American Football
American Football
It is a contact sport, where the attacking team must take the ball to
its end zone, while the defensive team must prevent it. Being a violent
sport, their uniform is complemented with protective equipment, such
as a football helmet, shin guards, dental splint, shoulder pads, elbow
pads, etc.
The name derives from the English term football, composed of foot
and ball, although it is more similar to rugby. It is coined as “American”
because it was made official in the USA.
Due to the violent nature of the game, it was banned for a time by
several universities. However, it became popular in secondary
schools, modifying its ball and creating a fusion of this sport and rugby:
the Boston Game, which gave rise to the Oneida Football Club in 1862,
the first club in the USA.
For this reason it became popular and spread to Canada. Sports writer
Walter Camp (1859-1925) defined this sport when he wrote its rules
and laid down its first official foundations: the permitted dimensions of
the field were restructured, as were the rules on tackles, the number of
players per team, the regulatory referees, among other major changes
that laid the current foundations.
In the early 20th century, the sport became popular in the United
States, while its equivalent, rugbyhttps://sportsregras.com/es/rugby-
reglas-historia/, did the same in England. Various universities in the
USA formed their own teams and the sport became institutionalised,
becoming a national sporting standard.
American football rules
Players
Each team has 11 players with defined football positions:
Offensive:
Defensive:
Ball
It is made up of four sections of leather with a granular texture that
makes it easy to grip. It is oval with pointed ends. It should be inflated
to a pressure of 12.5 to 12.5 psi and weighs 397 to 425 grams.
Basketball court
American football fields are 120 yards long and 53.3 yards wide. They
are marked with: goal lines (marked at each end lengthwise, where
touchdowns count), parallel lines (marked in parallel every 4.5 meters
lengthwise), touchlines (on both sides lengthwise), hash marks
(dividing the field in three lengthwise) and goal posts (3 meters high,
with a U-shaped opening of 5.6 meters).
Game
It should last 60 minutes divided into four quarters of 15 minutes
each. Time can be stopped for the preparation of offensive strategies,
reviews and other eventualities. American football games can extend
up to three times in real time.
The objective is to get the ball into the goal area or through the goal
posts. This is a contact sport (body to body). American football results
can be found on the most important sports portals.
Scores
Touchdown: This consists of carrying the ball to the goal area or
when a player receives it there. It is worth 6 points.
Field goal: the ball is kicked at the U-shaped post. There are
several styles: English football style, looking for angles; straight
style, similar to English football, with a special shoe; and bounce
kick, when the ball bounces on the field. It cannot be executed on
the kickoff and is worth 3 points.
Safety: Occurs when a defender brings down an offensive player
who has the ball in the end zone, so the defense gets the score.
It is the only way for the defense to get points (2).
Referee
It has seven referees, in charge of monitoring the players according
to their positions, performing different functions, monitoring time,
scores and other tasks.
Faults
Holding: One player holds the other. There is a penalty of 10
yards for offense and 5 for defense. In the case of an offensive
player in his zone, his penalty is a safety.
Offside: A defender at the beginning of the play steps into the
line of scrimmage. It is penalized with 5 yards.
Personal foul: This occurs when a defender knocks down a
quarterback who has released the ball, when a player grabs the
peephole of another player's helmet, or when a player exerts
unnecessary violent force on another player. There is a 15-yard
penalty and an automatic first down when committed by a
defender.
False start: An offensive player moves too early. It is penalized
with 5 yards.
Encroachment: A player is offside or false starts making contact.
It is penalized with 5 yards.
Tripping: A player trips another player, making him fall. His
penalty is 10 yards.
Clipping: A player tackles a player not in possession of the ball
below the waist. It is penalized with 15 yards.
Delay of game: An offense plays out of time or a defense takes
possession of the ball when time expires. It is penalized with 5
yards.
Pass interference: A defender makes it difficult for a receiver to
receive a pass. The ball is placed at the spot of the foul.
Fundamentals of American
Football
Down
It refers to the time that elapses while a play is being executed
from a pass or initial kick until the person with the ball touches the
ground (except with his extremities) or leaves the playing area.
First chance
In the game, the team has four downs on which it can move the ball
10 yards and keep it for four more downs; if the team manages to
advance at least 10 yards on its downs, it receives another first down.
Fourth down
When the team does not achieve the minimum advance of 10 yards in
its four opportunities, the opponent takes possession of the ball at
the point where the other team ended its offense. When the first three
opportunities do not go well for them in the advance, on the fourth they
can use a punt or a field goal to try to reach the number of yards they
are missing.
Huddle
It is the meeting on the field, in which the quarterback gives
instructions to his teammates.
Passes
It is when the ball is handed from one player to another for
advancement. They can be complete, in which the receiver catches it,
or incomplete, when it touches the ground before being caught.
Snap
It is when the center passes the ball under his legs to the quarterback
from the line of scrimmage.
Line of scrimmage
The scrimmage is the line that separates the fields of both teams,
determined by where the ball was in the previous play.
Interception
It is when a defender manages to catch the ball before it falls to the
ground or goes out of bounds.
Fumble
It is when a player loses possession of the ball or drops it while
receiving a pass. An exception is made for incomplete passes.
Time out
These are the opportunities that each team has to stop the clock and
they cannot be requested in the middle of a play.
Professional American Football
Among the national leagues, the National Football League stands out,
better known by its acronym NFL, which is from the United States,
where a tournament called Super Bowl American football is held.