Easily explained
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This is how American football works
service Dusseldorf The rules of American football are extensive and initially confusing for many viewers. We explain the most important basics so that newcomers can understand the game.
American football is a ball sport in which two teams compete against each other. The goal is to score more points than your opponent and win the game. The playing time is one hour, divided into four quarters of 15 minutes each. The game is played with an elongated oval ball, commonly referred to as an “egg,” on a playing field 120 yards long and approximately 53 yards wide.
- The basic idea of the game is gain of space to achieve. There is one on the left and one on the right of the field end zone. Only there points can be scored.
- Both teams consist of two sections: Offense and Defense. The team in possession has their offense on the field, while the opposing team has their defense. Both consist of eleven players each. The goal of offense is to work your way down the field to your opponent’s end zone in order to score. The aim of the defense is to prevent this and thus conquer the ball for your own offense.
- The offense has four attempts (English: Downs) to a distance of 10 yards to put back. If the offense does that, they get another four downs for the next 10 yards. If this does not succeed in four attempts, the opposing team gets the ball and thus the opportunity to score themselves.
- Only playing time counts. For example after moves or fouls stopped the clock. So there are constant interruptions.
How to gain space:
- the offense has two ways to gain space: Fit through the air or that To run with the ball.
- The starting point of a move is usually the playmaker quarterback) who either throws the ball, passes it to another player for a run, or runs himself.
- Play continues from where the attacker stopped with the ball.
- task of defence it is primarily to keep your own loss of space – for example through tackles – as small as possible. But the defense can also gain space by pushing back the attackers.
- A space gain for the defense is also created by a interception or one fumble: The defense team captures the ball from the attacking team. Interception is when a pass is intercepted from the air before it touches the ground or is outside the field of play. A fumble occurs when an attacker drops the ball or is knocked out of his hand before he touches the ground or is out of bounds. The defense can then pick this up. In both forms, possession of the ball and the right to attack switch to the previously defending team.
- If the offense does not gain the necessary space of 10 yards after three out of four downs or is still too far away from the opposing end zone to score points, the so-called usually follows punt. Here, the fourth attempt is used to shoot the ball as far as possible into the opponent’s half. The right of attack then changes there.
If a team manages to get the ball into the opposing end zone, points are awarded. Depending on the species, these vary in level and are assigned as follows:
- touchdown: This occurs when the offense transports the ball into the opponent’s end zone by means of a run or a pass. For a touchdown there is six points. The defense can also score a touchdown if they capture the ball through an interception or fumble and carry it straight into the opposing end zone.
- Extra point: After scoring a touchdown, the scoring team gets one more free try. This is usually executed as a shot. This means a player shoots the ball between the two goal posts at the end of the end zone. As the name suggests, this Extra Point is used as a one point credited.
- Two point conversions: Rarely does a team use their free attempt after a touchdown to score a second touchdown – i.e. to move the ball into the end zone again with a pass or run. If that works, it will two points rewarded. However, there is no further free attempt afterwards.
- field goal: The offense has this option if it has not yet managed 10 yards after three out of four attempts, but is already within range of the opponent’s goal. In this case, a field goal can be scored with a shot through the goal posts behind the opponent’s end zone three points brings in.
- safety point: The second opportunity for defense to score. To do this, the defense must push the opposing team back into their own end zone and trip an attacker in possession there. If that succeeds, there is for it two points.
Fouls and other rules:
- The game begins with the so-called Kick off, in which a team’s defense kicks the ball as far into the opponent’s half as possible. A coin toss decides which team kicks off. The offense’s task is to catch the ball in its own half and transport it as far back as possible in the direction of the opponent’s end zone. The defense that kicked off tries to stop the offense as early as possible. Where this stop takes place, the first attack series of four attempts of the game (English: drive) begins for the offense.
- The front row of the offense (English: Offensive Line or O-Line) has the task of protecting their quarterback and giving him as much time as possible to make a pass or run play. The defenders, in turn, try to get through to the quarterback and bring him down. If they succeed, one speaks of one quarterback sack (Pronounced “sack”).
- When offense and defense meet, there is too much physical contact and fouls are frequent. find a foul takes place, a yellow flag is thrown onto the field by one of the referees. However, the turn is ended first, only then is the foul penalized. Penalties range from losing several yards of space to being allowed a new first try, to disqualifying a player and changing the right of attack.
- Four to seven monitor the strict set of rules refereewho communicate with each other via radio and announce their decisions over the stadium loudspeakers.
- If the coach of a team does not agree with a referee’s decision, he has two opportunities per game to appeal challenges, throwing a red flag onto the field. Then the referees review their decision using video images.
- Each team has three time-outs per half time outs). In this way, the coaches can stop the game clock – for example to plan another play. The clock is also stopped, for example, if a player runs the ball out of bounds, a pass is not caught, possession changes or the referee blows his whistle.
- player change in offense and defense are possible at any time between the plays. This is how a team can consist of up to 53 players. However, only a maximum of eleven players per team may be on the pitch at any one time.
- If it’s after 60 minutes a four quarters draw stands, it goes into the overtime, which lasts up to 15 minutes. If the game is still tied after overtime, the game ends in a draw in the regular NFL season. In the knockout games like the playoffs and Super Bowl, more overtimes are added until a winner is determined.
Further important football terms We have compiled them for you from A to Z here.
More about the Super Bowl can be found here on our overview page.
Here is the link to the information: The most important rules in American football
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