The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-18
NOTED GRIDIRON STAR TELLS WHY COMMODORE ELEVENS ARE SUCCESSFUL - LITTLE SCRIMMAGE WORK BUT THOR OUCH SIGNAL PRACTICE NEG ESSARY

Nashville, October 17.-(Speclal )-Van- derbilt's unparalleled record of success in southern football since the advent of Me- Gugin in 1904 naturally makes the Me Gugin methods of training and the Van derbilt style of football taught by him of exceptional interest. Both of them arc hard to describe and even harder to de- fine. There is so much of the personality of MeGugin worked into both and so much of the football spirit and instinct In the Vanderbilt squads. the majority of whom have had preparatory football training of exceptional merit before entering the uni- versity, that the mere question of method used Is not such a great factor in the re- markable results achieved
 However, Bob Blake, Vanderbilt's, and the souths greatest end and captain of the Vanderbilt team of 1907. who worked three years under McGugin and has helped him from time 10 time as assist ant coach. can come as near telling about it as any one else This is what he says
 Blake's Opinion
 So far as training goes, the chief point in the Vanderbilt system is light serim- maglng work, hard work in long distance runs to develop the wind and enable the team to pull off it's plays with the speed It uses, much signal practice, and com paratively little secret practice.
 Two scrimmages week Is about as much as McGusn ever puts his men through, and in hot weather the number is reduced. Such scrlmmages as there are are usually light, without any of the hard gruellng work that used 10 be thought necessary to develop football team. The lack of these hard scrim- images lessens the chances of injury. Ill the first place, and in the second place 1t does not leave the men worn and tired when the games come That is one secret of the abounding energy and vitality that the Vanderbilt teams display, think They are fresh, fit, and ready for the fight on Saturdays when they meet their opponents. There is never scrimmage on Fridays before q game.
 Team Not Overworked
 The disadvantage of sending a team into a game worh out and pounded to pieces by hard work was never shown more foreefully than in the Vanderbilt Sewanee game of 1909, when Vanderbilt entered the contest listless and spritless because of two long trips and fierce struggles on the previous Saturdays. il is significant that this game is the only one lost to q southern team since the coming of McGugin.
 Much long distance running Is included in the training programme. On rainy days Awhen the field Is unusually sloppy ..IeGugin occasionally has his entire squad out on the roads in song distance runs and every day he finishes the afternoons practice with q mile or so from each man on the track. The endurance and hard wind developed by this form Is one of tho chief factors in Vanderbilt's most distinc- tive feature, the rapldity with which the plays are pulled off When Vanderbilt played Yale the eastern papers were amazed at the speed with which play fol- lowed play. There is no waiting for the team to line up to call signals. Even be- fore the ball is down the quarter begins singing them out and by the time the men are all on their feet and in position the play Is started.
 Signal Work Important
 Another strong point is the coaching system in the signal practice. The team is drilled at least one hour each day, drilled so that each man thoroughly and absolutely knows exactly where he must stand, where he must go, and what he must do when each signal is called. IL is this insistence on absolute eXactness of style that gives the sure accuracy that marks the playing of the teams. When new play is being learned there is no haste shown. The play fs drilled in slow ly and thoroughly. When it is once mas tered it Is pulled off at lightning lika speed
 The Vanderbilt style Of play does rot include any large assortment of freak plays in the attack, and therefore com little ss.ret practice is neces- sary. Of course, the team usually has card or two up it's sleeve which can be pulled in case of necessity but to large extent Vanderbilt uses plain football.
 This does not mean, however. that the same plays are used year after year. IL is the very fact that they are not that has kept Vanderbilt's attack so diversi- fed that their opponents are oftes guess-