The Forward Pass in Football Part 1

The Forward Pa.s.s in Football.

by Elmer Berry.

CHAPTER I.

THE COMING OF THE FORWARD Pa.s.s.

INTRODUCTION.

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 yards and the forward pa.s.s came and the "new" game was created.

With the forward pa.s.s a great, new, unknown offensive weapon was provided. 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 offense. To be sure minor changes in the rules have had other motives and objectives, but taking it by and large the statement is true to fact.

A brief review of the conditions of the "old" game will recall to players and spectators of that period the situation, and perhaps help all of us to better appreciate and understand the changes that brought the "new" game.

Ma.s.s plays predominated. Possession of the ball was vastly important.

Five yards were to be made in three downs. If a man six feet tall could fall forward his full length three times he would make six yards and first down. Consequently "fall forward," "get your distance," were slogans of the old game. End runs, though they might occasionally succeed brilliantly, were apt to lose precious distance that could not be regained. If a team won the toss and took the ball there was practically nothing but a fumble between them and a touchdown, and games between evenly matched teams were often really decided by the luck of the toss at the beginning of the game. For with even weight and particularly with a slight advantage of weight in the line, a safe, conservative game, straight ahead, slow but sure, tackle to tackle, hammer the weak spot, was sure to bring the ultimate touchdown. All sorts of ingenious formations were devised for ma.s.sing power on the weak spot. The famous "guards back" of Pennsylvania, the "flying wedge" of Deland of Harvard, the "turtle back" wedge of others, the rolling ma.s.s on tackle and others of this type will bring a smile of reminiscence to "old-timers." Men were pushed, dragged and hauled along by their team mates. Often special straps were attached to the uniform to facilitate this work, and even to make possible throwing a man bodily, feet first, over the prostrate lines.

Doubtless many men were severely injured by the splendid co-operative efforts of their own team mates in such activity. Such a game meant pounding--pure, unadulterated, gruelling pounding--until the selected spot, groggy and exhausted, gave way and the opponents swept through to victory or a subst.i.tute leaped in to fill the breach. Men came out of such games in those days bruised and exhausted, no definite injury but "dead," "all in." They were worse the next day and still worse the next, dragging back ready for another gruelling pummelling by the following Sat.u.r.day. Internal injuries often developed and an unwarranted large number of deaths occurred. The game was too rough; dangerously rough; unnecessarily rough.

Closely linked with this aspect of the "old" game was the moral problem.

Everything was hidden in the ma.s.s play. Spectators could see little of the real game, nothing of the "dirty work." Much of it could not be seen even by the officials. Publicity is a great deferrent to unfairness. No man wants the spectators in the stands to see him "pull" any "raw stuff." Close lines, petty irritations and difficulty of detection tempted many a man to foul play. 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 sport. Doubtless it is, but at the same time no small part of it is due to the openness of the new game; the fact that not only officials but spectators can see most of what happens. The brutality of the old game, the deaths and injuries from it, its moral effect, and finally even its lack of interest to spectators, led to a general outcry against football. There was a wide demand that it be abolished as an intercollegiate sport. In 1906 a conference was called in New York for this purpose. Representatives from approximately seventy colleges attended.

Fortunately for American youth there were in the conference men of vision who saw the real need of the hour. These men urged that the difficulty was not with football but with the _way_ in which it was allowed to be played; that the college faculties were themselves responsible for the condition in that they had given no adequate supervision to athletics; that the game should not be abolished but revised. They contended that a new game should and could be produced that would be more open, less dangerous and more interesting than the old game. Their counsels ultimately prevailed and the conference that had met to _abolish_ football formed what has become the National Collegiate Athletic a.s.sociation, an organization that has done a wonderful work in raising the standards of sport in our American colleges. The conference appointed a football rules committee, which, amalgamating if possible with the old football rules committee, was to adopt rules that would revise the game of football--that would make it a _new game_.

What should be done to produce a more open, less dangerous, more interesting game of football? Remember that the old ma.s.s game had resulted from five yards in three downs. The first fundamental suggestion was the requirement of _ten_ yards to gain. This could never be made by ma.s.s attack. Consequently the forward pa.s.s was given to the offense--practically the one great occasion of legislation favoring the offense. In 1912 a fourth down was added. With ten yards in four downs and the forward pa.s.s as the fundamentals the modern game of football has been developed. Other changes, often important and far-reaching in influence, followed, but they followed naturally, logically, almost unavoidably, once the fundamentals, ten yards and the forward pa.s.s, had been accepted.

CHAPTER II.

LEGAL RESTRICTIONS RELATING TO THE FORWARD Pa.s.s.

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 line of scrimmage. In that case, however, restrictions were adopted requiring the men to be back five yards or outside the end men.

In 1904 came the "checker board" field.

With 1906 came the great revolution and the adoption of the new game; two lines of scrimmage, six men regularly on the line of scrimmage, center trio back five yards if not on the line of scrimmage, ten yards in three downs and the Forward Pa.s.s. It is with the last that we are concerned. (Football Guide for 1906, pp. 95 and 121.)

At first one forward pa.s.s 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 pa.s.s crossed the line five yards out from center. It was completed if _touched_ by any eligible player before it touched the ground. Any illegal pa.s.s went to the opponents at the spot from which the pa.s.s was made. A forward pa.s.s over the goal line became a touch back.

Naturally a period of intensive experimentation followed. In 1907 the loss of the ball on first and second down was changed to a loss of fifteen yards. (Football Guide for 1907, pp. 137 and 168.) In 1908 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 spot. Also the penalty for ineligible men touching the ball was increased to loss of the ball at spot where the pa.s.s was made (Football Guide for 1908, pp. 181 and 214).

Nineteen ten and twelve brought the legal changes that largely completed the new game. In 1910 the four periods were adopted, the longitudinal lines were omitted, and a pa.s.s and kick were both required to be made from five yards behind the line of scrimmage. A twenty-yard zone beyond which the pa.s.s could not go was inst.i.tuted. This was dropped again in 1912, the end zone was added so that a team could score on a pa.s.s, the field shortened to three hundred yards and the fourth down added. By many this was regarded as a direct blow to the forward pa.s.s as it was supposed that it would mean an attempt at and a possibility of making the distance by the old line bucking methods. This was regarded as in line with the restrictive action of 1911, by which a pa.s.s touching the ground either before or after being legally touched was ruled as incompleted. Whatever the intention of the originators may have been the fourth down has worked quite as advantageously to the new game as the old, in that it has given quarterbacks an additional down with which to experiment and to take chances.

The changes relating to the forward pa.s.s since 1912 have been mostly of minor significance. The restriction requiring the kicker to be back five yards was removed in 1913, the forward pa.s.ser was protected from being roughed up in 1914 and a ten-yard penalty for intentional grounding of a forward pa.s.s was imposed. The forward pa.s.s out of bounds was ruled incompleted in 1915. Relatively little change occurred during the war period and there has been a feeling since that experimentation has gone far enough; that the game is very good as it is, and that coaches, players and the public generally should have a chance to thoroughly acquaint themselves with the present possibilities. The open game has come to stay, and attempts to further restrict it have met with strong opposition.

CHAPTER III.

THE SPIRAL Pa.s.s FROM CENTER.

Possibly many would not recognize the necessity for a discussion of the spiral pa.s.s from the snapper-back in a presentation of the forward pa.s.s.

Without this spiral pa.s.s, however, a successful forward pa.s.sing 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 pa.s.s from the snapper-back, that can be shot back speedily and accurately to a distance of at least fifteen yards, as absolutely indispensable to a successful forward pa.s.sing game. Ability to get such a pa.s.s is not possessed by every center, nor by every team even among the better colleges. This failure is due first to a lack of appreciation of its importance, and second to an inability to teach centers how to acquire this art.

The following method of teaching this pa.s.s has been found effective:

First: Have the candidate make an ordinary underhand spiral pa.s.s forward. This is so simple and common that almost every player does it automatically. Have him notice what he does. Notice how the ball is held as it swings forward past the hip. The hand is bent inward almost at right angles to the forearm. Now as the ball is shot forward from the hand a peculiar _pulling_, _lifting_ motion is made. This motion imparts the rotation to the ball and produces the spiral. This is the fundamental part of the action. Essentially the same action must now be secured with a backward pa.s.s.

Second: Have the candidate make an ordinary underhand spiral pa.s.s _backward_. To many players this will at first seem awkward and they may be unable to control either the direction or the rotation of the pa.s.s.

It is not necessary to continue with this until it is mastered, but some practice on it is helpful. Proceed soon to the third step.

Third: Take position as a center, right leg back for a right hander, swing the ball freely between the legs with the right hand, and make a backward spiral pa.s.s between the legs. Work on this until a regular spiral is secured.

Fourth: Still swing the ball freely from the ground but place the left hand against the ball, pressing it more firmly against the forearm and guiding the direction of the ball. The right hand may now be a little farther forward on the ball.

Fifth: When the above has been mastered take position as in the fourth step, then bending a little more in the hips and knees place the ball, without changing position of the hands, so that it touches the ground well out in front. When ready pull the ball powerfully with the right hand, guiding with the left, and shoot it back at the chest of the catcher, at first about seven yards back. Follow through with the right hand and as the ball leaves the hand give the pulling, lifting snap described above in number one which produces the real spiral. Great care must be taken to see that the right hand is kept far enough _under_ and _around_ the ball. As soon as the player begins to lay it on the ground he almost invariably forgets to pa.s.s the hand far enough around it.

Consequently he loses his rotation and the pa.s.s becomes "wobbly" and inaccurate.

Taught in this way many men acquired the idea of the spiral pa.s.s from center with great ease. Extended and constant practice, however, is necessary to insure a consistent and accurate performance that can be depended upon under fire--the accomplishment fundamental to the forward pa.s.s.

Some men master a very successful backward spiral pa.s.s from center with one hand. The principle of this pa.s.s is essentially the same as that of the closed grip overhand pa.s.s described later in the chapter on technique of pa.s.sing. It requires a large hand and perhaps a certain amount of natural "knack." It is dangerous and less effective with a wet ball, but with a dry ball ability to pa.s.s in this way with one hand often adds greatly to the offensive strength of the center.

CHAPTER IV.

TECHNIQUE OF THE FORWARD Pa.s.s.

The execution of a good spiral forward pa.s.s 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 pa.s.ses of more than five yards are executed as spirals.

These are of three types, the underhand, the overhand with closed grip and the overhand with open grip.

THE UNDERHAND SPIRAL.

This is valuable for short distances where a quick pa.s.s is desired. 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 pa.s.s from center, (page 6).