Healthful Sports for Boys Part 12

The mere act of kicking a football is a good exercise in itself, but very few who do so, particularly among boys, know anything about the game.

In England and her colonies there are innumerable football clubs in every town and village, but in this country the game is largely confined to colleges, and even in these not all the students play; indeed, so many are the physical requirements and so strenuous is the work that only those with extraordinary strength and activity are selected in the making up of teams. Yet, as it is, when properly played, one of our best out-door games, I think it well that my boy readers should know something about it.

At one time there were fifteen players on a side; now eleven is the legal number. The ground has much the same appearance of a gridiron, and the name "gridiron" is often applied to it, just as "diamond" is applied to the s.p.a.ce marked off for that game.

Along the field the ball is urged, in ways presently to be explained, and which only the strong and active would care to carry out if pleasure in the strenuous sport were not its own great reward.

The ball used in this game is shaped somewhat like a lemon, or two cones joined at their bases. From the middle the angle of slope must be the same to the two ends.

The cover is of leather, and enclosed in this is an inflated bladder or an inflated rubber ball of the same shape. The work of inflating is done through a nozzle or opening as in a rubber tire and it is closed in much the same way. This is done before the cover is put on.

The football field is not hard to mark out; as in baseball, the flatter and smoother the better. The field is rectangular, one hundred and sixty feet wide by three hundred and thirty feet long. For convenience in telling the position of the ball, lines, indicated by whitewash as in tennis, are drawn across the field, fifteen feet apart.

In laying out, measure eighty feet from one corner along the line and mark the point. On the opposite end mark in the same way. The end lines being one hundred and sixty feet long, the points indicated will mark the center of the lines. Next measure nine feet three inches to the right, and the same to the left of the center points on the end lines, and place four goal posts, two at each end of the field. This will leave the proper s.p.a.ce, eighteen feet, six inches between the posts. On these posts, and ten feet from the ground, the cross bars should be placed. The uprights should extend above the cross bar just ten feet.

THE TEAM

The teams in football consist of eleven men each, but where boys are out for practice, they need not be bound by the regular rules.

The eleven men are cla.s.sified into "rushes" and "backs." There is a quarter back, two half backs and a full back. The first seven are line men, further known as center, right guard, right tackle, right end, left guard, left tackle and left end. Each player is given a number to designate him and this number is known to the captain only.

The kicks have special names.

Drop-kick, when the ball is dropped from the hand and kicked the instant it touches the ground; the

Place-kick, made by kicking the ball after it has been placed on the ground; the Punt, made by kicking the ball as it falls from the hands and before it reaches the ground; the

Kick-off is a place-kick made from the center of the field. The kick- off cannot score a goal. The

Kick-out, when one of the players on the side which has touched the ball down in its own goal makes a punt, drop-kick or place-kick. A

Free-kick, any kick where the rules forbid the opponents from advancing beyond a certain point.

In-touch is out of bounds.

A Touch-down is when the ball is kicked or carried across the goal line and held there.

A Touch-back is when the player touches the ball to the ground behind his own goal, the ball having been propelled over the line by an opponent.

A Safety Touch-down is when either by a kick, pa.s.s, or a snap-back, the player guarding his goal receives the ball from one of his own side and touches it down behind his goal line, or when he carries the ball across his own goal line and touches it down, or when he puts the ball in his own touch-in-goal, or if the ball, being kicked by one of his own side, bounds back from an enemy across the goal line and the player guarding the goal then touches it down.

SOME RULES

When a kicked ball is caught on the fly by one of the opposite side, the catcher marks with his heel on the ground the spot where the catch was made. The catcher then shouts, "Fair Catch," or he may hold up one hand.

Beyond the heel mark the opponents of the catcher cannot advance till the ball is again put in play. The catcher is ent.i.tled to the privilege of falling back towards his own goal, as far as he chooses; from the point selected he may take a place-kick, a drop-kick, or a punt. Instead of this, he may choose to give the ball to one of his own side for a "scrimmage." The scrimmage is governed by special rules.

If the catcher chooses to kick, he must drive the ball at least ten yards, unless stopped by one of the other side.

A player is said to be "on side" when he is not between the ball and the opponent's goal, or is where the ball touches an opponent. When a ball goes out of bounds, it is called going "into touch." In such case, a player is sent to bring it back to the place where it crossed the line. A member of the side that sent the ball out of bounds puts it again into play.

When a player carriers the ball across one of the end lines he obtains what is called a "touch-down."

Any player on this side may now take out the ball; he makes a mark as he walks by twisting his heel. When he has reached a point that suits, he places the ball for one of his own side to kick. The other side meanwhile retires to its own goal line.

When the ball has been carried to within kicking distance of the goal, the question of the kind of kick needed is often a question for deliberation.

At any time a player may carry the ball across his own goal line, and touch it down there for safety. This counts two points for the other side, or instead the side may take the ball out twenty-five yards for a kick-out.

The moment the ball touches the ground it is "in play," and the enemy lines up on their goal line will block the kick, if possible.

The formation is to a great extent governed by the plays to be made, but as a general rule the seven rushers stand in line of battle facing their opponents. Just behind the rushers stands the quarter-back, and a few yards in the rear of him the two half-backs are placed; while a dozen yards further back, alone in his glory, the full-back guards his precious goal.

If a strong wind is blowing, the winner of the toss-up takes the side favored by the wind, and the other team have the kick-off. If there is no wind to speak of, and no great advantage in either goal, the winner of the toss-up chooses the kick-off, and the other side have the choice of goals.

The two teams now line up in their respective positions, and the ball is placed upon the exact center of the field by the side having the kick-off.

THE FULL-BACK

As a rule the full-back is a good kicker and is selected to open the game.

To the right of the ball on the line stands right-guard, alongside of him is right-tackle, next to him is right-end, then comes right half- back and quarter-back, while stretched out on the line to the left of the ball are the center, left-guard, left-tackle, left-end and left half-back. All these st.u.r.dy men are ready to rush upon their opponents the moment full-back's toe touches the ball.

As the rules require the opposite side to stand at least ten yards back of the middle line, they form themselves in a sort of rough triangle so as to be able to guard the field and stop the ball with the least possible waste of time. At the required ten yards back of the center line, center of the opposing side is posted, back of center stand the two guards, back of them the two tackles with the quarter- back between them, behind them the two half-backs are stationed with full-back in front of his goal.

As there are no rules for placing the men on the field, this formation is altered to suit the captains.

The player selected to kick the ball must send it at least ten yards into the opponent's camp, and it is usually sent as much farther as the judgment of the kicker directs. When the ball comes sailing over into their ranks the enemy catch it and either return it by a kick or one of them runs with the ball.

When the player made the kick-off he calculated that the rushers on his side could reach the ball in time to prevent the enemy making much headway with it, and the enemy calculated to interfere in all lawful ways with the kick-off's rushers. If the enemy who holds the ball starts for a run, the men on the other side tackle him.

As soon as the player and ball are brought to a standstill the runner cries "down." Then some one on the runner's side places the ball on the ground at the spot where it stopped, and it is put in play by the snap-back kicking it or snapping it back, usually with his hand, but sometimes with his foot, to the quarter-back of his own side, who has taken a position just behind snap-back. Up to this time the men of each team have kept their positions upon their own side, but as soon as the ball is put in motion both sides may press forward and the scrimmage begins.

When a snap-back is to be made they arrange themselves in this way: Center holds the ball, behind him stands quarterback; more to the rear is full-back, with left half-back and right half-back a little to the front. Flanking these and slightly in advance are the two ends.

Each of these is ready to receive the ball, at a signal from quarter- back.

On either side of center are two guards, and two tackles, and the rival fives face each other.

When the ball is put in play there is a grand rush. The runner with the ball is surrounded by friends who try to force their way through the opposing line.

It is impossible in a general article to go into all the details of this popular game. Many authors have tried to make the rules and the methods plain, but they have not succeeded very well. The best way to learn is from an old player or to watch old players at the game. The points of the game are counted as follows:

Goal by touch-down 2 Touch-down without goal 4 Safety by opponent 2