Playing American Football
Playing American Football
American football was actually derived from the English sport of Rugby. Both rugby and American football are alike in that there is physical contact and tackling, but the two also vary greatly. American football incorporates both running of the football and forward passes, and the football is not allowed to touch the ground. American football owes a lot of its innovation over the years to a man named Walter Camp. According to the Walter Camp Football Foundation Inc, Camp can be "credited with the play from scrimmage, set plays and strategy features." American football is played by children in Pop Warner leagues, through high school and college and ultimately the National Football League.
An American football field is usually painted with numbered yard markers.
1. Set up the field of play. The American football field of play is 100 yards in length and 160 feet wide. The middle of the field is marked as the 50-yard line. The field is marked every 10 yards from the 50-yard line on each side, so that there will be a 40-yard line, 30-yard line, 20-yard line, 10-yard line and a goal line on either side of the 50-yard line.
2. Set the time limits for each quarter. American football is split into four quarters, with a halftime, or "rest," period after the initial two quarters have been completed. College football leagues and the NFL play 15-minute quarters, while high school and Pop Warner leagues will use shorter quarters, depending on their rules. Halftime lasts 12 minutes in the NFL and 20 minutes in college leagues.
3. Divide the players into two teams. Each team must field an offense and a defense, with 11 players on the field for each side at a time. Formations can vary, but the offense will generally have a quarterback, who throws the ball; a running back, who runs with the ball; linemen, who protect the quarterback and block for the runner; and a tight end and a combination of receivers, who catch passes from the quarterback. Defensive formations also vary, but teams will usually field linemen, who play opposite their offensive counterparts; linebackers, who play behind the linemen; and cornerbacks and safeties, who play behind the linebackers, in the "secondary," and mostly cover receivers. The teams will take turns on offense and defense.
4. Conduct a coin toss to decide which team will receive the football first on offense. Before the coin is tossed into the air by the referee, the team captain or designated player from the visiting team will call "heads" or "tails." If the coin lands as called, then the visitors have the option to accept the football on offense first or decline the football and play defense first. Whichever team begins the game on defense will get the football to start the third quarter.
5. Begin play. The team that begins on defense will kick the ball to the offense from a designated spot, which varies by league but is generally at the 30-yard line. A player on offense will catch the kicked football and run it up the field until he is either "tackled" or runs out of bounds, stopping the play. A tackle occurs when a defensive player grabs the ball carrier around the shoulders, torso or legs and brings him to the ground. Any player who possesses the football becomes "down" if any part of his knee or elbow touches the ground. The offense is allowed four "downs," or turns, to move the ball 10 yards by either throwing or running the football from the line of scrimmage. The line of scrimmage is the line at which the referee "marks" the football at the end of each play. The football must be thrown before the quarterback steps on or across the line of scrimmage. If the football crosses the line of scrimmage, it cannot be thrown forward, only laterally, or "back" to another player. After the ball is moved 10 or more yards, the offense gets another four downs to move the next 10 yards. If the offense fails to move the football 10 yards in four downs, it has to turn the ball over to the defense, which will then begin playing offense at the spot where the ball was last marked. For this reason, many teams use the fourth down to "punt," or kick the football to the defense, if they haven't moved 10 yards in three downs.
6. The goal of the offense is to score touchdowns. If the offense crosses the opposite goal line with the football via the run or the pass, that is considered a "touchdown" and is worth six points. After each touchdown, the offense can try to kick the ball through the field-goal posts from the 20-yard line for one "extra point." In college and the NFL, the offense also has the option to try to pass or run the ball across the goal line from the 2-yard line; if successful, this is worth two extra points, though the offense only gets one chance per touchdown. Instead of trying to score a touchdown, the offense can also try to kick the ball through the goal posts; this is known as a "field goal" and is worth three points. If the kick fails to go through the field goal posts, the other team will take possession of the football from the spot where the kick was attempted. Whenever a team scores points, that team then becomes the defense and kicks the ball to the other team, which gets a turn on offense.
7. Each team should try to score the most points. Whichever team has the most points after the allotted game time wins the game. If the teams are tied, they will play one or more "overtime" or "extra" periods. Overtime rules vary. In the NFL, a coin toss determine which team will begin the 15-minute overtime period with the ball; the first team to score automatically wins the game. In college, the two teams take alternating turns trying to score from their opponents' 25-yard line in four downs or less, with each team receiving an equal number of turns. Whichever team finishes with the most points wins the game.
American football was actually derived from the English sport of Rugby. Both rugby and American football are alike in that there is physical contact and tackling, but the two also vary greatly. American football incorporates both running of the football and forward passes, and the football is not allowed to touch the ground. American football owes a lot of its innovation over the years to a man named Walter Camp. According to the Walter Camp Football Foundation Inc, Camp can be "credited with the play from scrimmage, set plays and strategy features." American football is played by children in Pop Warner leagues, through high school and college and ultimately the National Football League.
An American football field is usually painted with numbered yard markers.
1. Set up the field of play. The American football field of play is 100 yards in length and 160 feet wide. The middle of the field is marked as the 50-yard line. The field is marked every 10 yards from the 50-yard line on each side, so that there will be a 40-yard line, 30-yard line, 20-yard line, 10-yard line and a goal line on either side of the 50-yard line.
2. Set the time limits for each quarter. American football is split into four quarters, with a halftime, or "rest," period after the initial two quarters have been completed. College football leagues and the NFL play 15-minute quarters, while high school and Pop Warner leagues will use shorter quarters, depending on their rules. Halftime lasts 12 minutes in the NFL and 20 minutes in college leagues.
3. Divide the players into two teams. Each team must field an offense and a defense, with 11 players on the field for each side at a time. Formations can vary, but the offense will generally have a quarterback, who throws the ball; a running back, who runs with the ball; linemen, who protect the quarterback and block for the runner; and a tight end and a combination of receivers, who catch passes from the quarterback. Defensive formations also vary, but teams will usually field linemen, who play opposite their offensive counterparts; linebackers, who play behind the linemen; and cornerbacks and safeties, who play behind the linebackers, in the "secondary," and mostly cover receivers. The teams will take turns on offense and defense.
4. Conduct a coin toss to decide which team will receive the football first on offense. Before the coin is tossed into the air by the referee, the team captain or designated player from the visiting team will call "heads" or "tails." If the coin lands as called, then the visitors have the option to accept the football on offense first or decline the football and play defense first. Whichever team begins the game on defense will get the football to start the third quarter.
5. Begin play. The team that begins on defense will kick the ball to the offense from a designated spot, which varies by league but is generally at the 30-yard line. A player on offense will catch the kicked football and run it up the field until he is either "tackled" or runs out of bounds, stopping the play. A tackle occurs when a defensive player grabs the ball carrier around the shoulders, torso or legs and brings him to the ground. Any player who possesses the football becomes "down" if any part of his knee or elbow touches the ground. The offense is allowed four "downs," or turns, to move the ball 10 yards by either throwing or running the football from the line of scrimmage. The line of scrimmage is the line at which the referee "marks" the football at the end of each play. The football must be thrown before the quarterback steps on or across the line of scrimmage. If the football crosses the line of scrimmage, it cannot be thrown forward, only laterally, or "back" to another player. After the ball is moved 10 or more yards, the offense gets another four downs to move the next 10 yards. If the offense fails to move the football 10 yards in four downs, it has to turn the ball over to the defense, which will then begin playing offense at the spot where the ball was last marked. For this reason, many teams use the fourth down to "punt," or kick the football to the defense, if they haven't moved 10 yards in three downs.
6. The goal of the offense is to score touchdowns. If the offense crosses the opposite goal line with the football via the run or the pass, that is considered a "touchdown" and is worth six points. After each touchdown, the offense can try to kick the ball through the field-goal posts from the 20-yard line for one "extra point." In college and the NFL, the offense also has the option to try to pass or run the ball across the goal line from the 2-yard line; if successful, this is worth two extra points, though the offense only gets one chance per touchdown. Instead of trying to score a touchdown, the offense can also try to kick the ball through the goal posts; this is known as a "field goal" and is worth three points. If the kick fails to go through the field goal posts, the other team will take possession of the football from the spot where the kick was attempted. Whenever a team scores points, that team then becomes the defense and kicks the ball to the other team, which gets a turn on offense.
7. Each team should try to score the most points. Whichever team has the most points after the allotted game time wins the game. If the teams are tied, they will play one or more "overtime" or "extra" periods. Overtime rules vary. In the NFL, a coin toss determine which team will begin the 15-minute overtime period with the ball; the first team to score automatically wins the game. In college, the two teams take alternating turns trying to score from their opponents' 25-yard line in four downs or less, with each team receiving an equal number of turns. Whichever team finishes with the most points wins the game.