본문 바로가기 대메뉴 바로가기

대학신문방송국

HIGHHANBAT

미래가치를 창출하는 글로컬 산학일체 혁신대학

Cultural News

Do You Wanna Play American Football?

작성자HANBAT HERALD  조회수4,903 등록일2023-02-20
그림2.png [31.6 KB]

Do You Wanna Play American Football? 

 By Woo Jung-kyu Cub Reporter, Sophomore of Industrial Engineering

American football is a very popular sport in the United States of America. In the U.S. there are many sports, such as baseball, basketball, ice hockey, and soccer, but none are as popular as American football. The matches are held in the autumn and winter seasons. So when the hot summer ends and cool wind starts to blow, Americans think ‘Football season is coming.’

Basic Playing Rules 

The ultimate goal of American football  is how to approach the other team’s end zone with a team that consists of 11 players. The end zone can also be called the other team’s ‘backyard’ and is important to control during the game. The typical way to bring down the other team is by using attack lines which are aimed at the other team’s backyard, while slowly moving forward. This is called ‘rushing play’, but if it involves the risk of quickly approaching the end zone, it is called ‘passing play.’ Defense lines protect  their backyard in a variety of ways. 

Game Length

An American football game has a duration of 60 minutes which is divided into four 15 minute quarters which make up the first and second half of the game. But the game always lasts more than 60 minutes, due to the actions of being interrupted from penalties and their assessment, and also the time allotted between innings. If regular four 15 minute quarters end when the score is drawn, then the game goes into extra play time. The extra play rules of professional and amateur league’s are different. In a professional league, scoring more than one-point leads to a win, and if the game does not end after 10 minutes, it ends as a draw. However, the amateur league teams are both given the equal opportunity to attack each other.

Scoring Plays

There are five ways to score in American football. First, if the player takes the ball, crosses the other teams goal line and enters the end zone, they score 6 points. This is called a touchdown. Second, after a touchdown, if the player starts the attack on a line 25 yards away from the other team’s end zone, and if the player kicks the ball into the post, they score 1 point and get a total of 7 points. Third, another way to score additional points is to start the attack from a line 2 yards away from the other team’s end zone, and once again, if they take the ball into the end zone, they score 2 points and get a total of 8 points. This is often called a two-point conversion. Fourth, if the kicker kicks the ball into the post, that is called a field goal and they score 3 points. Finally, in a very rare case, when the attacking team enters their end zone with the ball, it is called safety, and they give 2 points to the other team. It is a similar idea to an ‘own goal’ in the case of soccer, where the score is lost and the attack is handed over, making it more difficult.


2 points: Safety

3 points: Field goal

6 points: Touchdown

7 points: Touchdown and kick the ball into the post

8 points: Touchdown and 2-pt conversion

There are various ways to score points as shown in the table above.

Positions

In American football, positions are largely divided into offensive and defensive teams, with quarterbacks, offensive linemen (center, guards, tackle), wide receivers, running backs (fullbacks, halfbacks), and tight ends.

  • Quarterback: The role that the center player takes a snap ball and passes it, or hands it over. to the running back.

  • Offensive lineman: Center, Guard, and Tackle stand at the front to provide time for the quarterback to pass from the opponent’s pressure, or to provide a space for the running back to play with the ball.

  • Wide receiver: The role of jumping into the opponent’s defensive area at the same time as the snap, tricking the defense, and receiving a pass from the quarterback.

  • Running back: The position where the quarterback takes the ball and runs through the opponent’s front line. This refers to a fullback and a halfback, in which the halfback receives the ball and the fullback stands in front of it to clear the path for the defensive player.

  • Tight end: Act as an additional lineman or receiver as required.

Defensive lineman (end, tackle, offensive lineman), linebacker, and secondary (cornerback, safety) are the defensive team.

  • Defensive linemen: End, Tackle, and Offensive linemen rush toward their quarterback to protect them or to break the path of the other team’s running back, and to block the running back trying to break through the gaps.

  • Linebacker: The role of backing up a line.

  • Cornerback: The role of keeping wide receivers in check to receive passes.

  • Safety: The role of the goalkeeper, the sweeper, and the defense of the backyard.

When the autumn wind blows, the American football season begins. If you watch American football, which is popular in the United States, you can feel a different charm from the sports we commonly know. Let’s all get into the charm of American football.