In the early days of football, the rules were such that the team on defense was favored over the team with the ball. The game emphasized stout defenses. A great many contests were decided by a lone score.

As the gridiron sport has "opened up" in modern times with a greater variety of offensive plays and more scoring, it has also become a far more exciting game. Yet, when you consider the "whys and wherefores" of the success of nearly every outstanding football team, you find that it has a strong defense. Its line is a stone wall. Its backfield is pass-proof. Its players are sharp tacklers, fast pass rushers, quick blockers of kicks, and they are immediately on top of every fumbled ball.

It is true that if you keep the ball, the other team cannot score. However, the rules of the game are such that your opponents will have the ball at least a few times during the four quarters. So it is important that your team be able to keep them from scoring. To contribute fully to your team's success, you should study and practice defensive fundamentals just as vigorously and intently as the fundamentals of offensive football.

Great defensive play wins many ball games. Any coach is delighted when he discovers a boy who shows a talent for breaking up offensive patterns. There will always be a place for you on the football squad if you consistently stop the enemy ball carrier "dead in his tracks"!

Certainly one of the top thrills in a football game occurs when a team makes a successful "goal-line stand." Such a defensive stand has turned the tide of many a game. It is not a matter of luck and it is not accidental. It is the result of the defensive players knowing and performing the following fundamentals.

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