a
downward diagonal strike to his face; there is a big difference.
A simple downward back fist aimed at the bridge of the opponent’s nose.
This is similar to what today usually goes under the name of hammer-fist. A chopper easily turns into
this kind of strike from certain angles, but as far as I know it was not recognized as a separate strike.
It is, however, rather useful in the arsenal.
The back fist can, of course, be thrown at other times as well, but that is
more often turned into our next technique.
THE BACKSWING
A classic, but often performed in the wrong way. It is not the same as
hitting a football with your head. (That’s a soccer ball for you American
readers.) To do a good head butt, you must be close to the opponent. Keep
your head still and step into him by falling forward with your body. That
way the impact will carry the entire body weight and not just what you get
from nodding your head a bit. You should connect with the uppermost part
of the forehead. A head butt can also be done to the side, of course, or
backwards as illustrated in medieval German texts. In those cases, you
again want to make impact with the hardest, bony portion of the skull.
Standard head butt delivered by using the body and not swinging the head back and forth.
THE TRIP
An old-school throw. The fighter on the right steps in behind the opponent’s lead leg (this is
essential) and pushes his opposite shoulder, forcing him back and over. The elbow to the face may be
the entry technique that enabled him to move in, or it may be an aid to move the opponent
backwards.
This throw was taught as part of the old style of bare knuckle. It is a
simple throw over your hip, with your arm gripping the opponent around
either the waist or neck. The good thing about this technique is that it is
very easy to do once you get in to close fighting distance. If you secure a
hold around the opponent’s neck, you can finish him by suddenly and
violently throwing him by the neck alone. No matter how you do it, the aim
is to drop him on his head or neck and not on his back.
A more serious variation is to throw him by the neck and maintain your
hold. This will damage or snap his neck if you pull forcefully up and back
as he flies over and down. Obviously, such a move is only for situations
when your life is in danger.
It is important to understand that you must step in aggressively to
accomplish the cross buttock; do not wait for him to come to you. The step
in needs to be done behind his lead rather than rear leg. This is the only way
to quickly gain both a solid hold and an opening for destroying his balance.
As you step in, use your shoulder on the side of the catching arm to push
him backwards and take his balance prior to throwing him.
THE CHANCERY
THE PARRIES
We start in a guard position. Here we use a more upright guard than, for instance, Mendoza seems to
have done.
Ulf steps and punches at David’s face, who parries with the same hand as the strike, which is the left.
This opens up the opponent’s outside for a counter.
Here David parries with the same side as the strike but not the same hand—that is, Ulf strikes with
the left and David defends with the right. This opens up the centerline for a counter.
Parrying the Round Strike
The round strike in any form did not have a good reputation in the bare-
knuckle era. The reason was said to be that a round strike took longer to
reach its target, and it was that much more difficult to perform with power.
It opened you up while providing a small return on your investment, so to
speak. That said, it was used in bouts, and we surmise that the original
discontent with this technique stemmed from the fact that a bad swing is too
easily countered (a good hook, however, is another matter). In all
likelihood, this view indicates that infighting at close distance was not that
popular with bare-knuckle fighters. One reason might be that they were
wary of throws and locks, which were allowed during bouts. Such
techniques end fights soon, as we know from watching K-1 and similar
events today.
Parrying a round strike is simple. It is done by either raising the elbow
forward and up, catching the strike on the outside of the arm, or by lifting
the elbow sideways, catching the strike on the side or underside of the arm.
Essentially, it is more of a stop than the front-strike parry, which is more of
an upward redirection of the attack.
Ulf strikes round at David, who parries by lifting the elbow and catching the strike. The parry can
either stop the strike or lift it over to the opposite side.
The fighter on the right throws a round strike at the face, which his opponent blocks by raising the
elbow. The attacker follows with a blow to the mark, which is defended by barring it.
A variation on the parry against a round strike, where the elbow is lifted, catching the strike on the
arm. Seen in Sullivan’s text from 1893 and still in use in modern boxing, this version also works
well.
The fighter on the right stops the blow by catching it on his bent right arm.
Ulf strikes with his other hand and David strikes his hand down using the bony part of his own wrist.
This hurts Ulf quite a bit and pulls him slightly forward, opening him for David’s counter.
The fighter on the right strikes first high at the face and then low at the mark. The first strike is
blocked by lifting it up and the second by barring the mark. Notice how close to each other they
stand.
Ulf strikes at David’s sides, who defends by pulling down the elbow.
In order to defend the sides of the body (i.e., kidneys and sides of the
ribcage), you simply pull down the elbow sharply, keeping it in contact with
your body to act as a shield.
KICKING
Ulf kicks David above the knee with the tip of the foot.
Although the author of Boxing Made Easy claims “giving the return” to
be an invention of Mendoza, we know this is not the case because the
concept was shown in sword texts from the Middle Ages. Mendoza does,
however, describe this tactic in his book. Basically, the idea is that as you
parry, you must simultaneously launch a counterattack. If you do not do
this, your opponent will control the development of combat and you will
most likely lose. To give the return also means that you should not do your
movements in a predictable, 1-2 pattern or rhythm, which will give the
opponent time to rearrange his defenses after his attack or attacks. Instead,
you must counter immediately, in the quickest way possible, and with
conviction and force. The return may also come in the form of chopper
attack that is not that forceful but perhaps is quick. In any case, it is of
paramount importance that you always counter when attacked and not just
sit there and take it. The medieval master Johannes Liechtenauer said that it
was essential to strive for the first strike (Vorschlag), but if that failed then
the “after strike” (Nachschlag) absolutely had to be gained. Initiative must
be retaken, and this is nothing else then the “return” of the bare-knuckle
boxers. Same concept, different terminology.
Guard Position
Stand with your feet some 15 inches apart and with the heels in line.
The right hand arm should be held across the ribs, with the finger knuckles
in front of or touching the left breast. The left should be extended in line
with your elbow and your opponent’s face.
The guard with the right hand, seen from both sides. David’s left hand is being extended in
preparation for an uppercut.
David has stepped forward with the rear foot in the counter. (In the original illustration it is a shuffle
step, leading with the same foot.) To put weight behind the counter, allow the body to come in behind
the strike.
David deflects with his left and counters to the face with his right.
This shows stopping a cross counter by halting the opponent’s body with a solid straight to the chest.
This counter is useful as a general way of impeding the opponent’s advance. You can employ it with
several forms of stepping and ducking.
Right hand cross counter, seen from both sides.
Chancery
If your hand passes over your opponent’s as you strike, wrap your hand
around his neck and pull forward to execute a chancery. Cock your free
hand while holding him tight; then pull his head toward you as you drive a
punch into his face.
When using the chancery, try to avoid clinging to the opponent too long.
You really only want one or, at best, two solid punches to the face; then be
prepared to let him go. If you cling to him, it can be used against you since
this grip can easily be turned into a trip or fall.
David escapes the inverted chancery with an explosive shove to Ulf’s head and body.
Ulf executes a back fall against David.
Back Fall
A marked difference between the older forms of bare knuckle and the
modern sport was that throws and tripping were allowed in the former. This
is, of course, especially interesting from a self-defense perspective, where a
rudimentary grasp of throwing techniques is a must.
To execute this back fall, rush in close to the opponent and throw your
left arm around his waist and right arm under his chin. As you step in, try to
place your left leg behind his right. The throw is done by pushing him back
under the chin while maintaining your hold around his waist. It might seem
odd, but the arm around the waist prevents him from moving backward to
regain balance. Once his balance is gone, simply continue to push, but
release the waist and down he goes.
By maintaining pressure on the elbow and pushing forward, David executes his own back fall against
Ulf.
The back hip fall, seen from both sides.
NOTES
1. Allanson-Winn, Boxing, pp. 50–51.
2. Boxing Made Easy, or the Complete Manual of Self Defence, p. 7.
Chapter
4
BARE-KNUCKLE PRACTICE PATTERNS
It seems that much bare-knuckle training that was not done in the form
of sparring consisted of set patterns, a mode of working with combative arts
well documented both in Europe and Asia. It is a simple, safe, and
extremely effective way of internalizing movements, responses, and
attitudes. Patterns have the added benefit of taking the practitioner to a
decent level of proficiency much quicker than other forms of training. Yet
another benefit is that you can easily do patterns alone if necessary simply
by shadow boxing.
We have decided to include a number of practice patterns from the most
accessible master text, that of Daniel Mendoza. This is not a complete list
of Mendoza’s patterns; rather, our intention is to show you the ones that
contain the most basic material covered in his book so you can clearly see
how to train in bare knuckle. We have, however, included all unillustrated
patterns as text so you can work them out on your own if you wish.
You can also find great patterns and exercises in the works of Sullivan
and Price. The value of the patterns of Mendoza and his pupils lies less in
the excellence of the patterns as in the fact that they provide historical,
easy-to-follow sets of movements on which you can easily base and
construct your own.
The terms “Master” and “Scholar” are an old way of designating the
two parties in any practice sequence. The master takes the role of the
knowledgeable teacher, while the scholar is the young man learning the art.
You can think of it as the uke and tori in Japanese arts.
Do not try to copy Mendoza’s way of doing these patterns exactly.
Rather, use his methods as a starting point and find what suits your training
needs. Virtually the same patterns are found in the works of other authors
who advocated different styles and guards. In that sense, these patterns
seem to have been used as a general training regimen rather than as a
unique Mendoza system. Then again, his text appears to be the first to
contain them, so perhaps he created the patterns later used by others. In any
case, they a good foundation for training in bare knuckle, so they work well
for our purposes.
When practicing the patterns, execute them carefully. Do not do them
quickly and become sloppy. Practice slow and learn fast.
In all these patterns, you can use many different forms of footwork. We
have opted to not try to show overly active footwork since it takes away
from the clarity of the strikes and blocks.
Note that when lifting the opponent’s arm—especially when you
perform the forearm parry—you will lift him up and in essence unbalance
him as he extends. Also notice how both Ulf and David aim the arm not in
use directly at the opponent, ready for an immediate counter strike. This is
most clearly visible in Ulf’s postures.
LESSON 1
…David steps in and strikes at Ulf’s face with the left, who parries by lifting his elbow while barring
the mark with his other arm.
On guard. (The remaining photo sequences will presume to begin from this guard position.)
David steps in and strikes at Ulf with his right. Ulf parries by lifting his elbow while barring the mark
with his other arm.
David steps in and strikes at Ulf with his left. Ulf lifts the elbow and blocks.
Master strikes round at your left ear with his right.
Parry with your left arm, turning the elbow up to cover the side of the head,
barring the stomach with the right forearm, and throwing the head and body
back.
David strikes at Ulf from his right. Ulf lifts the elbow to deflect it…
…and lifts the attacking arm over, as shown here, or stops it, as is most suitable to the situation.
Master strikes at your stomach with his left.
Bar your stomach with your right forearm, keeping your left opposite his
nose and throwing your head and body back.
David steps in and strikes at Ulf’s side. He blocks it by pulling down the elbow.
LESSON 2
1, 2
Master feints 1, 2 at your face, first with his left in order to hit
you in the face with his right.
Parry first with your right forearm and then with your left forearm, covering
the stomach with the right forearm and throwing your head and body back.
David strikes at Ulf ’s face with his left; he blocks it with the forearm.
David then strikes with the right, which Ulf blocks in the same way.
It is also possible to block diagonally, which places you outside the opponent’s main line.
He feints left at your stomach, to hit your face with his right.
Bar your stomach with your right forearm and parry the blow to your face
with your left forearm, throwing head and body back.
He feints left at your right side, to hit your face with his right.
Stop the feint with your right elbow and parry his blow to your face with
the left forearm, throwing head and body back.
David strikes with the right at Ulf’s stomach, and he bars it.
LESSON 3
1, 2, 3
Master strikes with his left at your face 1; with his right at your
face 2; and with his left at your stomach 3, the intended blow.
Parry the first with your right forearm, the second with your left forearm,
and the third with the right forearm barring your stomach, throwing head
and body back.
Master strikes with his right at your face 1; with his left, 2; and
with his right at your stomach 3.
Parry the first with your left forearm, the second with your right forearm,
and the third with your left arm, barring your stomach and throwing head
and body back.
1, 2, 3 at the Face
Master strikes at your head first with his left; second with his
right at your face; and third with his left, the intended blow.
Parry the first with your right, the second with your left, the third with your
right, your forearm ultimately covering your stomach while throwing head
and body back.
David strikes a left at Ulf’s face. Ulf parries.
Master strikes with his right at your head 1; with his left at your
face 2; and with his right 3, the intended blow.
Parry the first strike with your left; the second with your right; the third
with your left, your forearm ultimately covering your stomach while
throwing head and body back.
1, 2, 3 at the Side
Master strikes with his left hand at your head first; with his right
second; and his left at your side third, the intended blow.
Parry the first with your right forearm; the second with your left forearm;
the third with the right elbow.
David strikes a left. Ulf parries.
Master strikes with his right at your head first; with his left at
your head second; then with his right at your side, the intended
blow.
Parry the first with your left forearm; the second with your right forearm;
and the third with your left elbow.
LESSON 4
Ripostes
Ulf throws a straight left in return, which David catches in his hand from the front (variations will
come later).
Ulf then returns a back fist (chopper) at David’s face with the blocking hand.
This is a variation to show that a back fist does not have to go straight. Here Ulf angles it in to hit
David behind the right jaw, just below the ear.
David strikes at Ulf’s stomach with a straight right. Ulf parries it with his left hand.
Ulf then returns a straight left at David’s face.
LESSON 5
David then executes a riposte at Ulf ‘s face. Ulf catches this with his left hand.
Ulf returns a back fist (chopper) at David’s face.
Do the same with your right hand, i.e., beginning 1, 2 with your
right.
This time he parries with his right and ripostes with the same. Then you
catch it with your right fist and return with a back-handed blow across his
face.
Ulf advances again and throws a left at David’s face, which he parries.
At the final strike, David parries with the right and counters at Ulf ‘s stomach with a straight left
aimed at the mark. Ulf parries this.
David then returns the favor with a straight left, which Ulf parries.
David continues with a straight right. Again Ulf parries.
David rounds off with a left at Ulf’s stomach, which he parries, making sure the entire time to keep
the unused fist aimed to David’s face and in position for a counterstrike.
Do the same with the other hand, i.e., beginning with your right.
This he will stop with his left and riposte 1, 2, 3 at your stomach, which you
must bar.
The Scholar strikes with his left at the face; the Master parries
with his right and ripostes with his left at the stomach.
Knock the blow down and return straight at the face. Do the same with the
other hand.
LESSON 6
Aside from hitting very hard and with accuracy, we need a few more
things to round out the well-formed pugilist. Technique alone will not win
the day—the truth is that strength, stamina, and wind will actually lead to
victory in many real-life confrontations.
These aspects of physical fitness were deemed to be the foundation of
bare knuckle, even more so than the techniques. Successful fighters had
solid core body strength, both to withstand and deliver blows (as well as
being able to move quickly); heart, or the ability to fight and continue to
fight even when the going got tough (the bare knucklers called it “bottom”);
and simple endurance to keep fighting without losing it.
ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES
Wind
“Wind” refers to having a strong cardiovascular capacity. It is easy to
think that because you can run for 20 miles, your capacity is at a peak. It
may be, but fighting requires both the ability to sustain hard work over long
periods of time as well as being able to apply 120 percent over very short
periods of time again and again. So it is a common mistake to confuse the
fact that you can run with the fact that you have the wind to fight. The
former is a long-term, steady stress on the system; the latter involves bursts
of intense effort at irregular intervals. In the good old days, matches could
literally go on for hours, so being able to fight while conserving your
strength also is an issue.1
Included in this concept is the muscular conditioning that will raise the
threshold of your lactic acid endurance while fighting. Lactic acid depletion
due to prolonged or intense physical activity will adversely affect your level
of muscular control. Increased lactic acid endurance will give you increased
endurance in general, as well as greater focus and precision.
Bottom
“Bottom” in the bare-knuckle sense does not refer to what is located on
the back of your midsection; it is one part what we would call “guts” and
one part an ability to withstand physical as well as mental punishment.
Bottom, or the lack of it, is seen as being absolutely paramount to being
able to fight well. Rephrased in modern terms, we would say that it is not
possible to fight, either in self-defense or in a match, if you are too scared to
act. Bottom, then, is the ability to master your fear, a fear that all thinking
men will experience in a conflict. It is natural, and yet for some reason we
tend to fear the fear, and that makes us lose our bottom.
Another aspect of bottom is concerned with how we react to pain. This
is the second side of bottom—to take pain and keep going. This is
connected to our innate ability to control fear and not be controlled by it.
The good news is that bottom can be trained to a rather high degree.
You are not born with bottom; you acquire it.
Strength
All of the surviving old texts stress that strength is good; muscle mass,
however, is not. The reason is simple: if you are stronger, you will be able
to accelerate your strikes faster, but only to a certain level. Nature equals
things out, so that as you gain muscle mass, you lose speed since greater
mass needs even greater strength in order to accelerate to the same speed.
That is why applying the body in the strikes is so important; it gives us the
benefits f mass without the need to be so bulked up that our speed suffers.
In fact, the so-called BMI (body mass index) is a very good indicator of
the ideal weight for your height, and your height determines the optimum
size of your mass for your body. This is not rocket science, so you can
easily deviate 5–10 kilograms (roughly 5–10 pounds) from it, but no more.
(An interesting side note is that for every 5 kilograms you lose, you will
gain 10 centimeters [4 inches] in your ability to jump vertically or
horizontally.) The body does not care if you haul around fat or muscle; it is
the weight that matters, not what it consists of. That said, greater body mass
will allow you to withstand more damage and, within set parameters, allow
you to strike harder, but only to a point. Then it just slows you down.
So where did we want to go with this? Bare-knuckle teachers stressed
that strength is good, and they offered instruction on how to train it as best
they knew, but they all cautioned against putting on weight. The history of
pugilism is full of smaller fighters who destroyed much larger opponents
(Dempsey versus Willard, for instance, to pick a favorite), so strength
matters. Weight matters a lot less and is almost always bad if there’s too
much of it, no matter what it consists of.
Speed
You need to move fast if you are to be able to both land strikes and
avoid them. But speed is often mistaken for what is in reality a question of
accuracy and timing. Timing and speed are closely connected, and the
ability to time your actions to the actions of the opponent is always more
important then being fast once you move. Speed, you will find, is largely a
matter of trimming waste from your movements and then timing those
movements to those of your opponent. Then you will move slowly but
appear fast, a paradox.
The following exercises are aimed at conditioning the body and the
delivery system, i.e., the hands and arms. The body needs to be tough
enough to withstand punishment, and the hands and arms need to be tough
enough to deliver it.
Exercise 1
Stand with your arms above your head, feet spread wide, preferably
with no shirt to absorb impact. Have your partner strike you all over your
upper body, making sure to include the sides and loins but not the groin. Do
not use gloves for this exercise—bare fists only. Do a set of perhaps 50
punches, and let the person getting hit decide if it is hard enough or if it
should be harder. The force should be constantly on the side of painful and
unpleasant, but just barely. Gradually increase the impact until you can take
five or six full blows to the body without going down. You can start by
using the palms, slapping the body with gradually increased force, and then
progress to fists. This training method was recommended by one of the
greatest Western martial artists of all time, Benny “the Jet” Urquidez, a
phenomenal fighter who could withstand immense punishment to the body.
Give it a month or so and you will see a marked difference in your ability to
absorb hits.
Exercise 2
Do exercise 1, but move around, using proper footwork and distancing.
This exercise forces you to change how you absorb impact, since as you
move a different pattern of bodily tension and relaxation is introduced. It
has the added benefit of allowing your partner to practice how to move in
and hit. As before, the person getting hit decides on the force of the blows.
Do 50 or so and then switch roles.
Exercise 3
Start this exercise only after doing the first two exercises for at least a
couple of months, unless you have prior recent experience with contact
martial arts such as muay Thai or kickboxing. As you move around, your
partner steps in and punches to the front of your stomach as hard as he can.
Avoid blows to the kidneys and lower ribs, as either could cause serious
damage. Only strike three or four times, and then rest and change roles.
Never do this in several sets but rather do one set each as a way to feel a
real hit now and then.
Exercise 4
Spar using MMA gloves and mouthguard, with the entire body as a
target. Don’t spar in timed rounds but rather until one of you wants a rest.
Then restart and continue for 30 minutes in all. Go for the entire body,
including the head, but only moderate blows to there. If you have access to
full-contact masks, put them on once every six months and go for the head
with full power while sparring, but not for more than a few hits. Getting hit
in the head does not make you smarter, nor can your head be trained to
absorb blows better. You just think so as the brain dies!
Strength Training
Having bodily strength is important, but you should not put on weight
by joining the local gym. The reason is simple—weight will at a certain
point cease to give you anything in terms of power and instead start to make
you slower. Proper force in punches comes from body mechanics and
speed, not weight. Even at the close of the bare-knuckle era, weight training
was frowned upon since it gave mass but not durability and power. Instead,
many recommended hard physical labor—such as working in mines,
shifting goods in harbors, cutting trees, and blacksmithing—for acquiring
the proper strength. Few people today possess this type of strength simply
because fewer of us perform this sort of work.
How do we accomplish this today if we don’t live on a farm or really
work with our bodies daily? Well, it is a problem, but not without solution.
First, avoid weights and gyms like the plague. This includes kettle bells and
whatever other fitness fad comes along. Instead, focus on forms of strength
training that don’t require weights (manual labor, most likely) or, if that is
not practical, forms that use the body as the only resistance.
In our opinion, a good place to start is a regimen that focuses on neck
bridges, several kinds of push-ups and pull-ups, and squats. Some of these
exercises are old, originating in India or other exotic places, and you will
find them in yoga, but they were used to great effect in the 19th century by
European wrestlers and boxers. They are simple and emphasize the ability
to work for long intervals rather than at an extremely high resistance for
short intervals, as you find in gym training. Rather than simply pressing a
weight in one direction, they are dynamic and require you to have strength
but also softness and a great degree of control in the movement. This makes
for a much more useful form of strength training than the workout you
usually get in a gym. We want muscles that are useful and allow for speed.
This means limited mass and thus limited body weight.
The following exercises are just a few suggestions for developing a
proper form of bodily strength. In addition, seize any chance you can to
work the body by performing physical labor. It’s a great way to make
friends with the neighbors!
Hindu Push-Ups
This exercise is really great since it allows you to work up to high
repetitions without risking the stress on joints induced by ordinary push-
ups. They are also dynamic and require you to tense the entire upper body.
Using the arms is simply not enough to do Hindu push-ups well.
Spread the feet and hold the hands slightly farther apart than your shoulders.
Dip your body down and as far back as possible and try to brush your chest along the floor as close to
your hands as you can, then go forward.
Push up as far as possible, making sure to bend the neck and look at the ceiling. You want to create a
bend in the spine by pushing your chest forward and up toward the ceiling.
Press your hands into the floor and gently press yourself back up to the starting position. Do not go
back down along the floor on the return, as this carries with it a definite risk of back injury.
Press yourself up as high as possible and, as you progress, walk the feet further in and strive to push
the chest toward the hands as much as possible so that hands, shoulders, and chest are in line one
above the other. Hold that position as long as possible and ease yourself down the same way you
went up. Remember to bend the neck to look at the floor as you press yourself up.
Now the bridge proper. From the same starting position…
…lift your body slightly so your forehead can roll to the rear. The goal is to have the forehead and
not the top of the head in contact with the floor.
When you feel established, remove the hands if it feels OK in the neck and place them on your chest.
You can then try to move back and forth slightly, but remember that the neck is sensitive. A better
way to add stress is to try and walk the feet further in and raise your hips as high as possible. This is
both safer and harder to do, since you will be working against the strong abdominals that must both
stretch and tighten to be able to cope.
As you go down, your heels should lift off the floor. Maintain your upper body in a straight position
without leaning forward too much.
In the lowest position, you should have folded your legs completely. Maintain the straightness of the
arms.
You can also do this exercise with the arms at your hips.
Here we have the fingers pointing inward, still with the backs of the hands on the floor.
Maintain the tension in the body and keep facing forward as you go down.
Here is the classic push-up on the knuckles. Keep the fists more toward your waist than under your
shoulders to deemphasize the stress on the upper body.
Maintain tension and face forward as you lower to the floor.
Fingertip Push-Ups
This was one of Tunney’s favorite exercises. When doing fingertip
push-ups, listen to your body. If it really hurts and feels horrible, back off
and rest. The most important thing to remember is that you must tense the
entire torso package and make the body absolutely stiff as a board, with the
back arching slightly upward rather than sagging down. This is also the case
once you go down to the floor—keep it tense! Work your way up to as high
a number as you can crank out and repeat for, say, a max of three sets.
The starting position, with eyes forward and the body stiff and slightly arched.
Go all the way down to the floor while maintaining the tension in the body and the slight arch in the
lower back, facing forward as always.
Straighten the arms and push up, without sagging the back! Face forward.
Starting position for one-finger pushes against a wall. (If you are really tough like Bruce Lee, do it on
the floor. The rest of us use a wall.) Maintain a slight upward arch in the finger so it does not sag
downward in the joint from stress.
Lean in to the wall, maintaining the straightness of the finger and good contact with the wall. Do not
let it bend.
Push yourself out, again not letting the finger bend.
The concept of wind was very important in bare knuckle, and today’s
boxers also emphasize the need to be able to fight for long periods of time.
The difference is that bare-knuckle matches were considerably longer than
modern bouts. In spite of that, the old texts did not advocate running to get
fit; instead, it was recommended that you take brisk walks several times a
day. In our modern lifestyle, this might mean walking briskly to and from
work, and perhaps taking a walk over lunch break.
The concept of wind was closely integrated with having a durable
strength, which enabled a combatant to not run out of steam (something you
see in quite a few modern full-contact matches, regardless of style). The
emphasis thus was on having what we might call core strength and
cardiovascular capacity to endure a long, grueling bare-knuckle contest.
To develop this level of fitness, it is essential to partake in training that
emphasizes prolonged repetitions. This gives us long-lasting endurance as
well as the capacity to explode into attacks. Explosiveness is based on
short-term energy, but it must be backed by a long-term endurance, because
without the latter the former quickly becomes useless in a fight.
Again, the preferred exercise historically was walking briskly, twice or
three times a day for as much as 10 miles. You can do the same thing today,
but to do it properly, do not just stroll along quietly. Instead, walk quickly
and with purpose, maintaining the same pace throughout the entire walk.
This is much harder than it sounds. If you live in the country, so much the
better; take a walk in the countryside, but without losing the pace. Avoid the
temptation to include a backpack—you don’t want to add extra weight
unless there are specific reasons for it, such as soldiers training while
wearing their field kit. Instead, you want to work out under conditions as
close to the ones you will be in during a bare-knuckle fight, which means
no backpack. You will notice that your cardiovascular capacity will increase
greatly. Start with 30 minutes and increase from there. As you improve, do
not train longer than one hour. Instead, aim for a faster pace throughout the
session. If you can keep a brisk pace for an hour, you will be fit—have no
doubt about that.
NICOLAES PETTER
David grabs Ulf by the hair behind the neck, pulls his head back, and strikes Ulf underneath the chin.
Another option for life-or-death self-defense is to strike straight to the throat.
The strike can also be aimed at the opponent’s throat or mouth. Here Ulf strikes David’s throat.
Elbow Strikes
This elbow strike is aimed at both high and low targets. David starts with a straight strike at Ulf, who
defends by deflecting as usual.
Ulf steps in and delivers a strike in the face with the elbow while maintaining control of David’s arm.
David steps in with a right-hand strike, which Ulf defends with the same-side arm. Notice the change
in geometry: deflection with the same-side arm creates a diagonal line, with a wide opening for Ulf to
drive his elbow into David’s right side.
Ulf steps in and strikes with the elbow, maintaining the control over David’s arm. The strike and step
must be simultaneous for the best effect. Remember not to slap him with the fleshy part of the arm
but try to drive the bony part of the elbow in to his ribs.
Kicks
Kicks were not invented by savate, as proved by their existence in
Paschen’s text. These kicks are low and fast; in fact, you never see a leg
attack that goes above the waist in the European material.
David steps in to attack with a straight strike. Ulf simply kicks low with a straight leg, aiming at the
knee. This effectively stops David in his tracks, upsets his balance, and opens him up for a follow-up.
Here Ulf nails David with a low kick when both are in the guard position but still at a distance. No
attack has been made; it is a way to open the engagement.
This a nice follow-up to the kick from the guard position. Ulf simply steps in with a strike to the face.
SIGMUND RINGECK
Ulf throws a strike at David, who blocks upward, maintaining focus and the free hand aimed at the
opponent.
David then strikes at Ulf’s heart from above. The idea is to allow the strike to hit and slide downward
rather than striking directly inward at the target.
David then reaches up and grabs Ulf’s throat, gripping the larynx with the thumb, index, and middle
fingers while pushing Ulf’s head back, opening him up for a strike.
Knee to Mark
Ulf reaches forward to take hold of David by the collar, neck, or whatever is available to grab.
Ulf then pulls David toward him and simultaneously slams his knee into the mark (the groin is too
hard to hit effectively). There are, of course, many more ways to deliver a knee to the mark or
another target on the lower part of the body.
NOTES
1. Lindholm & Svârd, Sigmund Ringeck’s Knightly Arts of Combat, pp. 23–158, 173–184, 201–218.
(A translation of a 15th century work, this book also has modern comments and plenty of
illustrations of how the techniques are to be done.) Zabinski & Walczak, Codex Wallerstein.
2. Petter, Klare Onderrichtinge der Voortreffelijcke Worstel-Konst, p. 55, plate 1.
3. Paschen, Vollstandiges Ring-Buch.
Chapter
7
SELF-DEFENSE IN THE REAL WORLD
Self-defense is, for the common man and woman at least, perhaps the
most misunderstood aspect of all martial arts training today. There is
usually nothing wrong with the techniques and concepts presented in many
martial art schools—except that you must have the skills of Bruce Lee, not
to mention a lot of luck, to execute them successfully in a real self-defense
situation.
Self-defense is so much more than technique. Such things as awareness
and evasion are much more important than many people realize. Paladin
Press has some really good books on self-defense and the handling of
violence, and we recommend some in chapter 9. But first we will discuss
self-defense in general and how bare knuckle fits into the picture.
Author Geoff Thompson has written several good books on self-defense
based on his work as a bouncer/doorman in the less savory parts of English
industrial cities, where people are hard for real, so he has some authority on
the matter. In his excellent book Watch My Back, Thompson says that
effective self-defense boils down to this: “Learn to hit fucking hard, hit
first, and keep hitting until he does not move any more.” This may sound
harsh, but if a situation deteriorates to the point where fighting is necessary
to defend yourself, it sums thing up very well.
There is, however, a misconception that self-defense is about hitting
only. In reality, self-defense is 80 percent psychology, 10 percent
conditioning, and 10 percent technique.
A short story from my life illustrates the importance of psychology in a
confrontation. I was walking home pleasantly drunk around two in the
morning, when I saw three young fellows step out onto the pavement on my
side of the street up ahead. They looked at me, started talking, and looked
again. This was a set-up if I ever saw one, and I knew I needed to do
something or get stomped.
I walked up to the largest guy, stared into his eyes, and said, “Sorry
mate, what time is it?” One of the small fish next to him said, “I’m going to
kill you.” I kept staring at the big guy, who was somewhat flabbergasted by
my actions and the fact that I completely ignored the small guy on my right.
In reality, I was observing him closely; if he made a move for me, I would
have sunk my keys in his eye socket, having set them up as knuckledusters
in my right-hand pocket so they protruded between my fingers. The big guy
suddenly found his voice and said, “Uhm, about two.” “Thank you. ’Night,”
I replied and walked away. They stood there for some time, and the skinny
little fellow kept screaming that he was going to do me in. He did not budge
asmall but informative bookn inch to put any muscle behind those words.
The point is that I took charge of the situation and commanded them
instead of running or allowing them to command me. This gave me the
initiative and created insecurity in their minds. (Who walks up to three guys
out for a fight in the middle of the night and asks about the time?) Part of
my victory was due to the psychology behind this unspoken intimidation;
the second part was that I was prepared to maim them all permanently,
while they were only out for a regular stomping. They wanted to beat me up
old style, but no more; I would not have thought twice about sending them
to the morgue.
Another point to remember is that I chose to initiate contact with these
guys as a last resort. Running was not an option, and neither was a regular
fight of three against one, since I was too pissed to run quickly or fight well.
If I was going to have a chance, I had to deliver a really good bluff—backed
up by being prepared to land the first blow and make very sure the one on
the receiving end was not going to get up again. This is what real self-
defense is about: less technique and more awareness, planning, and attitude.
Professional Needs
If your work environment includes violence, you have to consider
whether bare knuckle is your best choice for personal training. Bare
knuckle suits many, but perhaps not all, professional applications. While it
works well for strict self-defense situations, it is not equally appropriate for
apprehension and detention work. If your work involves controlling
aggressive people (e.g., felons as a guard, or patients as a caretaker), in all
probability bare knuckle would be unsuitable for your specific needs, since
it rather quickly escalates into mechanical damage when applied correctly.
If you need to use open hands in your work (e.g., for shooting), then an
open-hand system may suit you better. For police work, we recommend
ESDS (Explosive Self Defence System) created by Swedish police officer
Slavo Gozdzik under the auspices of the International Police Defensive
Tactics Association (IPDTA). There are many other good systems out there,
but ESDS is one of the best we’ve seen for the professional in our more
than 25 years of experience with martial arts, military arts, and self-defense.
For military hand-to-hand combat, the object is other than self-defense
and therefore outside this discussion, but we like the Fairbairn-Applegate
line of military combatives as taught, for instance, by Matt Temkin. It most
be understood, however, that there are differences between military hand-
to-hand combat and military fitness and toughness training. When you train
for fitness, you can choose whatever system you like, which is what many
military units do. There is, of course, a long history of boxing and pugilism
training in the military (see, for example, the manual Boxing from the
United States Navel Institute, available from Paladin Press).
Chapter
8
SCENARIO-BASED BARE-KNUCKLE
TRAINING
The designated attacker starts to wildly throw punches at you, and you
start with the natural reaction to cover up to protect yourself. You have to
try to get back into the game. It is not that easy, and many trained martial
artists have a hard time getting their techniques to work. You can start this
off more gently by having the aggressor come at you with open-hand (i.e.,
palm) strikes as you cover up, then escalate to more aggressive attacks.
An attack from behind hits you in the back of the head, and you go
down to the floor. You need to get off the ground while defending yourself
from further attack. Here are some ideas for getting up:
• Hit him hard on the thighs to get him to back away. Do this especially
when he is towering above you and hitting down on you.
• Use your arms as hooks to climb up his body. Works well if you are
dizzy or there are multiple aggressors trying to pound you. You may
get a chance to throw him down as you grapple up his body.
• Slam your head into his stomach or chest, driving forward as you get
up. A good option if you are seated as well.
• If you cannot get up, do you have a plan?
The aggressor is interviewing you, and you see where it is leading. You
decide to take the chance and fire the first shot. Of course, you want a clean
knockout with the first punch. How do you set this up to get the best result?
This training method can be set up in an infinite numbers of scenarios:
• In a doorway. Can you get a chance to close the door and be safe after
hitting him? Try with two or more aggressors as well.
• In a bar. Can you safely leave the place if you put him down? Try with
two or more aggressors as well. Even if you can take out one person,
what then?
• On an unlit street or under a lamppost with bad lighting. Do you see
the aggressor’s hand or not? Does he have a knife in the hand?
You are already close to the aggressor and he gets closer. You shove him
away hard and then step back and create even more distance between you.
If you stay close, his natural reaction may be to fight, but by creating a
greater distance, he may actually get a flight response and leave. Practice
this with your verbal de-escalation skills.
With two aggressors, one grabs hold of you and the other tries to punch
you out. You have to fend off both of them.
TRAINING METHOD 10: BREAK FOR THE DOOR
You’re indoors, and two aggressors are interviewing you. You want to
go for the door. How to get by these two opponents? Do you have anything
to throw at them? Do you have the opportunity to really punch them?
You are under attack by a small group, say about four or five people.
You will need to be mobile and extremely aggressive to survive.
You are attacked by at least four people with big training mitts, who try
to squeeze you totally flat. You are allowed to hit the mitts as hard and
much as you can. If you can’t keep moving, then they will flatten you out.
You will pass between two lines of people, all wearing big training mitts
and ready to slam you as you pass. You will have to push through the line
while continuously punching away.
Two small groups are fighting, and you need to protect your space
without getting hurt or involved. Figure out how to cover up, preferably
doing your protective part without even showing it so nobody mistakes you
for a combatant.
Learn how to speak with your hands and use your fence and body
positioning without it becoming obvious to others. At first, practice at home
in front of the mirror. When you start to feel OK with it, test it out with a
knowing friend. When you think it looks normal, try it out on unknowing
friends. If they don’t find it manufactured or strange, you have come a long
way with your “speaking hands.”
Chapter
9
RECOMMENDED SELF-DEFENSE BOOKS
Here are some recommendations for further reading if you want to learn
more about self-defense and the nature of violence. All these authors and
their books deal in an insightful way with a topic that does not really lend
itself to writing.
Gavin DeBecker’s The Gift of Fear is very well written and one of the best
books on this subject. Enough said—get the book and read it. What we tend
to fear is the feeling of fear rather than the thing that brought it on. Fear is,
in essence, a chemical reaction in the body. This book helps you understand
what it is, how it works, and why it is good for you. You can even make
fear an ally in a fight.
Don Pentecost wrote about real-world knife fighting in the small but
informative book called Put ’Em Down, Take ’Em Out! This is probably the
best book on knife fighting ever published, helping you understand how
knife attacks really occur and what you can and should do to survive one
(such as forget the fanciful systems). Find a copy of this out-of-print
booklet and learn from it.
Peyton Quinn’s first book was the classic A Bouncers Guide to Barroom
Brawling. In it, Quinn describes such things as why fights occur, the
psychology of the bully, how bullies select their victims, the concepts of
“interviewing” and “woofing,” and much more. After emphasizing the
importance of awareness and avoidance as the best solution for possibly
violent situations, he goes on to present technical solutions and training.
Real Fighting is about adrenal stress conditioning through scenario-
based training. We agree wholeheartedly with this training concept. Besides
presenting a lot of useful information about scenario-based training, Quinn
discusses the proper mindset for self-defense, which is a relaxed mind. Easy
to say, but harder too achieve, so put some time in to understand the
concept and then practice it through scenario-based training.
These are both really good books about violence and fighting (even if
we consider Real Fighting to be the better of the two) and are well worth
including in your self-defense library.
Rory A. Miller may not have published any books on self-defense yet, but
you can find some of his valuable articles on the Internet. Look for “The
Four Basic Truths of Violent Assault” and “A Strategy and Tactics Primer
for the Martial Artist.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The following list is not complete in any way, but it consists of the
works we made use of that are readily available, including those in library
collections. Most of the modern editions are still available from the
publishers.