The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1916-11-17

Kicking, particularly punting, is
among the decadent arts of football
This, at least, is the opinion of Coach
A. A. Stage, who holds forth at the
University of Chicago, and as he has
| seen kickers, good, bad and in
different for a matter of thirty
odd years, his words bear con-
siderable part of authority on the sub
Ject, writes Lambert Sullivan in
Chicago News. Stagg declares the
players of the present day are not
kickers like the heroes of bygone gen
erations, because they have too lit
tie time to devote to practice at the
art.
Importance Has Been Lessened.
kicking is relatively a less impor-
tant part of football now than it was
In the early stages of the game" he
declared. ''When yard or foot was
an important factor in determining the
result of game good punter was
a big share of a teams defensive
strength. He is, of course, a factor
now, but with rules which permit
teams to rush the ball more easily
than in days of old he is not so great
factor in the results. A team which
has an inferior kicker can make up for
this deficiency in other ways far
more readily than it could in the old
days.
81 remember when played at Yale |
that the kickers of the team were |
given thorough practice both morn |
ing and afternoon, and some of the |
more ambitious continued their train
ing not only in season but daily
the year. The result of
that work may easily be imagined; the
punter knew every quarter inch of the
pigskin and controlled the ball with /
an accuracy which would be regarded
nowadays as positively uncanny. |
The great object then, as it is now,
was to get the ball outside and well
lown the field. In those days the
Dunters were able to tell almost the
exact inch of the side line over which
he ball would fall.
Richards Was Star.
''The star of kickers when I played
IT Yale was Gene Richards, who
reached the height of his career in
1885. His work, as that of others of
his period, was the result of this
laily practice method and undoubted-
v he was one of the wonders of the
game at punting. In those days the
,nly punt used was what was called
Ii NO |
days. In kicking this, the ball was
leId with it's longitudinal axis at an
ngle of about so degrees to the
round and the kick was not straight,
ut was delivered with a sort of side
wipe with the foot. The result was
What we used to call Kicking the bot /,
ON out of the BALI and when in flight
he oval turned twisters and fipfops
yithout any apparent regularity in its
urning. .
sThis resulted in an extremely mean
all for the catcher to handle and pro- ,
uced a greater amount of fumbling
han the present-day spiral. 1t took
lot of work to become proficient in
IS use, however, which believe Is
he principal reason it no longer is
cen. The only fall harder to judge
IAN the 'tumbler' is the 'foater, a
all which seems to float on the wind,
nd which it is absolutely impossible
} Judge. This ball, however, is one
{ the freaks Of the game and is the
esult Of accident rather than de-
gn.
"Piqeon-Toed Kicks"
ITO the best of my recollection, the s
rst spiral punt I ever saw was made Q
' Clarence Herschberger. l was try !
Il to teach Hershy the 'tumbler,' but
e could not seem to get the hang OF
Instead OF swinging his foot over Q
u a sideswipe and hitting the ball on r
lie inside Of his instep, he drove his
,ot straight out and caught the ball h
d the outside Of his instep, impart-
e twisting motion to the ball. We
i ascribed Hershy's inability to mas
II the .tumbler' to the fact that he
~ pigeon toed and / guess his In
'tzsrd Eoes havs had I great deal TO 4