,libraries47 ,,the ,,forward ,,pass ,,in ,,football4 ,,by ,,elmer ,,berry1 ,b4,s41 ,m4,p4,e4 ,head ,coach ,football and ,baseball1 ,associate ,director ,physical ,department1 ,professor ,physiology and ,physiology of ,exercise1 ,international ,young ,men's ,christian ,association ,college1 ,springfield1 ,mass4 ,,new ,,york ,a4 ,s4 ,,barnes ,,and ,,company #aiba ,,copyright1 #aiba1 ,,by ,a4 ,s4 ,,barnes ,,and ,,company ,,this ,,work ,,is ,,affectionately ,,dedicated ,,to ,dr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,mc,curdy ,,former ,,coach ,,springfield ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 ,,college ,,football ,,teams1 ,,the ,,man ,,who ,,earliest ,,developed ,,the ,,forward ,,pass1 ,,for ,,twenty-,,five ,,years ,a ,,successful ,,coach ,,and ,a ,,standard-,,bearer ,,of ,,clean ,,sport ,,contents ,,page ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,coming ,,of ,,the ,,forward ,,pass #a ,,chapter ,,ii ,,legal ,,restrictions ,,relative ,,to ,,the ,,forward ,,pass #d ,,chapter ,,iii ,,the ,,spiral ,,pass ,,from ,,center #f ,,chapter ,,iv ,,the ,,technique ,,of ,,forward ,,passing #h ,,chapter ,v ,,fundamentals ,,of ,,the ,,successful ,,forward ,,passing ,,game #aa ,,chapter ,,vi ,,suggestive ,,forward ,,pass ,,formations ,,and ,,plays #ai ,,chapter ,,vii ,,defense ,,for ,,the ,,forward ,,pass #bc ,,illustrations ,,page ,,fig4 #a4 ,,punt ,,formation ,,pass #ai ,,fig4 #b4 ,,undesirable ,,pass #bj ,,fig4 #c4 ,,springfield-,,carlisle ,,indian ,,pass #ba ,,fig4 #d4 ,,spread ,,formation ,,pass #ba ,,fig4 #e4 ,,open ,,defense #bd ,,the ,,forward ,,pass ,,in ,,football ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,coming ,,of ,,the ,,forward ,,pass4 ,,introduction4 ,the history of football has been a story of limiting the power of the offense4 ,the defense has never been restricted1 never curtailed1 never hampered1 always free to line up as it chose1 to go when it pleased 7barring offside71 where it pleased and do practically as it pleased4 ,always the offense has been too strong1 too powerful1 and there has been the necessity of legal restrictions directed toward equalizing the attack and defense4 ,this was true in general up to the revolution when ten yards and the forward pass came and the new game was created4 ,with the forward pass a great1 new1 unknown offensive weapon was provided4 ,the history of the game since the granting of this new method of attack has again been chiefly a story of limiting the power and effectiveness of this new offense4 ,to be sure minor changes in the rules have had other motives and objectives1 but taking it by and large the statement is true to fact4 ,a brief review of the conditions of the old game will recall to players and spectators of that period the situation1 and perhaps help all of us to better appreciate and understand the changes that brought the new game4 ,mass plays predominated4 ,possession of the ball was vastly important4 ,five yards were to be made in three downs4 ,if a man six feet tall could fall forward his full length three times he would make six yards and first down4 ,consequently fall forward1 get your distance1 were slogans of the old game4 ,end runs1 though they might occasionally succeed brilliantly1 were apt to lose precious distance that could not be regained4 ,if a team won the toss and took the ball there was practically nothing but a fumble between them and a touchdown1 and games between evenly matched teams were often really decided by the luck of the toss at the beginning of the game4 ,for with even weight and particularly with a slight advantage of weight in the line1 a safe1 conservative game1 straight ahead1 slow but sure1 tackle to tackle1 hammer the weak spot1 was sure to bring the ultimate touchdown4 ,all sorts of ingenious formations were devised for massing power on the weak spot4 ,the famous guards back of ,pennsylvania1 the flying wedge of ,deland of ,harvard1 the turtle back wedge of others1 the rolling mass on tackle and others of this type will bring a smile of reminiscence to old-timers4 ,men were pushed1 dragged and hauled along by their team mates4 ,often special straps were attached to the uniform to facilitate this work1 and even to make possible throwing a man bodily1 feet first1 over the prostrate lines4 ,doubtless many men were severely injured by the splendid co-operative efforts of their own team mates in such activity4 ,such a game meant pounding--pure1 unadulterated1 gruelling pounding--until the selected spot1 groggy and exhausted1 gave way and the opponents swept through to victory or a substitute leaped in to fill the breach4 ,men came out of such games in those days bruised and exhausted1 no definite injury but dead1 all in4 ,they were worse the next day and still worse the next1 dragging back ready for another gruelling pummelling by the following ,saturday4 ,internal injuries often developed and an unwarranted large number of deaths occurred4 ,the game was too rough2 dangerously rough2 unnecessarily rough4 ,closely linked with this aspect of the old game was the moral problem4 ,everything was hidden in the mass play4 ,spectators could see little of the real game1 nothing of the dirty work4 ,much of it could not be seen even by the officials4 ,publicity is a great deferrent to unfairness4 ,no man wants the spectators in the stands to see him pull any raw stuff4 ,close lines1 petty irritations and difficulty of detection tempted many a man to foul play4 ,we would like to think that the cleanness and high standard of sportsmanship of the new game is an indication of rising character and realization of ethical values of sport4 ,doubtless it is1 but at the same time no small part of it is due to the openness of the new game2 the fact that not only officials but spectators can see most of what happens4 ,the brutality of the old game1 the deaths and injuries from it1 its moral effect1 and finally even its lack of interest to spectators1 led to a general outcry against football4 ,there was a wide demand that it be abolished as an intercollegiate sport4 ,in #aijf a conference was called in ,new ,york for this purpose4 ,representatives from approximately seventy colleges attended4 ,fortunately for ,american youth there were in the conference men of vision who saw the real need of the hour4 ,these men urged that the difficulty was not with football but with the way in which it was allowed to be played2 that the college faculties were themselves responsible for the condition in that they had given no adequate supervision to athletics2 that the game should not be abolished but revised4 ,they contended that a new game should and could be produced that would be more open1 less dangerous and more interesting than the old game4 ,their counsels ultimately prevailed and the conference that had met to abolish football formed what has become the ,national ,collegiate ,athletic ,association1 an organization that has done a wonderful work in raising the standards of sport in our ,american colleges4 ,the conference appointed a football rules committee1 which1 amalgamating if possible with the old football rules committee1 was to adopt rules that would revise the game of football--that would make it a new game4 ,what should be done to produce a more open1 less dangerous1 more interesting game of football8 ,remember that the old mass game had resulted from five yards in three downs4 ,the first fundamental suggestion was the requirement of ten yards to gain4 ,this could never be made by mass attack4 ,consequently the forward pass was given to the offense--practically the one great occasion of legislation favoring the offense4 ,in #aiab a fourth down was added4 ,with ten yards in four downs and the forward pass as the fundamentals the modern game of football has been developed4 ,other changes1 often important and far-reaching in influence1 followed1 but they followed naturally1 logically1 almost unavoidably1 once the fundamentals1 ten yards and the forward pass1 had been accepted4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,legal ,,restrictions ,,relating ,,to ,,the ,,forward ,,pass4 ,the first suggestion of a recognition by the football rules committee of any need of a more open game came in #aijc4 ,between the twenty-five yard lines seven players of the offense were required on the line of scrimmage and the first man receiving the ball from the snapper-back might run with it provided he crossed the scrimmage line five yards out from center 7,football ,guide for #aijc1 pp4 #abg and #adb74 ,between the twenty-five-yard line and the goal1 however1 only five men were required on the line of scrimmage4 ,in that case1 however1 restrictions were adopted requiring the men to be back five yards or outside the end men4 ,in #aijd came the checker board field4 ,with #aijf came the great revolution and the adoption of the new game2 two lines of scrimmage1 six men regularly on the line of scrimmage1 center trio back five yards if not on the line of scrimmage1 ten yards in three downs and the ,forward ,pass4 ,it is with the last that we are concerned4 7,football ,guide for #aijf1 pp4 #ie and #aba47 ,at first one forward pass could be made by any player anywhere behind his line of scrimmage to any player on the end of the line or one yard back of it provided the pass crossed the line five yards out from center4 ,it was completed if touched by any eligible player before it touched the ground4 ,any illegal pass went to the opponents at the spot from which the pass was made4 ,a forward pass over the goal line became a touch back4 ,naturally a period of intensive experimentation followed4 ,in #aijg the loss of the ball on first and second down was changed to a loss of fifteen yards4 7,football ,guide for #aijg1 pp4 #acg and #afh47 ,in #aijh the recovery of the touched ball was restricted to the eligible man who had first touched it on penalty of going to the opponents at the spot4 ,also the penalty for ineligible men touching the ball was increased to loss of the ball at spot where the pass was made 7,football ,guide for #aijh1 pp4 #aha and #bad74 ,nineteen ten and twelve brought the legal changes that largely completed the new game4 ,in #aiaj the four periods were adopted1 the longitudinal lines were omitted1 and a pass and kick were both required to be made from five yards behind the line of scrimmage4 ,a twenty-yard zone beyond which the pass could not go was instituted4 ,this was dropped again in #aiab1 the end zone was added so that a team could score on a pass1 the field shortened to three hundred yards and the fourth down added4 ,by many this was regarded as a direct blow to the forward pass as it was supposed that it would mean an attempt at and a possibility of making the distance by the old line bucking methods4 ,this was regarded as in line with the restrictive action of #aiaa1 by which a pass touching the ground either before or after being legally touched was ruled as incompleted4 ,whatever the intention of the originators may have been the fourth down has worked quite as advantageously to the new game as the old1 in that it has given quarterbacks an additional down with which to experiment and to take chances4 ,the changes relating to the forward pass since #aiab have been mostly of minor significance4 ,the restriction requiring the kicker to be back five yards was removed in #aiac1 the forward passer was protected from being roughed up in #aiad and a ten-yard penalty for intentional grounding of a forward pass was imposed4 ,the forward pass out of bounds was ruled incompleted in #aiae4 ,relatively little change occurred during the war period and there has been a feeling since that experimentation has gone far enough2 that the game is very good as it is1 and that coaches1 players and the public generally should have a chance to thoroughly acquaint themselves with the present possibilities4 ,the open game has come to stay1 and attempts to further restrict it have met with strong opposition4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,spiral ,,pass ,,from ,,center4 ,possibly many would not recognize the necessity for a discussion of the spiral pass from the snapper-back in a presentation of the forward pass4 ,without this spiral pass1 however1 a successful forward passing game is greatly handicapped if not rendered absolutely ineffective4 ,the reasons for this will be presented in a later chapter4 ,suffice it here to say that the writer regards a good fast1 accurate1 true spiral pass from the snapper-back1 that can be shot back speedily and accurately to a distance of at least fifteen yards1 as absolutely indispensable to a successful forward passing game4 ,ability to get such a pass is not possessed by every center1 nor by every team even among the better colleges4 ,this failure is due first to a lack of appreciation of its importance1 and second to an inability to teach centers how to acquire this art4 ,the following method of teaching this pass has been found effective3 ,first3 ,have the candidate make an ordinary underhand spiral pass forward4 ,this is so simple and common that almost every player does it automatically4 ,have him notice what he does4 ,notice how the ball is held as it swings forward past the hip4 ,the hand is bent inward almost at right angles to the forearm4 ,now as the ball is shot forward from the hand a peculiar pulling1 lifting motion is made4 ,this motion imparts the rotation to the ball and produces the spiral4 ,this is the fundamental part of the action4 ,essentially the same action must now be secured with a backward pass4 ,second3 ,have the candidate make an ordinary underhand spiral pass backward4 ,to many players this will at first seem awkward and they may be unable to control either the direction or the rotation of the pass4 ,it is not necessary to continue with this until it is mastered1 but some practice on it is helpful4 ,proceed soon to the third step4 ,third3 ,take position as a center1 right leg back for a right hander1 swing the ball freely between the legs with the right hand1 and make a backward spiral pass between the legs4 ,work on this until a regular spiral is secured4 ,fourth3 ,still swing the ball freely from the ground but place the left hand against the ball1 pressing it more firmly against the forearm and guiding the direction of the ball4 ,the right hand may now be a little farther forward on the ball4 ,fifth3 ,when the above has been mastered take position as in the fourth step1 then bending a little more in the hips and knees place the ball1 without changing position of the hands1 so that it touches the ground well out in front4 ,when ready pull the ball powerfully with the right hand1 guiding with the left1 and shoot it back at the chest of the catcher1 at first about seven yards back4 ,follow through with the right hand and as the ball leaves the hand give the pulling1 lifting snap described above in number one which produces the real spiral4 ,great care must be taken to see that the right hand is kept far enough under and around the ball4 ,as soon as the player begins to lay it on the ground he almost invariably forgets to pass the hand far enough around it4 ,consequently he loses his rotation and the pass becomes wobbly and inaccurate4 ,taught in this way many men acquired the idea of the spiral pass from center with great ease4 ,extended and constant practice1 however1 is necessary to insure a consistent and accurate performance that can be depended upon under fire--the accomplishment fundamental to the forward pass4 ,some men master a very successful backward spiral pass from center with one hand4 ,the principle of this pass is essentially the same as that of the closed grip overhand pass described later in the chapter on technique of passing4 ,it requires a large hand and perhaps a certain amount of natural knack4 ,it is dangerous and less effective with a wet ball1 but with a dry ball ability to pass in this way with one hand often adds greatly to the offensive strength of the center4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,technique ,,of ,,the ,,forward ,,pass4 ,the execution of a good spiral forward pass is a thing of real beauty and art4 ,it holds the eye of spectators and players alike4 ,it is to football what the home run is to baseball4 ,the soaring flight of a sixty-yard spiral is like the rushing swoop of the daring aviator in its charm and interest4 ,to produce it the player must have a good arm1 master the knack of it and give long and earnest practice4 ,practically all passes of more than five yards are executed as spirals4 ,these are of three types1 the underhand1 the overhand with closed grip and the overhand with open grip4 ,,the ,,underhand ,,spiral4 ,this is valuable for short distances where a quick pass is desired4 ,its execution is so easy and common that no further comment is needed beyond what has already been said in connection with the first part of teaching the spiral pass from center1 7page #f74 ,,the ,,overhand ,,closed ,,grip ,,spiral4 ,this pass is theoretically the correct and logical manner of executing a distance 7over ten yards7 pass4 ,the ball is laid over into the palm of the right hand 7for a right-hander7 with the fingers along and somewhat behind the lacing of the ball1 the thumb on the opposite side4 ,the position of the hand depends largely on its size4 ,the smaller the hand the nearer the end of the ball it must go and the more difficult it is to retain the ball in the grasp4 ,this type of pass is therefore difficult for men with small hands and with a wet and muddy ball4 ,in making the throw the arm should be drawn backward over the shoulder1 not down around as in a baseball throw4 ,the nose1 i4e41 the forward point of the ball1 should be well elevated and the ball is then shot forward past the ear at its objective4 ,the motion is somewhat like that of a pitcher1 when pitching from the shoulder without the wind-up1 with a runner on first4 ,as the ball leaves the hand the rotation is given by a sharp pull downward and inward4 ,the most common fault and cause of failure with this pass is that the nose of the ball is not kept up during the forward motion of the arm4 ,to do this the elbow must be kept fairly close to the body and the little finger side of the hand kept up4 ,this gives a rather constricted position for throwing and most men at first feel unable to get the desired distance4 ,this comes1 however1 as one acquires the knack of the snap and the follow through with the body4 ,when developed and mastered this pass gives wonderful accuracy1 great speed and can be shot directly to the receiver without much elevation4 ,it is therefore less likely to be intercepted and is an ideal pass particularly for shorter distances up to thirty yards and for dry days4 ,,the ,,overhand ,,open ,,spiral4 ,this pass is made in general in the same way as the closed grip spiral1 but the thumb lies alongside or near the fingers and the hand is open1 the ball lying in the palm of the hand4 ,it is held in position as the throw is made by the centrifugal force of the swing4 ,in making this pass a bigger swing may be used1 more comparable to a wind-up delivery1 and consequently greater distance and greater height may be secured4 ,the ball can be literally heaved out and passes of fifty to sixty yards are easily possible4 ,the greatest difficulty in the execution of this as in the closed grip pass is to keep the nose of the ball up4 ,this can be accomplished1 however1 without bringing the hand in so closely as in the other1 thus allowing opportunity for more individual peculiarities4 ,players therefore usually learn this pass easier than the other1 and because of its greater usefulness with a wet and slippery ball is the pass now most commonly used4 ,its chief disadvantage is the greater height which it usually requires4 ,this tends to increase the danger of interception4 ,,receiving ,,the ,,forward ,,pass4 ,although a great deal of practice is usually given to receiving forward passes1 often very little actual coaching is given on the correct form4 ,every receiver should be notified by some method just before a pass is made to him4 ,at this signal the receiver should turn toward the point to which the pass is supposed to be made4 ,this should be known on all forward pass plays4 ,the receiver and ball should then meet at this point1 the receiver on the dead run and somewhat sideward to the ball4 ,it will occasionally happen1 but should rarely be necessary1 for the receiver to take a pass from directly behind or even very much over one shoulder4 ,he should1 however1 be able to do it when necessary4 ,the actual catching of the pass is not essentially different from catching a punt or any ordinary pass4 ,one hand should be used to guide the ball into the body1 one hand should be kept well under the ball1 the elbows should be kept close and the ball always be brought in against the body and held securely against any possible attack4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,fundamentals ,,of ,a ,,successful ,,forward ,,passing ,,game4 ,the forward pass has now been a part of offensive football for fifteen years4 ,in spite of that fact few teams have developed anything like a consistently successful ground gaining forward pass attack4 ,apparently many regard the forward pass simply as a valuable threat1 something for occasional use1 something to take a chance with1 something the possibility of which makes the real game still workable4 ,to a large degree this has been the attitude of the larger colleges4 ,in general they have frowned on the forward pass2 opposed it1 sneered at it1 called it basketball and done what they could to retard its adoption4 ,it has taken away from them the advantage of numbers1 weight and power1 made the game one of brains1 speed and strategy--even if you please like baseball1 luck1--rendered the outcome of their practice games with smaller colleges uncertain4 ,why should they have hastened its development8 ,rather it has been the smaller colleges that have found in the forward pass their opportunity1 which have developed its possibilities until now the larger ones as well are turning to it as the final means of winning their big game4 ,it is doubtless fair to say that the early development of the forward pass was largely due to two teams1 ,springfield ,college of the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 and the ,carlisle ,indians4 ,their game in #aiab at ,springfield is said by competent experts to have been probably the greatest exhibition of open football ever staged4 ,it is doubtful if two such finished exponents of the open game have ever met before or since4 ,to ,coach ,j4 ,h4 ,mc,curdy of the ,springfield team goes the honor1 in the writer's judgment1 of the early recognition and development of the strategy of the forward pass1 for in this respect at least1 ,springfield excelled even the wonderful ,indian teams produced by ,glen ,warner4 ,no one team can longer claim a leadership in this or any other department of the game1 but it is fair to say that the ,springfield team has continuously demonstrated an unusual aptitude for the forward pass and a high degree of leadership at least among the ,eastern teams4 ,it is not strange1 in view of the fact that the great leaders of football have not taken more kindly to the forward pass1 that its underlying principles have not been more thoroughly worked out and organized4 ,it is the chief purpose of this work to state if possible some of these principles and fundamentals to the end that the open game of football1 always in the past and still to some extent opposed by certain groups1 may be better understood1 more successfully coached and more firmly and thoroughly established4 ,,regular ,,ground ,,gaining ,,play4 ,the first fundamental of a successful forward passing game is that the forward pass should be used as a regular ground gaining play and not simply1 as so many teams seem still to do1 as a sort of last desperate chance4 ,with many teams the attack may be summarized practically in this manner3 first and second down1 runs2 third down1 forward pass2 fourth down1 kick4 ,and then they wonder that the forward pass doesn't succeed and stigmatize it as a dangerous1 treacherous and unsuccessful play6 ,rather a team must have the confidence to use it often on first and second downs1 and even on special1 occasions on a fourth down4 ,not only that1 but it must be used frequently1 persistently and continuously4 ,nothing more disturbs the morale of defense than a series of forward passes1 some of which succeed even though a considerable proportion of them are incompleted4 ,there is always the danger that one may succeed and get away6 ,what proportion of the running plays are successful in the modern game8 ,no statistics exist4 ,if the forward pass were tried anything like as persistently as the running game1 unquestionably its percentage of success would greatly increase4 ,on this basis the pass should be used for short as well as long gains4 ,a running play that gains two and a half to three yards is regarded as successful4 ,why should not the pass be used in the same way8 ,passes that give little or no gain in themselves1 but put the receiver in position for open field running1 and at least a few yards gain1 disorganize the defense1 eventually make the long passes successful1 spread the defense so bucking becomes possible1 and contribute generally to making the forward pass a regular ground gaining play--a part of the regular attack4 ,,passer ,,well ,,back4 ,the early successes of the forward pass were secured almost solely upon the principle of putting the passer a distance of fifteen yards back1 then letting the opposing line come charging through absolutely without resistance4 ,practically the whole offensive team was sent down to receive 7apparently7 the pass1 thus confusing the defense as to who was eligible and furnishing interference as soon as the pass was completed4 ,by actual experiment it was found that a distance of thirteen to fifteen yards was necessary4 ,although lines are more wary and experienced today than formerly1 this single piece of strategy is still very valuable4 ,many teams are failing with their passes simply because their passer is not more than seven to ten yards back4 ,the greater distance gives a short but vital length of time for receivers to get free and for the passer to pick out the open man4 ,it also gives a longer time for running sideward and forward1 helping to confuse the defense as to whether a run or pass is really intended4 ,add to this the fact that with the greater distance back little or no protection need be given the passer1 it becomes clear that though many plays can and will be built with the passer up close and running back only the necessary legal distance1 a big distance back is an important fundamental4 ,this at once brings out the importance of the spiral pass back from center1 and the ability to make1 when desired1 a long forward pass of from fifty to sixty yards4 ,unless the snapper-back can make a consistent1 accurate1 speedy pass to a distance of fifteen or more yards and can accurately lead his passer1 no advantage is gained by this distance back4 ,many teams have failed to put their passer the necessary distance back because1 though they did not recognize the real difficulty1 their center was not adequately getting the ball back to him4 ,consequently the passer was instinctively creeping up closer and closer1 being hurried in his passes and often failing4 ,the spiral pass back from center is an absolutely fundamental requisite for a successful forward passing game4 ,the ability also to make long passes is fundamental4 ,with the secondary defense playing ten yards back and possibly covering twenty yards more1 with the passer fifteen yards behind his own offensive line1 the pass going outward at an angle must often travel fifty-five yards to clear the secondary defense4 ,although such long passes need not often be used1 the knowledge that the offense possesses the ability to make them is necessary to keep the secondary defense back so that short1 sharp passes may succeed for the disconcerting gains of the regular ground gaining attack4 ,,kick1 ,,run ,,or ,,pass ,,possible4 ,the ideal forward pass formation is one from which a kick1 pass or run is possible4 ,as the play starts it should be difficult to diagnose whether a run or pass is intended4 ,in fact1 as a team becomes finished in its performance it may often switch in its intention1 running out a play on the call of the passer that was intended for a pass1 because the defense laid back and waited2 and conversely1 though not so often1 a pass may be made to an open man on the call of the passer1 though the signal called for a run4 ,this represents high art in team work but it can be developed4 ,much depends upon the alertness and head work of the passer in this connection4 ,such changing of plan should not be allowed in the early season1 but it may be encouraged later as the team becomes unified and comes to know itself4 ,such a combination1 operating with basketball intuition1 becomes exceedingly difficult to stop4 ,if in addition to this a kick is occasionally worked on something besides the fourth down1 the game becomes a real test of wits4 ,naturally not every forward pass will be pulled from an ideal formation4 ,many splendid forward pass plays can be built up from ordinary close running1 bucking formations4 ,,all ,,eligible ,,men ,,open--,,choice ,,vs4 ,,mechanical ,,method4 ,an occasional forward pass play is developed where only a single eligible man is open to receive the pass4 ,such a play depends for success upon its speed of execution1 its unexpectedness and its similarity to other regularly used running plays4 ,a few such plays should of course be included in the team's attack1 but they are the exception and when successful are so because of that fact4 ,they the more strongly emphasize the fact that as a general principle a regular forward pass play should aim to get as many eligible men as possible open to receive the pass4 ,these men should be so spread that they cannot all be covered by the defense4 ,the passer then selects an open man or the best open man to whom to pass4 ,this method puts great responsibility upon the passer4 ,it fits in with the idea of putting him well back and giving him as much time as possible to make his choice4 ,it requires a passer of special mental type1 and one of considerable basketball ability who can dodge and get his pass off accurately even when apparently covered4 ,the ease of choice can be much facilitated by having an order for each play in which the passer is to look for possibilities4 ,the first choice should always be the signal called4 ,that play should always be made if it is at all possible2 in early season and during practice it should be executed whether possible or not4 ,but as the passer develops ability he should be allowed when the pass signalled is covered to select second1 third and even fourth choices1 and the order of looking for the choices should be so arranged that a quick sweep of the field in front of him will give the passer his open men4 ,not all coaches agree to the principle outlined above4 ,many have had difficulty in finding passers who could make the choice required4 ,they have felt1 therefore1 that plays had to be designed to special men1 calling these men to special zones1 one time one place1 next time another place1 and then the play made as quickly as possible to this special man4 ,if the defense was confused and the man got loose1 the play succeeded 7barring mechanical failure72 if he did not it failed4 ,this represents a purely mechanical method4 ,it harks back to the old game where everything was as mechanical as possible and there was little need of brain power and little occasion to make quick decisions4 ,the quarter made the decisions2 the player did what he was told to do4 ,the new open game is not played that way2 it opens up a world of choice and possibility to the player4 ,therein lies its greatly increased mental value4 ,the big reason that many coaches have failed with the choice method of passing is that their plays have not been so designed as to give their passer the necessary time for making a choice4 ,they have allowed the defense to hurry the passer4 ,some of the methods of preventing this have already been indicated4 ,occasionally it may happen that a team possesses a passer of great ability who cannot work the choice method4 ,for such a player mechanical plays must be built4 ,but the probabilities are that many men would develop this ability if they were given practice and the opportunity4 ,,call ,,the ,,receiver ,,before ,,passing4 ,it seems a very simple matter to say that the receiver should be called before the pass is made to him4 ,it seems so simple that time is rarely spent in practicing it4 ,it is assumed that it will be done1 but in reality it is not done4 ,the usual thing is for the passer to hurl the ball into the air and yell ball4 ,let any coach actually insist once on his passer calling his man before he passes to him and see what happens4 ,and yet this is exactly the thing that will change the forward pass game from a happy-go-lucky chance into a mathematical probability4 ,when the passer calls his man before he passes he knows what he is trying to do1 the team knows1 the receiver is given more time to get into position1 he is then given a better chance to catch the pass and the rest of the team are given a chance to form interference4 ,it is a small thing to count as heavily as it does1 but it is one of the small things that make success4 ,,know ,,where ,,the ,,receiver ,,is ,,to ,,go4 ,have it clearly worked out on every pass play where each eligible man is to go4 ,this is equally true in fact for every man on the team1 for every man on the team has something to do on a forward pass4 ,it is just as important on a forward pass play that each eligible man know where1 when and how he is to go as it is on running plays for the interference to know whom they are to take4 ,this is where the mechanical part of the choice method of passing comes in4 ,to a surprising degree this can be almost the same on all plays4 ,it will of course vary somewhat with the style of defense met1 but again surprisingly little4 ,the eligible man should seldom go directly to the spot where he will receive the pass if it comes to him4 ,at the proper instant1 which should be pretty definitely timed for everybody on each play1 and always at the call of the passer1 the receiver should turn and race to the spot where he knows the ball will be thrown4 ,this spot should have been previously worked out so that the passer leads the receiver1 the latter being in better position to catch the ball and on the dead run4 ,this should also be so worked out and the preliminary run of the eligible man such1 that the receiver will get the ball with his body between the ball and his covering opponent4 ,receiver and opponent should never be crashing together when struggling for a ball4 ,it is not only dangerous but poor strategy4 ,in working out the above possibilities some eligible men may often be used simply as decoys going perhaps almost straight toward the defensive halves and forcing them to cover them1 making other eligible men more surely available for the pass4 ,in case the defensive halves1 however1 refuse to cover these decoys1 they should immediately be given the pass4 ,between combinations of this sort and the problem of determining whether a pass or run is in process1 the position of defensive half in modern football is one compared with which the dizzy corner in baseball is a bed of roses4 ,the fact is that a team with anything like a mechanical perfection in the passing game1 and any ability to select its men as above indicated1 simply cannot be stopped in mid-field4 ,the greatest single fault and the one thing that stops most teams1 outside of mechanical failure1 is the failure of eligible men to spread widely enough4 ,too often two or three eligible men go to the same zone or area and a pass to any one of the three can be covered by a single defensive player4 ,instinctively every man on the offense tries to be where he expects the ball to go4 ,it must be drilled into the players that their business may be decidedly elsewhere4 ,,interference4 ,finally1 plan definitely for interference after the pass is completed4 ,this is particularly true for the shorter passes4 ,insist that every man is in every pass play4 ,there is great temptation for linemen to take a day off when a long pass is called in which they are not likely to figure4 ,but they should either be protecting the passer1 making it possible for him to better choose his open man1 or down with the eligible men in the shorter zones ready for immediate interference in case that pass should be elected4 ,this should be definitely mapped out with each formation and the receiver should know where to find interference behind which he can dodge the instant he has received the pass4 ,,interception4 ,the danger of interception1 though much over-rated by many1 should be carefully guarded4 ,the interception of a long pass often means nothing worse than punting to the other team would have meant4 ,possession of the ball does not count for as much as in the old game4 ,it should never mean worse if the danger of interception is properly guarded4 ,too often1 however1 it means a touchdown for the defense4 ,in the first place when the receiver has been called every other man on the offense should instantly become alive as a possible interferer or possible protector in case of interception4 ,it is a preparedness1 mental and physical1 that is desired that in itself would probably prevent half of the touchdowns now made by interception4 ,a pass doesn't finish a play1 it simply starts it--and it may start it either way4 ,in the second place all line men and eligible men in the shorter zones1 who perhaps can be of no assistance on the longer pass1 should the instant they find the long pass in process act as if they expected it to be intercepted4 ,finally the passer himself and his immediate protectors should1 the instant the pass is off1 cover for possible interception4 ,they are the last and possibly by far the most important safety in case of interception4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,suggestive ,,forward ,,pass ,,formations ,,and ,,plays4 ,the previous chapter attempted a general statement of the fundamental principles upon which a successful forward passing game may be built4 ,it is the purpose here to illustrate these by definite formations and plays that have been successfully used4 ,the kick formation has lent itself in many ways very admirably to forward passing4 ,a slightly modified punt 7,fig4 #a7 formation1 in which the left end is one yard back1 one half on the line1 full fifteen yards back1 halves about three yards back1 has proven effective for line bucking1 end running right or left1 punting and forward passing4 ,the greatest difficulty lies in getting the left half to go out straight to the side and be content with a short gain4 ,when this happens a few times someone from the defense is bound to try to cover him4 ,when that is attempted the way is open for runs or passes to left end or tackle4 ,this sideward threat1 almost a pure lateral pass1 is an important part of the strategy of the successful forward pass attack4 ,note in the play the direction and turning of other eligible players1 the position of line men for interference in case of a short pass over center or outward to the wide man and the general protection for possible interception4 ,illustration3 ,,fig #a4--,punt ,formation ,pass4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #b4--,undesirable ,pass4 ,a quick shift of left end to the line and right half one yard back 7or even played as it is7 gives an equally good formation for run or pass to the right1 the corresponding players going to the corresponding positions and everybody swinging and turning toward the right4 ,against this type of play contrast the above 7,fig4 #b7 which1 though it has often proven surprisingly successful1 seems to the writer to violate most of the principles above outlined4 ,the ends coming in are at no advantage over the defense4 ,the halves going outward have no interference and there is almost no defense for possible interception4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #c4--,springfield-,carlisle ,indian ,pass4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #d4--,spread ,formation ,pass4 ,one of the earliest successful forward pass formations was a widespread one devised and used by ,dr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,mc,curdy of the ,springfield team in the ,springfield-,carlisle ,indian game of #aiab 7,fig4 #c74 ,in this the line was spread out practically across the whole field4 ,it was used for kicking as well1 and the whole line was sent down to stop the wonderful ,thorpe4 ,the play was good enough to produce twenty-four points against the wonderful ,indian team of that year1 although the game was won by the ,indians #cj-bd4 ,the play is given here partly because of its historical value1 but also because the principle is still good4 ,spread formations somewhat modified from the above are still proving very successful1 the following serving to again illustrate the principles of the preceding chapter 7,fig4 #d74 ,in this formation tackles are out seven to ten yards1 halves about three yards back and full is back thirteen to fifteen yards4 ,from this formation line bucks1 end runs1 double pass end runs1 kicks and forward passes may be used4 ,quick variations may also be made to make tackles eligible if desired4 ,the formations outlined will doubtless sufficiently illustrate the principles discussed4 ,there is no limit to the possibilities4 ,the kick and spread formations here given alone possess sufficient possibilities for a team's entire season's repertoire of open plays4 ,a common mistake is to attempt too large and varied an assortment of these plays4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,defense ,,for ,,the ,,forward ,,pass4 ,there is no defense for the forward pass4 ,in reality the pass cannot be prevented1 particularly in the center of the field4 ,yet from the unwillingness of some of the great football leaders to adopt this style of game one would infer that it is a worthless game1 difficult to succeed with and easy of defense4 ,this is the point of view of a number of teams4 ,yet it is interesting to note that these are the very teams that have had no adequate forward pass defense4 ,thus far most teams have trusted to luck against the forward passing game4 ,the inefficiency and mechanical errors of its offense1 aided by the restrictive legal measures adopted1 have conspired to make this possible4 ,signs are not lacking1 however1 to indicate a greatly increased use of the passing game1 an improved understanding and appreciation of its fundamental principles and a much greater degree of success for it4 ,the defense for the forward pass will need to be studied with great care in the immediate future4 ,the writer does not pretend to have solved this problem4 ,his interest has been rather on the other side4 ,the following suggestions are offered simply as a beginning3 ,first1 hurry the pass4 ,some man or men1 not the entire line1 should go through and force the pass at the earliest possible moment1 downing the passer1 blocking the pass or forcing it to be made before the eligible men are ready or the passer has been able to locate them4 ,this greatly increases the chance of mechanical failure4 ,generally this should be done by the ends4 ,some teams send the tackles in also4 ,some send tackles in and have the ends wait4 ,this frequently helps against the pass but makes end running very easy4 ,second1 block eligible men4 ,this of course can only be done before the pass is made4 ,but there is often an appreciable time before the pass is made when eligible men could be blocked on the line of scrimmage4 ,this is the best work of the center trio rather than charging through4 ,third1 play a zone defense having each defensive back cover an area and play the ball coming into that area rather than attempt to follow individually eligible men4 ,fourth1 use the open defense 7,fig4 #e72 that is1 play the center out of the line and with the full back about three yards behind tackle4 ,this defense is supposed to make center bucking easy1 but it does not if the defensive line is properly coached4 ,this first line of secondary defense is in position to intercept short passes or to help stop eligible men on the scrimmage line4 ,they are also in the best possible position to assist on outside tackle and end runs while still in position to block center bucks4 ,in the judgment of the writer this is the best all-round defense yet devised for the modern open game of football4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #e4--,open ,defense4 ,the open defense should be played as follows3 ,guards play to the center1 low1 hard and stalling1 not knifing through4 ,tackles fight their way into the play through opposing end4 ,ends play as close as possible1 often not over two yards outside their own tackle and tear into every play smashing the interference and hurrying passes4 ,center and full play about three yards behind tackle1 usually a trifle inside and wait until they diagnose the play1 then meet it4 ,these men must be the best tacklers on the team and fast1 for if the tackles and ends accomplish their work these men have their opportunity4 ,backs play from seven to ten yards back and nearly straight behind end4 ,quarter or safety man should play as close as he dares to1 considering the possibility of quick punts4 ,this may be generally closer than most quarters play4 ,the defense with spread formations and for special plays is still too much a matter of individual opinion to be discussed here4 ,,baseball ,,notes ,,for ,,coaches and ,,players ,,by ,,elmer ,,berry ,,football ,,and ,,baseball ,,coach ,,international ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 ,,college ,,springfield1 ,,mass4 ,,revised ,,edition ,a practical handbook on the game of baseball1 arranged in outline note form so that the book may become truly a useful repository of baseball knowledge and practice4 ,,contents ,,batting ,,bunting ,,base ,,running ,,and ,,stealing ,,position ,,play ,,offensive ,,team ,,play ,,defensive ,,team ,,play ,,battery ,,strategy ,,training ,a ,,college ,,team ,,organized ,,baseball #hvo cloth1 illustrated with cuts and diagrams of actual play4 ,interleaved with blank pages for notes1 etc4 ,price #b4jj ,a4 ,s4 ,,barnes ,,co41 ,publishers ,,new ,,york ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,passages in italics are indicated by italics4 ,the following misprints have been corrected3 ,,standand corrected to ,,standard 7dedication7 it corrected to is 7page #i7 ,springfifield corrected to ,springfield 7page #ab7 diconcerting corrected to disconcerting 7page #ad7 addidtion corrected to addition 7page #ad7