His writing on boxing technique regarding such manoeuvres as the falling step, the shoulder whirl and the correct hip movement when throwing uppercuts are probably the best I have read in a boxing manual.
Who has read a better boxing manual than Jack Dempsey's?
Please say what it is and if there is a place to download it on the web.
The funny thing is that in his time Dempsey was not thought of as a scientific boxeer. More of a brawler. This book is about 180 degrees from that.
I have a bunch of old boxing books. I will take a look at what is on my shelf.
Dempsey's is one of the best and most complete. At least for his style of boxing.
I've read quite a few modern ones and being disappointed in them all. They are alright for basics but not much else.
In terms of teaching pure punching mechanics I have yet to come across anything better than Dempsey's.
I'm sure there are books that teach better technique regarding footwork and creating angles however.
I will try to get to my collection soon and let you know.
There are some cool books out there. Thomas Inch and stuff like that.
Great thanks.
Joe - what, in your opinion, are the best videos for boxing technique?
Not sure I had copies of a few a while back. Don Familton and the Ringside ones and a few others.
They weren't really worth remembering to be honest.
e. kaye - The funny thing is that in his time Dempsey was not thought of as a scientific boxeer. More of a brawler.Dempsey was largely misunderstood by the boxing press of his time, something he understood and that annoyed him. For example, he was frequently depicted as a caveman or jungle brute in cartoons of the day; Dempsey was bright but fairly uneducated and he was quite sensitive about these portrayals because he felt demeaned as less than a full person. In his championship years he took diction classes to improve how he could present himself in public, and on the later advice of Gene Tunney adopted the practice of reading a newspaper every morning, front-to-back, no matter where he was, in order to have relevant topics of conversation with people he met beyond just discussing boxing.
His book on boxing mechanics really is top-notch.
I took a quick look. I will have to sit with my laptop and make a list of what I have here. Some are illustrated pretty well. Just too many to remember.
Some of the books are from an early era, which perversely has more incommon with MMA than modern boxing does.
ttt
Boxing-Haislet
Out Fighting-Jim Driscoll
Boxing-Inch
Straight Left-Driscoll
Donelly's Self Defense or The Art of Boxing
The Science of Boxing-Donovan
How To Fight Tough-Dempsey
Boxing and Physical Culture-Inch
Boxing-Spaulding Library
Scientific Boxing-Burns
How to Box-Clark
Championship Fighting-Dempsey
I may have missed one or two, but these are in my library.
Fitzsimmons' "Physical Culture and Self-Defense" is a great read as well; Fitz's career spanned the bare-knuckle and small-glove era and he had some great insights on changes in technique as a result.
Thanks e.kaye, that's an interesting list.
I was unaware Dempsey wrote two books. What is his "how to fight tough" book like?
e.kaye, is it possible you could scan the best parts of some of those books?
And what would you say are the best ones to own?
Forget about scanning. I have a life. ;-) If you ever make it to NYC, let me know.
They are all interesting for different reasons.
As you well know, I learned a bare knuckle style of boxing. Some of these books date to the small glove era or earlier. Some are all about gloved boxing. So I bought some of them to get a perspective on the development/changes over time. The Driscoll book s are good, he was particularly good at those two skills.
LH,
if you are serious about boxing like i think you are, it would be good you track the books down and see which are good for you.
ttt
How To Fight TOugh by Dempsey is a book that covers all aspects of self defense. He was commissioned in the Coast Guard and this book is about the techniques that he taught the recruits. He was given a blank slate as Director of Physical Fitness to design a course that would make them tough. Not a lot about boxing. GUn and knife disarms. Strangles. All sorts of stuff.
e. kaye,
thanks for your list... like EF Hutton (that didn't go over your head, but some of the younger members may be clueless to my reference), when you speak, i listen.
all,
i thought Jim Driscoll's books were OOP and would cost an arm and a leg, apparently, there are new editions out with new photographs added to the originals and affordable!
iirc, how to fight tough was reprinted by paladin press. and also iirc, the co-author of this book was bruce cosneck? cosneck wrote the book, american combat judo, which has some history behind it.