1917 Clip of WWI Soldiers Training in Boxing

**Jonathan Randall** · 08-29-2011, 02:43

1917 Clip of WWI Soldiers Training in Boxing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6pYh...eature=related

Some of the drills seem pretty well done, given that these were not professional boxers. The quality of the video is also greater than I would have expected of film shot nearly a century ago; although there is a segment with the top clipped off.

**Tripitaka of AA** · 08-29-2011, 07:00

The youTube clip is poor filming of a TV screen. The quality of the original footage looks great but the uploader has apparently filmed it off his TV with a handheld camera. The noise bars at the top of the screen are when the camera gets in/out of synch with the refresh rate of the TV screen. I'd love to watch the footage in a cleaner transfer.

**David Craik** · 08-30-2011, 18:42

I agree that the quality of the original footage looks excellent, especially given it's age. A shame it was so haphazardly filmed from the TV set.

Some pretty good form too, considering these are not boxers. For some reason, I always think of people from this era boxing like people on early Westerns - ramrod straight, backs of fists facing opponent at around neck height, stiff-armed haymakers. Some of the sparring at around 3:00 looks like it could have come straight from a modern amateur boxing match.

**Ramirez** · 08-30-2011, 18:59

Originally Posted by David Craik

Some of the sparring at around 3:00 looks like it could have come straight from a modern amateur boxing match.

I was thinking the same thing, the form looks just like modern boxing, the turning off the hips , shoulders and foot movement is no different today, about the only thing that looks a little different is the way they hold the non punching arm, it would be in tighter protecting the head and face and the elbows would be in tight to the body.

**Mark Jordan** · 08-31-2011, 05:26

Here's the full version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga4zLsMmkE0

Mike Gibbons the Army's hand to hand fighting instructor was one of the elite middleweight boxers in the world. He has a boxing style named after him. He also taught jujitsu.

**Tripitaka of AA** · 08-31-2011, 06:10

Brilliant Mark, thanks for doing the digging. This is MUCH better.

I love the drill of groin kicking at 4:01, it looks like something from Monty Python.