How to Learn to Play American Football in a Few Days
To say that American football is a legendary game means to say nothing. This game is most prevalent in the USA and Canada, and more than 80 countries have official American football leagues. The overall number of football fans exceeds 400 million. And the popularity of this sport continues to grow steadily. If you decided to join the ranks of people who already play American football, you made the right decision. Here we won’t discuss your eligibility for pro leagues and evaluate your physical parameters — you’re a beginner, and our task is to explain the basics of the game.
When we say that American football is one of the most widespread sports in America, people of all ages and occupations play it. Joining a college football team is a rather popular way people start this sport. Unfortunately, many students give up it despite showing good results just because the inner circle convinced them to do it. The excuse is obvious: tackling athletics and academics is hard. If you or some of your friends are in such a situation, please, never make them give it up. Nowadays, any student can order assistance from a professional writing service and maintain good academic performance no matter what. If you have to get a more complicated paper, such as a thesis, address dissertation writing service, and professional writers assist you with everything you need.
American football may seem complicated, but this feeling will disappear as soon as you get into it and learn the basics. Don’t you believe that several days aren’t enough to understand it? Follow the guide.
1. Learn the basic rules
Well, American football is a game where two teams consist of 11 players each. The field length is 120 yards long and about 55 yards wide. Teams have 15-minute quarters to pass the ball into the opponent’s end zone. The end zone is a special sector on each end of the field that is marked. At first, the team should pass the ball 10 yards. If the team fails to do it after four attempts (downs), the ball is given to another team, and it does the same. Players can move the ball either by running with it and giving the ball to teammates or just passing it. Even though the number of players on the field in one team is 11, the whole team consists of 45 players. It may seem surprising, but each of the 45 players can participate in the game during the match.
2. Define the player positions
There are several player positions in American football, and the position you’ll take depends on the current role of your team. If the team owns the ball, it plays offense, whereas defense is the team that tries not to let the offense team score the ball. Here we’ll just list the player positions, and you’ll find out more information on the Internet to decide what position fits you most. The defensive positions are linebacker, cornerback, safety, defensive tackle, and defensive end. The list of offensive positions is longer and includes quarterback, fullback, center, running back, tight end, left/right guard, left/right tackle, and wide receiver.
3. Know the ways to score points
We’ve mentioned that in order to score points, that team has to move the ball to the end zone. But it’s necessary to broaden this statement. When the ball reaches the end zone, the team gets 6 points. This way is called a touchdown. It’s also possible to score 3 points by making a field goal, by kicking the ball into the end zone without touchdowns. Safety gives 2 points to the defensive team in case it manages to stop the offensive player in their end zone. The team that can pass the ball into the end zone after the touchdown and manages not to touch the uprights scored 1-2 points called extra points.
4. Do some physical exercises
Since you already know the necessary basics to start playing, what about your physical preparation? Football players are well-trained and have huge stamina, and you can hardly boast of it while playing for the first time. Try to run more and do the general exercises to keep your muscles fit. There are plenty of special exercises for football players: you may find them on the Internet or ask the football players you know for a piece of advice. Remember that your main aim is to be able to run fast and do it for long.
5. Work on the basic elements of the game flow
Before you start playing football to the fullest, you’d better learn how to make the basic movements or elements. Make sure you know how to move the ball, try to make a touchdown, and kickoff. We also advise you to play defense for some time. The more you practice — the faster you learn. In general, you can do it all in a few days. If you sincerely want to master the game, you’ll do it.
