How to Play & Understand Football

Walter Camp is credited with being the "Father of American Football." He changed several rules from the variety of rugby type games that were being played in the mid-19th century to help form the game of football familiar in America today. Some of these rules included adding the line of scrimmage and four downs to a possession. Many of those rule changes helped the game to become quite popular as evidenced by the 2010 Super Bowl, in which 106 million viewers from tuned in to see the game.

Instructions

    • 1

      Understand the object of a football game. In a football game, two teams face each other. They alternate possessions of the football and try and score points. When one team is on offense, the other is on defense and vice versa. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

    • 2

      Learn about the time element of football. Football is a timed game. Unlike baseball, which is played until the ninth inning is completed, football is played until time expires. Collegiate and professional football quarters are 15 minutes each. High school quarters are 12 minutes. When the football is kept in bounds on a run or completed pass, then generally the clock runs. If the pass is incomplete or the play is ended out of bounds, then generally the clock stops. (Some of these rules vary at the youth, high school, collegiate and professional levels.)

    • 3

      Become familiar with the amount of players on the field. At any given time there are 22 players on the field. 11 offensive players and 11 defensive players. In most high school, college and professional programs players play either offense or defense, but not both. Also, teams usually configure a special teams unit responsible for kicking and receiving punts or other special situation plays.

    • 4

      Learn how the scoring system works. There are several different ways to score, which include a touchdown, worth 6 points; a field goal, worth 3 points; a safety, worth 2 points; a 2 point conversion; and a point after touchdown, which is worth 1 point. A touchdown occurs when the offense crosses the defense's goal line with the football. A field goal occurs when the offense kicks the football through the uprights of the opposing team. A safety occurs when the defense downs the offense in their own end zone. The final two ways to score occur after the offense has scored a touchdown. The offense has the option to run one play from scrimmage or kick the football through the uprights while snapping the ball at the two yard line. The play from scrimmage is worth 2 points, and the kick 1 point.

    • 5

      Understand how the football field is divided. A regulation football field is 100 yards long. Each half of the field is marked every 10 yards in ascending order to half field from 10 through 50 yards. In addition to the field, each end zone is 10 yards long.

    • 6

      Learn downs and yardage. Each offense is given four downs in which they are required to gain 10 yards. If they do not gain 10 yards within 4 downs, then the other team will take over the possession of the football. Many teams opt to punt or attempt a field goal (depending on their field position) on the 4th down so that the other team does not take possession close to their own end zone. If a team successfully moves the football 10 yards, then they get a new set of downs.

    • 7

      Become educated on ways to advance the football. In football, there are two main ways to move the football toward the end zone. A team may run the ball or pass the ball in an attempt to get at least 10 yards. Each play starts from the line of scrimmage (which is where the previous offensive play ended.) The quarterback is responsible for handing the ball off to a running back or throwing to a receiver once that play has begun.

    • 8

      Understand the job of the defense. The job of the defense is to limit the offensive advancement of the football. The defense performs this task by tackling the offensive players once they have the football. When an offensive player's knee touches the ground while being tackled, he is considered down and the play is dead. (Again, some of the "down" rules vary by league.)

    • 9

      Educate yourself on turnovers. A turnover occurs when the defense takes the football away from the offense. This can happen in two ways. Either the quarterback throws a pass that is caught by a defender on the other team, or an offensive player drops the football while running with it. At that point, if the player is not down, it becomes a live football and either team can grab it to gain possession. If the offense reclaims the ball, it is theirs and they move onto the next down in the series. If the defense recovers the football, then they take over possession and get a fresh set of downs.