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The game begins with a kickoff, where one team kicks the ball to the other team.
Sports Rules Guide
American Football
American football looks complicated at first-but the idea is simple.
Two teams take turns trying to move the ball down the field and score, while the other tries to stop them.
American football is a team sport built around territory, possession, and scoring points.
It is one of the most popular sports in the United States and is played at school, college, and professional levels.
The game grew out of older forms of football and rugby in the late 1800s and gradually developed into the modern version played today.
The sport is known for short bursts of action, planned plays, and constant switches between attack and defense.
A game is split into four quarters, and the team with more points at the end wins.
It is followed most heavily in the United States, especially through college football and the NFL.
How It Works
How does the game begin?
The first thing to understand is how a game starts and what happens right after one team gets the ball.
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The team that receives the ball starts with possession and becomes the offense.
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The offense tries to move the ball toward the far end of the field.
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The other team becomes the defense and tries to stop that progress.
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After each short play, the ball is placed where the play ended.
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The offense keeps trying to move forward until it scores, loses the ball, or runs out of chances to continue.
Possession
So who is actually trying to score?
The team with the ball is the one trying to score.
That team is called the offense.
The other team is called the defense, and its job is to stop that progress.
When the ball changes hands, the two teams swap roles.
Downs And Possession
How does a team keep the ball?
A team does not get unlimited chances to move forward. It has to keep earning the right to continue.
A down is one play.
The offense gets four downs to gain 10 yards.
That progress counts only when a player runs with the ball or catches a pass and controls it. A pass that simply falls to the ground does not move the ball forward.
If the offense gains 10 yards within those four downs, it earns a new set of four downs. This is called a first down.
If it does not gain those 10 yards in time, the other team usually gets the ball.
Scoring
Once they move the ball well, how do they score?
Teams can score in a few different ways, but the main goal is to get into the end zone.
Touchdown (6 points)
This is the main way to score. It happens when a player carries the ball into the end zone or catches it there and keeps control of it.
Extra Point (1 point)
After a touchdown, teams often kick for one extra point.
Two-Point Conversion (2 points)
Instead of kicking, a team can try one more play into the end zone for two points.
Field Goal (3 points)
If a team is close enough but not in the end zone, it can try a kick for three points.
Safety (2 points)
This happens when the offense is stopped in its own end zone. The defense gets two points.
Field Layout
What does the field look like?
The field has a long middle section, an end zone at each end, and goal posts used for kicks.
The middle of the field is marked with yard lines.
Each team defends one end zone and attacks the other.
The 50-yard line is the middle of the field.
Goal posts stand at the back of each end zone.
Glossary
A few terms worth knowing
These are common terms you will hear during a game.
Down
One chance for the offense to run a play.
Touchdown
A score worth six points.
Interception
A defender catches a pass meant for the offense.
Fumble
The ball is dropped while still live.
Sack
The quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing.
Kickoff
The kick that starts a half or follows a score.
Field Goal
A kick through the goal posts worth three points.