Football can be incredibly confusing if you don't know the basic rules that all players, coaches, and referees must adhere to. Don't worry – we got your back on this one! Here are the five basic rules of football that every fan needs to know to keep up with this highly-popular game.
1) Rule One: The Field
A football field is 100 yards long and 53 1/3 yards wide. It's also 70 feet high on the end zones and 10 feet high on the field. The goalposts are 18 feet 6 inches wide, with 10 feet off-ground crossbar. The field has two 40-yard lines dividing the field in half, four 10-yard lines dividing the ends in quarters, and eight 5-yard lines dividing each half into quarters. The numbers painted onto the field for yardage are based on where the ball is spotted for measurement. If it's close to one of the sidelines, it would be marked as 1 or 20. If it were closer to the 50-yard line in between the two 30-yard lines, it would be marked as 10. This means there are 18 points where measurements can be taken. The team with possession of the ball can choose what number to use when they snap or kick their next play. The other team then chooses an alternate point - but not their own number - to take a new measurement if needed. The first down marking is seen across the top of the space between the 25 and 30-yard lines, meaning this is the first marker that represents a first down without needing another marker to follow. Each team starts with 3 downs (except teams starting inside their own ten-yard line) before giving up possession of the ball to their opponents by either scoring or going out of bounds. Teams are permitted three timeouts per game, which can be used at any time during gameplay except after scoring or during halftime. The referee controls all aspects related to running time. The duration of a typical game varies depending on how many minutes remain after all fourth quarters have ended and 15 minutes have been put back on the clock due to stoppages like injuries, penalties, etc... The average NFL game lasts about 3 hours and 12 minutes.
2) Rule Two: The Teams
The ball cannot be passed forward. There
are three ways to pass the ball, but all three require the player to release
the ball from his hands and not touch it again until another player touches it.
The three ways are a long kick, a high kick, and a bounce pass. The high kick
can be made with either foot. The ball is usually kicked as the knee rises from the ground. The low kick or the ground pass must be touched by the
kicker's other foot on the ground before being touched by any other player. A
penalty will result if this rule is broken because then it becomes a handball
which is an offense in football.
What are some common fouls that occur in
football? The list below shows the most common type of infractions that happen
during the game. Offensive Pass Interference (offensive player contacts
defender) Defensive Pass Interference (defensive player contacts offensive
player) Holding (defensive player grabs offensive players jersey or body)
Illegal Use of Hands (a defender uses their hands to tackle an offensive ball
carrier instead of trying to wrap them up) Offensive Holding (offensive lineman
uses their arms to restrict the movement of defensive lineman) Roughing the
Passer (player makes contact with the quarterback after he has thrown the ball away
or when he is in a defenseless position - such as while throwing a pass). Who
wears the same uniform colors on both sides of the team? The referee wears
white uniform colors on both sides to be fair and impartial. They also
wear a helmet with black stripes down the side so they're easy to identify.
What are the five basic rules of football? Rule One: The Field: 100 yards wide and 53 1/3 yards long, including 10-yard end zones at each end of the field.
3) Rule Three: The Ball
The ball may be kicked or thrown but not
carried. It cannot be batted with the hands or arms. The ball is in play until
it touches the ground. As soon as the ball is caught, it is considered out of
bounds, even if a foot (or another part of the body) touched it after it touched
the ground. If a player with possession of the ball causes it to enter an area
without boundaries (e.g., out-of-bounds), that player has committed a
touchback, which gives possession to the opposing team at their 25-yard line.
The game's rules include eleven players on the field per side. The players'
primary positions are divided into four groups: the offense, the defense, the
special teams, and the big three – quarterback, running back, and wide receiver.
The 11 players on offense or defense are called the 11 guys. Teams can
use any number from 1 to 11 for any given position during a game so long as no
more than eleven players are on the field at any given time. The offensive team aims to score points by advancing the ball into the opposite end
zone. The goal line stands at the back of the end zone; whichever team reaches
this point first scores six points, while both teams down by two score three
points.
The defensive team prevents the offense from scoring by tackling members of the opposition carrying the football, bringing them down behind the opposition's end zone, forcing them to commit a turnover or forcing them to miss kicks, well as executing plays that prevent runners/throwers from being tackled before they advance ten yards.
4) Rule Four: The Downs
In football, downs are the number of consecutive plays a team has to move the ball 10 yards in 4 tries, or else they lose possession. The first three downs are called first, second, and third. If the offense succeeds on the third down, they get another set of three downs called fourth, fifth, and sixth. The seventh down is called a sudden death. The only way for the defense to win the game during this last play is by forcing the offense into turning over the ball before it can gain ten yards. The main purpose of the offense is to make progress toward the goal line and score a touchdown or field goal. A touchdown scores 6 points and counts as an endzone conversion. A field goal scores 3 points (as well as being counted as an endzone conversion). The offensive player cannot be tackled until he touches the ground with their hands or feet.
5) Rule Five: Scoring
The fifth rule is scoring. The team with
the most points wins. A touchdown is worth six points, and a field goal is worth
three, but the other team can score on
offense or defense if you don't score. The game ends when one of the teams scores in overtime, and
they have to keep playing until someone scores again to win.
A football game can end with a tie if both
teams have the same points at the end of regulation time or no one
scores in overtime. If this happens, another game will be played between both
teams later with sudden death rules – that means whoever scores
first wins, and the other team has to wait until they play each other again for
another shot at winning. In American football, there are 11 players on the
offensive side and 11 on the defensive side. The offensive line
consists of five people who try to protect the quarterback while giving them
enough time to throw the ball downfield before the opposing team tackles them.
The defenders must go out on the opponent's offense by tackling them or
forcing them out of bounds before they make it across the 50-yard line, separating both sides.
The idea is for defenders to tackle ball carriers behind their own goal line, which stops any chance for further progress by the opponents into their territory. The point at which the ball carrier is stopped is called the line of scrimmage, and from here, the ball either goes forward toward the opponent's end zone, backward toward the player's own end zone, or remains still, depending on whether or not it was moving before being stopped. Once the player with possession of the ball crosses this imaginary line, they're ruled down, meaning they're not allowed to move any further, even if the player had not been tackled. The only exception is when a player catches a pass in midair; they're considered down once their feet touch anything besides air after catching it.
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