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American football rules. Gameplay in American football consists of a series of downs, individual plays of short duration, outside of which the ball is or is not in play. These can be plays from scrimmage – passes, runs, punts or field goal attempts (from either a place kick or a drop kick) – or free kicks such as kickoffs and fair catch kicks.
The first American football game was played on November 6, 1869, between two college teams, Rutgers and Princeton, using rules based on the rules of soccer at the time. A set of rule changes drawn up from 1880 onward by Walter Camp , the "Father of American Football", established the snap , the line of scrimmage , eleven-player teams, and the ...
An illegal block or tackle using the legs to trip an opponent. line of scrimmage. One of six vertical planes parallel to the goal line when the ball is to be put in play by scrimmage. For each team in American football, the line of scrimmage is through the point of the ball closest to their end line.
Strategy of American football. Strategy is a major part of American football. Both teams plan many aspects of their play to try to win the game , such as what formations they take, who they put on the field, and the roles and instructions each player is given for both offense and defense. Throughout a game, each team responds to the other's ...
The following is a list of common and historically significant formations in American football. In football, the formation describes how the players in a team are positioned on the field. Many variations are possible on both sides of the ball, depending on the strategy being employed. On offense, the formation must include at least seven ...
American football positions. A diagram showing an I formation on offense and a 4-3 formation on defense. In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players [1] on the field at one time and have "unlimited free ...
The official playing field in Canadian football is larger than the American, and similar to American fields before 1912. The Canadian field of play is 110 by 65 yards (100.6 by 59.4 m), compared to 100 by 531⁄3 yards (91.4 by 48.8 m) in American football. Since 1986, Canadian end zones are 20 yards (18.3 m) deep while the American end zones ...
The offense is required to set up a formation before a play, subject to several rules: The formation must have at least 7 players on the line of scrimmage. [1] The 7 players are not required to be next to each other, so they may spread out across the width of the field, but this is rare; most offenses place at least 5 players together in a continuous line.