The Basics of How to Play Football

May 24th, 2009 by Ricci Russell

by Ricci Russell

Many young athletes enjoy playing football for fun and competition and it is no wonder the sport is so popular. Knowing how to play football and know how to play are tow different things. Youth football seems to be very complex, but once a young player is introduced with a good overview, the complexity fades to understanding. Without further delay, we will give you the basics of how to play football.

Youth football games are always played on a 100 yard field. The field will have yard markers that are used to determine where the ball is placed after each down. (We’ll get to downs a little later on in our explanation of how to play football.) One each end of the field the end zones are found. If a team is on offense, their goal will be to carry the football into the end zone to score points. The defensive team tries to prevent the offensive team from scoring a goal.

Any person that is trying to learn how to play football will need to understand the issues of time periods. Youth football games are broken up into 4 fifteen minute quarters with a 12 minute break after the first two quarters have been played. This break is called “halftime.” During the quarters, the offense has forty seconds to snap the ball or a penalty will be issued. If the score is tied at the end of the fourth quarter, sudden death overtime will be played. Sudden death periods last for 15 minutes. If neither team has scored at the end of this period the game will end in a tie.

In order to learn how to play football, it is important to clearly explain what happens during the actual game. There are two facets of a football team: the offensive and defensive teams. When one team’s offense is on the field, the opposing team’s defense will be as well. The offensive team’s Quarterback will either pass (throw) the ball or hand it to another player. The player with possession of the ball will then seek to score by running to the defensive team’s end zone. When the runner is tackled by the defensive line, this would be considered a down. (A down is also called when a player runs out of bounds) After 4 downs, defense team gains possession of the ball at the location of the 4th down. Generally, at the 3rd down, offense will kick the ball so as to move the other team’s possession further away from the end zone as possible. The “how to play football” strategy here centers on making it as difficult for the opposing team to score points.

Note: When a player from the defensive team intercepts a pass or if an offensive runner fumbles the ball and the defense retrieves it, the defensive team takes immediate possession of the ball. Defense will try to run the ball in hopes of scoring.

A clear understanding of how to play football will revolve around understanding how points are scored. Specifically, there are several ways to score points and they include:

Touchdown: When a player from either team runs the ball or catches a pass in the end zone a touchdown is scored. A touchdown will earn the team 6 points.

A Touchdown: When a team catches or runs the ball in the opposing team’s end zone, they will acquire 6 points.

Field Goal: When the football is successfully kicked through the goals posts in the end zone, three points are scored.

Safety: Many people that are just learning how to play football may be unaware of this strategy since it happens rather incidentally. If the offensive player is tackled while in their own end zone the defense will score two points.This is a scoring strategy many people learning how to play football are unaware of since it happens almost incidentally. Basically, if the team on offense is tackled in its own end zone, the defensive scores 2 points.

About the Author:

RicMoonII is a former football linebacker and enthusiast. His website www.playfootballnow.com is jammed packed with easy yet effective football tips to improve speed and power in all position