Your Guide to the Super Bowl: These Tips Will Help You | Football

The Super Bowl, the annual finale of the American football season, will be played this weekend. American football is a difficult tactical sport that is starting to receive more and more attention outside the United States. With the guide below you can watch this fascinating sport with a little more knowledge on Sunday.

A field full of stripes and more than a hundred players

American football is played on a turf or artificial turf field the size of a football field here. The playing field is divided into 10 10-yard (9.14-yard) strips with an additional 10-yard end zone on each side where the goal posts are also located.

During the match, 11 players are on the pitch twice at the same time: an attacking team and a defending team. Unlimited changes are allowed, which constantly happens due to the harshness and intensity of the game.

This is also the main reason why NFL teams have such a gigantic core of 53 players. They are divided into three groups:

  1. OFFENSE: players who attack exclusively
  2. DEFENSE: players who defend exclusively
  3. SPECIAL TEAMS: players for standard situations in which the ball must be kicked

The American football field with the different yard lines

The American football field with the different yard lines

Object of the game: to score touchdowns

As in any sport, the goal is to score more points than your opponent. The attacking team attempts to run or pass the ball into the defending team’s end zone to score a touchdown that 6 points returns.

After a touchdown, the attacking team has two choices:

  1. Either they try 1 additional point score by hitting the ball between the goal posts, the most commonly chosen option.
  2. Either they go 2 additional points scoring while running or throwing into the end zone from the 2-yard line in one attempt, which is riskier.

When a goal is scored, a kick-off follows in which the scoring side kicks the ball at the opponent to get them to start the attack as far from their own zone as possible. in-goal.

Attack: 4 attempts to cover 10 meters

An attacking team gets four tries or low cover a minimum of 10 meters. After an attempt, they always start where they left off (eg 2 meters + 3 meters + 5 meters). If 10 meters are reached, they get four more tries until they reach the end zone and score a touchdown.

Every attempt always starts with strategist, the most important player on a team. He decides how they will try to gain ground. Here are the two most commonly used options:

  1. WHO PASSED: The quarterback can move the ball and throw it once forward to a teammate, a catcher, who in turn can still run with the ball.
  2. RUSHING: The quarterback can pass the ball to another player, a ball carrier, who then runs forward.

If the pass goes out of bounds or the ball falls to the ground, this is called a incomplete pass. The game then starts on the next attempt at the same location. If the quarterback is tackled with the ball in his hands, it is called a bag then the next attempt begins at this location.

An attacking player may lose the ball or the defenders may intercept the pass in the air. When that happens, there is one interception and the defense immediately becomes an attack and can even score a touchdown if they throw the ball into the end zone.

Defense: try to stop gaining ground

The opposing team’s defense does everything in its power to prevent the attacking team from gaining ground. Blocking, tackling, sacking … etc. Much is allowed under strict NFL rules.

When the defense succeeds in retaining territorial gain, in most cases the following situation occurs:

  • FIELD OBJECTIVE: The attacking team fails to reach 10 yards after 3 attempts and is close enough to the end zone to kick the ball between the goal posts for 3 more points.
  • PUNT: The attacking team fails to reach 10 meters after 3 attempts, is too far from the end zone to score a basket and sends the ball forward so that the opposing team starts their attack as far as possible from its own end zone.
  • ROTATION: The attacking team makes a 4th attempt and does not reach 10 meters, so the ball is automatically directed towards the opponent at this point.

Because the chances of rolling are so high, the attacking team will almost always kick or score a basket on a fourth attempt. Unless they are extremely close to the end zone or are several points behind.

Field goal

Field goal

American football can take a long time

An American football game is divided into four 15-minute shifts. Each shift is changed sides and after two shifts there is a 12 minute rest. In the event of a tie, there will always be a 10-minute overtime.

In theory, a match lasts 1 hour and 12 minutes. But, like most American sports, American football also works with efficient playing time. As soon as the game stops, the timer also stops.

That’s why games over three and a half hours are no exception. So make sure you have enough snacks and drinks when you watch the Super Bowl.

Check Also

The Dutch team plays the United States in the World Cup in an almost sold-out stadium

The Dutch team plays the United States in the World Cup in an almost sold-out stadium

The Orange footballers will meet the United States in Wellington on Thursday in a nearly …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *