Two types of punching, and what they tell us about pugilistic combat.
In most fighting styles, but particularly in bareknuckle boxing, you are depending upon your fists to deliver strikes to an opponent. There are three basic positions, which I shall call by their Japanese names, since there the terminology is clearer than it is in English. (The images below are courtesy of Sensei Kevin Leigh, of SKKIF Watford)
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The first position, Ura-Tsuki, is generally used for uppercut blows, which tend to be thrown at close range, or “in-fighting”. As such I intend to leave it out of the following discussion, for my intention here is to discuss the change in boxing practises which tool place from c. 1870 to c. 1920. During this time, the dominant fist position for punching changed from the Tate-tsuki to the oi-tsuki one. In close combat terms, punching is technically a “middle-distance” between kicking range and “in-fighting” or grappling range, and it is at this “middle distance” we shall consider the punches being thrown.
In James Mace’s biography, we learn that the Champion pugilist was a “disciple of the straight left” . It is possible that his championing of this particular punch found its way into literature; Sherlock Holmes, as is now well known, was written as a talented martial artist. In the Adventure of the Empty House, Holmes is credited with “some knowledge of Baritsu, or the Japanese system of wrestling”. In A Study in Scarlet, Watson identifies Holmes as “an expert singlestick player, boxer and swordsman”,The Yellow Face contains the accolade that Holmes was “one of the finest boxers of his weight I have ever seen”. Further re-enforcement comes from other stories, The Adventure of the Gloria Scott mentions Holmes training in pugilism, and in The Sign of the Four Holmes is revealed to have had an amateur bout with McMurdo, a Prize Fighter who lavishes him with praise. Above all, in The Adventure of the Solitary CyclistHolmes engages in actual combat, emerging victorious by delivering “a straight left against an uncouth ruffian”.
It is interesting to note that James Mace may actually be the inspiration for Holmes’ martial abilities. (It is already suspected that Holmes was inspired by at least three brilliant characters of Doyle’s personal acquaintance). Mace, though a natural middleweight, was Heavyweight Champion of both England and the world. He also excelled at swordplay, and was giving demonstrations of the value of the straight left at the Pelican Club (A club sponsored by notables such as Hugh Cecil Lowther, Lord Lonsdale, and John Sholto Douglas, the 9th Earl of Queensberry – primarily hosting matches under the Queensberry Rules) in London c.1886-87, a club which Conan-Doyle is suspected of visiting.
Certainly, the timeline of the stories are consistent with Mace having been an inspiration. A Study in Scarlet was published in 1887, and the Sign of the Four followed in 1890. Another possible source of inspiration could be the instructional book Mace wrote with the help of journalist Harry Sampson “On Boxing” (1889)
What, however, did a straight left look like?
Yup. James Corbett’s 1912 boxing manual shows the technique without gloves, and the fist is chambered vertically.
And these images from Bob Fitzsimmons 1901 Book “Physical Culture and Self Defence” show the same thing, both Bob and his demonstration partner are throwing their punches tate-tsuki. Billy Edwards, in his 1888 “The Art of Boxing and Manual of Training” shows the same thing again, albeit gloved.
While both Bob Fitzsimmons and Jim Corbett were gloved Champions, they had been taught by men who fought both with gloves and bareknuckles. Men like Billy Edwards and James Mace. So the question is, why would all these great pugilists and boxers prefer the tate-tsuki, whilst the standard punch of later and modern boxers appear to be oi-tsuki?
One possible answer is technical. The range of boxing changed drastically when the wrestling component was removed from the sport by the Queensberry rules. The tate-tsuki chamber derives its power from body structure, specifically the relation of the fist, elbow and centreline. Wing Chun practitioners, who specialise in this type of punch, point out that the power in it comes not from big muscles, but from the incredibly strong skeletal alignment provided by keeping your elbows tucked in – thus making the absolute best use of whatever muscle you have (however large or small). When you punch tate-tsuki, the elbow should be directly behind the fist, and directly in front of your core. This allows you to transfer your weight into the strike through your bones.
In order to use, this structure, however, you have to be able to stay at that middle distance between kicking and grappling. Since kicking was not allowed in pugilism it did not present an issue. Wrestling was, however, and when it was removed from the game it gave a decided advantage to boxers who were “in fighters”. Typically stocky and powerful, these fighters, like Daniel Mendoza or Mike Tyson, would close to grappling range and launch devastating close range punches (generally thrown from the shoulders, rather than the core).
The above images illustrate a change in the range of pugilistic engagement, suggesting that protagonists stand closer to each other under Queensberry rules than they would tend to under the old LPR set. At the extended range, one had room to set up the torso, elbow, fist alignment which would make tate-tsuki strikes very powerful. Rotating the fist at that range would not add any significant impact, and could lead to one overbalancing – throwing one’s weight forward so that a skilled wrestler could gain a hold and dash one to the ground.
Closing in, however, one might have to hand the advantage to those who favoured the oi-tsuki. Without room to chamber the elbow between fist and torso, the oi-tsuki moves the elbow to the side, and instead relies on the powerful muscles of the shoulder and upper back to give the strike force. It also has the added benefit, as Iain Abernethy points out, of disengaging the bicep. Biceps tend to contract the arm, and so would actually pull in the opposite direction to a punch, weakening it. As boxers moved from being all round athletes (James Mace, for example, was also a talented dancer and pedestrian) to being more specialised, and as the science behind sports took off in the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, this would become an increasing problem. As boxers moved their training more to focus on the upper body delivering strikes (rather than the all round fitness required for LPR) they would have developed larger shoulder muscles – and thus felt less need to put their skeleton behind a punch to deliver power, but also would have needed to counter any adverse effect those bigger muscles could have on their punching power.
Another possible answer is to do with protecting the knuckles. Urban combat styles, like Wing Chun and Krav Maga, tend to favour the tate-tsuki chamber even today. One of the reasons is that punching tate-tsuki makes it easier to land a strike flush with the knuckles of the index and middle finger,thus offering protection to the more delicate knuckles of the ring and pinkie fingers. Even though modern boxers wear 16 oz. gloves, a fracture of the bone behind the pinkie finger is known as a “boxer’s fracture”.
Under LPR rules, where hand protection was non-existant, looking after your knuckles was key to winning the fight. It wasn’t uncommon for one pugilist to break his hand due to a badly placed punch, and usually that man would then lose. With one of his weapons broken his attack and defence would be severely compromised. Pugilists went to extraordinary lengths to protect their hands, including pickling them for weeks before the fight (one common solution was turpentine) to toughen them up and prevent this eventuality. Given the dramatic effects of potential injury, and the lengths they were known to have gone to, it is reasonable to suggest that they may have adopted this style of punch specifically because it favoured the knuckles. It goes without saying that gloved boxers do not have to be as concerned about their knuckles.
Additionally, if one punches tate-tsuki, it is more likely to slip through an opponents guard than an oi-tsuki punch – having a narrower width. This advantage only applies to fights that are bareknuckle or where the gloves are very small, and thus would not apply from c. 1920’s onwards, when virtually all boxing gloves weighed upwards of 12-16 oz. Since the advantage dissapeared, the incentive to punch tate-tsuki would be less strong.
It is thought that the Oi-tsuki position was popularised by Charles “Kid” McCoy, who claimed he used the twisting motion to “cut” his opponents open, either disabling or inconveniencing them. (It should be noted that James Mace favoured this tactic also, but he managed it with a tate-tsuki left).
Observant readers will notice two things from the above illustration, McCoy’s crouching posture suggests an attention to infighting, and the hunch of the left shoulder helps him cover his chin, protecting the head but leaving the torso open. The elbows in tate-tsuki punches are kept close to the torso, covering one from body shots but leaving the head relatively unguarded. Under LPR the body was a more important target than it was under queensberry rules, quite simply because it was soft. Knuckles could do a lot of damage to a body without risking themselves against the hard bones of the head. The advent of gloves made targeting the head more popular, partly because they reduced damage to the body from digging punches, and partly because they cushioned impact, making a knockout blow more likely than with bareknuckles.
We can tell McCoy was an infighter; the majority of his surviving photographs show him demonstrating his “dip game”
McCoy was a middleweight who fought at heavyweight. This meant his opponents would usually be bigger than him, so he had to get in close in order to hit them. Additionally, he didn’t have to worry too much about shots to the body, because a larger opponent would have to drop under the punch McCoy was already throwing in order to take advantage of the opening. By throwing his elbows out, as in a corkscrew punch,he could hit his opponents at under his full arm length, and significantly under theirs, and at the same time keep himself covered from counter strikes.
Quite frankly, I don’t buy that the corkscrew punch is better for cutting people. Having experimented with both I would favour the tate-tsuki punch to cut an opponents skin, but the corkscrew for a body shot, as the twisting can add a little extra power if one is striking to a vital point, such as a liver or a spleen. I do think that the hunching and reliance on muscle power really suits a close in fighter, and would argue that the biggest reason for the transition is that the combat range of boxing changed to be much closer after the wrestling component was eliminated. Instead of staying outside and picking specific shots (like Shotokan Karate competitors do today) boxing got more up close and personal, relying more on fast paced action and good covering for victory than carefully picking and avoiding shots.
If you enjoyed this article, and would like to know more about what stylistic differences tell us about combat, why not check out our follow up piece on the development of guard systems?
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