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  • Ninh explains:- The Rules of American Football

  • The object of the game is for your team to score more points than the opposing team.

  • Teams are made up of 46 players in the NFL, with 11 players taking the field at any one

  • time.

  • The field is 100 yards long by 53 yards wide, with two 10 yard endzones at each end.

  • White markings on the field help players, referee’s and spectators keep track of what’s

  • going on.

  • The game starts with a kickoff. The team with possession of the ball is known

  • as the offense, and the team without the ball is the defense.

  • The job of the offense is to move the ball up the field and score points.

  • This can be done by either running forwards with the ball, or by throwing it up the field

  • for a teammate to catch.

  • The offense is given 4 chances (or 4 downs) to make at least 10 yards.

  • If the offense manages to move the ball 10 yards or more, they will retain possession

  • of the ball whilst given another 4 downs to make another 10 yards.

  • On your TV screen, you will see this graphic. This tells you what down the team is on and

  • this tells you how many yards they need to make. If youre also watching this on TV,

  • they will also show the lines they need to cross in order to make their downs.

  • The defence’s job is to stop the offense moving the ball forwards by tackling.

  • This includes pulling them to the ground, stopping them from moving forward or forcing

  • them off the field.

  • If the offense fails to move the ball 10 yards within 4 downs, the ball is given to the defending

  • team at that point. The defending team will then bring on their

  • offensive players and try and move the ball in the opposite direction so that they can

  • score.

  • You will most likely see an offense kick the ball away on fourth down to make it more difficult

  • for the other team to score.

  • The teams will usually have three different units of 11 players that come on the field

  • at different times.

  • They include:

  • The Offense. These players will usually come on the field

  • when they have possession of the ball. The offensive unit consists of these positions

  • The quarterback is the most important player on the field as he’s the one who decides

  • to pass the ball up the field, hand it off to a teammate so that they can run with it,

  • or run with it himself. These offensive line positions are usually

  • responsible for protecting the quarterback. The wide receivers are responsible for running

  • down the field to catch the ball thrown by the quarterback,

  • The running back and full back is responsible for running with the ball up the field.

  • The Defense These players will usually come on the field

  • when the other team has the ball. The defensive unit consists of these positions

  • The defensive line is responsible for moving

  • past the offensive line. The line-backers stop running backs coming

  • through the defensive line and they also are responsible for attacking the quarterback.

  • The cornerbacks try and stop the wide receivers. And the safeties try and stop a pass up the

  • middle of the field.

  • Special Teams. Special teams are specialist players that

  • come on the field when there is a kick involved. Within the special teams is a mix of offensive

  • and defensive players mixed with either a punter or kicker for offense, or a punt returner

  • for defense.

  • Now you know what all the players do and how the game is played. But how do you score?

  • In American Football, there’s four different ways of scoring:

  • 1. Touchdown: The main way of scoring is via a touchdown.

  • If the ball is carried into the endzone area, or thrown and caught in the endzone, this

  • is a touchdown and is worth 6 points. Unlike in Rugby, you do not need to touch

  • the ball down on the ground, all you have to do is cross the line with the nose of the

  • ball to score.

  • 2. Extra points. Once a touchdown has been scored, you have

  • the option of kicking it through the uprights for an extra point, or try and pass or run

  • the ball into the endzone again for an extra two points.

  • Most teams play it safe and go with the one point.

  • 3. Field Goal. At any time, the team with the ball can kick

  • the ball between the posts and over the crossbar. To do this, they must hand it to a teammate

  • who will hold it on the ground ready for a kicker to make the kick.

  • A successful kick scores 3 points.

  • 4. Safety. If the defense tackles an offensive player

  • behind his own goal line, the defending team scores two points.

  • The game is played in 4 x 15 minute quarters, for a combined playing time of 60 minutes.

  • Highest score at the end of 60 minutes wins. Ties are rare in American Football, and overtime

  • periods are played if necessary to determine a winner. Different leagues have different

  • rules about tie games.

  • Is that it? Is that all I need to know.

  • Well, youre almost there, but American Football is filled with lots of rules, and

  • youll need to understand a few more of them before you watch or play a game. For

  • example.

  • FUMBLE If a ball carrier or passer drops the ball,

  • that's a fumble. Any player on the field can recover the ball by diving on it or he can

  • run with it. The team that recovers a fumble gets possession of the ball.

  • INTERCEPTION An aggressive defense can regain possession

  • of the ball by catching (intercepting) passes that are meant for players on the other team.

  • Both fumble recoveries and interceptions can be run back into the end zone for touchdowns.

  • SACK If the defense tackles a Quarterback whilst

  • he has possession of the ball, this is known as a ‘sack’. This is detrimental to the

  • offense, as a down is wasted and it usually results in a loss of yards.

  • INCOMPLETE PASS If a pass intended to a receiver hits the

  • ground first, it is ruled an incomplete pass. A down is wasted and play restarts from the

  • sport of the last down.

  • PENALTY If a player breaks one of the rules, referees

  • will throw flags onto the field. They will determine who made the foul and

  • how many yards his team should be penalised.

  • CHALLENGE If a coach disagrees with a decision on the

  • field, they can throw red flags onto the field. The previous play will then be reviewed and

  • if the challenge is successfulthe ruling on the field is reversed.

  • If the challenge is unsuccessful and the ruling on the field stands, they forfeit one timeout.

  • TIMEOUTS If a team wants to stop the clock to regroup,

  • take a break or discuss strategy, they are allowed three time-outs per half. Each time

  • out lasts 60 seconds. Players get a break of 12 minutes at half time.

  • This is all a lot to take in, but once you start playing or watching American Football,

  • the rules will become clear.

  • If you have found this video at all helpful, please like, share with your friends, rate

  • and comment. It takes me ages to make one of these videos and good karma is always appreciated.

  • Be sure to follow me on twitter also, but in the meantime - enjoy American Football.

  • Ninh Ly, www.ninh.co.uk, @NinhLyUK

Ninh explains:- The Rules of American Football

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