Category Archives for "Football Rules & Penalties"

Flag Football Rules (Easy Beginners Guide)

By Coach Martin | Football Rules & Penalties

Flag football is becoming an increasingly popular version of the sport, especially at the youth level.

For one, it doesn’t have any of the hard-hitting regular football does, which helps protect younger bodies from the wear and tear of the game.

This is especially important for younger kids, as their bodies are not fully grown and developed yet, and their growth could seriously suffer from major injuries too early on in life.

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What is an Illegal Forward Pass in Football? (Explained)

By Coach Martin | Football Rules & Penalties

Every play on offense is one of two things — either a run or a pass.

After the snap, the quarterback usually does one of two things: either hand the ball off (or toss it) to the running back for a run upfield, or pass it forward to one of their receivers.

With majority of teams preferring to run the ball back in the day, the forward pass was a revolutionary change in football more than 100 years ago.

Teams use these plays to advance the ball quickly downfield, taking advantage of various size/speed mismatches that wide receivers, tight ends and even running backs have over their defenders.

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NFL Overtime Rules (Regular Season & Playoffs Explained)

By Coach Martin | Football Rules & Penalties

Every NFL game is split into four quarters of 15 minutes each.

The first and the second quarter make up the first half, while the third and fourth make up the second half.

When the game clock ticks to zero at the end of the fourth quarter, the team with more points on the scoreboard is the winner.

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Double Punt: Can You Kick the Ball Twice in Football?

By Coach Martin | Football Rules & Penalties

When offenses stall on third down and are too far away from the opponent’s end zone to try for a touchdown or a field goal, they’ll often punt the ball away to the other team.

Although they give away possession of the football, it’s much better than the alternative — losing possession at the spot where they last held the ball.

The punt gives the offense the chance to pin the other team deep so that they have to march down the length of the field if they want to score.

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What is an Illegal Formation in Football? (Full Explanation)

By Coach Martin | Football Rules & Penalties

Football offenses back in the day focused primarily on running the ball, employing bigger players who could physically overpower their defensive counterparts.

As players began to develop new skills and training practices, however, coaches began to open up the game and incorporate more passing plays into the scheme.

Over the years, offensive coaches have constantly innovated to try to stay one step ahead of defenses — and to take advantage of speedier, stronger players at just about every position.

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When Does the Clock Stop in Football? (Full Explanation)

By Coach Martin | Football Rules & Penalties

In the game of football, there are is a running clock that ticks down as the plays go on.

However, there are pre-determined times when the clock will actually stop.

Understanding when these times occur is important, as offenses can actually use it to give them more time to huddle up and get set for a new play.

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American Football Rules (Simple Guide for Beginners)

By Coach Martin | Football Rules & Penalties

If you’re new to the game of American football, it can seem quite complicated.

Because it’s such a fast-moving game with a lot of players all over the field, it can be confusing to those who don’t know what’s going on.

At its core, though, American football is a quite simple game.

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What is an Interception in Football? (Full Explanation)

By Coach Martin | Football Rules & Penalties

There are a number of ways a turnover can happen in football.

These occur when the defense is able to gain possession of the football while the ball is still live.

Turnovers are always really big in football, no matter how, when, or where they occur on the field.

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What is Face Masking in Football? (Full Penalty Explanation)

By Coach Martin | Football Rules & Penalties

Football players wear a helmet with a face mask to protect their head, neck and face while playing this high-contact sport.

Players should treat helmets as protective equipment and shouldn’t use it to make a hit on another player or used in any other way.

Sometimes, though, players end up hitting, pushing or grabbing another player’s helmet and/or face mask.

When this happens, it can result in a penalty called by the referee.

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What is the Mercy Rule in High School Football? (Explained)

By Coach Martin | Football Rules & Penalties

The level of competition at the highest levels of football is often fairly equal.

Even in NFL games that pit a heavy favorite against a big underdog, the games typically aren’t extremely lopsided.

When you get to some lower levels, though, the talent difference from one team to the next can be quite significant.

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