Explain How To Play Football

I love football and enjoy educating people on how the game works.

Learn how the sport of American football works.

Carly Sullens

Football is a team sport that is played on a rectangular field. The object of the game is to get the oval-shaped football down the field, either by running it or passing it. The goal is to get the football into the opponent's end zone. There are various positions and rules at play, and this this article will explain the basics of the sport to those that are unfamiliar with it.

Here is a basic rundown of how a football game works.

Scoring is done by the team on offense. Their objective is to get the ball to the end zone of their opponent. This is done by either running or passing the ball down the field.
The team on offense has four downs to move the ball 10 yards forward. A down is basically an attempt to move the ball forward. If a team fails to advance 10 yards after four downs, the ball is turned over to the opposing team. (Note that the CFL only uses three downs.)
On the fourth down, a team has the option to either attempt a field goal or a punt. A field goal is usually attempted within 40 yards.
A game is divided into four quarters that last 15 minutes each. There is a halftime break between the second and third quarter.
A game usually begins with a coin flip between the team captains. Whoever wins the coin flip chooses to either kick off or receive the opening kickoff. The other team is given the same choice at the start of the second half.

Time: Football games are divided up into two halves or four quarters. The clock doesn't run all of the time. It gets stopped for timeouts and between certain plays.

In high school, each quarter is 12 minutes long.
In college and NFL, each quarter is 15 minutes.

Dimensions: The field is 100 yards (300 feet) long and 53 1/3 yards (160 feet) wide.

At each end of the field is an end zone. This area extends the field another 10 yards on each side.

Field Goal: Centered at the end of the end zone is the field goal. The bottom of the field goal is 10 feet high.

Field Position: Where the offense starts with the ball determines how far they have to go to score. Good field position can mean the difference between scoring or not scoring. Many times the team with the best field position throughout the game wins.

Jersey Numbers: Each player has a number on their jersey. In the NFL, certain positions must have a number within a certain range.

1–9: Quarterback, kicker, punter
10–19: Quarterback, wide receiver, kicker, punter
20–29: Running back, cornerback, safety
30–39: Running back, cornerback, safety
40–49: Running back, tight end, cornerback, safety
50–59: Offensive line, defensive line, linebacker
60–69: Offensive line, defensive line
70–79: Offensive line, defensive line
80–89: Wide receiver, tight end
90–99: Defensive line, linebacker


Points	Name	Definition
6	Touchdown	In order to score a touchdown, some portion of the ball must cross the goal line while it's in the possession of an offensive player.
1	Extra Point—After a touchdown	The kicker kicks the ball between the goalpost and above the crossbar.
2	Two-Point Conversion—After a touchdown	Instead of going for an extra point, the ball is taken across the goal line again as if scoring an immediate second touchdown.
3	Field Goal	The kicker kicks the ball between the goalpost and above the crossbar. This is attempted during the fourth down.
2	Safety	A safety is scored if the opponent travels backwards into their own endzone and is tackled in the end zone or steps out of bounds in the end zone.

A down is basically a football play, or the time when the ball is played. A down begins with a snap to the quarterback or kicker and ends when the ball or the player in possession of the ball is declared down by an official.

Downs usually end when:

The player with the ball is tackled.
The team scores.
The ball or player in possession of the ball steps out of bounds.
The player with the ball fumbles or drops the ball.
The quarterback throws an incomplete pass or deliberately throws the ball to the ground.
A player recovering the ball in their opponent's end zone after a kickoff drops to one knee.

When the team has possession of the football, their offense will have four downs to move the football 10 yards. If the offensive team gains 10 yards or more, than the downs start over. If they do not gain 10 yards within four tries, the opposing team gets possession of the football. If they fail at the fourth attempt, the other team gets possession of the ball at the spot where the ball last went down.

A team will usually punt the ball on their fourth try to get it as far away from the opponent's goal as they can.

When you hear the announcer say 2nd and 7, he is basically saying this is the second down and the offense needs to move the ball 7 more yards to complete 10 yards. After the 10 yards are completed, the downs will start over again, allowing the offense to get closer to the goal line and score.

Important downs and yards you will hear the announcer say include:

1st and 10: This means the offense has possession of the ball and has 4 tries to move the ball 10 yards.

1st and goal: This means the offense has possession of the ball and the goal line is within less than 10 yards; they have 4 tries to make a touchdown.
4th and 2+: At this point, the offense has to decide if they will try to move the ball to gain another 1stdown, punt the ball to the other team to move it further away from the other team's goal line, or they could try for a field goal.
4th and 1: Sometimes teams will try to move the ball one yard to gain another set of downs. If they fail, the other team gets possession of the ball at the spot where the ball was last downed.

Orange markers indicate the line to gain.

Carly Sullens

The orange field markers on the sidelines are used to help determine if the offense gained 10 yards. They are used when it is too close for the officials to determine if the football placement on the last play had indeed gained 10 yards or more. There is a chain between the two markers. When the makers all pulled tautly, they measure exactly 10 yards.

The number marker on the sidelines indicates what down the offense is playing.

A quarterback looking for a pass.

Ron Cogswell, CC:BY via flickr

Famous Football Players taken from http://bleacherreport.com
	Position	Role in Game	Strengths	Famous Example
1	Center	In the middle of the offensive line, the center snaps the football to the quarterback, and then blocks.	Big, strong, able to block.	Mike Webster, Pittsburgh Steelers
2	Left Guard	Protect the quarterback and open holes for the running backs.	Big, strong, able to block.	Jerry Kramer, Green Bay Packers
3	Right Guard	Protect the quarterback and open holes for the running backs.	Big, strong, able to block.	Gene Upshaw, Oakland Raiders
4	Left Tackle	Protect the quarterback.	Big, strong, able to block.	Anthony Munoz, Cincinnati Bengals
5	Right Tackle	Protect the quarterback.	Big, strong, able to block.	Dan Dierdorf, St. Louis Cardinals
6	Tight End	Tight ends are combination of offensive linemen and receivers.	Big, strong, fast, and have good hands.	Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
7	Quarterback	The man in charge. He calls the signals to begin the plays. He is the primary ball handler. The quarterback may run with the ball, hand it off to a running back, or pass the football to a receiver.	Leadership, strong, good passer, be able to see the field, read the defense, and make good decisions quickly.	Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers
8	Running Back	Full backs are a type of running back whose main job is to block. They usually run in front and block for another running back that is carrying the football	Strong, fast, and able to see the field and quickly cut toward openings in the defense.	Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns
9	Running Back	Their main job is to carry the football, but running backs also need to block during pass plays.	Strong, fast, and able to see the field and quickly cut toward openings in the defense.	Walter Payton, Chicago Bears
10	Wide Receiver	The main objective of these players is to get open and catch passes.	Speed, ability to catch the football.	Jerry Rice, San Francisco 49ers
11	Wide Receiver	The main objective of these players is to get open and catch passes.	Speed, ability to catch the football.	Cris Carter, Minnesota Vikings

American football positions on the field.

Carly Sullens

A defensive tackle stopping the offense.

Erik Daniel Drost, CC:BY, via flickr

Famous Football Players taken from http://bleacherreport.com
	Position	Role in Game	Strengths	Famous Example
1	Middle Line Backer	Plays at the center of the Defense line.	Big, strong player who can clog up the middle and make it hard for the offensive team to run the ball.	Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens
2	Defensive Tackle	Inside force of the defensive line.	Big, strong, able to tackle.	Joe Greene, Pittsburgh Steelers
3	Defensive Tackle	Inside force of the defensive line.	Big, strong, able to tackle.	Alan Page, Minnesota Vikings
4	Defensive End	Main objective is to rush the passer and to keep any rushing plays from getting outside.	Big and strong, but also fast so they can get around the outside and to the quarterback.	Gino Marchetti, Baltimore Colts
5	Defensive End	Main objective is to rush the passer and to keep any rushing plays from getting outside.	Big and strong, but also fast so they can get around the outside and to the quarterback.	Reggie White, Green Bay Packers
6	Line Backer	Usually the main tacklers on the defense.	Fast and good tacklers.	Lawrence Taylor, New York Giants
7	Line Backer	Usually the main tacklers on the defense.	Fast and good tacklers.	Dick Butkus, Chicago Bears
8	Corner Back	Cover the wide receivers and try to prevent them from catching a pass, also help line backers.	Speed, able to read plays.	Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks
9	Corner Back	Cover the wide receivers and try to prevent them from catching a pass, also help line backers.	Speed, able to read plays.	Charles Tillman, Chicago Bears
10	Safety	Safeties are there to prevent big plays. At least one safety tries to stay behind the wide receivers if they should pass the cornerbacks.	Speed, good tackler.	Chuck Cecil, Houston Oilers
11	Safety	Safeties are there to prevent big plays. At least one safety tries to stay behind the wide receivers if they should pass the cornerbacks.	Speed, good tackler.	Ronnie Lott, San Francisco 49ers

A punter in the act of kicking a ball.

cgilmour, CC:BY via flickr

What Are Special Teams?

Offensive and defensive teams play a considerable amount of time in a football game, but there is a third set of players that play an important role in every game—the special teams.

The special teams include:

The kickoff unit.
The punting unit.
The punt return and kickoff return unit.
The field goal and extra point unit.

The kickers are members of the special teams in football. They have very specialized skills and roles to play in the game.

Famous Football Players taken from http://bleacherreport.com
	Position	Role in Game	Strengths	Famous Example
1	Punter	Kicks punts.	Flexibility, strong legs, able to control his distance to stop the ball inside the 20 yard line.	Ray Guy, Oakland Raiders
2	Field Goal kicker	Kicks field goals and extra points.	Flexibility, strong legs, able to perform under pressure.	Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts
3	Holder	Holds the ball for the field goal kicker.	Able to catch, steady, able to pass if needed.	Steve Weatherford, New York Giants
4	Long Snapper	Snaps the ball to the punter.	Strong, good listener.	Patrick Mannelly, Chicago Bears

The line of scrimmage between two teams.

CraigInDenver, CC:BY via flickr

Here is a list of common penalties that can occur in a football game.

Blocking below the waist: This is an illegal block below the waist from either an offensive or defensive player.
Block in the back: This is when a blocker tackles a non-ballcarrying opponent from behind and above the waist.
Chop block: This is when an offensive player hits a cut block (a hit at the knees) on a defending player that is already being blocked by another offensive player.
Clipping: A blocker hits a non-ballcarrying opponent from behind and below the waist.
Delay of game: This is any type of action that delays the next play.
Encroachment: This is when a defensive player crosses the line of scrimmage before the snap and makes contact with an opposing player.
Face mask: This is when a player grabs an opponent's face mask while attempting a block or tackle.
False start: This is when an offensive player illegally moves before the snap of the ball.
Helmet-to-helmet collision: This is when a player's helmet collides with another helmet.
Holding: This is pulling or grabbing an opponent besides the ball carrier while attempting to prevent a block or to cover a receiver.
Horse-collar tackle: This is tackling another player by grabbing inside their shoulder pads or jersey.
Ineligible receiver downfield: This is when a receiver is past the line of scrimmage before the forward pass.
Intentional grounding: This is when a forward pass is intentionally thrown as incomplete. This is typically done to avoid the loss of yardage or to stall for time.
Pass interference: This is making contact with the intended receiver after the ball has been thrown and before it has been touched by another player.
Roughing the passer: This is when a defender continues to try to tackle a passer after they have thrown the ball.
Roughing the kicker: This is when a defender tackles a kicker after failing to block a kick.
Spearing: This is when you tackle an opponent with your helmet.
Unfair act: This refers to any type of flagrant and illegal act that can have a major impact o the game.
Unsportsmanlike conduct: This refers to any action or manner of speaking that is deemed as objectionable by officials.

Here is a quick rundown of how the NFL is structured and how the season is played out.

The NFL consists of 32 teams. The league is divided into two conferences; the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. Each conference consists of 16 teams.
Each conference consists of four divisions (East, North, South, and West). There are four teams within each division.
After the 16-week regular season, the top team from each division will go to the playoffs. They will be seeded one through four. The top two teams will get a bye in the first round and go on to the divisional playoffs.
After the division winners have placed, the next best two teams from the conference will be selected as wild cards. These two teams will compete with the division winners that placed as the third and fourth seed.
The winners of the first round of the playoffs will face the first and second seed teams in the divisional playoffs. The winners from this round will then compete in the Conference Championship game.
The NFC champions and AFC champions will then face each other in the Super Bowl.

Carly Sullens (author) from St. Louis, Missouri on June 28, 2018:

Thank you for the feedback Thatcher.

your mama on March 20, 2018:

awesome

xxricky on December 31, 2017:

it is very helpful now when in grow up im a try to be a pro

ethan on December 08, 2017:

awesome instructions

Thatcher on November 16, 2017:

Nice hub! I would like you to tell me more about footbal

Christopher on December 15, 2016:

Good good good.