United States Navy – Boxing

Description

United States Navy ‘Boxing’ 1943 1st ed. 286-pages. Profusely illustrated. Prepared by the Aviation Training Division. Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. Good condition with some wear to the covers, tight binding, straight and very clean internally. No former owner names or markings. No dust jacket.

Book Overview and Description:
Boxing is a 286-page instructional and physical readiness manual published in 1943 by the United States Naval Institute in Annapolis, Maryland. It was prepared by the Aviation Training Division of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (U.S. Navy) as part of “The Naval Aviation Physical Training Manuals” series (often colloquially known as the V-Five program).
The military commissioned this book during World War II because the sport was deemed uniquely suited for building essential combat survival traits, including fast reflexes, analytical reasoning under pressure, and mental grit.
• Content & Methodology: The manual details an exhaustive, sequential curriculum designed to train military instructors. It moves from the historical context of combat sports to technical lessons covering stances, guards, offensive and defensive footwork, structural conditioning, and ring specifications.
• Visuals: The book is heavily illustrated with black-and-white instructional photographs demonstrating exact hitting, blocking, and mass-exercise combat drills featuring Navy personnel.
• Physical Features: The original 1943 First Edition was bound in a cloth hardcover (frequently found in blue, black, or grey tones depending on the printing batch) with gold gilt lettering on the spine and front cover. It features illustrated endpapers and custom decorative pasting.