Evening star., 1932-09-05
COACHES TO REVISE
/ BLOCKING TACTICS
light Backs No Longer Per-
mitted to Leave Feet.
Practice Starts.
BY II. C. BYRD.

Yf11LE d SOOu uCdl VI COili-
NA/ ment is heard about the
Y possible effect of the
changes in foot ball rules
on the game this Fall, it is un-
likely that the game will be
altered in the least as far as spec
tators are concerned. One or two
changes may affect considerably
the technical type Of certain
plays, but as the game appears
from the stands, it should be just
about the same. The stands hard
ly will realize that any change has
been made.
The two changes that may affect the
technical play, sometimes very con-
siderably, are in the methods of block
ing and in declaring the ball dead any
time a player hits the ground, whether
or not he is touched by an opponent.
The change in running back the kickoff
Is likely to be more or less inconse-
quential, though from the point of view
of both players and coaches that should
entail different methods of ground
gaining.
COME teams must change their meth
~ DDS Of blocking ends and of taking
care of defensive halfbackS. No
longer can hardy but light backs rush
out, leave their feet and take out such
defensive players. The rule this year
provides that an offensive player may
not leave his feet in such tactics, and
this necessitates coaches developing
some other way of putting defensive
ends and backs out Of the play. A
premium seems to be placed on the de-
velopment of new methods of blocking,
and the coach who Is ingenious enough
to do this may attain unusual success.
However, these things are technical,
and seldom noticed by the ordinary
spectator. 1t is the type Of thing the
experienced coach may sit in the stand
and enjoy, but usually passes the notice
Of others, except he enthusiastic fol-
lower Of the game who has found pleas
ure in studying something of the tech
nical side of play.
Foot ball as 1t Is today Is not much
different, anyway, from what 1t was
20 years ago, Notwithstanding the pane
gyricS into which writer's sometimes 60
about the progress made. There Is not
q sound offense in the country that is
not In its fundamentals about the same
as the best type Of offense of two dec
AIDES ago. A game seen now and a
game seen then probably would have
frequent throwing Of passes in the game
OF today.
A LII except three of the Southern
"A Conference squads get out for their
first days practice. The excep-
tions are Virginia and North Carolina,
which begin tomorrow, and Florida,
which does not open until Saturday.
Generally speaking. the teams in this
Conference begin with better prospects
than usual. There is hardly a school
that does not look forward to having
q stronger eleven than represented it
last season, with the possible exception
Of Tulane and Georgia. It would be
going little too far in an optimistic
vein for either of these two to express
an opinion they should be better than
last year, when they were just about
at the top Of the heap for the whole
country.
WITH George Washington already
w settled in its training camp,
Maryland getting out today and
Georgetown tomorrow, there should be
plenty of foot ball for local followers
Of the game to think about for the
next few months. Catholic University
Is to begin Saturday and Gallaudet and
American University shortly after that,
according to report, and from then on
the National Capital will have in train
ing six college foot ball squads, q dis
tinction possessed by no other city
In the country. Despite that, though,
In past seasons there has been far less
general public interest here than In
many other cities.
IT would be dificult to find a foot ball
i coach who takes a more sensible view
Of the game than Dutch Bergman
Of Catholic University. In talking of
his prospects, In telling about his squad,
IN speaking of the Thousand end one
things Of the general and technical side
OF foot ball, Of schedules, of anything
in connection with the game, Bergman
takes q matter Of fact common sense
view and never hesitates to say Just
what he thinks. II his team is in good
shape and should play well, he says so;
II not, he also says so. He talks of his
prospects in the way he believes his
prospects exist, and makes no attempt
to shade his feelings. He thinks he is
going to have a good foot ball team
this Fall and gives that as his opinion.
And on the strength of Bergman's
opinion, 1t would be good bet that the
Brooklanders will be hard to whip.