Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-10-16
CRIPPLED men
AREPO0R ASSET
ON BALL TEAM
Wise Coach Uses Only Men
In Prime Condition In
Hard Game.
Overworked Players Are
Easily Injured; Care
Needed.
(By C. d. L0cklin.)

Checking up the work Of the most
successful football coaches brings to
light the fact that they do not pursue
a course, after the season opens, that
often overworks their players, and puts
many Of them on the hospital list.
Long hours in mld-season and gruelr
ling scrimmages three or often four
times a week in IN effort to correct
faults, does not bring the best results
even though a team continues to show
glazing defects.
The ghost ball is fast disappearing
There was a. time when it was thought
absolutely necessary to use more time
than was possible while 1t remained
light enough to see clearly, but most
coaches are finding that two hours
steady drill five nights a week is
plenty of work. In signal drill OF
corrective work most OF the effort is
wasted II the men! are kept at the
Eausted. They fail to asslmilate the
points that are presented to them be-
cause their minds are too tired to
grasp them. or they age inattentive
for the same reason. Il:
Few scrimagcs.
It vas also thought, that the more
scrimrnages that could be crowded
into a week the better position a team
I would be in to face an opponent on a
Saturday, this because the players
would be harder and more, experience
ed in playi Such a. course has been
found to 'be wrong. Two snappy
scrimmages a week against a team
using opponents plays have +feen
| found ali that a squad should befsent
, through, the rest OF the time being
spent in coaching Individual players in
the details of. their position and work
ing out new plays. Z
Early season work and the atten-
ton of individual players In keeping
themselves in condition have been
! found as most important, and men
tors are cutting down the work after
the first game has been played. Drill
that puts valuable players out OF the
game is NOT the kind that wins and
overwork sends men into a battle UNI
able to put forth their best efforts.
Easily Injured.
Close attention to the work Of play
ers in a game brings out the fact that
II they go into'a battle after a week
Of gruelling practice their vitality is
below normal and The consequence ,is
that they lack fight and are easily in
jured They are also off mentally and
II they are opposed by men who have
been carefully handled.i practice and
who go into the contest in high spirits
and with q surplus amount of, energy
to work of they fall an easy prey.
When a team plays through a stiff
game. giving their opponents the same
hghting opposition the last minute
that it does the first, players often
lose as high as twelvei pounds OF
weight. burned up in action. It is
easily seen that II a man co1lea
kA.4,,oh g%anl(~~ 1il,A $Aot Lto AnAr01
has been used up on the field Of prac-
tice.
Davis Work Gratifying.
University Of North Dakota team. in
handling his men has been highly
gratifying to followers OF the team
this year. Thus far he has been able
to attain the services OF every play:
er on his squad except Stichman, who
Is i'll Of pneumonia. and there IL nc
question but that his training meth.
DDS will bear fruit in the seasons
battle for football honors. The fact
that his men were trained and not
overworkeQ when they went Anto the
Minnesota game was very evident te
those who saw the contest. But one
North Dakota player took time out
for injury and that was q minor hur1
that was only momentary. The team
came throuh without the loss of 9
man.standing the heavy Gopher clever
of with three touchdowns,, only one
Of whichswas actually pushed over thu
line.
It does not make any difference
how many stars a coach may have OF
his squad II they are on the hospita
list. They are of no value there: ant
1t behooYes the mentor to'tuse judg
ment in the way he, handles them II
trainfng.t