Football without a coach

Preface

They have organized a football team In the factory near the railroad. They get along for the first ten days, and then they strike a snag. They don't know how to carry on. "What ought a team to do during the second week of the season?" the captain asked hopelessly.

*Tootball Without a Coach" answers the question. Walter Camp, from his large experience, has formed an average football team in his mind. He outlines what that team should do the first week, how it should [progress the second week, along what channels its practice should run the third week. He warns it of dangers that will crop up here and there ; he tells it how to surmount the difficulties that arise with more or less regularity. He becomes, to all intents and purposes, the pen-and-ink coach of that team,

V

PREFACE

anticipating its troubles and applying the remedy.

Nothing like this has ever before been done in football, Jt is a text book for the grammar school boy, the high school student, the young man playing on his shop, factory or office team, and the college man anxious to make the 'Varsity. Behind it lies over thirty years of football experience. It is the chart and the compass of every football team that must worry along without having a professional coach right on the field to tell it what to do and what not to do.

VI

Chapter I Building The Foundation Page

Importance of Diet and Cleanliness — First Days OF Practice — Go Easy at the Start — Getting Started Right as a Kicker — Punctuality at Practice . 1

CHAPTER n

What to do Should you be Hurt — Advancing THE Kickers — ^What Each Position Demands — Correct Form in Catching the Ball — Captains Good and Bad . . . . , . y ', 23

Chapter VII The Backfield

Qualities that Every Backfield Man must Have — Interfering for the Man with the Ball — Backing up the Line When it is Hard Pressed— Breaking up the Forward Pass . 122 yiii f CONTENTS

CHAPTER yill BUILDING PLAYS

PAGE

How TO Diagnose Staleness— Trying to Find the Cause— Right and Wrong Way to Handle A Stale Team— What to do as the Team Comes Back to Normal 138

Chapter IX The Strategy Of Football

Action that is Dictated When the Ball is in Midfield — Forty Yards from the Goal Line — Tense Moments Within the Twenty Yard Line 154

Chapter X Things That Make Or Break A Team

Handling a Team so that it Reaches its Big Game in its Best Shape — Keeping the Players Light-hearted — Before the Team Goes Out TO Face its Test — What Happens Between THE Halves — Taking Victory or Defeat Like Men . .. . . . . . . , 166

!x

Chapter I

It is only natural that boys and young men who love a hard, clean game of physical prowess should select football. The beauty of the sport Is that there seems to be a place on a football team for a player of any physique, provided, of course, that he is in normal health. The fat boy, who has been the joke of his comrades, suddenly finds that he is excellent material for a football center, provided — another of course — that he works hard and masters the position. The active little fellow, who has not been able to hold his own with the bigger boys in wrestling and other rough sports, finds himself a quarterback through his ability to use his hands and

I his head. The big slow boy gets a place as guard, and the fast quick tackier goes out on the end. And the boy who can kick and forward pass finds a place for himself behind the line. There is room for all.

Perhaps there was nothing to which the war and its results gave a greater impetus than football. It was played by thousands of men in camps, cantonments and stations in this country, and by the A. E. F. and fleet teams abroad. It was found that this game of mimic warfare developed the stalwart, courageous fighter — and we all know what the stalwart, courageous American soldier and sailor did.

Before the war football was the sport of the schools, the colleges and the playgrounds. Now it has found its way into the hearts of the upstanding men of the nation. It has been adopted by the working boy, and shops and factories have their teams. The new rules have made the game less strenuous in some respects, and have made it more interesting in others. An enormous demand has arisen for instruction and coaching.

So great is this demand that It Is utterly impossible fully to supply It. Expert football coaches are needed not only In the colleges but In the schools, In the playgrounds, and now more than ever In the communities where there are Industrial plants. This Season will see thousands of men who have come out of service turning to the sport they played while In uniform. It will also see the development of factory teams, shop teams, inter-department teams and thousands of school teams. Indeed, the gridiron will this fall be the center of sport. In view of the great shortage of coaches of ability, something must be done to enable boys to advance in the game more rapidly than they could with Inferior instruction or with no instruction at all Without the knowledge of how to go at the game they will not get the best results.

This method of coaching Is intended to explain in detail the various points that a person should know In preparing himself to play football. It is a comparatively simple thing to make a good player out of a boy of average speed, strength and agility, and the positions are such that all boys and young men have an opportunity. But if a person is to become a good player, much time must be spent in practicing the details and in learning the steps from the very beginning. That is why you will often hear college men speak of the advisability of starting the 'Varsity team in the fall on fundamentals — ^that is, in teaching them the simplest parts of football and in keeping them at this work for a good, long time.

Now, let us suppose that you want to make a football player out of yourself. Let us suppose that I am your coach. I say to you :

First — Cut out smoking.

Second — Eat what you like of good food, but have very little to do with pastries. Pies are not good for the person who wants to become an athlete. Get at least eight hours sleep a night— get nine hours if you can. Don't drink a lot with your meals, but drink in the morning before breakfast, and in the evening, and after you have cooled off from your exercise. Drink at least eight or nine glasses of water a day. Do not do your football playing directly after eating. Wait two or three hours, if possible. If not, eat lightly before playing. I know a big, husky, 190-pound college player who developed what he thought was heart trouble. He gave up football, but soon discovered that his heart was all right. Playing the game a halfhour after eating was what had sickened him.

You must do all these things because football is no joke. If a man means to play the game in earnest, he should get himself in the best of shape. Then it will be easy for him to master the player who has not taken care of himself, for condition tells enormously in this sport. You must remember, too, that whatever you do for the benefit of your condition now, counts later in whatever athletic work you enter.

Another thing that is excellent for the football player is exercise that will make the body strong and supple, for the body itself is one of the chief assets of the player. When it is supple and powerful he can move

S in any direction and get a good charge or provide good interference; if he is stiff in the muscles of the trunk he is likely to become lame and is infinitely less efficient in his work. This is particularly true of linemen. A lineman who can charge only in a straight line will always be beaten by a lineman who can sway his body and strike from the sides, or who can put forth a muscular effort with the trunk while his feet may be in an awkward position. Here are three exercises which are particularly good for football men which take only a few minutes and should be practiced every day :

Fig. 1

First Exercise: (A) Raise arms to horizontal. Move the left foot twelve inches from the right. Slowly bend the fists and lower the arms downward from the elbows. Then curl the fists upward into the armpits bending the head backward meanwhile until you look upward at the ceiling. Take a deep breath as you bend the head back. See cut, Fig. I.

(B) Then, without resting, extend the arms straight forward from the shoulders, palms down; let the arms begin to fall and

Fig. 2

the body to bend forward from the waist,, head up, eyes to the front, until the body has reached the limit of motion, and the arms have passed the sides and been forced back and up as far as possible. The deep breath should be slowly exhaled as you bend forward. Do the whole exercise (A and B) five times. See Fig. 2.

Second Exercise: Move the right foot until the heels are about 12 inches apart. Raise arms to horizontal. Bend the knees and, with the weight on the toes, lower the body almost to the heels, keeping the trunk as nearly erect as possible. Do this ten times. See Fig. 3.

FtG,B

Third Exercise: Raise arms as before, horizontal. Stretch the arms straight above the head, fingers interlocked, arms touching ears. Then with the fingers still interlocked describe a complete circle about 24 inches in diameter, the body bending only at the waist. Do this five times. Then repeat the movement five times, but in the opposite direction.

Go through the entire movement slowly, and steadily, bending the body in its rotation as far as possible from the hips. See Fig. 4.

Cleanliness is another thing of prime importance. Too much bathing has a tendency to be weakening, but a daily sponge bath followed by a brisk rub with a rough towel will keep a person feeling like a fighting cock. Right here, too, let me warn boys against

Fig. 4

reducing weight. Boys read how this and that athlete had to take off weight, and they get the idea that taking off weight is the first requisite of success in any sport. Let the boy play the hardest when on the field, and keep his body clean, and get his eight or nine hours of sleep, and eat good food, and his weight will take care of itself.

Another thing to be borne in mind in this connection is that one of the worst things for a nervous condition and one of the things that sometimes makes a player go stale is worry. If you are doing your best there is no need to worry. If you are not doing your best there is not much reason for you to continue the game. If you are afraid of another player making your position you will simply have to work harder. It is not necessary to worry about it, but to be more determined, more persistent, more patient and more careful. If, when the actual time comes to select the team, he is a better man than you, then you certainly want him to have the place for the good of the team itself. But the candidate who thinks the most and works the hardest, other things being equal, will make the place.

So far as the actual game of football is concerned, every player should know the rules. A rule book costs very little, and the player who knows the rules has a distinct

lO advantage over the player who doesn't. I have seen a boy who knew the rules and had very little other advantage become quarter of a team and later captain simply because of his greater knowledge.

Now for the early practice. If possible, try to have a ground that is well rolled and free from lumps and hummocks. The more level the ground, the less chance for unexpected twists and tumbles. And these are productive of sprains and bruises.

When a team or a portion of a team gets together, the first thing to be done is to practice handling the ball and falling on it when it is on the ground. Let the players gather around in a group and pass the ball from hand to hand. Let one man roll the ball into the group and call the name of the player who is to take it. The one so called should endeavor to clutch the ball in his arms as he falls to the ground.

There is a great deal of knack about falling on a ball. When a football is rolling on the ground it is apt to bound irregularly because of its oval shape. Sometimes it is rest-

II ing still on the ground and at other times it is bobbing along.

When a player is practicing falling on the ball he takes a step or two and shoots forward, sliding his body along the ground, as it were, and makes a pocket for the ball with his arms. He brings the ball up against his body, and at the same time bends his body around it. That is the detail of the whole act.

If a player falls directly on the ball with his body, he bounds up on the ball and jars himself, and seldom wins possession of the ball for all his effort. If he slides straight over it with his hands extended, it is quite likely to elude his hands at the first touch. Then he is lost indeed, for he cannot reach the ball afterwards.

He should so slide on the ground as to be able to put his arms and hands over the ball and draw it to himself, at the same time curving his body so that the ball is snuggled in. A little practice will enable a player to make this play quickly and to make it well. ^ The importance of this act of falling on the ball should not be minimized. Many a time in an important game there is a fumble, and the side which secures possession of the ball after that fumble may with that very act win or save the game. It is surprising how practice develops an ability to get down to the ground quickly on a rolling ball and also how familiarity breeds experience in grasping it and holding on to it. It is good practice once in a while to roll the ball away from the group and let all scramble for it. This should be done unexpectedly in order to see which is the quickest thinker on the team. A false motion by the man who is rolling the ball in is also a good thing to practice every now and then, so that the players do not know exactly the direction in which the ball is coming. It is also well occasionally to take the ball and bounce it on the ground so that it goes up and down instead of rolling along. In other words, practice all possible methods in order that skill may be acquired in securing the ball under any and all conditions.

The practice of the entire first day, and in fact for a day or two thereafter, should be falling on the ball and passing the ball from one to another. Falling on the ball is a good conditioning exercise. Aside from that it IS an important part of football. When the ball is on the ground, the player who first falls on it and secures it, secures possession of it for his side. That is of vital importance for the side that has possession makes the attack. The attacking side, by reason of its signals, knows just what plays are to be used; the defensive side, without this knowledge, must not only stop that attack but must stop it four times before the ball has been advanced ten yards. Only then can the defensive side secure possession of the ball. I tell this so that every player will come to realize how important it is that he should be able to fall on the ball and hold it tight. It may be that one act wins the game.

Now for a word about passing the ball from one to another. The ball assumes a natural position when properly held. If a player learns to hold the ball properly he will never be known as a fumbler, and "fumbler" is the worst name that can be applied to anybody on a good team. I have told you about the value of possession. Very often the fumbler is responsible for his side losing the ball, and that very mistake may cost his side a touchdown and perhaps the game itself. Hence, no time can be considered as wasted that is spent in learning to grasp the ball properly.

As I have already said, the ball, because of its shape, takes a natural position in the player's arm. When properly held the ball should extend along his forearm into the joint of his elbow, should be braced by his arm and should be held by the hand to the side of his body. When, in addition to this, he clasps the other hand on the ball, there is no possibility of its getting away from him. Even quite a blow will not dislodge it.

Many a team has lost a game through carelessness in handling the ball at a certain critical moment. In the Great-Lakes-Annapolis game, Annapolis had scored a touchdown but had failed to kick the goal. In the second half, nearly at the end of the game, Annapolis had carried the ball again down to the Great Lakes' goal line and was practically in the very act of carrying It over. The ball was passed to the fullback, and just as he was going through the Great Lakes team and across the goal line he fumbled the ball — and a Great Lakes player picked it up and ran the length of the field for a touchdown. The touchdown was converted into a goal, and Great Lakes walked off the winner.

I have known experienced quarterbacks who, when they got their team up to the 15- yard line and In possession of the ball, would caution their backs before each play to '^Squeeze the ball," **Don't fumbV and *'Don't drop this ball" in order to insure the greatest care on the part of the backs. A man who is poorly taught handling the ball in the beginning is very apt to be a fumbler. Whatever he learns at first seems to stick to him, and although his fault may be corrected in time, in a moment of excitement out slips the ball from his arms and the fatal fumble has come. For this reason it is particularly important that in the very earliest practice of the game every player should learn to hold the ball, to squeeze it tight when he goes into the line, and to take no chance of dropping it.

When practicing handling the ball, a player should take the ball in his hands, quickly slip it into the position I have described, release it and pass it to the next player. This next man repeats the performance, and so it goes through the squad.

I have seen a first-class team, in the last week of practice, spend five minutes a day doing this one thing. Handling the ball forms a large part of the first week's work done by all 'Varsity teams.

Right here I want to say a word of caution. Go at the early practice easily. Often the player's heart is set on making the team, and he has an idea that the moment practice starts he is on trial and must do mighty stunts to attract attention. Let the mighty stunts wait a while until muscles are hardened. Many of the minor injuries of football come in the first days of practice because of eager recklessness.

n

Slow and sure is the rule. Not that that means any lack of spirit and dash — ^but it means care. It means practicing the details, such as falling on the ball and passing, all with infinite pains. Moreover, captains of teams should be very careful not to play their men to a point of exhaustion in the early season. Practice fast and hard, not necessarily scrimmaging, but do not practice to a point where, through weariness, the work becomes slow. To do this means to pick up habits of slowness.

There should be some kicking the first week, and some forward passing, too. As for kicking, this practice should be short in hours, but it should extend steadily week after week through the entire season. If you have men for the backfield positions, or for any of the positions, who have had a year or two of kicking experience, let them start to gently boot the oval — and mind, I said gently. But if you must develop a kicker from raw material, above all this do not start by having this kicking candidate try actual kicking. This may sound strange, but

i8 you'll know the reason for it in a moment.

As to the reason of my order to start gently, many a good man has lamed himself by punting too hard and too long in the early part of the season. A punter's leg is like a pitcher's arm, and should be worked in gradually, not only at the start of the season but also at the beginning of play each day. A strain acquired in the early part of the practice may put a good kicker out of business or shorten the possibilities of his kicking for the whole season. As soon as the kicker reaches a point where he can swing the leg freely HE MUST LEARN TO KICK QUICKLY. But I'll tell you more about kicking later.

Now as to why the kicking candidate should not at first try actual kicking. The first step is to give him the ball, let him put it on the ground and just kick it about the field. He should do this twicQ a day for half an hour at a time! before he tries a punt. This practice lets him find out where his foot Is. It takes away any chance of letting him hurt himself by kicking at the ball and missing it. Lots of players fail as kickers because they try to punt right at the outset without having any preliminary practice in finding their foot and the ball. Those who try to punt right at the start are necessarily awkward, and this awkwardness leads to hopeless bad form. Such a player sometimes, by dogged persistence, may actually reach a point where he can kick thirty-five yards or so. But he is always erratic in performance, unsteady in his aim, and in a game is always a scource of anxiety to a team. So much for kicking the first week.

There is another matter of importance. Have a certain hour for practice and see to it that all the players report promptly. It is bad for candidates to slouch into the practice at any hour they see fit. It is bad for the discipline of the team. When those who report on time have to sit around and wait for late comers, they speedily lose interest in the practice. It often happens that from tardiness alone what promised to He a good team gradually drifts apart. Fortunately the military discipline that has gone through the whole community in the past two or three years has been an excellent thing in this respect. Imagine what it would be if troops were commanded to fall in and the officer found one man still lacking his shoes, another strolling leisurely from his breakfast, and others engaged in various occupations which did not lend themselves to speedy action. Yet this is what happens in the case of many teams. If you can get a part of military precision and promptness into your football team you shall have gained a great deal.

Don't be satisfied with a hazy knowledge of the rules. Master every detail.

Don't let any player be ahead of you in dropping on the ball when there is a fumble.

Don't do anything to hurt the discipline of your team. When you injure discipline you injure your entire game.

Don't be discouraged with what progress you make. The right spirit is everything.

Don't despise the small details.

Don't shirk either studies or work for football. Earn the right to play the game.

Don't be an automatic player. Master every principle. Know the reason for what you do.

Don't be late for practice. If you are not interested enough to be prompt resign from the team at once.

Chapter II

Football is a game of skill and strength. It is a give-and-take game, with now and then some hard knocks. For that reason, before beginning to play the game in earnest, a player should have himself in fair condition. He should have done some running for his wind, and he should have taken some general exercise. He should have taken the muscle stretching exercise for suppliiig and hardening himself. He should not be soft from sitting around and doing nothing. It Is the worst kind of folly for a person who has had no good exercise to take up football suddenly.

For such a boy plays to find himself sooner or later — generally sooner — with some minor injury. A college team has the benefit of trainers and rubbers, and usually there is a skilled surgeon to look after injuries. But the boy who plays with a small school team, or the man who plays with a club team or factory team, has none of these advantages. Therefore, it is important that he should understand at the outset certain of the things that it is essential he should know if he is going to take proper care of himself during training. And it is also important that he should know how to take care of minor injuries should they come.

As I told you in the first chapter, a player should not smoke. Neither, I might add, should he take alcohol. While pastries are bad for him, yet, as a dessert he may have a little ice cream and occasionally a simple sweet pudding. As a matter of fact, any player who watches himself closely can pretty well tell for himself what does and does not agree with him.

Now let us consider the prevention of injuries. The shoes a player wears should be high ones so as to protect the ankles. It is a good plan to bandage the ankles lightly every day with a cloth bandage, and a person can learn to do this himself. While this method of bandaging is not absolutely necessary, it sometimes prevents a sprained ankle if one is playing on rough ground. Bandaging, however, should not be overdone, as too much protection along this line does not allow the ankle to strengthen itself by exercise and motion. On the other hand, any player who has a tendency to weak ankles should wear a bandage that is not too tight but simply supporting. The rising on the toes in the special exercise I described in the first chapter will do much toward strengthening the arch of the foot and ankle.

Padding in the trousers, and on the elbows and shoulders of the jersey, can be used to good advantage as pads save their wearer many bruises. Light, cheap fibre shin guards for players in the middle of the line, to be worn either under or over the stockings, will save barked shins. Neither of these safeguards, of course, are absolutely essential, and a great many players do without them.

A good head-guard, especially for those playing in the backfield, is worth having and should be worn. Should a player get a blow on the nose, and should the nose become sensitive, a nose-guard can Be worn for a few days. Nose-guards, though, should never be worn unless needed, as they interfere with breathing. A quarterback, due to the fact that he must give the signals, cannot make use of an article of this kind.

Probably the most important point of all is to have shoes that fit and do not hurt the feet. The worst thing that can happen to a football player is getting blisters and abrasions that later on will give him trouble. An ordinary shoe, with cross pieces put on by the shoemaker, is preferable to a new football shoe that does not fit, or that rubs the heels or produces any soreness. It is best to break in a new shoe by wearing it only a day at a time.

Should a blister form on the foot, it should be taken care of, if possible, before it breaks. If, however, the skin is broken, a com plaster put over the blister and strapped with surgeon's plaster so that it will not slip will enable the player to go on without discomfort. As to how to take care of an unbroken blister I know of no better advice than that contained in the Plattsburg Manual: