American football is a simple adaptation of the British game of rugby. In American football, the foot rarely ever touches the ball; so don’t be confused between American football and soccer (which most of the world calls football). Football is a great competitive sport with a fun mix of strategy and physical play. Remember that the objective of the game is to score points by moving forward, with the ball, into the opposing team’s end zone.
The “offense” is the team with the ball and the other is the defense. As each half starts or after a touchdown or goal, the defense starts. The defense places the ball on a tee at their 35 yard line and kicks the ball towards the other team. The other team then tries to catch the ball and run back as far as possible. If the ball cannot be caught, the player can raise his hand and ask for a “fair catch” where the defense cannot tackle and he cannot run with the ball. A “touchback” occurs when the ball is kicked into the end zone. A touchback can occur also when no one catches the ball or the player who catches it doesn’t run with it. A touchback does not score any points.
The offense has 4 “downs” to cover 10 yards or more. If a player with the ball is stopped or goes out-of-bounds or if the ball is thrown and missed (an incomplete pass), the play ends. When a player’s knees touch the ground, the player is stopped. A player can be stopped also when he is tackled or when he falls.
The main objective of the game is to beat the opponent by scoring more points. A touchdown is awarded with 6 points. The team that gets the touchdown can try to get the ball into the opponent’s end zone again in just one running or passing play instead of trying for the extra point. A field goal will earn 3 points. If a player from the offensive is stopped in his own end zone, the defense gets 2 points as “safety.”
Just before play starts, all offensive linemen put a hand on the ground. Only the center will have both hands on the ball. The quarterback calls out signals and once the secret signal is given, the play starts as the center passes the ball to the quarterback.
In a “pass” play, the quarterback takes a few steps back and then waits till there is an open player. Once there is an open player he throws the ball. The defensive front four then will “rush the quarterback.” This is done to either make him throw the ball early or tackle him before he throws the ball. The offensive will try to prevent this by blocking the defensive. If, by chance, the ball touches the ground before it is caught, it becomes an incomplete pass. If a defensive player catches the pass, it is an inception. The ball is then handed over to the other team. In a “rushing” play the quarterback will pass the ball to the tailback or fullback who then runs with the ball. In case, the rusher loses the ball before the play is over, there’s a huge rush as everyone tries to pounce on the ball.
The referees of the game are officials in striped shirts. They notify penalties by throwing onto the ground a piece of yellow cloth. This yellow cloth is called a “penalty marker” or “flag.” |
