Some American Football Rules

Joined: 05 Oct 2008 Posts: 65

Ok guys,

So courtesy of Vicky below is a brief overview of the game. Dont worry if u dont understand it, watching the game will hopefully make it a lot clearer.

American Football Simple Rules

American Football is a ball sport, which evolved from Rugby Football.

It is played by two teams, over four quarters of 15 minutes each. However, the clock does not run continuously. Depending on what is happening on the field, officials can stop the clock or teams can call for a time-out.

The purpose of the game is to â€˜gain territoryâ€™ across the 100-yard long playing field, and to score points â€“ mainly by moving the ball into the opponentsâ€™ endzone at the end of the pitch, called a touchdown, or by kicking the ball through two elevated goal posts, which is a fieldgoal.

Offense and Defense

One team is the offense. It has possession of the ball and is allowed four attempts, called downs, to move the ball 10 yards closer to the opponentsâ€™ endzone, either by carrying or throwing (passing) the ball without losing it.

If it succeeds, it is given another four downs. If it fails, the other team is given the ball and goes onto the offense.

When the offense reaches fourth down, it usually decides to kick the ball deep into the opponentsâ€™ half of the field rather than fail to make 10 yards and give the ball up in a poor position. This is called punting.

A touchdown, worth six points, is awarded when a team manages to move the ball into the opponents endzone and still has it under control (both feet must be in the endzone when the player has the ball). The offense then can score an extra point by kicking a conversion, which is essentially a short-range fieldgoal, or two extra points by running or passing the ball into the endzone from the two yard line.

The other main scoring play is a fieldgoal, which is worth three points.

The other team is playing defense and must try to prevent the other team from â€˜conquering territoryâ€™ and scoring.

The defense can score when one of its players intercepts the ball and carries into the opponentsâ€™ endzone, or by trapping an opposing ballcarrier in his own endzone for a safety, worth two points.

Each team is allowed 11 players on the pitch and there are no limitations on the number of substitutions, and the same players can be brought back onto the field at any time. American Football players are highly specialised and normally play only on dedicated positions on either offense or defense.

The other main grouping is the special teams, who deal with the kicking.

Playing the game

Many people who watch the game for the first time believe that it is very violent, with both teams aimlessly crashing into each other and then slugging it out on the pitch.

In reality, every move of every offensive player is carefully planned and part of an elaborate game plan.

The quarterback is at the heart of the offense. The plays are usually called by the coaches on the sidelines, but he quarterback relays them to the other players and frequently makes last-second changes.

Depending on the action of the defense, the quarterback will then pass the ball to the offensive player in the most promising position, or give the ball to the running back to carry up the field.

As stated earlier, the ball can be carried or thrown, however it can be thrown forward only once each down, while there are limitations to lateral or backward passes.

The offense will try to suprise its opponents, while the defense has to figure out within seconds where the main thrust of the attack will be directed so that it can be stopped or intercepted.

Violation of rules result in penalties, normally the loss of territory by the team that violated the code of conduct.