The sun., 1916-10-29
MORALE OF TEAM
LEADING FACTOR
IN FINAL SUCCESS
Confidence Of Players Counts
More in Big Test Than
Individual Stars.
GOAL KICKER NEEDED
IN EVERY GOOD ELEVEN
ny SOL METZGER.

ny SOL METZGER.
tCoach Of Washington aud Jefferson
Football Tcdm.)
Months may he spent In preparation.
material may be seemingly ideal and
system fundamentally project. but the
football eleven thus equipped sometimes
fails in It's big tests. Repeatedly this
happens. repeatedly the small college
vpeets tradition and whips the big
university In spite OF handicaps. Why?
We may we'll ask.
The human equation In football IL the
reason. This human equation IL to foot
ball what personality IL to life. Without
Il the team IL doomed, with II the eleven
u capable OF great things, And the hu-
man equation in football IA personality.
tam morale n college spirit rolled Into
one. The player is as helpless without II
3 . the team. no matter how we'll coached
d how fne the physical makeup.
Many Items contribute toward the hu-
man equation In football. Like the at
tAck. II can be developed or set back. II
10 q fact that most any man on the squad
VIII play a splendid game In the second
half Of q big contest provided his team
has taken a commanding lead. The Job
Of the coach is to get the same sterling
game out Of this sort OF boy AZ the start
Of and throughout a contest the result
Of which Is In doubt.
When a coach has accomplished this
and has taught sound football as we'll. ne
= fairly certain OF success. II 10 his
greatest problem both with the individual
and the team. Fortunately. II Is his most
Interesting one. for who does not actu-
ally love handling young men under the
strain Of a football season. probably the
Arst real test OF morale the majority Of
them have?
No Cutters. Says Moakley.
Noakley. Cornell's intercollegiate
championship track trainer has said that
there are no CUTTERS among college
athletes. In this he gave sterling advice
10 those engaged in preparing boys for
intercollegiate athletic contests. His
long experience has proved TO him that II
the boy Is properly handled he will not
quit" but. on the other hand. produce
70 the utmost OF his being. To get
maximum results the coach has to give
OvoSy attention to the proper handling OF
h1s candidates.
0as must analyze character. study per-
seoality ard the mental, moral n
phyoical equipment OF each man on his
~1SS1 w hcP.A .thN ksNsshs
10 rules can be laid dow experience Is
constantly suggesting certain liked prtn-
ciples that can be successfully followed.
Facts prove that overwork. overeat!ng.
injuries and friction lead TO misplays
and defeats and a constant lowering Of
team spirit. In some cases the reverse
y true.
Condition Is the main task. The player
must have good red blood. good digestion
and good wind to overcome the strain OF
o0mpetition. Lacking condition the mind
Will not quite overcome matter in the
fight for victory. though some may think
otherwise.
Must Believe in Coach.
Confidence begets spirit and is n mix
tuSU OF belief and health. The coach
who cannot prove he IL right In his Of
fence and defence imparts his lack OF
confidence to his team. He soon has an
eleven that quits" when the score breaks
against It and-the coach Is TO blame.
not the players.
The overworked team enters the game
tired and lacks aggressiveness. Its
spirit 10 low and Il fails In confidence
because II has M. the physical power
to produce results. And the team which
thinks II cannot win. no matter what II
does. lacks confidence also and Is
doomed. Then there Is the team which
knows II Is going to win. whatever It
does. It is overconfdent and likewise
Doomed.
Friction among players breeds lack Of
confidence. One of the best e%levens. one
which should have won its big game
By an overwhelming score. began bick-
ering as to who was to blame when Its
Arst rushes were stopped in this big
game. The first half ended with moth
Ing else accomplished. Only by substi-
tuting second string men and by tongue
iashirg the players-a most generous
task-yas the trouble cured.
Although individuals are sometimes
hard to handle and athletes are some
times t-emperamental. ! believe Court
nsy, the great rowing coach. was right
when he told me. The average college
boy will just about die for you II you
gtvs him a square deal"
Utilise Slew Thinkers.
Ihere are boys OF all dispositions and
makeups on n football squad. I recall
one who appeared as an ideal guard
candidate but who failed to make the
team because he could grasp but one
idea We cultivated this fault and
trained him In blocking punts. In a big
game with but a few minutes left To
play and the score 90. we sent him in
when the opposition had to punt. He
rushed into the game. threw the oppos-
ing guard out OF the way, bore down
upon the punter. blocked tho kick and
recovered It for a touchdown and VIC
tory. In coaching one often wonders II
he does not fail to grasp many such OPP
p%ortunities that must exist In every
squad.
The individual lacking confidence de-
feats his team. Chains are but as
strong as their weakest link. Fumbled
punts have caused many IN upset. And
the individual possessing confidence i'm
parts II to his teammates. There Ia
nothing like the confidence a good goal
kicker gives an eleven. About that one
point turns many a game. II helps
tremendously in team spirit to get the
extra point once the eleven has earned
Q touchdown.
Recently the failure Of the Navy Ia
defeat P%ittsburg the chance OF a sea-
son-was lost by missing two out OF
three goals. Neglect OF practice In This
simple stunt loses fully half a dozen big
games a year, There Is no other detail
which adds so much to the confidence
OF q team as this one. 1t places Il In
q position. once It has scored first, where
victory canno be snatched by a single
tumble or m'splav.
Goal kicking ls easily learned. After
the idea IL grasped practice will master
u The ball Is held In an upright posi-.
ton with its lace toward the goal Il
prevent the Kick curVing. The FIRST two
fingers of the right hand should b,
placed under the lower end to keep tn,