...the most important work on classical boxing I have seen so far ...
this book will be very very important in the history of this art.
-Ken Pfrenger
Kirk Lawson's "Banned from Boxing" is a unique valuable resource for the burgeoning study of classical pugilism as a martial art and combat sport.
-Tony Wolf
Join Kirk Lawson, a Martial Artist with more than 20 years of experience in various striking and grappling arts, both Western and Eastern as well as an avid MA historian, as he explores the exciting and mostly forgotten world of grappling in historic boxing.
Using antique boxing manuals as reference as well as a healthy dose of experience, Kirk systematically presents in easy to follow terms and sequences the throws, trips, and grapples of historic boxing.
With more than 70 illustration, both new and taken from historic manuals, modern martial artists and boxing historians alike will find this book an indispensable reference.
You must be logged in to post a review.
Please log in
1
Person Reviewed This Item
By Phalanx
Jul 2, 2009
"Invaluable Contribution to Martial Arts" Mr. Lawson's "Banned from Boxing!" is an essential contribution to the often-overlooked field of Western martial arts. Lawson has painstakingly researched numerous historical texts to reconstruct the once crucial clinches and take-downs used in bareknuckles boxing. But this is far more than a historical tome on a much-neglected aspect of pugilism. It is a guidebook for some effective, quick-and-dirty takedowns for use in sparring and self-defense situations. The takedowns depicted are unadorned, succinctly executed, vicious. Most can double as trips. (Some bear a resemblance to Chinese San Shou in that regard.) The point is to floor a rival. Mr. Lawson not only presents the history and how-to, but reconciles sources and shows a counter for each hold and throw. The reconciliation of sources is important. Anyone who has given the underlying sources even a cursory glance must wade through murky constructions and arcane... More > language. Mr. Lawson not only clarifies the authors' instructions, but distills the best practices and subtle variations. In some cases he recreates the how-to drawings for which he could not obtain copyright permissions. As the rise of mixed-martial arts has shown, grappling and pugilism have suffered an artificial divorce for far two long. Any fan of the sport has watched as buffed out wrestlers swing like schoolyard kids or has seen boxers tackled and choked out. Mr. Lawson's work is among those that helps to fill this hole. An advantage of Mr. Lawson's work is that it depicts a grappling that is distinctly tied to punching, complete with arm traps and other means of neutralizing hooks and uppercuts. Mr. Lawson even makes the necessary comparisons between throws and escapes and their counterparts in Eastern martial arts. This is a worthy addition to any library on martial arts, self-defense or boxing history. One can only hope that Mr. Lawson follows up with a second work that shows more of the set-ups for pugilistic grappling. (He notes up-front that he was focused only on grappling in this volume.) Ideally, that future and hoped-for work would include photographs of Mr. Lawson and a compatriot performing the various throws, takedowns and counters, which would further illuminate pugilistic grappling.< Less
