Old school techniques.

[VG_Addict]

What would you say are some examples of old-school techniques? I know the shoulder roll is one, but I would also say the peek-a-boo stance is another.

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

Many different forms of physical manipulation - the more subtle kind.

For example, Jack Johnson used to put his mitts on a fights biceps to stop them from moving their arms. Things like that. Floyd seems to have made 'head control' (see Ward and Crawford) the cool thing to do, maybe that was an older art?

Duran had something about him, in that sense. Misdirection etc... Would be lost on most fighters these days. most wouldn't even 'register' that sort of stuff.

[Master]

Chopping wood with an axe
Chasing a chicken

[mikeeod]

Bernard Hopkins used the Jersey Joe Walcott trick of walking away at an angle and then throwing the lead right as the opponent follows. Barney Ross was adept at keeping opponents off balance and missing by pushing/tapping them on the shoulders/hips before and in between punches. Georgie Benton used to teach guys how to step on the opponents instep to slow them down/off. James Toney's shoulder to shoulder and all around infighting.

[SRR]

Many different forms of physical manipulation - the more subtle kind.

For example, Jack Johnson used to put his mitts on a fights biceps to stop them from moving their arms. Things like that. Floyd seems to have made 'head control' (see Ward and Crawford) the cool thing to do, maybe that was an older art?

Duran had something about him, in that sense. Misdirection etc... Would be lost on most fighters these days. most wouldn't even 'register' that sort of stuff.

It's interesting that the 'old' era fighters seem to have had much better infighting and overall technical abilities. A lot of pro fighters these days don't seem to get far passed the fundamentals (I'm not going to go into the hows and whys because it would start something that would never be finished) at least in terms of what they actually employ come fight night. You mention Duran, his in fighting was exceptional, and I think a lot of what we're talking about, aside from specific techniques handed down from one generation to the next, or learned from analysis of old tape, is this concept of 'feeling' or proprioception/kinaesthetic awareness. It's something which is prominent in the training methods of a lot of martial arts but I have yet to see it taught explicitly in a boxing gym. It tends to be something people either do or do not pick up through sparring, and so it's no surprise that experienced amateurs (in terms of modern day fighters) are generally the ones you see exhibiting these kinds of skills. It's a shame we don't see it more often: use of the shoulders, elbows, forearms, grappling, trapping of the arms, pulling/leading by the elbow. Footwork is the other key dimension in boxing which seems much neglected nowadays, but I digress.

Here is a nice little video analysing the way in which Willie Pep used some of these subtler techniques. Perhaps if anyone finds any other videos showing the 'old school' techniques of some of the other fighters mentioned (or still others) they could post them in here and we could amass a small collection of old school techniques on film?

[X]

Yes, Duran was a magnificent infighter. Somebody once posted an excellent video on here somewhere which illustrated that really well.

Honourable mention to the Archie Moore 'crossed arm' defence, which he later taught to George Foreman. Very effective.

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

Perhaps if anyone finds any other videos showing the 'old school' techniques of some of the other fighters mentioned (or still others) they could post them in here and we could amass a small collection of old school techniques on film?

Here you go

Roberto Druan:

[VG_Addict]

Kovalev and Golovkin both use an old-school technique known as "shifting".

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

Kovalev and Golovkin both use an old-school technique known as "shifting".

See above "Tao of Duran" @ 3:45