Basics Of Football

The game of football may seem to be confusing and complex at first. So if you are watching football for the first time or have been watching the game but still could not understand what in the world are they doing, here are the things you need to know:1. The field is 100 yards long and 53.5 yards wide but the field extends 10 yards on each end for the end zone. 2. There should only be 11 defensive players and 11 offensive players on the field.3. Each football team is composed of an offensive team, defensive team and special team.4. The offensive team is the one responsible in pushing the ball to the opponent's end zone. The defensive team is responsible in stopping the opponent's offensive team from scoring. The special team is the unit on the field during field goal, free kicks, extra point attempt and kickoffs.5. The game is divided into four 15-minute quarters. In case of a tie at the end of the fourth quarter, the game goes into sudden death where the first team to score wins (NFL) or into "shootout" where each team exchanges possession and attempts to score (most college football) - the team who scores without the opponent doing the same wins the game. 6. Every offensive play begins on a first down from a kickoff, a punt or a turnover. The offensive team is given 4 attempts (or downs) to move the ball 10 yards forward and grab another set of downs. The quarterback (the player who has the ball at the beginning of the play) can either pass or throw the ball in order to advance. A team can always exceed 10 yards. If it has not able to reach 10 yards after 3 down, the offensive team can either punt the ball or go for it.7. A missed pass is called incomplete play. 8. There are several ways to score in a football match: touchdown (6 pts.), extra point (free kick after a touchdown which is equivalent to 1 point), 2-point conversion (running the ball to the end zone right after a touchdown), field goal (3 pts.), and safety (2 pts.).9. There are several ways for the defensive team to take ball from its opponent: interception, fumble, safety, down, and missed field goal.10. The team with the highest score after the end of the game wins.
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