American Football: How to Play for Beginners

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Learn the lingo, rules, and mechanics of America’s most popular sport

Co-authored by Brendon Rearick and Eric McClure

Last Updated: December 10, 2024 Fact Checked

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How to Play American Football

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Gameplay Tips & Strategy

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Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

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If you've ever wondered about the basics of how to play (or at least follow) American football, you're not alone. American football can seem like a bunch of guys repeatedly crashing into each other until you understand some of the basics and start to see the strategy involved. While the game may seem complex, it’s actually not that complicated once you understand the basic rules and structure of play—which is precisely what we’re here to break down!

American Football: Quick Overview

The team with the most points wins. Teams score by carrying the ball into the end zone for a touchdown (6 points), or by kicking field goals (3 points).
Teams on offense have four turns (called downs) to move the ball 10 yards. If they do, they reset their turn number with a “first down.” If they don’t, they lose the ball.
Teams can run or pass the ball on offense. Running is lower risk, but with a lower reward most of the time.

Section 1 of 2:

How to Play American Football

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The goal of American football is to score points by carrying the ball into the opponent’s "end zone" by passing or running the ball. Players can also score by kicking the ball through the U-shaped uprights (called a field goal) or by tackling an opposing player in their own end zone with the ball (called a safety). 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.”
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The Field An American football field is 120 yards long and 53.3 yards wide. The (usually color-coded) 10-yard-deep areas at either end of the field are called end zones. 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.^{[1]
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- The end zone that a team is defending is usually referred to as “their” end zone.
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Time of play is divided into four quarters (and two halves). Quarters are 15 minutes each, with a break between the second and third periods called “halftime,” which is normally 12 minutes long. While the clock is active, the game is divided into even shorter segments called “plays” or “downs.”^{[2]
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Plays Plays are considered “downs” and teams get four of them per 10 yards. Every time a team makes it to the 10-yard mark, it is called a “first down”, which means the team gets a fresh set of four “downs” (a down is just a single play). Here’s the structure of a down:
- A play begins when the ball is moved from the ground into the hands of a player (usually a quarterback) and play ends when either the ball hits the ground, or the person holding the ball is tackled and his knee or elbow touches the ground.
- After play ends, an official (called a referee), places the ball on the yard marker which corresponds to his or her judgment of the place where the forward progress of the player with the ball was stopped.
- Each team has 4 downs and turns the ball over unless they score or get a first down. If the team fails to get a first down within the 4 downs, the offensive team has to hand over the ball to the opposing team.
- The offensive team has 30 seconds to get into formation and begin the next play after the previous down ends.
- Play time can stop for a few different reasons: If a player runs out of bounds, a penalty is called, a flag is thrown, or a pass is thrown but not caught by anybody (an incomplete pass).
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Penalties Penalties, called “flags,” occur to punish rule violations. Penalties are indicated by referees, who throw yellow flags onto the field when they see a violation. This lets everyone on the field know that a penalty has been called. Penalties normally result in the offending team (could be either offense or defense) losing between 5-15 yards of field position. There are many penalties, but some of the most common are:
- Offsides — At least one player on a team is lined up on the wrong side of the starting line (called the line of scrimmage).
- Holding — A blocker has physically held on to another player to keep them from getting by.
- False Start — An offensive player jumped early before the ball is in play (the ball must move first at the snap before anyone can move).
- Pass Interference — A player has pushed, grabbed, or blocked another player from trying to catch the ball.
- Delay of Game — The offensive team fails to start a play before the 30-second timer goes off.
- Face Mask — A player grabs another player’s face mask.
- Unsportsmanlike Conduct — Either someone hit a player late, hit them in a dangerous way, insulted the referee, or made some other kind of decorum violation.
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Scoring There are multiple ways for teams to score points in American football, including:^{[3]
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- A touchdown is when the football is successfully carried into the proper end zone by a player (or caught by a player standing in the proper end zone), and is worth 6 points.
- An extra point, wherein a player kicks the football between the goal posts after his team has scored a touchdown, is worth 1 point.
  - When the touchdown play is followed by a passing or running play into the end zone instead of a kick, the play is called a two-point conversion, and is worth 2 points.
- A field goal is when a player kicks the football between the goal posts without having scored a touchdown on the previous play, and is worth 3 points. Field goals are commonly seen as last-ditch tactics at the end of close games.
- A safety, wherein a player is so far down the field that he is in his own end zone and is subsequently tackled while holding the ball, is worth 2 points.
- In the case of a tie, an additional 15-minute overtime period is usually played.
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The Flow of the Game American football is made up of two basic structural elements that guide play. These are the kickoff and the downs system:^{[4]
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- The opening kickoff — At the very beginning of the game, the head referee flips a coin and the home team captain calls out which side of the coin will be face up. If correct, that captain may choose to kick off or to receive the opening kickoff or allow the visiting team captain to make that choice. Once the kicking and receiving teams are decided, the team captain who lost the coin toss gets to decide which goal his or her team will defend during the first half. This initial play is called the kickoff.
  - After halftime, there is a second kickoff by whichever team did not perform the opening kickoff. Throughout the second half, the end zones each team defends are flipped (so whichever team defended the northern end zone now defends the southern end zone and vice versa).
- Downs — The word “down” is synonymous with the word “chance” or "plays" in American football. The offense is allowed four downs to move the ball at least 10 yards (9.1 m) toward the end zone. Each play ends in a new down. If the goal of 10 yards (9.1 m) 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 (9.1 m) are once again required to reset to the first down.^{[5]
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  Research source} 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.
  - This means that a team that moves the ball 10 or more yards on each play will never be on the second down. Every time the ball is moved 10 yards (9.1 m) or more in the proper direction, the next play is a first down with 10 yards (9.1 m) to go.
  - The distance required to reset to the first down is cumulative, so running 4 yards (3.7 m) on the first down, 3 yards (2.7 m) on the second, and 3 yards (2.7 m) on the third is enough for the next play to be a first down again.
  - If a play ends with the ball behind the line of scrimmage, the difference in yards is added to the total number of yards required for a first down. For example, if the quarterback is tackled 7 yards (6.4 m) behind the line with the ball in his hands, the next play will be noted as “2nd and 17,” meaning that 17 yards (15.5 m) must be covered in the next three plays to reset to a first down.
  - Instead of playing the fourth down, the offense can choose to punt the ball, which is a long kick that transfers control of the ball to the other team, but is likely to force them to start farther up the field than they would otherwise have been.
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Team positions Each team is allowed to have eleven players on the field at once. Different team members hold different positions and have different duties on the field. Most competitive teams are actually composed of three separate teams of players, each of which is rotated onto the field to perform one type of task.^{[6]
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- The offensive team includes the following players:
  - The quarterback is in charge on offense. They pass the ball, hand it off to runners, or keep it themselves.
  - The offensive line is composed of the center, who snaps the ball to the quarterback, two guards, and two tackles. Their job is to block and protect the quarterback.
  - Wide receivers stand on either side of the line of scrimmage and run down the field on passing plays. They try to catch the ball when it is thrown.
  - The running back takes the ball from the quarterback and runs it towards the end zone.
  - Tight ends help defend the outside edges of the line and can also catch the ball in case of a pass.
- The defensive team comprises the following players:
  - Linebackers defend against passing plays and also rush through the line and blitz the quarterback.
  - The defensive line keeps the pressure on the offensive line. They can also blitz (which means “attack”) the quarterback.
  - Cornerbacks and safeties defend players trying to receive a pass or trying to run the ball down the field past the defensive line. They can also blitz the quarterback.
- The third team is called special teams. They come on the field any time the ball is being kicked for punts, field goals, or kickoffs.

Section 2 of 2:

Gameplay Tips & Strategy

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1
Fight your way forward with running plays. 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 (called a turnover). They have the added advantage of getting the football out of the quarterback's hands quickly before an aggressive defense can reach their position.^{[7]
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- If the ball is dropped during a play, it is called a fumble. A fumbled ball can be picked up by either the other team, or the team that fumbled it to gain or regain control of it.
- The quarterback normally hands the ball off to a teammate (typically a running back) to execute a running play, but they can also choose to run the ball themselves. Being able to think quickly and assess the situation as it changes is a vital skill for a quarterback to help him decide when to run the ball on his own!
- Running plays have the benefit of being difficult to see in detail from behind the defensive line. Very often, the offense will try to trick the defense by seeming to hand the ball off to two or even three different runners.
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Pierce the defense with passing plays. 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, that is. Short passing plays are often used in combination with running plays to keep the defense on its toes. The great advantage of a passing play is its ability to completely circumvent a tough ground defense.^{[8]
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Research source} Incomplete passes (wherein nobody catches the ball after it is thrown) stop the clock and end the play.
- The quarterback usually needs more time to throw a pass than they’d normally need for a running play, so the offensive line must be able to protect the quarterback and give them time
- If a pass is caught by the defense, it is called an interception. Importantly, the play is not over once the ball has been intercepted. The defending player who made the interception can (and often does) turn right around and run the ball back down the field for an exciting touchdown. This is called a pick six and it’s considered one of the most exciting plays in the game.
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Combine passing and running plays to keep the defense uneven. Your offensive team should plan to use a mixture of both running and passing plays to keep the defense guessing. Practice a few different formations with your team and get good at running them.^{[9]
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- The quarterback especially should practice throwing the ball accurately, as well as learning to make convincing fake handoffs to the running backs.
- As a rule of thumb, it's safer to start out with a couple of running plays until your team gets a feel for how the defense responds. A defensive team that's great at intercepting the ball might not have much going for it on the ground, or vice versa.
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Practice, practice, and practice some more! 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 in very many other places in life, so consistent work is required to improve the way you play.^{[10]
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- Practice with your team if at all possible. Practice holding the ball, catching the ball, and running with it; practice watching the other players so that you can change what you are doing based on what is happening elsewhere on the field.
- Strength and endurance training is very important, too.
- Don't forget to practice strategy and special plays, like field goals, together so that you can go out onto the field and work as an intelligent whole when game day arrives.
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Study the strategy of the game. 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.^{[11]
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- Watching professional teams play is one of the best ways you can learn the more complex elements of the game. The NFL play by play is actually very high level and the commentators do a good job of breaking down complicated plays.

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Should I try for football if I know how to play but haven't practiced much?

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Yes. Try your best!

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I am an 11-year-old girl and I want to play football so bad but other people think it is crazy. What should I do?

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You can play! Don't worry about what other people think.

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What should I do if I'm a girl and want to sign up for football, but no one thinks I can do it?

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Ignore them. Keep practicing and prove them wrong! If you really like football, then don't let other people keep you from playing.

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Tips

While the total length of a standard football field is 120 yards, the field of play is only 100 yards. The remaining 20 yards include the end zones.^{[12]
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To keep the ball secure when running, place the palm of one hand the tip of one side of the ball, and put the other tip in the fold of the inside of your arm where your elbow is. Then draw that arm in so the ball is against your body tightly. When you're about to get hit by another person, place your free hand on top of the ball and hold on tight. It's better to lose yards and keep the ball than to gain yards and end up fumbling.

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Catch the ball away from your body, with your hands, then draw it close. This helps prevent the ball from bouncing off your body as you try to catch it.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Practice tackling with good technique — keep your head up and shoulders forward. This helps prevent injuries to you and others. Wear protective gear during practices and games.
Build your athleticism by training regularly. Football requires strength, endurance and agility. Work on these to improve your performance.
Study playbooks and strategies so you understand formations and plays. Knowing what your team should do on each down will help you execute.
Communicate with teammates on the field. Point out defenses you notice and tell receivers when the ball is coming.
Throw accurate passes by aiming for open receivers not covered by defense. Try to avoid interceptions.
Stay focused on your goals for each play throughout the game. Don't get distracted.

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Warnings

Football is a rough sport, so get ready to be hit. If you would prefer not to play full-contact football, consider tap football, where you tap them, or flag football, in which players are considered “tackled” when an opposing player pulls a ribbon or flag of cloth off of them.

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It is normal to get bruised up and worn out while playing football, but if you experience any severe or persistent pain, stop playing and get it checked out by a doctor first.

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It has been proven that playing football is linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which can lead to dementia, depression, and aggression.

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