Head Coach Football and Baseball, Associate Director Physical Department, Professor Physiology and Physiology of Exercise, International Young Men’s Christian Association College, Springfield, Mass.   NEW YORK A. S. BARNES AND COMPANY 1921 Copyright, 1921, by A. S. BARNES AND COMPANY THIS WORK IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED TO Dr. J. H. McCurdy FORMER COACH SPRINGFIELD Y. M. C. A. COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAMS, THE MAN WHO EARLIEST DEVELOPED THE FORWARD PASS, FOR TWENTY-FIVE YEARS A SUCCESSFUL COACH AND A

The history of football has been a story of limiting the power of the offense. The defense has never been restricted, never curtailed, never hampered, always free to line up as it chose, to go when it pleased (barring offside), where it pleased and do practically as it pleased. Always the offense has been too strong, too powerful, and there has been the necessity of legal restrictions directed toward equalizing the attack and defense. This was true in general up to the “revolution” when ten yard

The first suggestion of a recognition by the football rules committee of any need of a more open game came in 1903. 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 (Football Guide for 1903, pp. 127 and 142). Between the twenty-five-yard line and the goal, however, only five men were required on the li

Possibly many would not recognize the necessity for a discussion of the spiral pass from the snapper-back in a presentation of the forward pass. Without this spiral pass, however, a successful forward passing game is greatly handicapped if not rendered absolutely ineffective. The reasons for this will be presented in a later chapter. Suffice it here to say that the writer regards a good fast, accurate, true spiral pass from the snapper-back, that can be shot back speedily and accurately to a dis

The execution of a good spiral forward pass is a thing of real beauty and art. It holds the eye of spectators and players alike. It is to football what the home run is to baseball. The soaring flight of a sixty-yard spiral is like the rushing swoop of the daring aviator in its charm and interest. To produce it the player must have a good arm, master the knack of it and give long and earnest practice. Practically all passes of more than five yards are executed as spirals. These are of three types

The forward pass has now been a part of offensive football for fifteen years. In spite of that fact few teams have developed anything like a consistently successful ground gaining forward pass attack. Apparently many regard the forward pass simply as a valuable threat, something for occasional use, something to take a chance with, something the possibility of which makes the real game still workable. To a large degree this has been the attitude of the larger colleges. In general they have frowne

The previous chapter attempted a general statement of the fundamental principles upon which a successful forward passing game may be built. It is the purpose here to illustrate these by definite formations and plays that have been successfully used. The kick formation has lent itself in many ways very admirably to forward passing. A slightly modified punt (Fig. 1) formation, in which the left end is one yard back, one half on the line, full fifteen yards back, halves about three yards back, has

There is no defense for the forward pass. In reality the pass cannot be prevented, particularly in the center of the field. 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 game, difficult to succeed with and easy of defense. This is the point of view of a number of teams. Yet it is interesting to note that these are the very teams that have had no adequate forward pass defense. Thus far most teams have trusted to