The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-18
TRAINING FOOTBALL PLAYERS.
The Noted Trainer of Princeton Co
Iana

wa
lege.
New YORK, May 1.-THE training of q
football player nowadays is very much
after the manner of getting a pugilist into
condition. The most successful trainers of
football kickers are also very successful III
getting fistic champions into fine FORM
Take for example big Jim Robinson, the
noted trainer Of Princeton College. I'll
wager he has had as many winners in tina
twenty-four foot arena as he has had on the
ball field or cinder path. last year his
Princeton boys captured the college football
championship of this country by their mas
terly and powerful playing, and the greater
part of the glory certainly belongs to Rob-
inson, for the splendid condition he got his
gallant team in.
THE secret of my success" said the
Princeton trainer to ME recently, in speak
ing about the champion football players,
lis that my boys worked for weeks and
weeks every afternoon in the field-hai,
rain, or snow. The rougher the weather
the better we all like the sport 1t got to
be part of their everyday life, and l never
had to rush them along. OF course, once in
a while would catch fellow smoking or
drinking on the sly. OF he went from the
team at once. l never took any excuse
whatever. This was the most severe pun
ishment q student could possibly suffer, as
the boys consider it quite an honor to kick
for the old college against such bigsinstitu-
lions as Harvard and Yale, where there are
some 1900 students to pick from, while
Princeton has only about 500n
Sprinting certainly plays the principal
part in footballing. Ii man be a speedy
runner he can often make goal quicker
than stout kicker. For this reason par
ticular attention should be paid to running,
especially if one wants to play on the rush
line. After man gets speed he'll need to
practice lodging with quick sharp turns,
as there is very little straight running on
the ball field. Wrestling also
comes into play in football.
A sort of catch-as catch-can, go
es-you-please style A back heel or a
Japanese buck often sends powerful oppo-
nent to grass. So it is we'll to have consid-
cradle knowledge in the art of wrestling.
To know how to give a man the shoulder
with little bit Of the elbow-just enough
to knock the wind out of him for the time
belng-will be found very handy in a stiff
scrlmmage. The Princeton bows under
stand some good points and grips IN wrest-
ling, as many of the Yale players discov-
cred before the end of the game last fall.
noticed that several amateur boxers
played very prominent parts in most Of the
games last year, and l understand more
of the big college teams this year. This
hint is quite enough to ambitious football
lists. There is hardly first-class player in
any Of the great colleges or universities in
this country who does not practice boxing
under the instructions of a competent mas
ter. He studies the knockout blow as well as
the classics. But, like the Roman patrician
youth who fought under the banner Of
Pompey at Pharsalia, the majority of col
lege athletes fear the blow that disfgures
the visage. Cesar knew the weakness Of
these young aristocrats and ordered his
soldiers to plant their lances ia their faces
Instead Of their bodies. The sight of blood
and CHASTITY facial wounds is an ugly one.
but the footballist that it dismays never
sucked In courage with his mothers milk
Good kicking is not acquired in day or
week, it takes many months of hard, earn
est work to get anywhere near perfection.
Most of the college team start out very early
in the spring and kick themselves into con-
dition all through the summer under the
watchful eye Of their trainer and fellow
students They sprint, wrestle, slug. jump
and dodge until the fall, when all the big
games are contested for.