How to play American football

American Football is one of the biggest North American sports. Whilst the game is played worldwide, the professional leagues in North America (such as the NFL) easily attract the best players in the world making its leagues the most competitive. The pinnacle of the sport comes in the form of the Super Bowl played out every year to millions of people around the world.

 

The goal of American football is to score points by carrying the ball from a starting point on a 100-yard long by 52-yard wide field into a specially marked ten-yard-deep zone at either end of the field called an end zone. Each team uses the end zone in front of them to score, while trying to prevent the opposing team from reaching the end zone behind them. Each end zone has a Y-shaped structure at its outside edge called the goal post, which is used to score points with kicking plays.

The end zone that a team is defending is usually referred to as “their” end zone. Thus, a team with 70 yards to go before it can score a touchdown is 30 yards from its end zone.
Teams trade possession of the ball according to strict rules. Whichever team is in possession of the ball is known as the “offense;” the other team is called the “defense.”

Football is divided into four quarters of 15 minutes each, with a break between the second and third periods called “halftime” that is normally 12 minutes long. While the clock is active, the game is divided into even shorter segments called “plays.” A play begins when the ball is moved from the ground into the hands of the players, and ends when either the ball hits the ground, or the person holding touches at least one knee to the ground. When a play is over, the players have 40 seconds to reset the ball in the middle of whatever yard line it stopped at and get into team formations before the next play must begin.

Play time can stop for a few different reasons. If a player runs out of bounds, a penalty is called, or a pass is thrown but not caught by anybody, the clock will stop while referees sort everything out.
Penalties are indicated by referees, who throw yellow flags onto the field when they see a violation to let everyone on the field know that a penalty has been called. Penalties normally result in the offending team losing between 5 and 15 yards of field position. There are many penalties, but some of the most common are “offside” (someone was on the wrong side of the line of scrimmage when the ball was snapped), “holding” (someone grabbed another player with his hands instead of tackling him properly), and “clipping” (someone contacted an opposing player other than the ball carrier from behind, and below the waist).

Kickoff: At the very beginning of the game, team captains flip a coin to decide who will have to kick the ball to the other team, to start the game. This initial play is called the kickoff, and typically involves a long kick down field from one team to the other, with the team that kicked the ball rushing towards the team receiving the ball in order to prevent them from running the ball a long ways back towards the kicking team's end zone. After halftime, there is a second kickoff from whichever team is in possession of the ball to the other team.

Downs: The word “down” is synonymous with the word “chance” in American football. The offense is allowed four downs to move the ball at least 10 yards towards the end zone. Each play ends in a new down. If the goal of 10 yards from the first down is achieved before the fourth down is over, the count resets to the first down, commonly noted as “1st and 10” to indicate that the standard 10 yards are once again required to reset to the first down. Otherwise, the downs count from one to four. If four downs pass without resetting to the first down, control of the ball passes to the other team.

Generally the most common type of play seen in football is the running play. Running plays tend to yield less yardage per play than passing plays, but are much less likely to accidentally transfer control of the ball to the other team. They have the added advantage of getting the football out of the quarterback's hands quickly, before an aggressive defense can reach his position and cost the team extra yards. If the ball is dropped during a running play, it is called a fumble. A fumbled ball can be picked up by the other team to gain control of it. 

Slightly less common than the running play, the passing play is a great way to make up lost yards quickly... if the pass is completed. Short passing plays are often used in combination with running plays as well, to keep the defense on its toes. The great advantage of a passing play is its ability to completely circumvent a tough ground defense. Incomplete passes (wherein nobody catches the ball after it is thrown) stop the clock and end the play.

By far the best way to get better at playing football is to practice regularly. The game uses a special skill set that is not seen very many other places in life, so consistent work is required to improve the way you play. 

This guide only lists the most basic elements of play. Team formations and strategies go far beyond the information presented here. Read up on some of them and think about how your team can use them to gain an advantage on the field. 

Players & Equipment

Whilst there are only 11 players from each team on the field at any team, an American football team is actually made up of 45 players. The teams are generally split into three groups of attacking (generally smaller, stronger, faster type of players, including a quarterback who is said to run the attacking plays and throw the ball to their teammates), defence (larger, more powerful players designed to stop players from running) and special team players (responsible for the kicking and punting side of the game with a mixture of larger and faster players).
An American football field is generally around 100 yards long and 160 yards wide. Lines are drawn on the field at 10 yard interval to indicate how far each team has to go before reaching the end zone. The end zones are added at each end of the pitch and are roughly 20 yards in length each. Posts can also be found at each end of which the kicker kicks the ball over.

Scoring

When a player scores a touchdown six points are awarded to their team. A touchdown can be scored by either carrying the ball into the end zone or receiving the ball from a pass whilst in the end zone. After a touchdown has been scored the attacking team have opportunity to kick the ball for an extra point. The ball must pass between the upright posts for a successful kick.
A field goal can be scored from anywhere on the pitch at any time (usually on the final down) and a successful kick will result in three points. A safety is where the defensive team manages to tackle an attacking opponent in their own end zone; for this the team will receive 2 points.

Winning The Game

The team with the most points at the end of the game will be deemed the winner. If the points are tied then over time will come into play where the teams will play an additional quarter until a winner is found.

Related links :

http://www.rulesofsport.com/sports/american-football.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Play-American-Football