Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-22
yenient as they are protecting themselves
by the changes
KICKING GAME WILL STAY
Foot Ball Players Gcncrally Concede
the Importance of Field Kicking
and Attendant Running,

the Importance of Field kicking
and Attendant Running.
In considering the game of foot ball from
a technical standpoint devotees are a unit
in their acceptation Of one point--the kick
ing game has come to stay, and that II is
not a passing fad is shown by the action
taken this fall by all the big colleges George
Brooke, the famous Pennsylvania fullbaCk,
is the author of a recent article which has
been given much publicity among foot ball
men. 1t deals with kicking game-its ad-
vantages aud disadvantages. Among the
many good points brought out one is par
tcularly patent to the present foot ball stu
alton. Brooke says:
"a careful analysis OF our important con-
tests of the last six years will show that
proficiency in the kicking game has been the
deciding factor at all times. An extra long
punt, an accurate drop or a blocked kick has
often turned the tide Of battle. Volleys OF
punts have been the feature of the play and
the trend Of the present development is to
give more aud more prominence to all
branches of kicking
When speaking Of the development OF good
kickers Brooke says: "There seems to be a
tendency nowadays toward division Of labor
other drop kicks and yet another does the
place kicking. This seems TO me to be
bad policy for coaches to pursue in develop
ing frst-class kickers. Good kicking Of any
kind demands a perfect unison of the eye
and foot. Practice at all kinds OF kicking
develops this essential quality. a really
good kicker is Just as good at one kind of a
kick as at another, and IL he is allowed to
do all &he punting or place kicking he will
be the better drop kicker and vice versa.
This rule is a general one, for, of course,
there are exceptions and limits imposed by
a mans weight or length of limb"
PENNSYLVANIA who since the good old days
of Brooke, has never found his successor,
and has relied more and more on her Ia
nous guards back and nothing but guards
back formation to win her games, had her
eyes opened and was brought to a realization
of her weakness in the kicking department
when Percy Haughton of Harvard was pitted
against her last fall. Haughton's kicks
| averaged twenty yards farther than those
tried by Penny's backs. This year different
news comes from the Quaker quarters The
first two weeks of practice were devoted en-
tirely to kicking, passing and catching, and
several good punters are being developed
as the result OF lnlS ueW uepdl tuIe' IL 10
a peculiar coincidence that Pennsylvania,
after developing the greatest kicking full
back Of the game should have allowed this
branch Of her game to be so neglected Of
late years.
| Harvard, by her splendid showing last fall,
has apparently led the way to kicking
| season for '99 and Yale and Pennsylvania
| are not slow to follow her. OF course, star
| punters like Brooke, Baird, Bull. Hersch-
! berger Of Chicago and Haughton cannot
always be evolved by the best training meth
ods, but it is certain that they will never
be found if the coaches do not look for
them.
| Yale, too, is devoting much attention to
| her punters, as is shown by the fact that
| w. T. Bull, 'Ss, Yale's greatest fullback,
has entire charge of the men behind the
line this year and will certainly see that
some good punters are developed before the
| Blues season is far advanced.
| In speaking Of the kicking game, there is
| an element which enters that is. important
1t is the timing Of the kick so that the
| ends may be well advanced in their run
ming before the kick is made. In the history
Of modern foot ball. the kicking game has
had it's ups and downs. A close follower
of the game can date the time in recent
| years when the art Of running so eclipsed
the punting game that the latter art was
almost lost. Today no team is g strong
one which does not combine these two fea-
lures Of the game.
Every fullback should know that every
second he holds back his drive and is sure
at the same time that the delay will mo-
cause block that the interval is allowins
the ends to gain ground and his opponents
are getting less chance OF doing effective
work. Nothing so disconcerts a team al
when there is an unexpected change in tn,
timing of plays; full back who can kicl
quickly when necessary, and at the same
time hold the ball for a couple of seconds
and then drive it with accuracy, will Otter
add largely to the teams chances of sue
cess. Princeton is very furtunate. in having
such a kicker in Bert Wheeler.
1t has gradually been thing of expert
ence in regard to blocked kicks that it pay
to take no chances on the distance betweeI
the center and the player who does th
puntng. sufficient distance makes pos
sble the slight delay; thus enabling tn
ends to get down the field in good order ant
at the same time avoid a repetition o