The arrangement of the men will depend of course upon their own personal range, the ability of the kicker, and the wind. In case the kicking team possesses a strong down-field line man who is a hard tackier, the fullback may well come up closer and make sure of getting so dangerous a man as he breaks clear of the line.

Of course one of the strongest defenses against the kicking game is to block the kick, and the best opportunities occur when the enemy is kicking from well down in his own territory. If he assumes the kick formation within twenty-five yards of his own goal line on first or second down it is a safe guess that the actual kick will be forthcoming, for to have his fullback thrown for a loss behind his own scrimmage line on an attempted run would prove a serious setback. There are many ways of attempting to block a kick, but any team that possesses a powerful pair of guards may well try the method used so successfully by Pennsylvania State College. In using this system, shown in the diagram (Fig. 2), the guards play closer to the center than usual and the other forwards close in a little. As the ball is snapped the ends go in fast and hard but make no attempt to reach the fullback. Their sole duty is to keep the protecting backs thoroughly occupied, shooting across and spilling them if possible. The guards, acting together, pull the opposing centre forward on his face, while the tackles shoot across and pull down the guards, or at least pull them away from the opening made by their own guards. The center, who has the shortest distance to go to the kicker, jumps through the opening and leaps in front of the kicker. It is a very effective method when well executed, but it needs strong men. No attention is paid to the ends going down the field in this play, save that there are two men in the back field to handle the kick should it not be blocked.

Photo. by Paul Thompson.