Online Encyclopedia

line of scrimmage, provided in so doing he crosses such line at least 5 yds. from the point where the snapper-back put the ball in play, and furthermore, that a forward pass may he made provided the ball passes over the line of scrimmage at least 5 yds. from the point at which the ball is put in play. The field is marked off at intervals of 5 yds. with See also:

white lines parallel to the See also:

GOAL

goal line, for convenience in penalizing fouls and for measuring the to yds. to be gained in three See also:

DOWNS

downs, and also at intervals of 5 yds. with white lines parallel to the See also:

side lines, in See also:

order to assist the See also:

REFEREE

referee in determining whether the quarter-back runs according to See also:

RULE

rule, or whether, in See also:

case of a forward pass, such pass is legally made. Thus the football field is changed from the gridiron as in 1902, to what now resembles a checkerboard, and the above diagram shows exactly how the field should be marked. As the width of the field does not See also:

DIVIDE

divide evenly into 5 yd. spaces, it is See also:

wise to run the first line through the See also:

MIDDLE

middle point of the field and then to See also:

mark off the 5 yds. on each side from that middle line. In order to See also:

SAVE, or SAVA (Ger. Sau; Hungarian Szdva; Lat. Savus)

save labour, it may be sufficient to omit the full completion of the See also:

LONGITUDINAL

longitudinal lines, as the See also:

OBJECT

object of these lines is accomplished if their points of inter-See also:

section with the transverse lines are distinctly marked, for instance, by a line a See also:

FOOT

foot See also:

long. proved an inadequate ptdteetion; and some players now See also:

WEAR

wear a " See also:

head See also:

HARNESS (from O. Fr. harneis or harnois; the ultimate origin is obscure; the Celtic origin which connects it with the Welsh haiarn, iron, has phonetic and other difficulties; the French is the origin of the Span. arnes, and Ger. Harnisch)

harness " of soft padded See also:

leather. Substitutes are allowed in the places of injured players. The object of the See also:

GAME

game is identical with that of See also:

ENGLISH

English See also:

RUGBY

Rugby, and the rules in regard to See also:

FAIR

fair catches, punting, drop-kicking, See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place-kicking, goal-kicking, passing and gentlemanly conduct are practically the same, except that, on a See also:

FREE

free kick after a fair catch, the opposing players in the See also:

AMERICAN

American game may not come up to the mark but must keep to yds. in front of it. In the American game there is no scrtimmagein the English sense, nor is the ball thrown in at right angles after going into See also:

TOUCH (derived through Fr. toucher from a common Teutonic and Indo-Germanic root, cf. " tug," " tuck," O. H. Ger. zucchen, to twitch or draw)

touch. The See also:

ELEMENT (Lat. elementum)

element of See also:

CHANCE (through the O. Fr. cheance, from the Late Lat. cadentia, things happening, from cadere, to fall out, happen; cf. " case ")

chance in both these methods of play was done away with by the enunciation of the principle of the " See also:

possession of the ball." In See also:

AMERICA

America, when the ball has gone out of See also:

BOUNDS, BEATING THE

bounds or a runner has been tackled and' held and the ball downed, the ball is also put into play by an See also:

EVOLUTION

evolution called a scrimmage, usually called " line-up," which beyond the Name bears no reserhbla-nce to the English scrummage. The ball, at every moment of the game, belongs theoretically either to one Side or to the other. It may be lost by a fumble, or by the side iii possession not being able to make the required distance of io yds. in three successive attempts or by a voluntary kick.

In the line-up the seven line-men (i.e. forwards) See also:

FACE (from Lat. fades, derived either from facere, to make, or from a root fa-, meaning " appear "; cf. Gr. cbatvstv)

face each other on a line parallel to tlfe goal= lines on the spot where it was ordered down by the referee. The ball is placed on the ground by the centre-See also:

rush; also called the snapper-back, who, upon the See also:

SIGNAL

signal being given by his quarter; back, " snaps back" the ball to this player, or to the full-back, by a See also:

QUICK

quick See also:

MOVEMENT

movement of the See also:

hand or foot. The moment the ball is snapped-back it is in play. In every scrimmage it is a foul for the side having the ball (attacking side) to obstruct an opponent except with the See also:

BODY

body (no use may be made of hands or arms); or for the defending side to interfere with the snap-back. The defenders may use their hands and arms ' only to get- their opponents out of the way in order to get at the man with the ball. Each member of the attacking side endeavours, of course, to prevent his opponents from breaking through and interfering with the quarter-back, who requires this See also:

PROTECTION

protection from his line in order to have See also:

time to pass the ball to one of the backs, whom he has notified by a signal to be ready. In the See also:

UNITED

United States a player may be obstructed by an off-side opponent so long as hands and arms are not used. In the line-up this is called " blocking-off " and " interference " when done to protect a friend See also:

RUNNING

running with the ball. Interference is one of the most important features of American football. As soon as the ball is passed to one of the See also:

HALF

half-backs for a run, for example, See also:

ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round one end of the line, his interference must See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form immediately. This means that one or more of his See also:

FELLOWS, SIR CHARLES (1799-1860)

fellows must accompany and See also:

shield him as he runs, blocking off any opponent who trys to tackle him. The first See also:

DUTY (from " due," that which is owing, O. Fr. deu, dil, past participle of devoir; Lat. debere, debitum; cf. " debt ")

duty of the See also:

defence against a hostile run is' therefore to break up the interference, i.e. put these defenders out of the play, so that the runner may be reached and tackled.

The game begins by the captains tossing for choice of kick-off or goal. If the winner of the toss chooses the goal, on See also:

account of the direction of See also:

wind, the loser must kick off and send the ball at least io yds. into the opponents' territory from a place-kick from the 55 yds. line. The two ends of the kicking side, who are usually fast runners, get down the field after the ball as quickly as possible, in order to. prevent the man who catches the kick-off from running back with the ball. When the kick-off is caught, the catcher with the aid of interference runs it back as far as possible, and as soon as he is tackled, and held by his opponents the ball is down and a Iine-up takes place, the ball being in the possession of the catcher's side, which now attacks. In order to prevent the so-called See also:

block game," once prevalent, in which neither side made any appreciable progress, the rules provide that the side in possession of the ball must make at least ro yds. in three successive attempts, or, failing to do so, must surrender the ball to the. enemy, or, as it is called, " lose the ball on downs." This is infrequent in actual play, because if, after two unsuccessful attempts, or partly successful, it becomes evident that the chances of completing the obligatory to-yd. gain on the remaining See also:

ATTEMPT (Lat. adtemptare, attentare, to try)

attempt are unfavourable, a forwardpass or a kick is resorted to, rather than See also:

RISK

risk losing the ball on the spot. The kick, although resulting in the loss of the ball, nevertheless gives it to the enemy much nearer his goal. When the wind is strong the side favoured by it usually kicks often, as the other side, not being able to kick back on equal terms, is forced to play a rushing game, which is always exhausting. Again, the kicking game is often resorted to by the side that has the See also:

lead in the See also:

SCORE (O.E. scor, from sceran, to cut, notch, cf. " shear ")

score, in order to save its men and yet retain the See also:

ADVANTAGE

advantage. The only remaining way to advance the ball is on a free-kick after a fair catch, as in the English game. The free kick may be either a See also:

PUNT (from Lat. ponto, pontoon; connected with pons, bridge)

punt, a drop-kick or a kick from placement. Whenever the ball goes over the side line into touch it is brought back to the point where it crossed the line by the man who carried it over, or, if kicked or knocked over, by a man of the side which did not kick it out, and there put in play in one of two ways. Either it may be touched to the ground and then kicked at least to yds. towards the opponents' goal, or it may be taken into the field at right angles to the line a distance not less than 5 yds. nor more than 15, and there put down for a line-up, the player who takes it in first declaring how far he will go, so that the opposing team may not be caught napping.

Of the seven men in the line, the centre is chosen for his See also:

WEIGHT

weight and ability to handle the ball cleanly in snapping back. He must also, in case the full-back is to make the next play, be able to throw the ball from between his legs accurately into the full=back's hands, thus saving the time that would be wasted if the quarter-back were used as an intermediary. The two See also:

GUARDS, AND HOUSEHOLD TROOPS

guards," who must also be heavy men, form with the centre the bulk of the line, protecting the backs in offence, and in de-fence blocking the enemy. The two " tackles " must be heavy yet active and aggressive men, as they must not only help the centre and guards in repelling assaults on the middle of the line, but also assist the ends in stopping runs round the line as well as those between tackle and end, a favourite point of attack. The " ends are chosen for their activity, sure tackling, fast running and ability to follow up the ball after a kick. Of the four players behind the line, the full-back must be a sure catcher and tackler and a fast runner, The two half-backs must also be fast runners and See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good dodgers. One of them is often chosen for his ability to gain ground by " bucking the line," i.e plunging through the opposing team's line. He must there-fore be over the See also:

AVERAGE

average weight, while the other half-back is called upon to gain by running round the opposing ends. The quarter-back is the commanding See also:

general and' therefore the most important member of his side, as with him lies the choice of plays to be made when on the attack. Courage, coolness, promptness in decision and discrimination in the choice of plays are the qualities absolutely required for this position. As See also:

SCION

scion as his side obtains the ball, the quarter-back shouts out a signal, consisting of a See also:

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of See also:

numbers or letters, or both, which denotes a certain play that is to be carried through the moment the ball is snapped back. A good quarter-back thinks rapidly and shouts his signal for the next play as soon as a down has been called and while the scrimmage is forming, so that the plays are run off rapidly and the enemy is given as little time as possible to concentrate.

The signals, which are See also:

SECRET (Lat. secretum, hidden, concealed)

secret and often changed to guard them from being solved by the enemy, are formed by designating every position and every space in the line, as well as kicks and other open plays, by a number or See also:

LETTER (through Fr. lettre from Lat. littera or litera, letter of the alphabet; the origin of the Latin word is obscure; it has probably no connexion with the root of linere, to smear, i.e. with wax, for an inscription with a stilus)

letter. Some signals are called sequence-signals, and indicate a prearranged series of plays for use in certain emergencies. Every manoeuvre of the attacking side is carried out by every member of the team, the ideal being " every man in every play every time." As soon as a signal is' given each man should know what See also:

PART

part of the ensuing move will fall to him, in carrying the ball, interfering for the runner, or gets ting down the field under a punt. Every team has its own See also:

CODE (Lat. codex)

code. About 1890 the See also:

SYSTEM

system of interference led to momentum and See also:

mass plays (See also:

WEDGE (O. Eng. wecg, a mass of metal, cognate with Dutch wig, wigge, Dan. vaegge, &c.; in Lith. the cognate form outside Teut. is found in wagis, a peg, spigot; there is no connexion with " weigh," " weight," which must be referred to the root wegh, to li

wedge-formations, tandems, &c.), i.e. to the grouping of bodies of men behind the line, and starting them before the ball was snapped back, so that they struck the line with an acquired momentum that was extremely severe, particularly when met by men equally determined. These plays caused frequent injuries and led to legislation against them, the 'most important See also:

law providing for a See also:

LIMITATION, STATUTES OF

limitation to the number of men who could be dropped back of the line, and practically keeping seven men See also:

DRAWN

drawn up in the line. Penalties are of three kinds: (r) See also:

FORFEITURE (from " forfeit," originally an offence, and hence a fine exacted as a penalty for such; derived through the O. Fr. forfeit, from the late Lat. foris factum, a trespass, that which is done foris, outside)

forfeiture of the game; for refusing to play when directed to do so by the referee, and for repeated fouls made with the intention of delaying the game; (2) disqualification of players for unnecessary roughness or ungentlemanly conduct; and (3) for infringement of rules, for which certain distances are taken away from the previous gains of the side making the fouls. The game resolves itself into a series of scrimmages interspersed with runs and kicks. The systematized development of plays places at the disposal of the quarter an See also:

INFINITE (from Lat. in, not, finis, end or limit; cf. findere, to deave)

infinite variety of attack, which he seeks to See also:

DIRECT

direct at the opposing line with bewildering rapidity and dash. During the preliminary See also:

GAMES, CLASSICAL

games of the See also:

SEASON (0. Fr. seson, seison, mod. saison, Lat. satio, sowing time, the spring, from serere, to sow; in Late Lat. the word is found with its present meaning, the spring being considered as particularly the season of the year)

season " straight football " is genetally played; that is, intricate attacks are avoided and kicks and See also:

SIMPLE

simple plunges into the line are mainly relied upon. See also:

TRICK

Trick plays,' which comprise all manoeuvres of an intricate nature, are reserved for later and more important matches. Among these is the " fake (false) kick," in which the full-back takes position as if to receive the ball for a kick, but the ball is passed to a different player for a run.

Another play of this See also:

KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind is the " wing-shift," in which some or all of the players on one side of centre suddenly See also:

CHANGE (derived through the Fr. from the Late Lat. cambium, cambiare, to barter; the ultimate derivation is probably from the root which appears in the Gr. «a urmu', to bend)

change to the other side, thus forming a mass and throwing the opponents' line out of See also:

BALANCE (derived through the Fr. from the Late Lat. bilantia, an apparatus for weighing, from bi, two, and lanx, a dish or scale)

balance. To thts See also:

CATEGORY (Gr. Karrlyopia, " accusation ")

category belong also " See also:

double passes," " false passes," " delayed passes," " delayed runs " and " criss-crosses." Training for football in America resembles that for other See also:

sports in regard to See also:

food and See also:

HYGIENE (Fr. hygiene, from Gr. ir'taivety, to be healthy)

hygiene. The coaching systems at the See also:

UNIVERSITIES

universities differ, but there is generally a head See also:

COACH (through the Fr. coche, originally from the Magyar kocsi, an adjective from the Hungarian place named Kocs, between Raab and Buda, i.e. the sort of vehicle used there in the 15th century)

coach, who is assisted by graduates, each of whom pays especial See also:

ATTENTION (from Lat. ad-tendo, await, expect; the condition of being " stretched " or " tense ")

attention to one set of men, one to the men in the centre of the line, one to the backs, another to the ends, &c. Candidates for the teams are put through a severe course of practice in catching punts and hard-thrown passes, in quick starts, falling on the ball, tackling a See also:

MECHANICAL

mechanical dummy, in blocking, breaking thtough the line, and all kinds of kicking, although in matches the kicking is generally See also:

LEFT

left to one or two men who have shown themselves particularly See also:

EXPERT (Lat. expertus, from experiri, to try)

expert. Every player is taught to dive for the ball whenever he See also:

SEES

sees it on the ground, as possession is of See also:

CARDINAL (Lat. cardinalis)

cardinal importance in American football, and dribbling for this See also:

REASON (Lat. ratio, through French raison)

reason is unknown. When running with the ball the player is taught to take See also:

SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short steps, to follow his interference, that is, not isolate himself from his defenders, and neither to slow up nor shut his eyes when striking the opposing line. Tackling well below the See also:

WAIST

waist is taught, but it is a foul to tackle below the See also:

KNEE (O. E. cneow, a word common to Indo-European languages, cf. Ger. Knie, Fr. genou, Span. hinojo, Lat. genu, Gr. ybvv, Sansk. janu)

knee. The general rule for defensive See also:

WORK

work of all kinds is "play See also:

low." See See also:

Walter See also:

CAMP (from Lat. campus, field)

Camp, How to play Football, and the See also:

OFFICIAL (Late Lat. QJicialis, for class. Lat. apparitor, from officium, office, duty)

Official Football See also:

GUIDE (in Mid. Eng. gyde, from the Fr. guide; the earlier French form was guie, English " guy," the d was due to the Italian form guida; the ultimate origin is probably Teutonic, the word being connected with the base seen in O. Eng. witan, to know)

Guide (See also:

ANNUAL

annual), both in See also:

Spalding 's Athletic Library; his Batik of See also:

COLLEGE (Collegium)

College Sports (New See also:

York, 1893), h'is American Football (New York, 1894), and his Football (See also:

Boston, 1896)—the last in co-operation with L. F. Deland; R. H. See also:

BARBOUR, JOHN (? 1316-1395)

Barbour, The See also:

BOOK

Book of School and College Sports (New York, 1904) ; W.

H. See also:

Lewis, Primer of College Football (Boston, 1896). (E. B.; W.

End of Article: DIAGRAM OF

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.

» Add information or comments to this article.

Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.

Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
DIAGRAM I

[next]
DIAGRAM OP RESERVOIR CAPACITY AND YIELD RELATION TO...