The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-10-23
REASON FOR SECRET PRACTICE.
Necessary to Conceal Form of Attacks
from Opponents.


Walter Camp, writing in the Philadel
phia Press, says of the open play and
the leading foot ball teams; With
the middle of October most of the promi-
nent teams have gone into secret prac-
tice This is considerably earlier than
has been the rule in former years. And
it has a meaning, a definite and distinct
meaning in the new game. Many of the
coaches perhaps failed to see the hand
writing on the wall when the season open.
cd, but it has not taken them long to
realize that in the open play Of the new
game, while it may take weeks to perfect
play, it only takes one sight OF it to
betray it in all its nakedness to the
opponents, who then are warned and
successfully defend against it. Note what
has befallen all the big team in this
line.
Harvard had good material, much of
it veteran, and it was coming along well,
but they met minor team, and hav-
ing had on opportunities to perfect eff
fectiye plays under the new rules, were
practically held, only succeeding in scor-
! ing once through adventurous circum-
stances.
yale met Syracuse and there was an
other shock. Yale had a good team and
so had Syracuse, but neither could
score on the other having been coached
along the same line Of plays and know
ing the defense OF those plays equally
well, until finally Yale, through the
wisdom OF saving themselves until they
had the opportunity, won the game.
| This they did by a forward pass and
onside kick, securing the chance within
the danger zone of the Syracuse goal.
Then fresh as they were, they easily put
the bali over. That was the only score
OF the day.
princeton lined up against Lafayette
and found the same condition of affairs
that is, their open plays too little prac-
ticed, and once seen were readily dag
nosed. and the game resulted in zero
score for each side.
"The clever Indians, whose every move
in the way Of attack and defense is not
heralded in the papers nor watched by
the eager eyes Of college rivals, have
Jared better and look likely to 60 on
doing so. Michigan has had its lesson,
too, and is going into secret practice.
Stagg, at Chicago, is concealing his best
PLAYS, and the interest and excitement
at the time of the contest will be height
ened bv the knowledge that some new
ones will be sprung.
"Taking firest the offense, the forms Of
attack will separate more widely from
the old !, 2, 3 formations; that is, a
simple row of three backs behind the
quarter, That was well enough in the
old DAYS, but has been superseded now.
Some effective plays can be made from
that formation, and will be still, but
not the majority of plays. The tendency
| is toward getting the men more IN tan
| dem, or so that when they swing they
will come into line, thus atfording a bet
ter perfected push for driving the run
ner through the opponents line. Fur
thermore, the simple formation did not
sufficiently made possible forward passes
and onside kicks. Certain motions In
| the backfeld with a regular formation
indicated to the secondary line OF defense
that something unusual was taking place
and they we're, therefore, prepared.
Hence it became wise to vary the form,
hiding one man behind another and
swinging them so that the deception to
the secondary line OF defense was great
| err.
sThe forward pass win take on added
dread for the defense in that it will be
made lower and with more speed and
more directly TO the man who will have
reached his position unguarded through
better deception. The aim of the team
on the attack will be to establish the
positions for the men receiving the for
ward pass and onside kick. This means
that there viii be very little Of what we
have seen for two years-namely, that
portion of the attack which is to receive
/ the forward pass or onside kick start
out directly for the place where the ball
is to fall Instead the final disposition
Of the play will be concealed until sud
denly the opponents viii find that the
attack has been masked and the final
recipients of the BAN have established
themselves in such a position that their
chance for successfully securing it has
been multiplied many times"