Added: 02/16/2006 |
Understanding the American football basic rulesSome of the most important issues in American football basic rules include the field, kick-offs, downs, scoring, the players, the pays, penalties and the clock. Let's begin the review of the American football basic rules from the field.
The game is played on a rectangular field 120 yards (110 meters) long by 53 1/3 yards (49 meters) wide. The longer boundary lines are sidelines, while the shorter boundary lines are end lines. Yard lines cross the field every 5 yards, and are numbered from each goal line to the 50-yard line, or midfield (similar to a typical rugby league field). Two rows of lines, known as hash marks, parallel the side lines near the middle of the field. All plays start with the ball on or between the hash marks.
Thus, the field has two 40 yard lines and there is no 60 yard line. Each rival or club owns half of the field (they change sides every fifteen minutes of the playing time). In such a way, the both 40 yard lines are marked out by rival that owns lines. The goal line is called the "zero yard line". Rivals try to advance the ball into the end zone over the opponent's goal line and to score a touchdown. Each end zone has the goal posts that, jointly with the cross bar, form a big H letter. These parts of the field are used only when a rival wants to produce a field goal or in the case when the team decides to get an extra point after touchdown scoring. To score an extra point or a field goal, the ball should go over the bar and between the vertical posts.
The next essential issue in the American football basic rules is kick-offs. Teams throw a coin to decide which rival takes the ball first. Offense is the name of the team that gets the ball; the other rival is called defense. An American football game lasts allegedly an hour, but in fact, it takes about 3 hours of playing, since the playing clock is frequently stopped for different reasons. The playing time is divided into quarters - 15 minutes each. The teams only switch sides at the end of the third and first quarters. The ball is transferred to the conformable place on the other field's side, and the game continues. This sides' switching is intended to balance up any weather advantage, such as wind or sunshine. The players have a 20 minutes' break. The game does not continue from the place where it ended after the half break. On the contrary, the team that lost in the coin toss before the game gets the ball first after the kick-off.
The main issue in the American football basic rules is the American football scoring, because the game's goal is to get more scores than the rival team. The team can get six points as a result of a touchdown. After a touchdown, the scoring team attempts a conversion. The ball is placed at the other team's 3-yard-line (the 2-yard-line in the NFL). The team can attempt to kick it over the crossbar and through the goal posts in the manner of a field goal for 1 point (an extra point), or run or pass it into the end zone in the manner of a touchdown for 2 points (a two-point conversion). A field goal is worth 3 points, and it is scored by kicking the ball over the crossbar and through the goal posts. A safety is worth 2 points. A safety is scored by the defense when the offensive player in possession of the ball is forced back into his own end zone and is tackled there, or fumbles the ball out of the end zone. Certain penalties by the offense occurring in the end zone also result in a safety.
So, as a result of the game's popularity, American football field and players have become very important subjects for advertising companies that produce a great number of products and goods with the football players' symbolism.
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