CHAPTER IV.
TECHNIQUE OF THE FORWARD PASS.
The execution of a good spiral forward pass is a thing of real beauty and art. It holds the eye of spectators and players alike. It is to football what the home run is to baseball. The soaring flight of a sixty-yard spiral is like the rushing swoop of the daring aviator in its charm and interest. To produce it the player must have a good arm, master the knack of it and give long and earnest practice.
Practically all passes of more than five yards are executed as spirals. These are of three types, the underhand, the overhand with closed grip and the overhand with open grip.
The Underhand Spiral.
This is valuable for short distances where a quick pass is desired. Its execution is so easy and common that no further comment is needed beyond what has already been said in connection with the first part of teaching the spiral pass from center, (page 6).
The Overhand Closed Grip Spiral.
This pass is theoretically the correct and logical manner of executing a distance (over ten yards) pass. The ball is laid over into the palm of the right hand (for a right-hander) with the fingers along and somewhat behind the lacing of the ball, the thumb on the opposite side. The position of the hand depends largely on its size. The smaller the hand the nearer the end of the ball it must go and the more difficult it is to retain the ball in the grasp. This type of pass is therefore difficult for men with small hands and with a wet and muddy ball. In making the throw the arm should be drawn backward over the shoulder, not down around as in a baseball throw. The nose, i.e., the forward point of the ball, should be well elevated and the ball is then shot forward past the ear at its objective. The motion is somewhat like that of a pitcher, when pitching from the shoulder without the “wind-up,” with a runner on first. As the ball leaves the hand the rotation is given by a sharp pull downward and inward. The most common fault and cause of failure with this pass is that the nose of the ball is not kept up during the forward motion of the arm. To do this the elbow must be kept fairly close to the body and the little finger side of the hand kept up. This gives a rather constricted position for throwing and most men at first feel unable to get the desired distance. This comes, however, as one acquires the knack of the snap and the follow through with the body. When developed and mastered this pass gives wonderful accuracy, great speed and can be shot directly to the receiver without much elevation. It is therefore less likely to be intercepted and is an ideal pass particularly for shorter distances up to thirty yards and for dry days.