Published by the Cramer Chemical Co. Gardner, Kansas THE FIRST AIDER Page Fifteen GRIDSTERS CAN GUARD AGAINST INJURIES BY OBSERVING RULES By Walter Gungoll Walter Gungoll, athletic coach at Boone, Colo., high school is strong for the use of a number of common- sense rules for conduct of lads while playing or practicing to play football. From his experience as a regular with Oklahoma A. & M. during the seasons of 1927, ’28 ’29 and ’30, and his work as a high school coach at Cherokee, Oklahoma, and other points since his college career, Gungoll has »repared a list of do and don’ts that tend to lessen injuries, The list follows: Football Safety Rules 1. A player should report all injur- ies to the coach or trainer. Nitro- phen should be applied to all open wounds to prevent infection. A foot- ball player should always wear a head guard, shoulder pads, and athletic supporter when in actual scrimmage or tackling and blocking. 2. A player should always keep his eyes open, his feet well spread, on his toes, knees slightly bent; never straight legged, with knees locked and back on the heels. 3. He should have his head drawn in, shortening the neck and moving the head in close to the shoulders. 4. He should always warm up slow. ly before attempting fast action by stretching, bending and running. 5. He should run low, using his eyes, hands, and arms for protection. 6. In falling, do not fall on your back, leaving your stomach and face unprotected but turn on your side, keep moving and turning. Pull your chin in and your legs up. 7. When falling, do not fall tense, but fall relaxed, do not let an out- stretched arm or leg lay unprotected from the rest of the body hut pull them in around the ball. 8. When carrying the ball, tackled and thrown, don’t fall on the point of your shoulder, turn so you will fall on your side; draw up your’ knees around the ball. 9. When thrown backward, raise _your head when falling, so as to take the jar with the back of the should- ers instead of with the back of the head. Spin away and turn on your side if you are thrown. 10. When tackled straight on, re- lease the cleats and go forward. Run with the knees high, on your toes, feet well spread, use your stiff arm and open hand to keep off tacklers. Keep your eyes open; look ahead and to the sides, 11. Keep your feet on the ground in catching passes, unless you must jump in the air after a high one, then come down with your feet well spread, one in advance of the other, pivot in the air or as soon as you a- light, away from the tackler. Get your balance and use your stiff arm. 12. Do not let your shoulders droop while carrying the ball or when tack- ling or blocking but keep them up and bring them up at the moment of impact. Muscles will prevent broken bones; drooping shoulders are easily injured. 13. Don’t fall on some one point of the bcdy, shoulder point, chin, elbow, or knees. 14. Run with the body under con- trol and together, not with the head in the air, have hands and arms a- cross the body, keep opponents away from body with hands (when on de- fense) and with bent arm, elbow and shoulder when on offense. 15. Keep feet well spread at all times, knees high, on your toes, never flat-footed. 16. Two hands on the- ball when falling or going through the line, hit rolling, and keep driving. 17. Don’t fall on the ball with your stomach or ribs. Fall over it. Might break ribs. 18. Pull the upper leg up after fall- ing over the ball, to protect the play- er and the ball. 19. Keep fingers bent on scrimmage line, not straight, might be stepped on and broken. 20. Linemen on defense and when carrying the ball and stiff arming, keep your fingers and thumbs togeth- er, so as not to sprain them. 21. To avoid sprained ankles, keep the weight forward on the toes, keep the ankles rigid. 22. When tackling, keep the eyes open and hands closed until time for the hand clasp around the wrist; jar your opponent; have your weight in your shoulders, don’t let him jar you by keeping your legs under you and driving forward. 23. On a side tackle, get your head in front of the runner, not behind him. Have head close to shoulders, use arm behind runner’s legs to bring down runner’s and spin him to you which puts you on top. There is no danger of a heel of the runner injur- ing you in this way. 24. You must drive under the stiff arm, or force the runner to pass you on the side which he is carrying the ball or tackle him as he is changing the ball. : 25. In going down on the kick-off, run crouched with knees bent, feet well spread and hands and arms ready to ward off blockers; eyes op- en, look out for a side block, 26. Don’t leave yourself unprotect- ed before, during or after a kick or pass. 27. You may be tackled after a fair catch so pull your body together in making the catch. 28. In catching a punt, pull your- self together for the catch which gives you some protection. Spin away, stiff arm, and side step. 29. Jump over a rolling blecker or to the side, using your hands, bend- ing your knees, or backing up. 30. In a pile-up, protect your face with your arm bent at the elbow un- less you are the ball carrier and you are below and face downward. 31. Breaking up interference, keep body bent at the waist, feet well spread, inside foot advanced. Use your hands, head and eyes to break through interference; do not take your eyes completely from the inter- ference runners to the ball carrier but watch both at the same time. 32. Do not have your’ feet on the same line, always have feet well spread, on your toes. 33. In blocking and tackling, do not allow the hand or hands, to bend un- der at any time. Your wrist might be broken in this way. 34. In football, you must get your man but be careful that someone does not get you first. You may be blocked while trying to block some- one else or you may be pushed into a team-mate by an opponent from the side. ° 35. Head collisions are caused by having the eyes closed; keep your eyes open and head up, but drawn in close to the shoulders. 36. Pull the runner’s legs together and hold them tight. so Fh runner cannot kick or injure you by working his legs and feet, 37. In using your hands, have the fingers turned under the knuckles when playing in the line on defense or offense, have your fingers to- gether with the thumb near the fin- gers in defensive work and in stiff arming, 38. Block the kicks with the arms crossed. Go for the ball, kickers legs and foot from the side. Do not go straight in front of the kicker’s foot. Might get kicked in the face, neck, or body. 39. Do not pile up after the whist- le blows. Line up for the next play. 40. Be relaxed between downs but tense and set for the charge. Put a second and third effort in every charge. Play clean, fair and fast,