Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/boxingselfdefensOOgeer vT> b -,_ v-o- o ^ " ° « ° ° ^V / a*V Boxing and Self Defense £o& taughti byi thei Marshall Stillman Principle Copyright 1919 Marshall Stillman Association 461 Fourth Avenue, New York A ©CI.A53615S This volume contains Page 1. Five Sub-Conscious Lessons in Boxing 4 1. The Hit 2. The Guard 3. The Duck 4. Footwork 5. Feiating and clinching 2. One lesson for daily exercises 32 3. Three rounds of shadow boxing 42 4. Eight bone-breaking holds and re- ) leases, ( Jiu Jitsu 70 for use against violent attack. 5. Eight holds in standing wrestling. ... 82 for use against violent attack. There is included with this course a separ- ate complimentary volume of Mike Don- ovan's famous book, "Science of Boxing" spe- cially bound for home study, including the rules and articles on training, generalship in the ring, and every good blow and guard known in boxing. MARSHALL STILLMAN has been a student of boxing for more than thirty years. He was a pupil and intimate friend of Professor Mike Donovan who retired undefeated middleweight champion of the world and who taught boxing at the New York Athletic Club for thirty years. Professor Mike Donovan thought so much of Mar- shall Stillman and the "Shorthand" or "Sub-Con- scious" Method of teaching Boxing that he heartily endorsed both, and posed for the illustrations in this book. This is Donovan's system of boxing taught by Marshall Stillman's principle of instruction. Marshall Stillman's interest in boxing and self- defense for the last ten years has been devoted largely to the development of this simplified system of in- struction. Anybody, young or old, can learn the rudi- ments of boxing and how to guard against attack, from this course. Boys of 12 and 15, have learned; men of 40 and 60 have learned, and what is more, they have benefited physically as a result. Marshall Stillman begins with the things you know, such as holding out your hand for a coin, the breast stroke in swimming, butting like a goat, etc., and the first thing you know, he has led you into striking correct blows, using proper guards, and par- ries, ducking scientifically, etc. You learn these fundamentals right in front of your own mirror, before you put on the gloves with anyone else. After you have learned the principles, you are then ready to put on the gloves with some- one else, and profit by your study. You can readily understand why it is difficult under the old method to learn boxing. Your op- ponent usually knows far more than you, and instead of helping you, he hinders you, because his superior knowledge confuses you and makes it difficult to learn. By the Marshall Stillman method, you learn the principles and rudiments and when you face your first opponent, you know what to expect and how to guard against it. And you know how to hit him effectively. After all the "proof of the pudding" is the amusing 2 and interesting, but nevertheless important letters we get week after week, from men and boys, who say "Last week I licked or out-boxed a fellow that I had just been dying to get at for a year." Sailors in the Navy and soldiers in the Army have taken the course by the hundreds—so that they could hold their own. Others have taken the course just for the Jiu Jitsu and standing wrestling holds, so as to be prepared against violent attack. Anyone of a dozen things in this course may be worth $50 or $100 in a crisis, because after all, when unexpected attacks come, it isn't just a question of how brave you are, nor a question of how strong you are, but rather, do you know how to box? do you know how to defend yourself against a kick for the stomach, how to break a hold on the throat, how to disarm an opponent? You cannot get all the good out of the lessons by doing them once. Go over them repeatedly. The benefit physically alone justifies repetition, but aside from that, you will learn something every time you do one of these lessons, and you will keep yourself from forming bad habits—twisting the fist the wrong way, using the body weight the wrong way, striking the wrong kind of blow, or departing from the right guard—so do them repeatedly. Incidentally, the course will help you mentally. It will give you confidence, courage, self reliance in "competition", not only in boxing, but in contact with big men. Everybody likes a man who is sure of him- self, and the ability to box— to hold your own with somebody bigger if necessary—certainly does make you feel sure of yourself. Stand the course right up in front of you on your bureau. The type is big enough to read at a distance of several feet, and the pictures are as plain and clear as can be made—Mike Donovan posed for those in the Sub-Conscious Lessons, and for those in his own book, of course—and the world has never known a greater teacher of boxing and self-defense than Pro- fessor Mike Donovan. Fig. 1. Turning: Allow the arms to swing out loosely in the air. Do not sway the body either forward or backward. Turn the shoulders first to the right and then to the left. Fig. 2. Turning (Cont'd): This is the other half of the movement in Fig. 1. There is no change in the position of the feet or head. The arms and shoulders have simply swung around, as you can see. — First Lesson The Hit Stand before your looking-glass with your feet squarely on the floor, toes pointing straight forward and arms loosely hanging at your sides. Feet about 12 to 18 inches apart, and toeing a line. Imagine a rod run through the top of the head down the spine and into the floor, and on this rod you are to turn, not swaying either forward, backward or sideways. Now turn on this rod, allowing your arms to swing out loosely in the air (as in Figs. 1 and 2). Watch yourself carefully in the mirror that you do not permit your body to sway. After you have continued this exercise a sufficient length of time so as to get the turn Continued on Page 6 Fig. 3. While twisting the shoulders first one direction and then the other, but without swaying the body, bring the arms to this position so that the elbows are against the ribs, the hands out with palms up. Keep turning. well in your mind, then bring your arms to your sides bent at the elbow with your hands open, continuing to turn. Elbows in close to the sides (as in Fig. 3). Now as you turn, reach out straight in front of you. Right straight toward your hand that is reflected in the mirror with the palm of your hand up as if you were to receive a coin dropped in your hand. Be sure that you have your elbows in close to your sides and that your hands go directly for the mirror in a per- fectly straight line, (as in Figs. 4 and 5) con- tinuing to turn on this rod supposed to be driven through the body from the top of the head into the floor. Continue this exercise un- til you have it well fixed in your mind. Now clench your fist. Be sure that the pro- pulsion of the blow comes from a twist of the body. If you have followed the directions carefully you will find that you are now deliv- ering a perfectly scientific blow with both hands. The propulsion comes from a twist of the body. Back of the hand is toward the floor. Be careful that the elbows come back closely to the sides. Continue this motion as vigor- ously as you please. You will find it a most excellent exercise for the vital organs and it will also get you in the way of delivering a very powerful blow. Fig. 4. Turn well around and reach far out directly towards your mirror with the left hand just as though you were reaching for a coin. Then bend the arm back to the position in Fig. 3. Fig. 5. The same movement as in Fig. 4, but with the right hand. Keep turning without swaying, reaching out first with the left and then with the right, returning first one and then the other arm to the position in Fig. 3. 7 Fig. 6. Clench the fists. Now strike. As you turn give a snappy twist to the body. Don't shove or sway forward, just twist. The way to make a Fist Double the fingers in the palm of the hand, not squeezing them tightly into the palm, and especially do not draw down the little finger; in placing your fist on a bureau as you stand by it, with the arm hanging at the side, the big knuckles of the hand should be the only point of contact. This you will see will describe a straight line from the big knuckle up the wrist, up the forearm, to the elbow. This is the correct way of making a fist. Any other way is wrong and liable to cause a fracture of the wrist if the blow should be delivered with too much force.