Show HINTS ON PUNTING Old Harvard Fullback Has Good Ideas on tho Proposition In all the eats o oklll before tho per formora cnn hope to become proficient thoro must be a period of lone pi pent practice The Juggler accomplishes his seemingly impossible tricks only after montha nny oven thee years of hard conscientIous prac ticeTho The successful golfer or baseball player Is not ho who begins with long drives nnd onehanded catches but rather the one who learns the UnIt theory and after ho has mnslored tho rudiments lI08 afer In tamIng tho I nbovc toaults JMUIS This lone period of practIce Is often looked upon na drudgery P cLcQ looked at from Us proper point of hew It can be made a most interestIng pastime For If I till prrforni HyatomntlzeH his work and anl In l content nt tho beginning to study this vorloim trpfl rather than attempt to rcnch the extremes without tho nicnns ho will find pleasure In endeavoring to correct cor-rect hIs faulty because belrip cognizant wllh thin theory of his undcrtakini ho will I at oucu recognize whom his faults lie nnd will therefore know how to correct them A eUmolddd football team IB com posed of cloven indIvIduals each of whom has been no thoroughly trained In tho fundamental at bin position play thut they eventually form ono Indlvidiial team Apply this to the drop kicker and we at A onco oco that before ho cnn hope for tenm play he must bo drilled In the various va-rious componontK Which taken together make up the whole In drop kicking I will admit thoro la a vunt amount of knack but before allowing this peculiar stYle or Cormto use a golf expression assert Itself let the kicker remember that brncuth this there IB nn equal amount of cklll the success of which hnnrw upon certain rudlnmnts that must bo carefully studied before the dropkick drop-kick cnn ho correctly und confilatcntly done Great pullcncc Is required for It ImL may tnko the pupil a long time to uolvo the deep mysteries of drop kicking Since the Introduction of the present mpthofl ot scoring which makes the field goal equal to a touchdown tremendous impetus has been slcn to the art o drop kicking Coacher have been quick to rccosnbo the lmlortnrico of It nr was shown Jn the big games last autumn In the games between Princeton nnd ialc and Cornell und Princeton In onch case It was u droi kick that won tho game I and It was tho luck ot II good drop kicker I which lost Harvard the chuncc to win her game agaInst Y lcr The notable goals of I Hudson ODcu and Sharpe uri too well known to bo here dwelt upon Another Incentive for better drop kicking kick-ing lo the many small score lam 8 which i are played at present The reason for thIs Is tno Increased development ot the defense i de-fense over the offense I IH I a wollknown net tlml a football team on the defense can b compared with t spring which hUG for its base the coal line Aa a spring IH proused toward ItH base moro power la I required re-quired to get nearer Just so with 0 football foot-ball Learn They seem to uthcr strength IH their opponent approach their goal line and In many cases finully stop them lit the last dItch Such occasions arc the jroldcn opportunities for drop kickers nnd If they have carefully studied tho science sci-ence they will add five points to the score of LH attacking MIne Let uo now ace how best to prepare our selvtti tot trio a lovemIl 101lid Ollllon unIt unI-t It Is 1 well to irocuro a pair of shots which nro udnptLd to tho purpose Aa the force of the kick 1 cornea entirely upon tho too of tho boot a box should be Inserted In the I shoe which will render the too perfectly hard The shoe Itoclf need not be particularly henvy but staunch rind above all it good close fiLe fiL-e are now ready to btRln the active practIce In drop kicking Owing to the extremely ex-tremely short spacp of time the kicker has at his disposal In which to accomplish hIs kick qulckncos la the first oanonllil which nhoukl bo studied nnd tin drop kicker ns the punter must consider every means of saving 1 time First among these la the pOsitIon of feet und body before the ball ia snapped and the steps tnkon b6lorc the actual kick IB made Not mOre than one stop Is iiccs siiry In order to obtnln tho full awing of the leg nnd body therefore tho kIcker should stand with both Cert square to the line of scrimmage or with the left foot back from eight to ten Inches K ho choooc the first of these positions he should gtep buck with his left foot ne the ball In coming toward him In cither case his feet aivJ body aro placed as those ot n runner on the murk In a lonrrdle tance race After cutchlnc the bull the left foot Ja I broucht forwuul the one step allowed and the kick follows Furthermore this ntep should be tnkcn directly In line of the kicks Intended direction so that In order lo Insure proper direction the owing ot the kicking lee I beIng In the plane oC direction di-rection It remains only to kick tho ball In the mlddlo totjiavo the desired result AVc have saved lime by a proper stance nnd by limiting the steps taken durlns the kick hut ntlll more time can be saved In tho proper handling of the ball If the ball be caught at n bad angle Instead of shifting It In the hands lot I the righting be done by the wrists and the finKors without hoeIng tho origInal hold This method will unvo muny a fumble and also Insures the ball being In proper position posi-tion before leiivlnif the hands This should not change Ha angle from tho limo It leaves the hands until kicked by the foot Thus In dropping the ball endeavor not to allow the ball to change from Its proper position for It Itt easily seen lint If the bull does not strIke the ground In proper position the kick will surely go astray Also remember to top the ball well ahead In order to allow for the forward movement of the body The poslllon of the ball when In actual contact with tho foot should In General bo with ltj longest axis l vertical to tho ground If < a long kick Is to be attempted by tipping tile top of the ball slightly for wnrd or away from the kicker Its center of gravity Is brought moro directly Into tho line of force thus giving tho ball amore a-more direct blow By lilting tho top bnck or toward tho kicker tho toe hits the ball well below the center of gravity and a high spinning ball results For a short kick this method lo superior because It lesseno tho dangers of topping top-ping the ball to use a golf expression I have said beiore that the blow ahould be delivered entirely by the toy of the boot therefore the foot should be kept rigid In Its normal position that in with the sole at right angles with tho shin Next conies the swing of the leg which Is Important form In order to obtain a good kick the bull must be timed to tho moment mo-ment Accuracy can be obtained by swinging swing-ing the leg In tho plane of dIrection but the proper elevation depends on two things the position of the foot mentioned above and the correct timing of the ball In this there la tremendous knack and each Individual must use hiD own methods In working It out There should be great freedom of nctlon In nil the muscles of the body the sort of rhythmic swing Unit Iho golfer uses In driving or tho ballplayer ball-player In batting Any timidity or cramped movements will utterly destroy tho rhythm There IB more knack In this part of the kick than In anything else but ono suggestion sug-gestion I feel sure will help all Keep your eye on the ball until the kick Is over In punting one Is obliged to keep ones eye as It were on the opponlng rushers who are apt ot break through nnd force the yuntcr to kick around them Not ao In drop kicking II I Is too delIcate an op jrnilon lo be Interrupted by anything outside out-side the kick Itself Therefore pay no attention at-tention to anything or anybody but direct di-rect your eyes on thin middle seam of the ball and endeavor to kick It fiercely The kicker unless he constantly guards against It will spoil tho union of eye and I foot by anticipating a good kick nnd when the kick really takes place his eyes will bo I looklnrc at the goal pouts Instead of the the middle seam of tho ball Herein Is the deepest of all the secrets of the drop kick Just na It h In golf und many other gumcs and If tho wouldbe drop kicker will combine the aforesaid fundamental with the last suggestion I fccl sure he will improve upop his present form iVrcy Haughton exFullback of Harvaid Eleven I |