From: jat@hpsemc.cup.hp.com (Joe Talmadge)
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: BOOK REVIEW: _Championship Fighting_

Book Review: 
_CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTING: Explosive Punching and Aggressive Defence_
by Jack Dempsey

Much thanks for this recommendation to Gerard Bras

Summary: THIS IS A MUST OWN!  Go buy it now, you big dummy!

Review:

In general, I find I don't learn much from books.  If I can come out
of a book with one or two new techniques or principles, or perhaps a
correction to an old technique, I'm pretty happy.  This book, however,
really taught me a lot.  It confirmed some old ideas and gave me some
new ones.  

_Championship Fighting_ is written by a master in his art.  Despite
what you may think, this book is more about streetfighting than it is
about boxing.  Dempsey considers boxing the art of fighting, and
openly regrets his own role in turning it into big-money sport.  To
Dempsey, fighting is about power, not about winning on points. 

Dempsey first goes into "explosive" punching, after lamenting the lack
of good power punchers in the heavyweight class [the book was
copyrighted in 1950; I wonder what he would have thought about Tyson
and Foreman!].  Dempsey is particularly good at describing the
mechanics of power punching, and at describing how *footwork* is to be
used to gain greater power.  He also describes why certainly punches
should be done certain ways, based on what he calls "pure vs impure"
punching.  A hook with a sharply bent elbow is pure, a cross with a
bent elbow is not; a cross in general is only somewhat pure, but can
be made more pure through footwork.  The pure punches are the ones
that create the power.  He gives a simple maxim on how to figure out
if a punch is pure or not.

Demsey also goes into "aggressive" defense, the proper use of
slipping, bobbing, weaving, blocks & parries, etc.  And training
methods as well.

One thing that impressed me was that Dempsey said some things that
I've heard the Wing Chun and JKD guys say.  Dempsey, for example,
favors a straight left, power gained through footwork, fist held
vertical, striking surface on the bottom three knuckles.  While he
never mentioned "the centerline", he does talk about using the
straight right to keep inside an opponents swings.

All in all, very impressive.  Get it, you'll learn something, I
promise.  Given all the recent arguments about boxing on this list,
there should be lots of interest.

Note:  I could not find this book in any bookstore. I had my local
bookstore order it directly from the publishers, Centerline Press.
However, I have since found a mail-order outfit who will send it to
you.  Just go to your local bookstore and pick up copies of the boxing
magazines (_Ringside_, _Boxing Illustrated_, etc.)  Look through the
advertisements, and eventually you'll find this mail-order company.


cheers,

Joe
jat@cup.hp.com