Football 101

Below is a list of information and terminology that you will see and hear when you are on the football field this year. Football can sometimes get overwehelmming but hopefully this guidie will help in understanding the basics so you enjoy the game and hav emore fun!

Scoring Points
Although you may find it boring, your child has chosen to play so you need to get excited. The goal in football is to score points in the following ways:

• Touchdown – Worth 6 points by running or passing the football into the opponents' end zone
• Extra Point – Tried after a touchdown and can either be 1 or 2 points depending on how it is made. If kicked (like a field goal), it is worth 2 points. If it is ran or passed into the end zone then it is worth 1 point. You only get 1 attempt to make an extra point after a touchdown. (Note that the scoring of an Extra Point is the exact opposite of NFL scoring)
• Field Goal – Worth 3 points, made by kicking the ball through a set of upright goal posts at the back of that end zone.

Offense
When a team has the ball they are the offensive team, or offense.

Getting the Ball Down the Field
In football, each team has 11 players on the field at any given time. Players are frequently switched out for others who are waiting patiently on the side of the field. The offense has 4 chances, or downs, to advance the ball 10 yards or more from the spot where they took possession of it. If it succeeds, it gets 4 more downs (chances) to advance the ball another 10 or more yards. (Note: If
the offense has less than 10 yards to go to reach the other team's end zone, it only needs to get there - not the full 10 yards.) After a play, the officials measure how far the ball traveled to see if they have made a first down (the 10 yards or more from the last first down). The ball resumes in play from the spot where it was stopped during the previous play.

Running & Passing
The offense generally advances the ball by handing it to a runner or by throwing it (called passing) to a receiver. Doing either is called running a play. An individual play starts when the ball is snapped (hiked) and given to the quarterback. A play ends when the player holding the ball is tackled. The player is now down, and one of the chances (downs) has been used up. The official blows the whistle to halt play. Sometimes a series of forward plays is called a drive.

Defense
When a team doesn't have the ball they are the defensive team, or defense.

Understanding Defense
The defense tries to stop the offense from advancing the ball by moving it down the field 10 yards at a time. Defensive players are allowed to tackle any player that has the ball. They also try to prevent passes (throws) from reaching receivers. They can't physically interfere with a receiver, but they can hit the ball while in the air or tackle or hit that player once he has touched it hard enough tomake him drop it before it is under control. They can also try to make players fumble by knocking the ball out of any offensive player's grasp.

What's a Punt?
Usually, teams only use 3 of its 4 downs to try advancing the ball at least 10 yards. If it's not successful, it will then punt (kick) the ball on 4th down. The reason is because if a team does not gain the 10 yards it needs to maintain possession on the fourth try, the other team gets the ball wherever the ball was at the end of the 4th down. Punting gets the ball further down the field.

Game Duration
Each game is broken up into 4 quarters. For Youth Football, each quarter is 10 minutes of playing time in length. At the of the 1st and 3rd quarter, the teams flip direction on the field (the ball is moved to the same location on the opposite end of the field). At the end of the 2nd quarter, there is a break in the game called half time.

Glossary

• Defense: the team in charge of preventing the offense from scoring, also called defensive team
• Down: one of the 4 chances the offense has to gain 10 or more yards, once in possession of the ball. If the yardage is attained, the offense gets a first down and 4 more tries for another.
• End Zone: the scoring area located at either end of the football field, 10 yards deep and the width of the playing area. A team can score by having a player take the ball into the other team's end zone.
• Goal Posts: Y-shaped structures at the far end of each end zone.
• Offense: the team in charge of driving the ball down the field to score, also called the offensive team
• Passing Play: an attempt to advance the ball by throwing it down the field
• Quarterback: key offensive player in charge of initiating the play that's been called by the coaching staff
• Running play: an attempt to get a first down by having a member of the offense run with the ball rather than throw it.
• Snap: the quick movement at the beginning of an offensive play that results in the quarterback getting possession of the ball.