First, that the left foot shall be advanced in a perfectly straight line with the hit (notice how straight the toe is in the illustration), otherwise the blow is apt to be pulled across in the parry and leave one desperately exposed.
FIG. 4.
Second, the weight of the body should follow the lead. This is what gives the "kick" to the blow, and more than anything else shows the difference between the veteran and the novice.
Third, the wrist should be held perfectly straight, and the blow be struck by that portion of the hand between the knuckles and the second joints of the fingers. Practise this lead constantly, either in actual boxing or at a punching-bag as it swings from you, and the instant the blow lands get away and back into position. The left-hand lead once learned, the straight left-hand counters will come easily.
FIG. 5.
Next in importance to the left-hand lead—for in our modern boxing offence is of much more importance than defence—come the parries. The guard for a right-hand body blow has already been shown in illustration No. 2. The safest parry for a left-hand body blow is by "barring"—i.e., laying the right hand across the body and letting the blow land on the rigid muscles of the fore arm—at the same time countering with the left, as shown in illustration No. 4.
FIG. 6.