GV 1133 ICopy 1 RULES FOR BOXING ? ISSUED BY THE WAR DEPARTMENT COMMISSION ON TRAINING CAMP ACTIVITIES /^ . z<^^^ Washington GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 191S RULES FOR BOXING ISSUED BY THE U,3 WAR DEPARTMENT ^COMMISSION ON TRAINING CAMP ACTIVITIES CLooui o e flf) WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1918 S!±^ •^^] Cu (k ^w'^^ -^^ THE VALUE OF BOXING IN MILITARY TRAINING. The object of teaching boxing in the Army is to make " head up and eyes open," two-fisted figliting men, rather than expert boxers and ring fighters. Therefore the instruction of the mass — and not of a few individuals — is of prime importance. Work for the largest number of men in the shortest possible time. Elim- inate the " frills " and fancy work and do your best to get the men to fight aggressively and effectively. Six standard blows are sufficient. A straight left, well delivered and backed up by aggressive American determination, is a Boche eliminant in nine cases out of ten. The big contribution of boxing to military training is to de- velop in men the w^illingness and ability to fight at close range. Its purpose is to teach soldiers to give and take punishment. There is a close relation in the qualities required for boxing and bayonet fighting. Both require agility of body, quickness' of eye, good balance, and control in giving a punch or thrust, and an aggressive fighting spirit that breaks down or weakens de- fense, and makes openings for an effective ** finish." An efficient fighting soldier must not only be trained in the technique of offense and defense, but must be " charged " with the proper fighting spirit. We are dealing with men who are strangers in the main to personal combats of any nature, and it is toward this class of soldiers that the major portion of athletic .and boxing activities should be directed. Forward action and aggressiveness in bayonet fighting is essential. Ag- gressive action in boxing tends to the same end and should be given due credit in the judging of contests. Boxing practice will build up ** the habit of consecutive action," i. e., the ability to sense an opening and take immediate advan- tage of it without thinking and without hesitation. The prac- tical application of this faculty to the exigencies of hand to hand conflict and trench attacks is obvious. " Open " rather than *' inside " fighting should be encouraged. 76674—18 (2) LC Control Number D. of ©. OCT 23 1918 .^96 026233 3 The importance of systematic boxing bouts tlirougliout the camps should not be underestimated, and contests of this sort should be encouraged to a rational extent. Bear in mind always that the success of your work is gauged by the number of men who engage in this direct competition and who thus develop, through practice, that confidence and fighting spirit that will become so much a part of them that they will be found avail- able in the excitement of actual combat. Boxing rules throughout the country vary in accordance with the professional or amateur viewpoint. Those commonly in use in civil life are so formulated as to permit or put a premium / upon " covering up," clinching to avoid punishment, hanging on, stalling, and like evasions of punishment. These features in , the generally accepted codes are handicaps in the work of developing cleverness and fast aggressive work. Boxing instructors in various camps have modified the com- monly accepted rules of boxing contests in an attempt to correct these deficiencies. These modifications have been along the right line and have had a good effect, but in view of the still existing differences it has seemed wise to draw up a set of regulations which will standardize the practice in boxing and will emphasize those points that are most valuable in the de- velopment of military qualities. The following code is formulated to encourage the type of fighting that is most valuable as a preparation for a serious fight and to prevent the development of habits that are not only useless from a boxing standpoint but are a source of posi- tive danger in a real hand-to-hand contest. Physical aggressiveness, to be effective, must be based upon intelligent thought and practice. The sensing of an opening and the following blows must come close together. Habit is the result of repeated efforts, physical or mental. Hence the necessity of a simple, intensive schedule of instruction. Such a program, to produce mass uniformity, must be simple and graded so that it can be readily grasped by the least efficient members of your unit. Supervise your boxing contests so that a stinging blow or defeat may be used as a stimulus for self-bettterment. Keep in mind constantly that all of this is for one purpose alone — namely, to make a first-class fighting man. Joseph E. Raycroft, Chairman Athletic Division, War Department, Commission on Training Camp Activities. The Commission wishes to give formal expression of its hearty appreciation of the valuable services rendered by the boxing instructors in the camps. They have done a very valuable piece of work, and they have shown a fine spirit of unselfishness in placing their knowledge and experience at the disposal of the soldier in training. These boxing rules owe much to their advice and co- operation. It is strongly recommended that all boxing contests and exhibitions shall be under the direction of the ath- letic director and boxing instructor and that a medical officer shall be present. (4) OFFICIAL CAMP BOXING RULES AS RECOMMENDED BY WAR DEPARTMENT COMMISSION ON TRAINING CAMP ACTIVITIES. PRELIMINARY TO THE BOUTS. The tone and spirit of a boxing contest or tournament depend a great deal upon the proper disposition of certain preliminary preparations which are essential to the conduct and control of any athletic exhibition. A high grade of competition can never entirely compensate for the mismanagement of ring details. Boxing is too important a factor in the training of the soldier to be spoiled by failure to procure competent officials and to provide other essential details in ample time to insure a smooth- running organization. It is strongly recommended by the Commission on Training Camp Activities that the athletic director and boxing instructor follow a regular procedure which will automatically apply to all boxing bouts which may be held in the camps, as follows : (1) Procure the necessary authority for the contest, date of meeting, and place. (Not less than one week prior to contests.) (2) Entries — ^where made, when closed, classes, drawings. (3) Publicity — camp and public. (4) Officials — referee, judges, clerks, medical ofBcer, and timer. Secure in ample time before contest. (5) Ring equipment — watch, gong, or whistle. Buckets, dress- ing quarters, etc., chairs, gloves, towels. Be sure everything is on hand. (6) Management of audience. (a) Building assistants. (&) Policing — doorkeepers, ushers. (c) Programs. (d) Sale of tickets. (e) Seating. All the foregoing details can be handled with a minimum of difficulty if they are considered in time. (5) 6 Competent officials are essential. It is always a good plan to establish a representative corps of officials in each camp. The membership in such an organization of boxing officials should depend upon their past experience in boxing and their ability to officiate. An advisory body of officers could readily be as- sembled to pass on the merits of each novice official. The serv- ices of skilled officials insures nonpartisan judgment, and com- mands the confidence of the competitors and spectators. RULE I. EQUIPMENT. Ring dimensions. Section 1. The boxing ring shall be not less than 16 feet nor more than 20 feet square. Extension of ring. Sec. 2. The floor of the ring shall extend beyond the lower ropes for a distance of not less than 2 feet. Posts. Sec. 3. There shall be at least four posts, properly padded. Ropes. Sec. 4. The ring shall be inclosed by at least three rope rails with cloth wrappings. Padding. Sec. 5. The ring floor, if of wood or other hard substance, shall be padded at least 1 inch thick with corrugated paper, matting, felt, or other soft material. Note. — A very good padding for an outdoor ring is damp- ened sawdust covered with tight canvas. RULE II. Ring during progress of match Section 1. During the progress of a contest the ring shall be cleared of all chairs, buckets, etc. Clear ring. Sec 2. No person other than the contestants and the referee shall during the progress of the contest enter or be in the ring. RULE III. BOXING GLOVES. Gloves. Section 1. Gloves are to be of the pattern issued by the Com- mission and shall weigh not less than — (a) Ten ounces in all " novice " contests. (h) Eight ounces in all " trained men " bouts, except in divi- sional championship bouts, in which either 6 or 8 ounce gloves may be used. ( Sec. 2. Bandages nuist not be worn on hands except by direc- tion of medical officer. Any bandages permitted shall be of soft material and not heavy enough to add force to a blow. RULE ly. SHOES. Spikes and cleats barred. Section 1. Boxing shoes having spikes or cleats shall be barred. RULE V. Two classes. Section 1. Boxing contests or exhibitions shall be divided into classes : Trained men are those — (a) Matches between "trained men" who have won elimina- tion company championships. Novice men are those — (&) Matches or contests between novice boxers. Note. — All contestants who have not qualified in elimina- tion company boxing championships shall be regarded as novice boxers. RULE VI. Number and time limit of bouts and rounds for trained men. Section 1. A boxing contest or exhibition between " trained men '* shall be limited to four rounds. A round shall be of two minutes' duration with an intermission of one minute between rounds for rest. If the judges disagree at the expiration of four rounds, the referee may at his discretion call for a fifth round, which shall also be limited to two minutes. For novice men. Sec. 2. A boxing contest or exhibition between " novice boxers " shall be subject to the same rulings. Divisional championships. Sec. 3. The final bouts in divisional championships shall be six rounds, three minutes each, and no extra round can be ordered. 8 RULE VII. OFFICIALS AND DUTIES OF OFFICIALS. Officials. Section 1. The officials shall be a referee, two judges, two clerks, one timekeeper, and one medical officer. Note. — It can not be too strongly emphasized that the referee and Judges of a contest should not be connected in any way with either of the organizations represented, and that they should be thoroughly competent and impartial. Duties of referee — Decision of judges final. Sec. 2. The referee shall have general supervision over the match or contest, and shall take his position within the ring. The primary duty of the referee shall be the strict enforcement of the rules of boxing and of fair play. The referee shall, at the conclusion of the bout, abide by the decision of the judges in every case, if both agree. Sec 3. The referee shall have the power : Power of referee to give deciding vote. (a) To cast the deciding vote when the judges disagree. To order extra round. (&) In competitions (not exhibitions) to order an extra round, limited to duration of preceding rounds, if the judges disagree, and he himself is in doubt as to the decision. May stop contest. (c) To Stop a bout or contest at any stage and make a decision if he considers it too one-sided. To disqualify. (d) To stop a bout or contest if he considers the competitors are not in earnest. In this case he will disqualify one or both contestants. Note. — He may first give one warning to the contestants, deducting from the round the time lost in so doing. Not more than one warning shall be given. Disqualification without warning. (e) To disqualify a contestant with or without previous warn- ing for committing any one of the fouls noted in Rule XIV. Shall not touch contesting boxers except. Sec. 4. The referee shall not touch the contesting boxers ex- cept in special cases, such as: (a) Failure of one or both contestants to obey '' break " com- mand. (&) To assist injured contestant. 9 Introduction handshaking. Sec. 5. The referee shall insist on all boxers shaking hands at the commencement of the first and last round. No other demon- stration shall be allowed. Announcer. KoTE. — ^The referee may be assisted by an announcer, whose duty shall be to announce the names of all contest- ants and act as a go-between between the referee and the judges. Position of judges. Sec. 6. The two Judges shall be stationed at opposite sides of the ring, preferably on a level with the boxers. Duty of judges. Sec. 7. It shall be the duty of the judges to watch every phase of the bout and to make a decision. Method of scoring. Sec. 8. The judges shall keep count of the rounds, time out, and " downs," and generally cooperate with the referee. Clerk assistants to judges. Sec. 9. Each judge shall be assisted by a clerk of his own choice. Duty of clerk. Sec. 10. It shall be the duty of each clerk to keep a clerical count of the score of both contestants throughout the round and bout, as dictated to him by the judge during the progress of the bout. (a) The clerk shall submit to the judge the point summary immediately at the conclusion of each round. ( & ) He shall notify the judge at any stage of the round if one contestant leads an opponent by the maximum of 20 points. Note. — This service by a clerk will enable each judge to give his undivided attention to the progress of the bout. Duties of timekeeper. Sec. 11. The timekeeper must be seated close to and outside of the ring. Two watches. Note. — It is advisable for a timekeeper to have two watches at his disposal. Commencement and termination of rounds. Sec. 12. He shall indicate the beginning and end of each round. Timer's equipment. Note. — It is recommended that the timekeeper have at his disposal a bell, gong, or whistle with which to indicate these periods. 10 Duties of medical officer. Sec. 13. The medical officer shall always be in attendance at each meeting held under these rules. (a) It shall be his duty to decide whether hand bandages are necessary, and to inspect same. (&) To supervise the physical condition of contestants. RULE VIII. Medical examination. Section 1. Contestants shall present themselves promptly to the camp boxing instructor or proper person appointed by him at the time appointed for medical examination and weighing-in, Weighing-in, Note. — Weighing-in shall take place within an hour of bout. Drawing. Sec. 2. Tournaments having a large number of entries shall be governed by the Bagnall- Wilde system of drawing. Note. — For further information see attached memo- randum. RULE IX. Seconds. Section 1. Each contestant shall be assisted by two seconds. "Warning to seconds. Sec. 2. The seconds must not speak, signal, or in any way coach their principals during the progress of a round, nor may they claim time, or indicate in any way decisions for them. Sec. 3. Any violation of the above provisions may render a principal liable to disqualification by the referee. Limitations of seconds. Sec. 4. The seconds must remain seated during the contests, and shall not enter the ring until the timer indicates the termina- tion of a round. They shall leave the ring promptly when time is called at the beginning of a round. RULE X. SC9EING. Maximum of 20 points. • v ** Section 1. A maximum of 20 points shall be allotted to each round of the contest. Note. — This maximum should not be exceeded in any case, for in the ordinary course of events if one boxer leads by a greater number of points than allotted for the round, it usually means that the fight is one-sided and should be stopped. 11 RULE XI. POINT ALLOTMENT. Point allotment, 14 points for — Section 1. Fourteen points shall be given far attack and de- fense. Attack. Sec. 2. Attack shall cover the following points : (a) Clean hits. (&) Aggressive action. (c) Well-delivered partial hits. Defense. Sec. 3. Defense shall cover : (a) Blocking. ( & ) Making opponent miss, (c) Balance and readiness to counter-attack. Four points for generalship. Sec. 4. Four points shall be given for generalship. Generalship. 1>^0TE. — When the points are otherwise equal, the decision should be in favor of the boxer who displays the best ag- gressive generalship and style. The term " generalship " shall indicate the development of natural advantages, coupled with Intuition and the ability to grasp quickly the advantage of any opening given by an opponent. Two points for aggressiveness. Sec. 5. Two points shall be given for ** aggressiveness." Note. — Indicating willingness of contestant to consistently press aggressively forward in the face of punishment. Points deducted for all infractions of rules. Sec. 6. Points or fractions of points shall be deducted for all infractions of rules. Note Rule XII. Note. — It is essential that the allotting of points shall be dictated to the clerk immediately. The system of mentally allotting points will leave an opening for indefinite decision and is generally unsatisfactory. Method of naming winner. Sec. 7. At the end of each contest the judges' clerks shall write or othej'wise indicate to their judge the score of each contestant. 12 RULE XII. Points deducted for — Section 1. Points will be deducted for: (a) Stalling; i. e., prolonging contests, lack of earnestness, or going down without being hit (&) Covering up with hands so that contestant is not in a position to hit. (c) Clinching. id) Hitting while holding opponent. Jie) For all infractions of rules, minor or major (whether in- dicated or overlooked by the referee). RULE XIII. WEIGHTS. Section 1. Competitions in all championships will be held in the following weights and classes: Weight and classes. Pounds. Bantam weight .__ 115 Featherweight 125 Lightweight _,. ; 135 Welter weight 145 Middleweight 160 Light heavyweight 175 Heavy, all over 175 Weight rule governing all bouts. Sec. 2. No contestant shall give or take more than 5 pounds when contestants weigh less than 135 pounds. Sec. 3. No contestant shall give or take more than 10 pounds when contestants weigh in excess of 135 pounds, except when both contestants weigh over 175 pounds. Note. — T!ie above rule shall apply to all boxing contests and exhibitions. RULE XIV. FOULS. Fouls. Section 1. Hitting below the belt. Sec. 2. Hitting an opponent who is down or who is getting xtp after being down. 13 Sec 3, Holding an opponent or deliberately maintaining a clinch. Sec. 4. Holding an opponent with one hand and hitting with the other hand. Sec. 5. Pushing or butting with the head or shoulder or using ti,^ knee. Sec. 6. Hitting with Inside or butt of the hand, the wrist, or elbow. Sec. 7. Hitting or " flicking " with the open glove. Sec. 8. Wrestling or roughing at the ropes. Sec. 9. Going down without being hit. Sec. 10. Striking deliberately at that part of the body over the kidneys. Sec. 11. The use of abusive or insulting language. Added fouls. Sec. 12. The failure to obey the referee or any physical actions which may injure a contestant, except by fair sportsmanlike boxing, shall also be judged as fouls. Recommendations to referee and judges on fouls. Note. — (a) It is recommended that the referee shall imme- diately disqualify a contestant who is guilty of a deliberate and willful foul, and award the decision to his opponent. It is also recommended that a referee shall not give more than one warning for a foul, which, although committed un- intentionally, is likely to incapacitate an opponent, i. e., butting or hitting below the belt, and shall disqualify offender without warning in case of actual injury. In cases of minor fouls, such as hitting with open glove, clinching, or prolonging contest after fair warning has been given by the referee, he shall have the option of awarding the decision to the opponent. Point penalties. Note. — (&) Judges shall penalize contestants in points for infraction of all rules — major or minor. RULE XV. " Down.*' Section 1. A contestant shall be deemed " down " when : (a) Any part of his body other than his feet is on the ring floor. 14 (&) He is hanging helplessly over the ropes, (c) Rising from " down " position. Note. — (a) A contestant may go down throiigh accident or weakness, but must rise instantly unless sent down by a blow, in which case he may remain down until the count of " nine " without being disqualified. Note.— (&) A boxer hanging on the ropes is not officially " down " until so pronounced by the referee, who can either stop the bout or count the boxer out on ropes or floor. Rule for contestant when opponent is down. Sec. 2. When a contestant is " down " his opponent shall retire out of striking distance, and shall not resume boxing until or- dered to do so by the referee. RULE XVI. Bout over when. Section 1. The round and bout shall be terminated when " down " contestant fails to resume boxing at the expiration of 10 seconds, and referee announces decision. Ten seconds indicated by referee. Sec. 2. The 10 seconds shall be counted aloud, and the expi- ration of each second shall be definitely indicated by the referee, RULE XVII. Other questions arising. Section 1. In the event of any question arising not provided for in these rules the referee shall have full power to decide such questions, and his decision shall be final. METHOD OF MAKING THE DRAW. ILLUSTRATING THE BAGNALL WILD SYSTEM. Difficulty sometimes arises in making the drawings for a large number of contestants in a boxing tournament. The following system, known as the B agnail- Wild, has been used success- fully for years in tennis and golf tournaments and is adapted to boxing contests. This system is designed to eliminate the byes in the second round and to bring the contestants together in a predetermined number of rounds and ultimately redvice them to one contestant by retiring the competitors beaten in each round. When the number of competitors is not a power of 2, there shall be byes in the second round. The number of byes shall be equal to the difference between the number of competitors and the next higher power of 2, and the number of pairs that shall meet in the first round shall be equal to the difference between the number of competitors and the next lower power of 2. The byes, if even in number, shall be divided, as the names are drawn, in equal proportions at the top and bottom of the list above and below the pairs, the first at the bottom, next at the top, and so on. The byes are drawn first. If uneven in number there shall be one more bye at the bottom than at the top. In preparing to make the draw the number of entries are counted. If the total is 2, or a power of 2 — 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64 — there are no byes, and the names are entered on the draw sheet in the order in which they are drawn. If the total is not 2, or a power of 2, there are byes, and the Bagnall-Wild method of drawing is resorted to ; and this means nearly always, for the entries rarely total a power of 2. The rules provide that the names of the competitors shall be placed in a bowl or hat and drawn out at random. The drawing diagram below will illustrate the application of the Bagnall-Wild system to a boxing tournament entry list, having an uneven number of entries. In this instance there are (15) 16 23 entries. The next lower power of 2 is 16. The difference between 23 and 16 equals 7, which constitutes the number of bouts in the first round. The next higher power of 2 is 32. The difference between 32 and 23 (the number of entries) equals 9, constituting the number of byes. As 9 is an uneven number, 4 are placed above and 5 below. The scheme is bulletined as follows: =^ — \ First round. Second round. Third round. Semifinals. Finals. O LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 019 953 80 9