Running back

“ The lift tackle is the easiest to make. The dive tackle pertains to swimming and suicide. Running toward the opponent, the tackler leaves the ground when at a distance of a length and a half and dives at the runner, aiming to tackle a few inches below the hips. A dive tackle well done always accomplishes a well-defined pause in the runner's progress.
Joel was having hard work of it. ”

“ To be a good and fair walker, according to the recognized rule among the modern school, the attitude should be upright, or nearly so, with the shoulders well back, and the arms, when in motion, held well up in a bent position, and at every stride swing with the movement of the legs, well across the chest, which should be well thrown out. ”

“ In walking races, if a stitch bothers you, keep well on, and try and forget it; it will never last long if you are in good condition. In a race with heats, after a heat lie down on your back, and keep the legs raised up, in order that the blood forced into the extremities by the exercise may be assisted by its own gravity to return to the trunk. Rest is the best cure for a strain, and is much assisted by cold water application. In a strain of the internal organs, their complexity renders repair a more difficult operation, as they do not allow of repose ”

“ Let the trainer bear in mind and always remember that a fit of ill-temper is as injurious to the man in training as any other excess. In many instances, from a supposed well-founded cause of complaint, a continued civil war has arisen in the cabinet, which has not been quelled, perhaps, until the dissension has had a very serious effect in destroying the pedestrian’s confidence in his trainer’s capabilities and temper, as well as throwing back the trained man most materially in his advance towards condition. ”

“ In no instance ought he to allow his man to sweat during the days on which he has taken a purgative, as in many instances men have been thrown back in their preparation, or, as it is professionally termed, “trained off.” ”

“ The runners run well on the ball of the foot, the heel somewhat higher than in the long race; their knees are well raised and their bodies erect. The movement of the arms seems exaggerated at first, till we compare the vase paintings with snapshot photographs of a short-distance race. Then we see that every sprinter uses his arms. The Americans have certainly reduced running to a science, and I will therefore quote a passage from a well-known American trainer and athlete: “The arms are of great service in sprinting, and the importance of this fact is generally under-estimated. ”

“ They are supposed to be fast runners too, and a good deal of the tackling comes to their lot, for a good runner of the other side can often get past the quarters, and then the halves have got to bring him down. Behind the half-backs is a single man—the back. He is the last resource when all others are past. He should be a sure and long kicker, so as to get the ball away from the goal by that means—but you are not listening. ”

“ It was the fashion that a team of runners use against one dangerous opponent, challenging him one after the other and running him out so that the best in the team can come through with a spurt at the end and pass the flagging enemy. ”

“ This is not well understood by captains and coaches, but it is easy to see if one follows the play. A tired end rusher, even one who has experience and a good idea of his place, will lope down the field under a kick, and by his lack of speed will allow a return; and, against a running game, while he will, it is true, force his man in, he will do it so slowly that the runner is enabled [Pg 26] to pass the tackle. The first will surely result in his own halves shortening their kicks, and the second in drawing his own tackle too widely from the guard. ”

“ Again, the tendency of all young runners to watch their adversary at the start is counteracted, the opponent in this way being in advance, with a straight course only left open for the novice to the goal. So many sprinters, from standing in a wrong position at the scratch, or from taking a longer stride with one leg than the other, jostle or run across their opponent in the spin, thereby either losing their own chance of success or depriving others of it. ”

“ When the trial is changed to a sprint race, where great speed is required and a severe temporary strain comes on heart and lungs, the pugilist would answer the purpose better, as condition is the great point in such a match, style being secondary.
For longer running contests up to twenty miles, where economy of strength is everything, style becomes a valuable adjunct; and here the professional runner is indicated as the proper trainer.
For twenty-four-hour walks and runs the professional pedestrian is also the man to employ, as such efforts are not above the capacity of men in fair condition. ”

“ The crack runner of our crowd, Purtelle, is out of trim, and they were looking for a substitute. I don't want to brag, but about the one thing in the athletic line I can do well is running."
"Then you must try to fill the bill." ”

“ Save yourselves for the last three [2] quarters of a mile, and don’t try to leap the ‘combination jump’ or the ‘Liverpool’; get over by the side railings or run up the braces, as you’ve done in practice. It’s not style over the obstacles that’s going to win this race, but good hard running and lots of wind at the end. Keep your strength till you need it most. Don’t try to get ahead at the start; let the other fellow make the pace. And right now, while I think of it, do try not to take off too soon at the water jump. Moore, you try to remember about that, will you? ”

“ If a back or a member of the attacking column, the player should not confine his efforts to warding off from the runner the man whom he is there to care for. He should do this, of course, and after it is done, should endeavor to rejoin the runner in his course down the field, there to take care of further attack, thus making an even longer gain possible. ”

“ The outstanding characteristics or strength of each ball carrier is likely to be different as one might possess outstanding speed, another is a nifty, shifty runner, and the third is solid on his feet, possesses power, and is capable of running over the opposition. Every ball carrier must utilize his natural talents, and should practice diligently to become as versatile as possible. Regardless of the individual style of a runner, the most important point is for him to hold on to the football and not fumble it. ”

“ You made a nice start to-day in the two-twenty and you used a nice stride when you found it, which wasn’t until you were pretty nearly to the tape, but you waved your arms all over the lot and never once used them to help your running. Now if you’re ever going to do anything in the sprints, or in the distances, either, you’ve got to learn how to use your arms. A sprinter runs with three things, Perry; his legs, his arms and his head. You use your legs fairly well, although you’re trying to get too long a stride for a chap with legs the length yours are ”

“ It certainly is fun to play baseball on horseback, but it is a great deal funnier to race on horseback, unless—your horse falls down!
Each runner sits on a horse, and at a signal from the starter the horses start running for the goal, some fifty feet away. All the runner has to do is to “sit tight” and, if possible, keep his horse from going down flat, for it surely is not the horse who gets the worst of that possible episode! They must return to the starting point, and if the relay plan is used, touch off the next horse and his rider, who must run the same course. ”

“ The watchword of the good runner will always be—at those heights and distances where so much that is ahead must remain problematical—move onward on curves, so as to approach any obstacle by means of a bend, admitting of an inspection of the obstacle, if it is above the surface, before you are upon it, and which, if it is the running surface which presents a break, even a concealed one, will prevent your hurling yourself headlong into the trap. ”

“ There is no feature of football more beautiful than a long run in circumstances like these. The rush of the attacking phalanx against the rampart of bone and brawn; the melting away of the interference as it disposes of the men in the path of the runner; the emerging of the man with the ball into the open field and the judgment which he exercises, combined with his own strength and speed, call for the very highest ability. ”

“ A race horse cannot be kept in running condition unless he receives proper grooming, diet and exercise. Every day it must be ‘let out’ for speed, but judgment must be used to work it up to a proper condition for the great test of the race, when every nerve must be strained in order to win. Almost any horse could be ruined by putting it into a single race without proper training. Yet some young men are foolish enough to [57] fancy they can go into a game of football without preparation and exert themselves with impunity to their very utmost, running, kicking, pushing and tackling. ”

“ In the winter, when there was but little doing in the fields, we organized running-matches. A dozen or so of us would start out on races that were simply tests of endurance, running on and on along a public road over the breezy hills like hounds, without stopping or getting tired. ”

“ The man who runs flat-footedly is using up steam and endurance. Run balanced well forward on the balls of your feet. Throw your heels up; travel as though you were trying to kick the backs of your thighs. Breathe through the nose, always, in running, and master to the highest degree the trick of making a great air reservoir of your lungs. ”

“ After a thorough rest of an hour’s duration, the pedestrian should stroll about for an hour or two, and then, divesting himself of his ordinary attire, don his racing gear and shoes, and practice his distance, or, at any rate, some portion of the same, whether he is training either for running or walking. This portion of the day’s work must be regulated by the judgment and advice of the trainer, who of course is the holder of the watch by which the athlete is timed, and is the only person capable of knowing how far towards success the trained man has progressed in his preparation. ”

“ Generally, three or four of the swiftest runners and most expert at dropping, remain some distance behind the rest, and are called "back-players," or "backs;" some, too, who are clever at "dodging," play "half-back," i.e., between the back players and the rest. ”

“ Before any contest, when you are stripped, take a trot to get the limbs into order and keep them warm; the muscles will be less likely to get strained if well heated beforehand. In running with a chicken-hearted man, race at him, and, if you feel done, fancy that he feels worse. Run as straight to the goal as possible; it is the nearest way home, and therefore the quickest. The arms should be kept well up, and moved in the direction of the course, and not swung across the body. Any scrambling in the race is fatal to a 20 good walker ”

“ Those who knew better saw that the good runners did not start at headlong pace. They held back in a bunch, and were saving their wind. In a run that covers five or ten miles it is the height of folly to make any effort at great speed at the start. By degrees experienced and knowing runners get into their stride, and in this fashion are able to finish strongly. ”

“ HINTS IN, BEFORE, AND AFTER THE RACE.
In sprinting, a good start is of such importance that we would suggest a careful practice in it. It is a curious fact that a novice will invariably start with one foot a yard or so behind the other, either with the body bent down low, or with the body erect, and swinging the arms as if they were the means of propulsion about to be trusted to. In the former case, he runs one yard more than his distance, in the latter he exhausts and unsteadies himself. ”

“ A bad beginning makes a bad end, and nothing is so detrimental to a sprinter as a bad start. He may get shut out, he loses his stride, or perhaps get spiked by the man who has crossed him; and when he does get into proper swing, he is too far behind to be able to make up what was lost at the beginning. Avoid walking long distances; they rather tend to stiffen the muscles and make them slow. Never miss your race; if you can only get one spin daily, make the most of it. Always run in form—that is to say, as you would in the race, on your toes, with an easy, springing action of the thighs. ”

“ For when once the enemy broke and commenced to run, the combatants being so close together, a fast runner would knock a dozen on the head in a short time; and the great aim of these fast-running warriors, of whom my old friend had been one, was to chase straight on and never stop, only striking one blow at one man, so as to cripple him, in order that those behind should be sure to overtake and finish him. ”

“ Never in practice run with many clothes on; if the weather is cold, clothe in proportion. The action of the air on the skin increases its healthy vigor. A piece of cork is often held in each hand to grasp while running. In a long distance race, rinsing the mouth out with warm tea with a little brandy in it, and munching a crust, will often take away any dryness of throat. Never commence fast sprinting in practice unless the muscles are thoroughly warm. ”

“ Somebody running after him all the time, and then ... running on ahead? And, of course, on a broad pavement there would be plenty of room for this running gentleman to run round; but on an eight- or nine-inch kerb, such as that of the new road out Lewisham way ... but perhaps he was a jumping gentleman too, and could jump over a man's head. You'd think he'd have to get past some way, wouldn't you?... I remember vaguely wondering whether the name of that Runner was not Conscience; but Conscience isn't a matter of molecules and osmosis.... ”