The Washington times., 1922-10-23


Cor few moments and than going In
to ring off a dozen or 30 plays with
out signals. Foster Sanford 10 teach
Ing Rutgers something like that. ex.
pecting the psychological effect TO
bewiIder his foes. Bethany appar.
entity can't spell psychology. como to
The rules oft 1872 specifically kill
the shift formations that made
Georgia Tech 30 successful under
Johnny Heismann. The test Of
Notre Danes shift is yet to come.
But there In pothing In the rules to
bother Uncle Charlie Moran's latest
Sing Sing shift" used by Centre Col
lege against Harvard. And It Is done
largely for the mental effect upon
the opponents.
Bill Hanna, for twenty years .
'slSilifuI critic Of football, gives .
lengthy and detailed description OF
this "Slng Sing shift" and more
than one coach will do well to pom
der upon Il for, with that fornia-
tion, Center College raised cain
with one Of tho best teams Har.>
ward has ever had.
THE Centre forwards lined up"
writes Bill Hanna In the New York
Tribune; "the snapper.back placed
the ball on the ground, the forwards
then all arose to an erect position
and solemnly faced squarely to the
sideline and began to march In that
direction. Each mans hand was on
the shoulders Of the man ahead OF
him, and hay foot and straw foot
they marched six slow. deliberate e
steps toward the side line. the ball
all the while being on the ground.
1.-THE Harvard men stood there as
II looking at some new animal In a
ZOO, and the public pAssed around
the query: WHAT this stuff? Whats
coming off here?' Having taken their
six steps, the Center forwards sol.
emnly about.faced and started back
toward the other side line. The fans
were puzzled and amused. 1t was
theatrical. but. as the people found
out, there was q lot more to II than
theatricalism and q Joke. In any
event II was somthtng new.
THE line marched back until the
man who was on the extreme end
away from the ball was now right
at IL and the others all to his right.
That 10, the end became the man
who put the ball In play and one
end or the other did this every
time.
Back Of the linemen' the four
backs were grouped, sometimes
In hollow square formation, ana
on the word the end man picked
up the ball and threw II dtagon-
ally backward to one OF the
backs. generally Roberts or Gov
ington.
"The very first time the play was
used Covington bolted through the
puzzled Harvard defense, which was
trying to puzzle out how to shift
and meet It. and Covington made
five yards. only to drop the ball
when tackled.
"The variations Of the play were
numerous. II was even tried Tor
the forward pass, but It's best re-
suits were obtained from running
with the ball. Sometimes there was
Just one parade before the ball was
snapped. sometimes two, sometimes
three, and once four. IT was q
time-consuming device. but NOBODY
questioned its legality.
Hands were not always placed
on the next mans shoulders. Some
times the man behind took hold OF
tho, Others breeches band. some.
times they strode with hands M
side, but usually hands were on
shouldres In iock-step style, or what
Ia known a. the lock'step. there
happens to be any such thing. .
always the first parade consisted
of six steps. One Of the reverse
ones might be as many as nfteen
steps-that depended on the COM
manding general.
part Of this was, OF course,
mere bluff, but when the business
part OF Il did begin II was . for.
nation that aiwsys required the
utmost Harvard vigilance and &C
tiyity to combat It. II was. diff
cult to tell where II was going TO
strike.
"It gained a great deal; It was
checked splendidly by Harvard
once when the latter's goal line was
not twelve yards away, and II cut
lot Of figure In keeping Harvard
on the defensive in the second halt
OF the game"
"Daniel," in the New York
Herald, says: I'VE want to enipha'
size this: Never was there the least
bit Of hurry. And Harvard fell for
that stunt again and again, until
| football men In the stands won
dered and wondered. The idea ot
that shift was psychological more
than physical. without question u
left the Crimson in doubt as tc
what to look for, since II developed
a sweep or q slant. q forward pass
or q plunge"
Now watch the coaches every
where begin improving on this
"Sing Sing shift" as Daniel
terms It. Psychology is just az
good for the little fellow as the big
one. II Centre could gain against
Harvard with II, what might Har'
ward do with II against williams
or Mains7 And mightn't George
Washington use II effectively
asainst Georgetown7
NFootball is rapidly getting into