flag football

  • Flag football is a non-contact sport that emphasizes speed and strategy over physical strength.

  • The game is played with two teams, each attempting to score points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone.

  • Each player wears a flag belt, and the objective is to remove the flags from the ball carrier to stop their advance, promoting a focus on agility and teamwork.

  1. Shotgun:

In the shotgun, instead of the quarterback receiving the snap from center at the line of scrimmage, he stands farther behind the line of scrimmage, often five to seven yards back.

  1. Offensive Lineman:

A lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line who block for the quarterback, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line who try to tackle the quarterback

  1. Scramble:

A quarterback scramble occurs when the quarterback leaves the area protected by the offensive line and runs into the other areas of the field. A quarterback can scramble to avoid a sack, extend a play to give the downfield receivers more time to get open, or to attempt to gain yardage.

  1. Blitz:

Blitzing is a tactic used by the defense to disrupt pass attempts by the offense. During a blitz, a higher than usual number of defensive players will rush the opposing quarterback, to try to tackle the quarterback or force them to hurry their pass attempt.

  1. Snap:

A snap (also called a "hike", "snapback", or "pass from center") is the backwards passing of the ball in at the start of play from scrimmage.

  1. Tackle:

The primary and important purpose of tackling is to strip an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend.

  1. Offside:

In football, offside is an infraction of the rules in which a player is on the wrong side of the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped. This occurs simultaneously with the snap. Unlike offensive players, defensive players are not compelled to come to a set position before the snap.

  1. Running Back:

A running back is a member of the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch a pass from out of the backfield, and to block.

  1. Extra Point:

It occurs immediately after a touchdown during which the scoring team is allowed to attempt to score one extra point by kicking the ball through the uprights in the manner of a field goal.

  1. Goal Line:

The goal line is the chalked or painted line dividing the end zone from the field of play.


  1. Punt:

A punt in  football is a kick performed by dropping the ball from the hands and then kicking the ball before it hits the ground. Usually made when a team isn’t close to a score or achieving a first down.

  1. Touchdown:

A score in football when the offensive team crosses into the end zone. Worth 6 points.

  1. Field Goal:

A field goal is a way of scoring in football. To score a field goal the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar.

  1. Fumble:

When a player on the offensive team drops the ball.

  1. Interception:

When a player on the defensive team catches the ball on a pass from the quarterback on the offensive team.

  1. Red Zone:

The red zone is the area of the field between the 20-yard line and the goal line. The red zone has no official meaning during the process of playing the game and is not generally marked on the field (although some professional stadiums may have special striping for the 20-yard line).

  1. Sack:

When the quarterback is pushed and tackled behind the line of scrimmage before they can throw the ball.

  1. Quarterback:

The play caller on the offensive team.  They begin the play.

  1. Down:

A measure of play. The offensive team gets 4 before it is a turnover.

  1. Completion:

When an offensive player successfully catches the ball.

  1. Line of Scrimmage:

A line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line (across the width of the football field) beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun.

  1. False Start:

A false start is an infraction in which an offensive player moves after he has taken a set position and before the ball is snapped.

  1. Huddle:

A huddle is an action of a team gathering together, usually in a tight circle, to strategize, motivate or celebrate. ... The term "huddle" can be used as a verb as in "huddling up."

  1. Center (position):

The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense. Player who snaps the ball to the quarterback

  1. End Zone:

The end zone is the scoring area on the field.



  1. Neutral Zone:

 The neutral zone can be described as the length of the football (11 inches/28 centimeters) from one tip to the other when it is spotted (i.e. placed on a certain spot) on the field prior to the snap of the ball during a scrimmage down.

  1. Pigskin:

What the football is "made of".  Slang name for the football.

  1. Secondary:

Defensive backs, also known as the "secondary", play either behind the linebackers or set to the outside, near the sidelines.

  1. Hail Mary:

A play in which the ball is thrown down the field in desperation.

      30. First Down:

The offensive team has 4 downs or plays to either score or gain 10 yards. If they don't gain 10 yards, after the fourth try, the opposing team gets possession of the football at the spot of the tackle. Each down is called by its name or number: First, second, third, and fourth down. The first down can be reached if you pass the imaginary first down line.

      31. Safety:

When an offensive player is tackled in their own endzone.  Worth 2 points for the defending team.

      32. Hash Marks:

The hash marks are two rows of lines near the middle of the field that are perpendicular to the side lines. That is, if the ball is downed in between a hash mark and the nearest sideline, it must be placed on that hash mark for the next play.

      33. Intentional Grounding:

When the QB throws the ball away to no player on purpose to avoid a sack.

      34. Pocket:

The area in the backfield created on a passing play where the offensive line forms a wall of protection around the quarterback. This allows him adequate time to find an open receiver and to pass the ball.

      35. Fair Catch:

A player attempting to catch a ball kicked by the opposing team – either on a kickoff or punt – is entitled to catch the ball without interference from any member of the kicking team.

Aim

o The purpose of American football is to move the ball

towards the opposition's end zone and ultimately into

their end zone (a touchdown).

o This is achieved by either running with the ball until

tackled, or throwing the ball down field to a teammate.

Downs

o Downs are the most fundamental part of play. The

offensive team moves the ball forward in sections of at

least 10 yards. They have four chances (or downs) to

gain those 10 yards. Each time the ball is advanced at

least 10 yards within their four chances, another first

down is earned, with four more chances to go a further

10 yards.

o If the offensive team fails to move 10 yards within four

downs, possession is surrendered. However, the ball is

usually punted to the defending team on fourth down.

Teams

o There are 11 players from each team on field at any one

time

Scoring

o A touchdown is worth six points, and is scored when a

team crosses the opposition's goal line with the ball, or

catches or collects the ball in the end zone.

o A Field goal is worth three points. Field goals are usually

attempted on fourth down if the kicker is close enough to

the end zone to kick the ball through the posts.

o An extra point is earned by kicking the ball through the

uprights after a touchdown. The team can go for two

points by taking the ball into the end zone again.

o Two points is awarded to the defensive team for a safety

when a member of the offensive team is tackled with the

ball in his own end zone.

o Football Rules for Starting a Game:

o  The coin toss - before the game begins, the referee

and team captains get together for a good old-

fashioned coin toss, with the visiting team calling heads

or tails. Winner gets to choose either to have his team

start the game with the ball in their possession

(receiving the kickoff) or picking which end of the field

he wants for his team's 'territory.' The latter may not

sound like a big deal, but sometimes having the sun in

your face or the wind at your back can make a

difference. In any event, the positions are reversed

before the start of the third quarter (aka the beginning

of the second half), and the ends of the field being

defended are traded at the end of each quarter.

o The kickoff - yes, a football game really does start with

an actual kickoff. The football is kicked by the defense

to the offense to start the action at the beginning of the

game, at the beginning of the second half of the game,

and after points have been scored.

Football Rules for Playing a Game:

 When a team has possession of the ball (i.e., they

are 'on offense'), the object is to move the ball forward

into the end zone, or, barring that, to move the ball a

minimum of ten yards in four attempts (called downs,

the first of each series being 'first down,' and so on). To

make it easy to keep track of their success or failure,

the playing field has lines drawn across it at five-yard

intervals, with the yard numbers noted every ten yards

(as you can see in the above diagram of a football

field).

 If the offense fails to move the football forward the

required ten yards, they must turn the ball over to their

opponent.

 If the offense takes all four downs and fails to move

the ball the required ten yards, the ball is turned over

to the other team at that point on the field. That is, the

defense now becomes the offense at the exact place

where the offense has been stopped.

 The offense also has the option, on fourth down, of

kicking the ball to the opponent when they have failed

to make the required ten yards and have too far to go

to take a chance of making it on the remaining down.

As you can see, if they have to turn over the ball to the

opposition after failing to make ten yards in four

downs, where they are on the playing field when this

happens is key. If they are still closer to their own end

zone than to that of their opponent, if they give the ball

to their opponent at that place on the field, they have

placed their opponent closer to being able to enter their

end zone and score against them. In that case, they

can (and usually do) use the option of kicking the ball

to their opponent such that the ball winds up as far

away from their end zone as possible.