We are going to teach you everything you need to know about American football so that the next time you watch a game, look through NFL odds, gather information from sources like BetUS or hear someone talking about American football; you will know exactly what they are talking about.
What is the definition of American football?
Gridiron football, often known as American football, is a sport in which two teams of eleven players compete against one another on a field with goal posts at both ends. The game is scored in points, with the winning side having the most at the end.
In American football, there are two strategies: one team is the attacking team, and the other is defending. The offensive team’s players begin at their end of the field and must walk with the ball in their hands, throw it to each other, or pass it to each other until they score by bringing the ball to the other team’s end of the field.
A touchdown or a pass through the post are two ways for the attacking side to score points. The defensive team’s goal is to prevent the attacking team from scoring any points.
In general, the defense must prevent the attacking players from walking or passing the ball more than ten yards on the court in each of their four efforts. If they succeed, the defense will gain possession of the ball and undertake the offensive position, giving them the opportunity to score goals.
The history of American Football
The origins of this sport may be traced back to early forms of rugby football in Britain in the mid-19th century, where a football was kicked over a line.
Walter Camp, an athlete and coach from Yale University who eventually became recognized as the “Father of American Football,” made several alterations to the sport of rugby. He made numerous important modifications to the sport, such as legalizing forwarding and blocking.
The sport has evolved significantly over the previous two centuries and has grown in popularity. American football players are among the most well-known and well-paid celebrities in the sports world.
American football terminology
If you are completely new to American football, you probably want to get to know the words and expressions in the game. Here is a list of the most important and most used expressions in American football.
- Downs – A “down” or play is a turn that a team gets when they are in attack. The attacking team has four downs where they must move more than 10 yards towards the defensive goal zone. If they do not make it, the defending team will take over the ownership of the ball.
- Scrimmage – A game from scrimmage refers to a sequence in American football where the attacking team tries to lead the ball towards the opponent’s goal while the other team tries to block them and push them back. After this sequence, the ball is considered dead until the next game from scrimmage.
- Kickoff – Kickoff is the starting point of the game. For example, in American football, when the game is about to start, the kicking team kicks the ball which then lands on the receiving team’s side and then the game begins.
- Place Kick and Drop Kick – Each time a ball is caught, or a goal opportunity is presented, the kicking team can either use “place kick” or “drop kick” to shoot the ball. In “place kick”, the ball is placed on a small platform and must enter between the goal posts without touching the ground or the players. A dropkick is how a player releases the ball and aims for the goal post in order to score a goal. In both cases, getting the ball through the posts is considered a score.
- Punts – Punt is also an attempt at a field goal. It is usually done at the fourth and final “down” where the attacking team hopes to kick the ball straight in between the goal posts so that they can at least score some points if they cannot score a touchdown.
- Field Goals – Field goals are a way to score points in American football. Different kicking methods are used to score field goals, which is reckoned when the ball goes over the goal post without touching the ground or any of the players.
- End Zone – End Zone or Goal Line refers to the end of the field, which is located on each side of the field. This is where the points can be scored by either putting the ball through the goal post or simply having a player run into the zone with the ball in his hands.
- Touchdown – Touchdown is one of the most used terms in American football. It is a way of scoring where the offensive team players can take the football and break into the opposing team’s end zone with the ball in their hands. A touchdown gives 6 points, and you can get an additional point or two-point conversion attempt.
- Timeouts – Time-outs are basically events where both teams can take a break whenever they need to. There are three timeouts per team, in each half of the game. During this time, the team can drink, take a break, make changes and add strategies depending on the game’s situation. Each timeout lasts for about 2 minutes.
- Safety – The defense team’s responsibility is to prevent the ball from advancing to its end zone. The defensive team can secure points by taking the football from the offensive team and running until the cramp takes them into the opponent’s end zone.
- Dead ball – After a game from scrimmage to a down is completed, the ball is in a state called dead ball.
-In collaboration with Bazoom Group
