Football 101

Along with being the most popular sport in the United States, football’s popularity is growing quickly in other countries around the globe. Whether you’re going to your first football game in the stadium or maybe just attending a friend’s Super Bowl party, you’ll want to understand the basic rules and dynamics of the game to have fun and understand what exactly is going on.

Timing

All football games are divided into four quarters with breaks between them. Two quarters represent one half of the game, and there is a longer break at halftime. The time in each quarter varies according to the level of the football game. In high school football, each quarter is 12 minutes long. In college football and the NFL, each quarter is 15 minutes long. 

If you have watched football before, you may have noticed that football games extend a lot over the actual playing time. This is because the clock stops for timeouts, penalties, injuries, and after certain plays at the end of halves. Therefore, although the playing time of a game is between 48 minutes to one hour, a whole football game lasts around three hours on average. 

Objective

The game’s objective is to score more points than the opponent by the end of the game. There are four different ways that a team can score. The main way of scoring is by carrying or catching the ball in the opponent’s end zone with the ball, which is worth 6 points. If the team scores a touchdown, they have the opportunity to add extra points by attempting an extra-point kick or a two-point conversion. Ultimately, teams seek to score a touchdown. However, when a team gets close to the end zone but is unable to score a touchdown, they have the option to kick a field goal. Field goals can be kicked from anywhere on the field and are worth three points if the ball successfully crosses the goalposts. The fourth and least common way of scoring is a safety, which is worth two points.

Downs System

Football has what is called a “downs system.” This means they have four attempts, called downs, to travel ten yards down the field and towards the opposition’s end zone. Whenever a team successfully moves the ball ten yards forward, they are awarded another set of four downs. This is called a first down and it gives them another four chances to gain ten more yards.

In football, there are 11 players from each team on the field at a time. Unlike other sports where players can both attack and defend, football has three different units of teams that focus on three different situations of the game: the offense, the defense, and the special teams. Check out some more about each of the teams below:

Offense

The offense is the unit that looks to score; they come onto the field whenever the team possesses the ball. The offense’s most important player is the quarterback. Quarterbacks are the coach’s representation on the field, and every offensive play will go through the quarterback. The offense tries to score either by running with the ball towards the end zone, passing it, or handing it off to a teammate. Whichever way they try to advance, the quarterback will be involved.

Defense

The defense’s goal is to defend and stop the offense from scoring touchdowns and from getting close enough to attempt a field goal. That is done by trying to sack the quarterback, stop passing attempts, and tacking whoever is carrying the ball. The defense also seeks to intercept passes and force fumbles, both ways to steal possession of the ball.

Special Teams

Despite the sport’s name, football players use their hands more than their feet during the game. Still, there are moments in a football game where the ball is kicked. The players that come onto the field in those situations are called the special teams unit. They will focus on punting the ball, attempting field goals, and receiving the ball after kicks from the opposing team. Only one player will be kicking the ball while others protect him from being tackled or having the ball deflected.

Equipment

Besides traditional jerseys, there is a lot of equipment that players need to play football. To begin, the game is played on grass, so players must wear cleats with spikes that will give them traction and balance when executing athletic moves on the field. Also, due to the physicality of the sport, football players need a range of protective equipment, including:

• Helmets
• Shoulder Pads
• Mouthguard
• Thigh pads
• Knee pads
• Protective Cup
• Hip Pads
• Tailbone Pads
• Rib Pads
• Neck Rolls

Most of the padding worn by football players is concealed underneath their jersey, but it is vital for ensuring the safety of players. Additional equipment like gloves, visors, and hand warmers are commonly worn by football players but are not required.

FAQ

The objective of football is to score more points than the other team. Throughout the game, teams will take turns playing on offense and defense. The team that is on offense will try to score by either carrying or throwing the ball into the end zone or kicking the ball through the goal posts for a field goal. When a team is on defense, they try to prevent the other team from scoring points by tackling the ball carrier and preventing passes.

The basics of American football are the game’s objectives, timing, and scoring. The goal of a football team is to win the game by scoring more points than their opponent. Points are scored in one of four ways: touchdowns (6 points), field goals (3 points), extra points (1 point), two-point conversions (2 points), and safeties (2 points). Touchdowns are worth the most and are therefore the most desirable way to score. Professional and college football games last for 60 minutes of playing time, broken up into four 15-minute quarters.

There are 11 players on each team on the field at a time for a total of 22 players on the field between both teams. There are extra substitutes on the bench that account for the rest of the team. Depending on the level, teams may have upwards of 30 extra players on the bench for substitutes. These players are all divided into offensive players, defensive players, and special teams.