American Football Rules

There are many American football rules that one must be aware of if someone wants to play American football or be able to follow the game accurately. The first rules for American football begins with the field. The football field is 160 feet wide and 100 yards long. Every ten yards are labeled and each team owns half the field. Each end is called an end zone and each team tries to get to the ball to the other end zone to score a touchdown.

The rules of American football continue with goal posts at each end zone. They look like a big H and they are used when a team wants to try to score a field goal instead or trying for a touchdown or for an extra point after a touchdown has been scored. The game begins with a coin toss and whoever wins gets the ball first. The offense is considered the team with the ball and the defense is the other team. A football game is supposed to last only one hour, but typically ends up taking about three hours because the clock is stopped for many different reasons.

Official rules of American football continue with half time occurring after thirty minutes of play taking place. When the game commences the teams switch sides on the field. This switch accounts for weather and any advantage that the wind or other such factors might account for. Whenever a touchdown is scored the defending team kicks the ball and the other team tries to catch it and bring it forward as far as they can. This play is called the kickoff. If the kickoff hits the end zone without anyone catching it the next play begins at the 20 yard line and is called a touchback.

Another American football rule is called downs. Downs are chances the offense has. The team gets four plays to get to reach 10 yards. When a player is able to reach ten yards the downs start again and the team continues to move forward. If within four plays ten yards or more are not reached then the play goes to the other team.

American football rules continue the point of the game is to outscore the opponent. Touchdowns equal six points and the extra field goal kick after a touchdown is one point. If a team decides to kick a field goal they can get three points. There are many more American football rules that you can learn about to get the full picture of all the rules.