Thanks!

I think the best way to learn the game is to watch a full game in the company of someone who knows it well and whenever you have a question your experienced companion can explain what just happened and why.

Thanks for taking an interest in my favorite sport! American Football is indeed a little complicated, and the common complaint from overseas is that there's too much stopping and starting, but once you being to understand it a bit better, you'll realize it's a VERY strategic game and a lot of fun to watch.

A European guide to american football is a good one to watch

Common fouls include: This is when an offensive or defensive player crosses the line of scrimmage before the play has begun. On offensive it may be called a false start. On defense it may be called encroachment. A player can't grab ahold of another player who does not have the ball. It is illegal to grab an opponent's face mask. Once the ball is thrown a defender can't make contact with the intended receiver until he catches the ball. The defender can try to knock the ball away or intercept the pass, but he must do so without making contact with the intended receiver. A defender can't lead with his helmet while making a tackle or make helmet-to-helmet contact (that's a newer rule added to make the sport safer for players). the offense has 45 seconds after each play to begin the next one. If they fail to begin the next play within 45 seconds a delay of game penalty is assessed. *These are simplified examples of some of the most common fouls.

I really like your enthusiasm and zeal for learning a North American sport. A year ago, two British guys (DN Reacts) on KZfaq knew nothing about our North American sports and today they're VERY knowledgeable and passionate. Yes, American football is VERY tactical. It has a unique rhythm with the start-stop action. It allows for player substitutions, play selection, down-distance assessments, etc. Stoppage also creates opportunities for television advertising, creating revenue for the league and player salaries. Stoppage also allows fans to refresh their food and beverages, creating more revenue. You seem like an intelligent young man who will quickly figure it out and become a knowledgeable and passionate fan, too.😊😊😊😊

you cannot advance the ball by kicking. kicking the ball gives up possession. yes, you are free to throw the ball as far as you can down the field, but you'll find that 1) your QB will have a very short time to throw since the defenders are always charging at him and 2) one third of the defense, the "secondary", is designed to stop deep throws like that.

The reason teams often decide to kick it away on 4th down (Punt) is because they don't believe there is a good chance their offense can make the required yardage on their last down and would give the other team the ball back MUCH closer to their objective. By punting it away. You are still giving them possession but making them have to travel MUCH further to score. Sometimes your offense may not have momentum or may be being out coached/played by the opposing teams defense. This helps inform the decision to punt on 4th down as well. The biggest factor on whether or not to punt is field position though. (Where the ball was last downed) Even if it's only 4th and inches. You probably aren't going to go for it if you are on your own 10 yard line because if you don't get it.. Only 10 yards for the opponent to score and they are already in Field Goal Range.

Where you are on the field is not the position you play. The position you play on the team determines where you are on the field. A location which for many positions varies with each play. So, a Lineman is a Lineman. They will never be substituted for a Wide Receiver. You were wondering where the missing 13 players are, they are "the Bench", or second string.

The quarterback is always the quarterback. There 3 quarterbacks on the entire team. The starting qb who is the main starter, the 2nd string quarterback who comes in if the starter gets hurt or needs a break or is playing badly. And the 3rd string qb usually comes in if qb is hurt or his team is winning by a lot of points, the coach will put in the 3rd string to let him get some playing time. Hope this makes sense.

You are correct. American football is very tactical on each play. Kind of like a set piece in European Football. Or, if you have any RPG experience, it can be compared to a turn-based (Japanese) RPG in which the offense always has the initiative. The offense has dozens of plays they can utilize. The head coach will tell the quarterback which play he wants the team to execute. The quarterback then tells the rest of the offense what play they are going to execute during a huddle. All players know what their individual assignment is for each play bc they have done it over and over in practice. The defense will determine their strategy based on what formation the offense lines up in prior to the start of the play. Part of a defensive player's practice involves watching videos of the their opponents from previous games. This helps them recognize their opponent's tendencies.

Beyond this, the easiest way to learn American football is to simply watch a game. The referees explain penalties, the commentators cover most of the rest (if they're worth a darn), and since you'd likely be watching a recorded game anyways, you can always pause and look something up. The BEST way to wrap your head around the game, in my experience, is if you can get your hands on a radio broadcast of one and match it with a television feed. Radio broadcasts just by their nature have to describe everything that's going on, and mixed with the visual it really cements what's happened into a solid idea.

The really bad thing about a Safety (2 points) is that the Offensive Team that just got tackled in their own End Zone has to kick the ball away to their opponent. So it's like double humiliation.

A quarterback can throw the ball down the field as far as he can in hopes that one of his receivers can catch it in the end zone for a touchdown...this is called a "Hail Mary" pass, and because the chances of success are so low it's done only when it's the last play of the game and there's no other alternative to losing it. When it IS successful, the play will become immortalized as a great moment for that team and the quarterback.

American football (AF) evolved from soccer and rugby but developed into a completely different sport. The first AF game was played in 1869 between two college teams, Rutgers and Princeton, using rules based on the rules of soccer at the time.

1. Both the offense and defense do use a lot of different formations. Teams will sometimes use more wide receivers on offense. Sometimes defenses will use more cornerbacks. The only mandatory rule is that both sides must have 11 players on the field. Also, teams do use different formations for strategic purposes. For example, if a team knows that their opponent has been struggling to defend passes, then they will start passing the ball more often. 2. There are offsides and illegal formation penalties. If an offense or defense is not lined up properly, then they will be penalized. Those penalties are usually 5 yards against the side that committed the infraction. 3. I am an American and I love American football. It is such a fun game. It is not a very difficult game to learn. And I highly recommend it if anyone is interested.

5:26 American Football is a complex game. 75% strategic. It's like Chess.

American Football always felt more like chess to me. There they have defensive formations to fight offensive formations. Every down is the chance to turn the game around in their favor. The anticipation between each play is exciting.

Your best bet will be to watch an actual game with someone who knows how the NFL works. We can try and explain enough, but it doesn't make sense until you actually watch a game. That's how you learn the best.

Chris, I recommend you watch and react to “Best College Entrances Part 1” to see how massive College Football is in American. There are a number of college football teams that have over 100,000 seat capacity. It’s a fun video to see how dedicated college football fans are and how massive the attendance is. Looking forward to seeing more reaction videos from you.

Soccer, football, and rugby share similar roots. Legend has it that American football began when a member of a soccer team picked up the ball and ran with it. In rugby a touchdown is actually a touchdown. After crossing the goal line the ball carrier must actually touch the ball to the ground before the score is actually made. There are basically three times when the offense will kick the ball. One is after a touchdown and it's official name is Point After Touchdown, or PAT. The second is a field goal. This can occur on any down but is usually attempted on 4th down when the offense decides it is too risky to try and get a 1st down and opts for a field goal. The 3rd is called a punt. This occurs when the offense has too far to go to make a first down and is too far away to make a field goal. The goal of the punt is to put the opponent as far away from your own goal as possible.

Yes, there are hundreds of different formations for different situations, this gave a good basic explanation. The quarterback is always the quarterback, it's a special skill

Here's the thing with penalties. Every time there is a foul/penalty one of the officials on the field will throw a yellow flag. They will then explain to the audience what the foul was and by which player. Then the announcers will show you a replay of the foul and explain what the player did that caused the foul.

Every single play is a game of chess, a foot race, and multiple wrestling matches and sometimes the pieces get concussions.

Yes, tactics are very important. It's a large field that hosts a game. Eleven defenders cannot possibly guard the entire field. They practice all sorts of deception to try and fool the offensive players as to where the individual defenders will move once a play begins. Unlike rugby, offensive players are allowed to block any defenders who are trying to approach a running back and make a tackle, so a common offensive tactic is to trick the defense by moving blockers around to try an gain an advantage in manpower at the point where the ball carrier is heading. On defense, the linebackers are a lot like the midfielders in soccer. They can push forward, and pull back, depending on the play the offense is running. When it becomes apparent it is a pass play, the linebackers will sprint back to help defend against the pass, or they may push forward to try to tackle the QB before he can release the pass. One thing that is fairly common, and maybe a bit hard to understand for a newcomer fan, is the number of runs up the middle of the field. It can be boring to watch. But a defense which is overly concerned about giving up yardage on pass plays can spread itself too thin trying to guard the entire field, and the offense can focus on blocking for run plays. If an offense can gain at least 4 yards every time it runs the ball, it will gain first downs all day long and score every offensive possession. Defenses usually plan to make stopping the run game their first priority. But that can leave them vulnerable to the passing game., The players are huge men. Some of the wide receivers might be "small", maybe 5'7" and 170 lbs., but generally these are abnormally big, muscular men. The linemen in particular can easily be 6'6" and 380 lbs. They cannot be slugs, either. They have to be able to run to get to points on the field where the play is happening. One common criticism of the game is that it is not for everybody, just as basketball is not easy for short people. Similarly, men of this size can do tremendous damage to the bodies of the guys they collide with, or do damage to themselves, too. Many of the arcane rulse that may be difficult for a newcomer to understand are there to try and protect the health of the players. Imagine being blindsided by a 260 lb. linebacker running at 20 mph. There ought to be a rule, and there is. The rules of the game do allow for all sorts of offensive and defensive formations, but that's a little tough to explain or show in a brief video, but most teams run a limited set of offensive and defensive schemes. It is tough to get 11 guys committed to running a choreographed play or defensive scheme.

American Football is very much a blending of warfare, chess,, and marginally constrained chaos. 😁

If the ball goes out of bounds or a pass is not completed, then the clock stops. If you fail to gain 10 yards using the 4 Downs, then the opponent gets the ball at that location. This called a "turnover on downs". This does not happen very often. If the offense has used 3 downs and failed to gain 10 yards and is too far from the goalposts to kick a field goal for 3 points, they will almost always kick the ball away to the opponent on the 4th Down, called a punt, to push the opponent further away from the goal line. The only time a team will try to gain 10 yards using the 4th Down is if they are very, very close to getting 10 yards (within inches) AND they are far away from their own goal line.

Best way to understand football, is to watch it with someone who knows the game.

There are rumblings of the NFL expanding into Europe. Although it's somewhat a pipedream for fans, analysts talk about the potential enough to warrant real discussion over it. There's even lists out there of potential cities that are most likely to land an expansion team, one of which would be Munich.

Brother it warms my heart seeing this. Thank you so much for learning about this sport. I played it for the majority of my young life. Also this shows how much I take for granted my knowledge about football. When I see someone new learning it, the rules are really strange lol. Again thank you and much respect.

One thing that this video didn't really discuss that I think was throwing you off is once the game starts with a kickoff the teams have their endzone to defend the offense pushes towards the other teams goals but if the doesn't believe that they can make the first down they will decide to punt the ball (rather than give it to defenders right there) down the field to increase the distance the other team has to try to go to get to the endzone they have to get to. That's why the offense will kick the ball.... feel like I might have just made it more confusing lol.

The beauty of American football is that there is a lot of strategy in the game. That is why other teams use code words or other secret language to keep the other team from getting wise to their strategy. It is very much a game that mimics old school military strategy where you out flank your opponent and trick them into thinking you are doing one thing instead of another and then lobbing missiles in hope to hit a target and of course brute strength to punch your way through the enemy (defense). Every player has to know all of the plays and where they should be on that play, each coach has a specific area they focus on (tackling, defense, offense, special teams), observers sit above the crowd looking down to strategize with the coaching staff, the head coach has to bring all of this orchestration into a win, and the quarterback ("the captain") has to put the coach's vision ("the general") into action on the 'field of battle.'

George carlin football vs baseball, very funny stuff. college football is huge, there are 8 college football stadiums that are over 100K. dont forget basketball hockey and my sport baseball.

A lot of the things you're considering, such as additional formations, trick plays are totally things. American Football is indeed extremely "tactical". One thing to remember is that the other team is free to respond and knows what is effective as well, so it can become 4d chess. One thing that surprises even Americans is how intelligent the Center position on the offense has to be at the highest levels. This is the man who has to pass the football back to the quarterback. As well, because the action is generally limited to either offense or defense teams can be more specialized in who is on the field at any given time. The "special teams" can (and usually does) share personnel with both the offense and defense, usually prioritizing pure speed. So the 3rd Wide Reciever, or 2nd Tight End and the fast Cornerbacks and Safeties, but not the stars, generally, because Special Teams plays can happen at extreme speed and violence and you don't want to risk your best players on something they're not a specialist in. As an example if a player on the "Recieving" (Special Teams) signals "Fair Catch" the Defense is not allowed to tackle them and the ball is downed at the spot of the catch. Even star players. perhaps especially star players who don't practice Special Teams plays all the time, because they're practicing with the Offense, forget to signal (leaving aside the times when they just decide to GO FOR IT!)...that means the Defense essentially gets a free shot to tackle them at full speed while they're not even resisting... It's probably frowned on now, but that used to be like something a player on the Kicking Team (actually the Everyone But One Guy Is Actually The Tackling Team As Soon As The Recieving Team Performs Their Own Eponymous Function) would get an Atta Boy for sending the other guy to the locker room or worse.

You should react to an actual game, either college or NFL would be great!

Okay, so I'm 42. So, I'm into middle age now. And when I was growing up, soccer was a complete afterthought in the American sports landscape. Little boys grew up playing baseball, football, and basketball. But over the years, soccer has become incredibly prevalent as a youth sport and high school and college sport in the US. To the point that America probably has more young soccer players than anywhere on the planet. The key difference is that soccer is not the top American sport, right? American football, baseball, basketball, and hockey (if you live in the northern states) are the dominant sports. So, tons of American kids grow up playing soccer now, but they end up playing other sports at elite levels of competition. But that's also changing. Soccer is more prevalent in North America than ever, which is something I never expected to see in my lifetime. It's more popular than you think. 👍

Chris, I’m not expert but even I was a little confused by some things in this video. In other words I don’t think this is the best video to learn football for someone who doesn’t know the rules to begin with. One of the main things to understand is about the rules about downs. The offense of Team A has four tries (downs) from the line of scrimmage (the blue line on TV-it’s where the row of much of the defense players line up and where the ball starts from) to get a least 10 yards and if they don’t the other team (Team B) gets to be the offense. If Team A manages to get over 10 yards before the fourth down, then they get another four tries (downs) to get another 10 yards. And it can go on and on and on from there but usually it doesn’t and either Team A gets a lot of yards or they about to try their fourth down and they are afraid they are not going to make the 10 yards needed. If they are a long ways away from the goal line for a touchdown, they will punt the ball to Team B so Team B needs to travel a long way to get a touchdown when they are on the offensive. Other commenters know the rules better than I and can explain the rules better but the whole thing about 4 tries to get the 10 yards is very important to know. Keep up the great work, Chris!

There is an offside rule similar to soccer. You have to start each down onsides, but once the down starts there is no offsides until the down is over. Only the ball position matters for offsides, and it applies to both the offense and defense equally.

The other side to the game being violent iss that it is a very tactical game. Each play is like a chess move, just using players. Also, I think the rosters are more like 56 players, with each position have 1 or 2 backups for injuries, different play packages, etc.

@Chris Reacts: Hello, sir! Glad to see a European get interested in American football! My comment is directed at when the video mentions the offense kicking the ball away on fourth down. This is known as a punt. The reason for an offense to punt the ball away is because if they don't make enough yards to gain first down, they turn the ball over where their line of scrimmage is. But if they punt the ball away, the other team starts further away from the end zone (usually). However, punts do come with a risk: Upon kicking it away, the defense who is receiving the ball can blitz and try to block the punt, or they can run it into their end zone for 6 points -- a touchdown. That said, unlike soccer, American football is a game of field position -- and some of the greatest quarterbacks and coaches are and were those who were geniuses at using field position better than the opposition. Also, the video has the total number of players on one team wrong: That number isn't 46, it's 53. The reason isn't just because of the various units of offense and defense, but injuries. And NFL seasons now last 18 games. Which means that players can and will get injured, which means a team needs replacement players. Because you said it yourself: Football is physical. And in spite of the safety equipment, players still get hurt. As for the quarterback, Chris, it's not obvious all the time who that player is. The way you tell who that player is, is by watching the football under center, the guy on the offensive line, who hikes the ball. Once the center does this, the play begins. The quarterback can be any player not on the line of scrimmage, or, if they "set" their initial position on the line of scrimmage, they can become a "man in motion," and as they go behind the center, he could hike the ball directly to that man in motion. Trickery is well known in the NFL. That said, there are numerous formations and plays, both on offense and defense. This is why you have offensive and defensive coordinators, who will call plays in via a radio to the quarterback on offense, and the middle linebacker on defense. Both a quarterback or middle linebacker can change their plays at the last minute via an audible, if either the quarterback or middle linebacker sees something that can give their team an advantage during that play. That said, Chris, there are actually two clocks in football: The play clock, which lasts 30 seconds, and the game clock. If the play clock runs out before the ball is hiked, that's a 5-yard penalty for Delay of Game. The game clock is actually controlled somewhat differently. The way it works is, first, the referees determine if the ball ended up out of bounds. If it did, the clock stops until the next play runs. If the ball ended the previous play inbounds, the clock keeps running after the play ends. That said, there are other types of timeouts as well: One is an injury timeout. This is for an injured player to be examined, and if the injury is bad enough, to be carted off the field on a modified golf cart. The second is a challenge timeout, for a play review. These can come from either the sideline or come from the skybox above the field. Third is a referee timeout, usually used to measure where the ball is, in relation to the chains, which are what determine where the 10-yard line is for a first down. Games have been decided by a team going for it on 4th down, trying a Quarterback Sneak, and getting stuffed by the defense where, after measuring, the ball missed the first-down marker by a half-yard. Lastly, one other method of scoring points at one time was the free kick, which was only worth 1 point. Free kicks in football haven't been used since the 1950s, and one of the legends of the game, George Blanda, who was a kicker and quarterback. At one time, he held the record for points scored in a career with over 2,000 points. And one of the ways he did this was with both touchdowns, and with free kicks, which unlike field goals, are punts that were kicked that the kicker would try and make through the field goal (between the uprights and over the crossbar).

College football is basically just a lower tier of professional football these days. The best players still get paid but not nearly as much as they do in the NFL. American football is a very violent game, but you're right, because the players get to see the formation of the other team before the ball is snapped, the plays become increasingly complicated as players age and advance through the sport.

Yes, "clock management": it takes just over three wrist-watch hours to get one game-clock hour of "play" done. Thank you. I love your energy, Bruv, keep up the GOOD WORK.

Hello Chris, I use to referee high school and college football. While the rules are basically the same there are some differences. Here are some things to know. There is a neutral zone. After the ball is spotted, the neutral zone is established. It is the length of the ball. No player can be in the N Z. Each team must line up on their side of the ball. If a player lines up in the NZ, it is off sides at the snap. The defense can move in and out of the NZ, but they can not be it there at the snap. The offense must have 7 men on the line of scrimmage. The only players who are eligible to catch a forward pass are the 2 ends on the line of scrimmage and the backs in the back field. This is the same at all 3 levels. If you have any other questions about football, please let me know.

The reason the offense kicks the ball away on 4th down is because, if they fail to get those 10 yards after their 4 downs, then the ball is turned over to the other team at that spot. If they kick it, then the ball will go much farther down the field and give them the chance to tackle the person who caught the ball before he can get anywhere near were the ball was last held by the kicking team. So, it gives the kicking side's defense much more room on the field to try and stop the other side from advancing. Sometimes, if there is very little distance from where the ball is to that 10 yard mark they need to get the next set of 4 downs, then they will try to get there without kicking it away. It really just comes down to how far away from that 10 yards you needed to get, you are.

When the ball carrier is tackled on the field of play the clock keeps rolling through the next play. If the ball carrier runs out of bounds or an incomplete pass is thrown the clock stops until the next play starts.

Hello Chris. Glad you're interested in American football. Not sure if all questions were written so here's my answers to some: Like soccer, there is offsides. When the offense is putting the ball in play, the wide receivers cannot be at the end zone waiting for the ball. There is an invisible line where the ball is before being put in play, offense has to stay behind that line (the ball) and same with defense. If someone crosses it, it is an offsides penalty. There are many different formations for offense and defense depending on how the coach is teaching but it's usually consists of 4 linemen and three linebacker formation or a 3 linemen and 4 linebacker formation. I'd recommend youtubing NFL top lists and you can see some action packed videos and also learn more on the game.

In soccer there's this concept of "advantage" where the referee doesn't call a foul if the "victim" team is in an advantageous position. In American football, the referee just throws the flag and waits until the end of the down to call the foul. Then the "victim" team decides whether to enforce the foul or whether to accept the result of the down instead. So in essence it's the players that determine whether "advantage" holds, not the referee.

First thing to know. A "down" is whenever the offensive player with the ball gets tackled to the ground, he goes out of bounds, or the quarterback throws the ball and it is not caught. Also, the quarterback has to throw the ball. If he kicks it it's a "punt" which means the opposing team gets the ball where ever it ends up. And the strategy of just running a guy down the field is used but you have to remember, the defense is guarding the offense and all a defender has to is knock the ball to the ground or catch it himself and a down is wasted, so the offense has to be selective with who they throw it too

From your questions, I’ve realized there were several things he kindof glossed over, that could be confusing for someone unfamiliar with football. So - for a given down, both teams line up. Many players can’t move until the ball is “hiked” - the “center” - one of the offensive linemen - throws or passes it backwards - usually to the quarterback. If someone is tackled to the ground with the ball, they are down, the play is over, and the next down will start where the ball was. The quarterback being sacked is just a special case of being tackled behind the line of scrimmage and losing yards. So.. let’s say we have a 1st down and 10 from our 13. They measure out exactly how far 10 yards is. The quarterback passes to me, and I run backwards 2 yards and get tackled. We now have a 2nd down and 12 from our 11. Penalties will also push you backwards - occasionally they’ll be down to like 4th and 43 or something atrocious. So - if, on 4th down, you fail to get a first down, the other team takes over where the ball is. *Or* you can kick it - and they will have a chance to potentially catch it, and run with it - but when stopped, they get the ball there. So if we have a 4th down on our own 5 yard line - we don’t want to risk going for it - if we fail, they get the ball on our 5 yard line. Instead, we’ll punt it - and kick it 55 yards and hope to tackle them with little/no return. So now the other team has to go 60 yards instead of 5. Throwing the ball - technically any player can throw the ball - but the ball can only be thrown forwards if you are still behind the line of scrimmage. You can throw the ball backwards - a lateral - at any time, but it’s very risky - you could lose yardage if they get tackled there. Also a dropped lateral pass is a fumble - so is a love ball that the other team could recover, and take possession. If your team kicks the ball - you give up possession of it; you can not regain possession until it has touched someone in the other team. So you’ll occasionally see a kick returner screw up and touch it, and the offense get it back. But that’s why you can’t just kick it and recover it. If you kick it and touch it before the other team does, it’s a dead ball, and they will get the ball at that spot. Time generally keeps going, but each down they have a limited time to get set up and start that down. Within the final two minutes you can stop the clock by going out of bounds with the ball, throwing an incomplete pass (which also ends a down), or using a time out. There are various penalties - there are “unsafe” ways to tackle, like a horse collar tackle, or aiming the crown of your helmet at someone else’s helmet. You’re right that you can’t just punch someone. So you can move people around, and it is very strategic. How many people should rush. Do you out two cornerbacks on their star wide receiver, and leave the crappy one uncovered? You can also do trick plays - the quarterback hands it to a running back who runs sideways - and doesn’t cross the line of scrimmage - who then throws the ball. This is called a flea flicker. They’re exciting. Running backs aren’t as good at throwing the ball - but if the other team thinks it’s a run, they might get out of position, leaving a wide receiver open for the throw. But these tend to be rare, because it’s easy to screw it up and lose yardage instead.

He gave you a very bare bones explanation of the rules. Theres things like pass interference, face mask, roughing the kicker/passer, holding, delay of game, etc etc. Theres a lot of rules but they all serve a purpose, some for player safety, some just to spice it up

You have a lot of good questions. A "down" lasts from the time that the ball is put into play (typically by the Center "hiking" the ball to the Quarterback) until the ball carrier is tackled, or the ball goes out of play (either by going out of bounds, or if a pass is incomplete). Yes, there is more than 1 type of defensive formation, this can vary depending on a number of variations - and some teams will change the type of formation they use during the game.

In soccer the clock runs continuously. In American football, the clock starts and stops often, depending on the play being run. Each team also gets 3 time outs per half, 6 for the game. The team that manages the clock to their advantage increases the odds that they will win the game.

Good start! You'll have the rules of American football down in no time... Penalties can be given to a player or coach by one of the referees (the guys in black/white striped shirts) if you do something to the other side's player that could be dangerous or unfair: - a "blind-side hit" - a "clothesline tackle" - "horse-collar tackle" - hitting the quarterback at certain times - "targeting" someone you're trying to tackle with the crown/"top" of your helmet - interfering with a receiver who is trying to catch a ball - etc. Penalties can range from 5, 10, 15+ yards, half the distance to the goal line, ejection from the current and in extreme cases future games... Hope that helps.

im here late but i love football, played for 12 years but I remember being a little kid and being clueless about the sport. So fouls are many and can take a lifetime to learn. The major ones are the one's that put players health in jeopardy. Clipping - When an offensive player blocks a defensive player in the back. This could lead to a player ejection. Standard is loss of 15 yards and a down. - Chop block - When a defensive player is being blocked or is engaged with an offensive player and another offensive player hits the engaged defensive player below the waist. 15 yard penalty and loss of down. - Offensive holding: when an offensive player uses his hands to impede the movement of a defensive player; typically an offensive lineman holds a defensive player to stop him from getting to the ball or QB. I don't know if you're much of a gamer but I've learned the rules for soccer and hockey both by playing video games of the sports.... I'm sure playing Madden or the new College Football game would help your knowledge a ton.

A fun way to get in to enjoying the NFL is by making a fantasy football league. A German friend of mine does this with his co-workers. One day he turned up with about a million questions about the NFL for me and a week later came back and told me he joined a fantasy league at work and had been eagerly awaiting his first big game day. I feel like it adds a bit of excitement to get you through until you understand the game well enough to see the deeper strategies involved.

12:34 what you said about the free kicks is a pretty good comparison. Every down there is a grand strategy that requires all eleven players to do their job perfectly for like 4 seconds

I think something the video creator should have talked about that would have answered some of your questions. After the kickoff, the team on offense lines up where the player was tackled for their first set of "downs". This is called the line of scrimmage. One side of the line is offense, the other defense. Until the ball is "hiked", if either sides moves over the line of scrimmage then that is a foul and they would be penalized. For offense, they would go backwards so that would ADD yards to the 10 yards needed for a new set of downs, thus making it harder for them to get them. IF the defense moves before the call is hiked, then they would be get a foul and the ball would be moved forward for the offense, thus making it EASIER to get a new set of downs. So the offense or defense can set up anywhere on their side of the line of scrimmage. So, as an example if the QB is sacked, they lose yardage and that makes it harder for them to get a new set of downs. So you can have situations like 1st and 10...or 2nd and 15....

A "Down" begins with the snap of the ball and ends when a score occurs, the player with possession goes oob, or is downed meaning his knee, hip, shoulder,self contacts the ground as a result of a defensive players action (typically a tackle of some sort). The offense may kick the ball on any down, but unless the kick is for a field goal to win the game at the end or some similar situation it makes the only sense to wait until 4th down, you see? If you reckon that you will not get to the first down marker on 4th down, you typically kick the ball away, or Punt the ball, because if you fail to reach the first down marker at the end of 4th down the enemy team gets possession at the point of the ball instead of wherever you may have kicked it and however far they return the kick, if at all. Great question, on both offense and defense there are different configurations of players. There are always going to be a center on offense, to snap the ball and a quarterback to receive the snap from the center to start a down. Beyond that you will also always have 2 lineman on either side of the center, the guards and tackles respectively. The other 5 are interchangable, though a typical setup is 1 halfback 1 fullback 1 tight end and 2 receivers. On defense the line can vary from a 3-4 or a 4-3 for typical situations, meaning either 4 "down" (they set up at the line with one hand down on the field) lineman and 3 linebackers, where 3-4 is obviously 3 down and 4 backers. This leaves 2 cornerbacks and 2 safeties most of the time. In terms of changing position, players really dont do this, a guy can be declared an eligible receiver on a play when he is typically not a receiver but this is different. Grabbing a guy by the facemask is a foul, as is leading with the helmet on contact. Offsides on a snap is a foul, intentionally throwing the ball away in order to avoid loss of yards is a foul. If A guy is engaged in lower or upper half you can't then run up and smash him in the other region, tackle sure but you can't really high/low guys anymore as it's very dangerous. Plenty of other fouls, but looking into the referee signals is a good idea too. The rules are a bit different between pro and college ball, mostly to protect players health more.

Time starts each down, when the center "snaps" the ball to the quarter back,...time stops when the ball is "dead"...touches the ground or if a thrown pass is missed

So something to keep in mind is the shape of the ball is designed for throwing, not kicking, which is why kicking long distances with precision is very difficult, and leaves you open to an interception by the other team

The quickest way for you to learn would be to watch a game with someone who knows football. With a pause button. You ask good questions - the answers are easy and it would click so fast. That would be an interesting video!

Penalties, also called fouls, can be 2 full videos, one for offensive penalties and one for defensive.

It's definitely a very tactical game on a lot of levels. For example, if one team knows that the other team has a defender (safety or cornerback) who is a younger player or has been injured, they will tend to throw more frequently to receivers in that area, trying to exploit the imbalance in the match-up between receiver and defender. Play calling is a key element; coaches and players study videos of the other team in action to determine which formations and plays will work best against that team's defense (and vice-versa). It all comes down to intricate, rapid, choreographed play performance, in which highly trained, talented players have to execute their roles in split-second decisions, with thousands of pounds of collective force. It's brutality rendered into dance.

You are correct that you should never carry the ball into your own end zone, but when the line of scrimmage is close to your goal line, sometimes it cannot be avoided.

Once you start to understand the differences between football and soccer, you see the two sports does not compete against each other in taste.

American football is chess with giants.

To get deeper into it the offense has more rules to go by than the defense. Offense must have 7 players on the "Line of scrimmage" (LOS) or line they are starting from. If they do not this is an illegal formation. Penalty Offensive linemen, usually the 5 really big inside players on the line, are ineligible recievers. Jersey #s 50-79. They can not catch the ball or be downfield when the ball is thrown unless they report before the play and announce that specific play they are eligible. If the ball is thrown forward but is caught behind the LOS those linemen can be downfield but cannot be the player that catches the ball. Only eligible receivers can catch the ball unless the ball is thrown backwards to them. Anyone can catch a backwards pass. Backward pass is not common because of the risk of a change in posession. The last player on each side of the ball that is on the LOS is an eligible receiver unless they have an ineligible jersey #. They will align outside those big 5 inside players. So that gives us 5 linemen, (the inside big guys) and 2 receivers or TE on the ball, 7 total on the ball or LOS. Those players also cannot move once set unless there is an offensive shift. If they shift they must reset (not move for at least 1 full second) before the ball is snapped. The other 4 players are off the ball. If they line up on the ball and are not the farthest player outside on the LOS they are "covered" meaning they are ineligible to go downfield to receive the ball. This usually is not done intentionally unless the offense is running some kind of trickery, or trying to get an advatage on that side of the ball. These 4 players off the ball can motion around the field behind the LOS or on the offensive side but cannot be moving forward when the ball is snapped. Only 1 player in motion at a time unless it is a shift then everyone must be set still for 1 second before the snap. These 4 off the ball players usually consist of 2 receivers 1 running back and a quarterback. Of course they can be substituted for other positions like 3 receivers 1 QB, or 2 TE 1 reciver 1 QB etc etc. Depending on the scheme the offense would like to run. When the offense does substitute these players on and off the field they have to allow the defense to be able to make their own substitutions in a timely manner, or this is a penalty on the offense. This penalty occurs when an offense breaks their hudle and a guy runs on the field from the sideline after the hudle broke. If the offense does not hudle and they make substitutions they have to allow the defense to be able to get make their substitutions before snapping the ball. This is why sometimes you will see defensive players taking their time to get off the field because the offense cannot snap the ball until they are off if the offense did not hudle and made an offensive substitution. If they do, it is a penalty on the offense for illegal substitution. This keeps the offense from running guys on and off the field running around everywhere then quickly snapping the ball to confuse a defense and not allowing them to substitute and match their players how they would like according to the offensive players on the field. In a no hudle hurry up offense when time is running out the offense wont make substitutions for this reason or the defense can take their time running precious time off the clock. It is a big game of chess. Offense brings out the horses what will the defense do? Offense shifts or motions to get an advantage how will the defense adjust and counter? Offense can only pass the ball forward once. Qb cannot throw the ball if he passes the LOS unless it is backwards. Players can throw the ball backwards but is is risky because if it hits the ground it is a fumble and the defense can recover the ball for a change of possession. The defense does not have most of these restrictions. They can line up how they would like and move all around, but it is wise for them to try and match up players with the offense. Not wise to leave a little speedy player on a big TE for example. Defense does have substition rules like a player cannot run on the field after a play has started for obvious reasons. Other penalties for defense have already been mentioned I think in other answers. I am sure there are others but it is getting late and I go to bed now. GN

The play your describing is called the Hail Marry pass. All the wide receivers run to end zone to catch the ball. Its often a risky play because defensive players don't have to catch the ball, they can just swat it down and only have to stop the catch. While the receiver has disadvantage of standing still they can't do anything to stop the defensive players from swatting the ball. That is why most passes are thrown where defensive players are not around. Receivers are not allowed to touch defensive players, but defensive players can tackle receivers the moment they touch the ball which makes it harder to catch the ball.

Thank you for this video. I am confident that you will quickly learn to appreciate the American game of football. Once you do, it is a near-certainty that you will become a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. As a Steelers fan, you will be immediately eligible to become a citizen of Steelers Nation. This global organization has chapters in most major cities, worldwide. You will love it! The team colors are black, gold, and white. They practically match your flag! It is destiny! I cannot wait until you get to see the video of the Immaculate Reception! Almost as wonderful will be the moment when you get to watch James Harrison's interception and 100-yard return for a touchdown! You are going to love it! Welcome, Friend! Go Steelers!

A few have already commented on penalties. As you can see from these, the range penalties can seem overwhelming, however the majority fall under to main categories 1) starting prematurely, before the snap that begins the play (false start; offsides; etc), and 2) some form of ‘holding’ (including interfering with or improperly impeding a pass receiver, a rushing defender, lineman, etc). There are others, including for infractions that tend to cause injury, but most of the penalties you routinely see can be categorized as one or the other - holding, or starting prematurely.

American Football is probably the most tactical sport in the world. Every single play is its own set piece. The most important player isn't a player, it's the coaches calling the plays, trying to outmaneuver the opponent with different formations and tactics. The downside of this, compared to other similar sports, is that American Football is constantly stopping and starting. Sometimes you just want to shout "GET ON WITH IT" lol

It is so interesting to see your questions about America and hear about what is confusing for you

The question about having players camping near the goal line to catch a pass and score... Before the play starts, the ball marks a line of scrimmage. No player can cross this line until the play starts (the ball is moved). No offensive player can advance towards the goal and no defensive player can advance toward the quarterback. The ball is the center of an invisible wall and both teams must remain on their side of it.

Some clarification for you. Scoring play of a Safety, an important element was omitted, that is when a Safety occurs and the 2 points awarded, the offense then has to kick the ball to the team given the 2 points. The team awarded 2 points would be given possession of the ball with a successful fielding of the kick and then that team is on offense. Omitted scoring play, this one is extremely rare. A team can score by blocking an extra point attempt and returning for a touchdown resulting in 2 points. About the Quarterback position. While certain players on the roster are designated as a QB (quarterback), during play essentially any player could be a quarterback. On the field the quarterback position is whomever receives the ball from the Center to start the play. A team would not normally have another player line up there as the position is highly specialized. Trick plays can happen where a running back or wide receiver receives the snap from center but most times those would end up being a running play. These trick plays can also see someone other than the QB attempt a pass.

You can make substitutions at any time in American football, and players can enter and exit the game after each play. Many teams have 2-4 players that can play each individual position in case of injury or substitution. That’s why there is 46 players but only about 25 distinct positions.

The 4th down kick is called a "punt" and its purpose is for "field position." Suppose the offense has moved the ball to the 50 yard line (midfield), and they need to make 1 yard to make the first down (complete the 10 yards) this would be a 4th & 1. If they fail to make the 1 yard (the runner gets stopped, or a catcher drops the ball), then the opposing team will take possession at the 50 yard line. Thus they will only need to advance 50 yards to score. If the original offense PUNTS on 4th down, the opposing team will take possession either at the point where the receiving team (defense) catches the ball, or the point where they are stopped after trying to run the ball back after that catch. Suppose the receiving team catches the ball at their own 5 yard line (just outside their own endzone), and runs it back for 5 more yards, they would begin their offense at the 10 yard line, needing 90 yards to score a touchdown. Most 4th downs result in a punt, but it depends on where it is on the field. If an offense has advanced to their opponents' 15 yard line, this is considered an easy distance to score a field goal. So it wouldn't make sense to punt the ball when the opportunity to score points is there. Sometimes, there is no other choice but to "go for it" if the team is behind in points and/or time is running out and/or the distance to gain is very short.

I still think the best way to learn it is to just start watching a few games. I lived with a family that had a German exchange student for a while, and he was able to pick it up really quick just by watching it. Yes you won't learn all the rules (there are still some rules I barely understand after watching it for decades) but for the most part within like a quarter you will understand, especially if you are watching with someone.

You were asking about the 13 other players, those are substitution players. Sometimes players get injured, sometimes players get ejected from the game(it doesn't happen very often, but it does happen), sometimes players get too exhausted and need some time to catch their breath, sometimes you need a player who's really good a a specific play, that's when you call in a substitution player. Substitution players are sometimes referred to as bench warmers. Depending on the context, it can be a joking term or it can be a derogatory term.

American football is a highly technical game. The average American football player has to memorize 75 to 100 different formations that will be used during the game. That means every player has a position he needs to be in and where he needs to be at any given time as the play is unfolding. For instance, a quarterback will throw the football to a specific point in the field, trusting the receiver will be there to catch the football.

Passing the ball nearly the entire length of the field into the end zone has a name - it's the "Hail Mary pass".

At the beginning of a down, the football is placed on the line of scrimmage which is the yard marker on the field where the last down ended. It is an imaginary line running from one side of the field to the other where the ball is placed on the field before a down. Players, both offensive and defensive, cannot go past the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped. 'Snapping the ball' means the center (the guy in the middle of the offensive line) hands the ball to the quarterback. That is why your trick of placing players in the end zone to score a touchdown would not work. If someone crosses the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped it results in a penalty and a loss of yards, either moving the ball away from the goal in the case of the offense or towards the goal if a defensive player crosses the line.

Listening to this trips me out!!!! 😂

I think the biggest thing with the "pauses" is in soccer you have 90% of the game just the players running around with nothing really happening. in Football it is a series of explosive plays

There is a game clock and a play clock. The game clock starts when the play starts (the ball is "snapped") and pauses when the play (down) has ended by the blowing of the whistle to indicate the play is over. The play clock tells the offense how much time they have remaining between each play (usually 40 seconds in the NFL). The offense must snap the ball (start the next play) before the play clock counter ends or they will receive a penalty.

I’m a standard American that played football growing up, and fan all my life. I could explain football IN DEPTH to this guy in less than 5 minutes better than this video did.

To answer your question at 4:43, there are different defensive schemes or configurations (yes, like the different configurations on a soccer team) depending on the in-game situation and what the defense anticipates the offense is trying to do. You have standard 4-3 or 3-4 base configurations where this is an arrangement of either 4 linemen and 3 linebackers or 3 linemen with 4 linebackers (some of the most versatile defensive players and are comparable to midfielders) either of these configurations then has 4 players remaining on the defense to guard against long offensive plays and/or guard the wings of the field. This group is called the secondary (short for secondary defense) and it consists of corner backs and safeties who are usually responsible for protecting against passing plays The secondary defense is similar fullbacks in soccer with a primary duty of guarding long attacks downfield though they sometimes can be involved further up-field. For example, any number of players on the defense can be used to blitz (or rush) the quarterback on any given defensive play to try to either tackle him apply pressure to his attempts to pass the ball. Defenses will often mix up which player on the defense is running the blitz to keep the offense guessing where the pressure is coming from. Other defensive configurations include nickel, dime, goal-line, prevent and perhaps some others I might not be thinking of at the moment. The configurations can get pretty sophisticated and I recommend that for more advanced learning about the game after you have gotten more accustomed to the basic rules.

On 4th down the offensive team has 3 options. 1. go for it. This risks turning the ball over to the other team if you do not get the required 10 yards. If the offensive team is back in their own territory, this is a bad choice due to making it easy for the other team to score on the turn over. 2. If the offensive team is in range to kick a field goal (kick the ball between the bars in the end zone) try to kick a FG scoring 3 points. 3. If on the 4th down, the offensive team thinks there is a high probability that they will not make the required 10 yard to get a new set of downs, they will likely kick the ball (punt) to the other team changing possession. The kick will likely push the other team back 40-50 yards.

Good for you for watching the rules. Now i look foreward to seeing you watch some football and youll get it.

In football the Fullback is a type of running back, when in the offensive formation a fullback usually blocks for the halfback, might run the ball or on a passing play they may catch the ball or stay in the backfield as an extra blocker to protect the quarterback.

this a really fun journey you're going on with American football. the game is often times overcomplicated. the best way to really learn the rules and tactics is to watch some full games with other people. the video you're watching is helpful, but you'd get more out of a full game commentary.

The time left on the clock at the end of each half is a big part of the team's strategy. Often if you have a small lead at the end you will do things to "run down the clock" so there is no time left for the other team to score if they get the ball back.

Played mostly American football, but a bit of rugby at school and soccer when a nipper. All come from a common origin in the UK and diverged about 125 years ago. Been a UK NF L fan since 1984.

If the receiver catches the ball, then it is considered "live" even if later dropped after running or getting hit. That's why a defender can pick up the "fumbled" live ball and run with it. If it is dropped before it is caught, then it is considered "incomplete" and play resets with a down lost. Fumbles can also apply to quarterbacks if the ball is knocked loose or they are "sacked".

The rule book for football is so complex that fan of 60+ years (and a self-professed "rules geek") - me - can be surprised. Five years ago I first learned of the one-point safety rule. It's a valid way to score a single point and has happened at least twice at the college level in the past 20 years.

The extra players out of the 46 are to fill in if one of the regular players gets injured. As you mentioned it's a very physical game and injuries are common. Although a lot of rules are in place now to keep injuries down, even something as minor as a strained finger can keep a player off the field. When a team is on their 4th down and are rather far from making their 10 yards, the kick or "punt" the ball down the field. The idea is that they are unlikely to make their 10 yards and will therefore lose possession so they want the opposing team to get possession of the ball as far from their goal as possible. During each down if the defense can make the player who is carrying the ball touch the ground with his arms or knees that is a tackle and it ends the down. A down also ends if the ball is thrown and no one catches it. If the player with the ball runs out of bounds it ends the down. If the ball is thrown and a player on the defense catches it that is an interception and the defense can immediately start running for their goal. If they are tackled before they reach the goal then the team now in possession becomes the offense and they now have 4 downs to try to move the ball 10 yards. In many cases a defense can actually force the ball backwards in which case you may see that the offense is on something like 3rd down with 23 yards to gain.

The clock keeps running when the teams are in formation unless something happened in the previous play to stop the clock. The clock stops if the ball goes out of bounds or if a foul is called or of course if either team calls a timeout. Also if a player is injured and has to be tended to. In that case the clock doesn't start again until the ball is snapped-which is when the center throws the ball backwards between his legs to the quarterback. There are a lot of things you can't do, which result in penalties. Things like a "horse collar" which is grabbing another player by the neck of his shirt. Grabbing another player's face mask is illegal. Grabbing another player's uniform when that player doesn't have the ball is called holding. Touching or grabbing a player who is about to catch a pass before he actually has the ball is pass interference. Certain types of bodily contact with a player who is passing the ball are considered roughing the passer. There are also penalties for many illegal actions while in formation. Like crossing the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped (offsides) or waiting too long to snap the ball (delay of game)

Watch the video, "The Greatest 98-Yard Drive in NFL History" You'll get a good idea of game time, first downs, scoring etc. And this is one of the most famous drives in NFL history.

The clock is always running until the ball goes out of bounds. If you see them in formation and the clock is not running, this is the first play since the ball went out of bounds. It's common for teams to try to get the ball out of bounds to give themselves more time to move the ball down field.

Don't confuse soccer with football. It's a completely different game. You need to watch some games to understand it. It'd help if you watch with some people who do know the game and can answer your questions. And yes, football is a very physical game, more of a collision sport. The players are far bigger then you think and far stronger. Do keep checking into this amazing sport.

Sorry for three separate comments! College is how Americans say university. So college sports are school athletes that hadn’t yet played the game as professionals. Generally after their college career they go professional in whatever sport they play.