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The Football Pitch, or Field of Play
If you’re going to understand football as those in the UK see it, you need to find your way around the pitch the game is played on (or playing field in American English). This diagram is here to help. [more…]
Explaining the Offside Law: Law 11
The offside law (Law 11) is the most argued-over law wherever in the world the game of football is played, even though it’s pretty simple. Here’s how it works. [more…]
Refereeing Signals in Football
The referee controls a game of football, implementing the laws of the game (whether the sport is played in the United States or the United Kingdom). Perhaps no other team sport leaves such a wide margin [more…]
Stretching for Football Warmup
Different players in the UK have their own personal stretching routines, depending on their physical make-up. A qualified fitness instructor can plan a bespoke programme for you, but there’s no need to [more…]
Football For Dummies Cheat Sheet (UK Edition)
Football is an easy game to understand. It’s also the most popular team sport on the planet. Whether you’re watching or playing in the UK or the United States, you may still feel the need for a helping [more…]
Common Penalties in American Football
Making sense of the penalties in American football can be tough — unless you have a handy list of common penalties to refer to as you watch a football game. Here are some brief explanations of common penalties [more…]
Player Positions in American Football
When two opposing American football teams meet on the gridiron (playing field), the player positions depend on whether the football team is playing offense or defense. Football pits the [more…]
American Football Terms and Definitions
To understand and enjoy American football, get familiar with key terms and what they mean. Until you grasp basic football lingo, listening to announcers call a football game can be like listening to monkey [more…]
Football For Dummies (USA Edition) Cheat Sheet
American football is about trying to make points by passing, carrying, or kicking an oblong ball (with two pointed ends) into your opponent's end zone. Football is a rough-and-tumble game with its own [more…]
American Football Stadiums and Fields
Although the dimensions of a football field are the same, from high school to the NFL, every stadium seems different. That’s because all across America, the atmosphere inside each stadium, or the architectural [more…]
How to Follow the American Football Game Clock
In an American football game, the game clock, which is operated by a timekeeper in the press box, doesn’t run continuously throughout the game’s 15-minute [more…]
Using Instant Replay to Challenge a Call in American Football
Under the instant replay challenge system, a coach who disagrees with a referee’s call can ask the referees to review that call with instant replay. (The NFL resurrected this system in 1999 after trying [more…]
Skills a Quarterback Needs to Succeed in American Football
When scouts or coaches examine a quarterback’s potential to play in the NFL, they run down a checklist of physical, mental, and personality traits that affect a quarterback’s success on the field. The [more…]
How Quarterbacks Call Plays and Audibilize during Football Games
In American football, the quarterback relays to his teammates in the huddle what play the coach has called. The play is a mental blueprint or diagram for every player on the field. Quarterbacks are also [more…]
How to Read a Quarterback's Statistics
Being a quarterback in American football involves a lot of math. Quarterbacks are judged statistically on all levels of football by their passing accuracy [more…]
American Football Passing Terms
When discussing the passing game in American football, you use certain words and descriptions. Because passing involves the quarterback throwing the football, many of these terms relate to preventing or [more…]
An American Football Running Back’s Job Description
In an American football game, a running back has a responsibility, or assignment, on every play. Running backs may have the toughest job on the football field because they have to not only know every play [more…]
American Football Lineman Penalties
In American football, the offensive line can receive a variety of penalties for transgressions on the field. When the ref blows the whistle because of something an offensive lineman did, the team receives [more…]
The Types of Blocks in American Football
Knowing one type of American football block from another can help you impress a diehard fan or want to play on the offensive line. Here’s the lowdown on some of the most common block types in football: [more…]
How Offense Gains Better Field Position in Football
Scoring is always an offense’s ultimate goal in an American football game, but to score, you have to move down the field toward your opponent’s end zone. The offense uses various strategies for gaining [more…]
What Makes a Good Defensive Lineman in Football
Great defensive linemen in American football need a combination of size, speed, strength, and durability, which isn’t found in many players. A good defensive lineman has the majority of these qualities [more…]
The American Football Player's Uniform
It isn’t the uniform that separates one football player from the others; it’s his talent and heart. But the uniform and its protective pads are a necessary part of playing football, something any player [more…]
The Coin Toss and Kickoff in American Football
Every American football game starts with a coin toss. Selected members of each team (called captains) come to the center of the field, where the referee holds a coin. In the NFL, the coin toss is restricted [more…]
American Football Referee Signals for Offense
Because American football referees can’t always yell loud enough for the offense to hear, the referee uses signals to inform football players and fans of penalties, touchdowns, and other calls made on [more…]
Referee Signals for Defense in American Football
In American football, referees can signal when the defense either makes an illegal play, warranting a penalty, or scores. Only a few signals are specific to the defense in a football game, but the referees [more…]
