The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-29
MAKING FOOTBALL PLA YERS.
DIR. F. G. Armstrong; Methods of Picking
Out Likely Lads in Brooklyn.

F. C. Armstrong was n crack athlete at the
gymnasium at Stockholm Sweden, before going
TO the University Of Pennsylvania where he
played end and made name for himself as a
dangerous opponent at football. He is a
practising physician In Brooklyn ard spends all
his unemployed time in coaching the boys Of the
fratt Institute. Last year and the year before
he coached the Brooklyn High School team from
which he produced young Gicrasch now a half
back AT Harvard
THE first thing do" he said when asked about
his methods, lis to sift out the cigarette smokers.
These chaps all have weak hearts and are no
good. Their wind is short and they lack stamina.
What want is a lad with good heart one, say,
that has the average beat Il from ~ to so Often
times, however you will find II boy with n beat
less than ~ who is all right. The better test
therefore is by the pulse. Then he mus, have
lungs that will expand two and one half inches at
the very least and most Of my lads can expand
three and onehalf and many four, The next
requirements are strong legs and back. II he
has all these essentials and is moderately intci-
gent he can play football | don't care whether
his muscles punched and tight or loose and
tabby. II is a silly notion Of many persons that
only those are strong who can show great bunch
Of muscles Well, have seen college football
players who could play through n game with n
line big enough for train Of cars to pass through
and tackle with the fcrocty Of tiger. Yet those
fellows when stripped showed fiat muscles and
not much development Ilinkcy Of Yale and
Smms of the University Of Pennsylvania the most
terrific ends one could hope 10 see, were Of this
sort Their strength was latent, not apparent
with all the physical requirements equal
the lad with the most intelligence will make the
best player. 1t is "A Set not generally appre
cated that one of the principal advantages derived
from football is mental. The brain works in
unison with the body. The nerves act as n lot
of telegraph wires running to separate muscles
The stimulus is sent over them and as the muscu
lar tissue develops, the brain tissue develops
at an equal rate. They progress in unison, and
out Of thousand sChoolbrys an expert can pick
the ones who play football simply by their rrage
brought about by this mental development
"'Ihe boys start in awkward. Gradually they
learn to control their muscles, To handle them.
selves gracefully, and finally acquire self reliance
that gives them the grit TO encounter anything
and those are the boys who get along best in after
life. You may know that player must be quick
Of mind when tell you that we had sixty nine
different plays last year and the team had t"
remember these SO accurately that when he long
ana involved signals were given each man could
act on the second.
,v Irhs more intelligent boy is the better he
part of the game. Were ii not for Car,lcSsncsS
and lack Of training the bad accidents would
he lesscned by half. The most important thing
for beginner TO learn is the proper way Of fGllin
your body all Curled up and your elbow sticking
ON the ground when twenty others fall on you.
there is often broken arm. collar bone or rib
to take care Of That is criminal negligence
College men are instructed Ia dive for the ball
dragging one toe hat the body may not curl up
but fall not fiat on the stomach but a little on
one side. The ball yuu want 10 keep hold Of
not under your body or face. but between your
neck and crook u elbow. Throw one arm around
the ball with elbow on; fiat. that when the
weight falls II will not snap the bone Throw
the other arm over the bell. In this position
both teams can pile on you ana do no harm In
any other position there will be a strain on some
part Of the anatomy.
NOW about tackling The reckless hoy who
Is playing for the grand str al will often get his
head just where the runners knee will strike it
learn taCklinE is with n dummy. | tcach my
boys 10 catch the dummy with head thrown 10
one side That saves your head. The moment
You heyc a grip on the runner pull him toward
YOU with all your strength. That is the secret
Of good tnckling, Another point is 10 go IT
your man without hesitation and in doing this
YOU may have 10 overlook the rul" about keeping
is in the other mans stomach, That makes a
pretty tackle too.
MY one advice to the hack is not to keep head
down until he strikes the line Any one who has
seen Mcbride Oi Yale run must have noticed
how he dnShes along with head up, watching
where he runs, the only way Ia do Tor
with your head down you are likely 10 run irto
low into an opening and energies on the other