Basic Rules for Touch Football

Football is one of the most popular games in the United States of America. The more football grows in popularity, the more kids will try to play it. Because of the violent nature of American football, the fragility of children and the expense of equipment, touch football has become popular for kids to play.

  1. Picking Teams

    • One of the basics of touch football is choosing teams. Usually two captains are chosen, and they alternate picking players until teams are equal. If there is an odd number of players, sometimes an automatic quarterback is chosen to play quarterback for both sides. Usually in touch football, there are not enough players to defend all of the positions, so players are just receivers on offense and defensive backs on defense.

    First Downs and Tackling

    • Because most of the game is played on a field that may or may not be 100 yards, gaining first downs is an inexact science. Usually first downs are granted by a certain number of completions per four downs. Usually two catches gain a first down. In more organized touch football games, there is often a field line that can be crossed to gain a first down.

    Touching Down and Timing

    • To "tackle" a player in touch football, a member of the visiting team must touch his opponent who has the ball. Sometimes in "two-hand touch" football, the ball carrier needs to be touched by both hands. In some leagues there is a clock; however, in pick-up touch football, teams may simply play until a team scores a certain number of touchdowns.