however, as one acquires the knack of the snap and the follow through with the body. When developed and mastered this pass gives wonderful accuracy, great speed and can be shot directly to the receiver without much elevation. It is therefore less likely to be intercepted and is an ideal pass particularly for shorter distances up to thirty yards and for dry days.

The Overhand Open Spiral.

This pass is made in general in the same way as the closed grip spiral, but the thumb lies alongside or near the fingers and the hand is open, the ball lying in the palm of the hand. It is held in position as the throw is made by the centrifugal force of the swing. In making this pass a bigger swing may be used, more comparable to a “wind-up” delivery, and consequently greater distance and greater height may be secured. The ball can be literally “heaved” out and passes of fifty to sixty yards are easily possible. The greatest difficulty in the execution of this as in the closed grip pass is to keep the nose of the ball up. This can be accomplished, however, without bringing the hand in so closely as in the other, thus allowing opportunity for more individual peculiarities. Players therefore usually learn this pass easier than the other, and because of its greater usefulness with a wet and slippery ball is the pass now most commonly used. Its chief disadvantage is the greater height which it usually requires. This tends to increase the danger of interception.

Receiving the Forward Pass.

Although a great deal of practice is usually given to receiving forward passes, often very little actual coaching is given on the correct form.

Every receiver should be notified by some method just before a pass is made to him. At this signal the receiver should turn toward the point to which the pass is supposed to be made. This should be known on all forward pass plays. The receiver and ball should then meet at this point, the receiver on the dead run and somewhat sideward to the ball. It will occasionally happen, but should rarely be necessary, for the receiver to take a pass from directly behind or even very much over one shoulder. He should, however, be able to do it when necessary.

The actual catching of the pass is not essentially different from catching a punt or any ordinary pass. One hand should be used to guide the ball into the body, one hand should be kept well under the ball, the elbows should be kept close and the ball always be brought in against the body and held securely against any possible attack.

CHAPTER V.

FUNDAMENTALS OF A SUCCESSFUL FORWARD PASSING GAME.

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 frowned on the forward pass; opposed it, sneered at it, called it basketball and done what they could to retard its adoption. It has taken away from them the advantage of numbers, weight and power, made the game one of brains, speed and strategy—even if you please like baseball, luck,—rendered the outcome of their practice games with smaller colleges uncertain. Why should they have hastened its development? Rather it has been the smaller colleges that have found in the forward pass their opportunity, which have developed its possibilities until now the larger ones as well are turning to it as the final means of winning their big game.

It is doubtless fair to say that the early development of the forward pass was largely due to two teams, Springfield College of the Y. M. C. A. and the Carlisle Indians. Their game in 1912 at Springfield is said by competent experts to have been probably the greatest exhibition of open football ever staged. It is doubtful if two such finished exponents of the open game have ever met before or since. To Coach J. H. McCurdy of the Springfield team goes the honor, in the writer’s judgment, of the early recognition and development of the strategy of the forward pass, for in this respect at least, Springfield excelled even the wonderful Indian teams produced by Glen Warner. No one team can longer claim a leadership in this or any other department of the game, 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 teams.

It is not strange, in view of the fact that the great leaders of football have not taken more kindly to the forward pass, that its underlying principles have not been more thoroughly worked out and organized. 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 football, always in the past and still to some extent opposed by certain groups, may be better understood, more successfully coached and more firmly and thoroughly established.

Regular Ground Gaining Play.

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 simply, as so many teams seem still to do, as a sort of last desperate chance. With many teams the attack may be summarized practically in this manner: first and second down, runs; third down, forward pass; fourth down, kick. And then they wonder that the forward pass doesn’t succeed and stigmatize it as a dangerous, treacherous and unsuccessful play! Rather a team must have the confidence to use it often on first and second downs, and even on special, occasions on a fourth down. Not only that, but it must be used frequently, persistently and continuously. Nothing more disturbs the morale of defense than a series of forward passes, some of which succeed even though a considerable proportion of them are incompleted. There is always the danger that one may succeed and get away! What proportion of the running plays are successful in the modern game? No statistics exist. If the forward pass were tried anything like as persistently as the running game, unquestionably its percentage of success would greatly increase.

On this basis the pass should be used for short as well as long gains. A running play that gains two and a half to three yards is regarded as successful. Why should not the pass be used in the same way? Passes that give little or no gain in themselves, but put the receiver in position for open field running, and at least a few yards gain, disorganize the defense, eventually make the long passes successful, spread the defense so bucking becomes possible, and contribute generally to making the forward pass a regular ground gaining play—a part of the regular attack.

Passer Well Back.

The early successes of the forward pass were secured almost solely upon the principle of putting the passer a distance of fifteen yards back, then letting the opposing line come charging through absolutely without resistance. Practically the whole offensive team was sent down to receive (apparently) the pass, thus confusing the defense as to who was