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POSITION PLAY
61
a position that is mechanically tho strong¬
est for you. A guard should stand close
to his centre, not more than a foot away.
Some guards face in and some face out,
for different reasons. If the centre man
is weak or the guard is going to run from
the line, he would naturally face in. Vice
versa, if the tackle is weak he would face
out. But a good guard cannot afford to
stand either way unless he is immensely
superior to his opponent, because he neces¬
sarily weakens his position. The better
position is for the guard to stand squarely
in front of his man. He is in a position
to watch his man, and so better block him;
he can see the ball and notice opponent's
whole formation.
The guards'standing in last-named man¬
ner causes the centre of the line to pre¬
sent a solid front, a straight line. Stand¬
ing the other way presents to opponents a
concave line, which may be pushed in more
easily.