individual coaching.
[Illustration: R. S. CHANNING.
Princeton.]
When the opponents have the ball, the end rusher must, in the case of a
kick, do his utmost to prevent his _vis-a-vis_ from getting down the
field early under the ball. That is the cardinal point, and it is not
necessary for him to do much thinking regarding anything else when he is
facing a kicking game. When his opponents are about to make a run, the
situation is much more involved. He must then consider himself as the
sole guardian of that space of ground extending from his tackle to the
edge of the field, and he must begin at the touch line and work in. That
is, he must remember that, while on one side of him there is the tackle,
who will do his utmost to help him out, there is on the other side--that
is, towards touch--no one to assist him, and a run around the end means
a free run for many yards. "Force the man in" is always a good motto for
an end, and one he will do well to follow conscientiously. To force the
man in does not mean, however, to stand with one foot on the touch line,
and then reach in as far as possible and watch the man go by, as nine
out of every ten ends have been doing for two years. It means, go at the
runner with the determination of getting him any way, but taking him
always from the outside. An end cannot tackle as occasionally does a
half-back or back, slowly and even waiting for his man, then meeting him
low and strong. An end always has to face interference, and good
interference will bowl over a waiting end with ease. An end must go up
as far and fast as he dares to meet the runner, and when his moment
comes--which must be a selected moment--he must shoot in at his man,
reaching him, if possible, with his shoulder, and at the same time
extending his arms as far around him as possible. Many times this
reaching enables an end to grasp his man even though a clever interferer
break the force of his tackle. And when his fingers touch the runner,
he must grip with the tenacity of the bull-dog, and never let go.
It seems almost unnecessary to say that a high tackler has no chance
whatever as an end rusher. He may play guard or centre, but before a man
ever essays the end he must have passed through all the rudimentary
schooling in tackling, and be such an adept that to pass him without the
assistance of the most clever interference is an impossibility.
An end should be a good follower; that is, if the runner make in towards
the tackle, the end should run him down from behind when interference
cuts off the tackle. This is one of the best points for cultivation,
because it effectually prevents any dodging by the runner. If he fail to
take his opening cleanly, a following end is sure of him. This is not a
safe point, however, to teach until the player has fairly mastered the
ordinary end-work; for the tendency is to leave his own position too
soon, giving the runner an opportunity to turn out behind him, and thus
elude the tackle without difficulty.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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