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Step 1
Show the group of boys the football. Tell them that the game is played on a 100-yard-long football field. Tell them that there are two teams and, that each team is made up of 11 players. Tell them the true object of the game is to get the ball into your opponent's end zone, but the modern objective is to score more points.
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Step 2
Tell the boys that when a team has the ball they are the offense and they are trying to score. The other team is called the defense and they are trying to stop them. Tell them the offense is made up of seven positions allowed to touch the ball: The quarterback, fullback, running back, tight end and two wide-receivers. Also there is the center who hikes the ball. Four additional players cannot touch the ball--two guards and two tackles. A team also has a kicker for special plays.Tell the boys the team moves the ball down the field to score points by throwing the ball from/to legal players and by running the ball. They do this until they are stopped which could be by touch, flag or tackle depending on the league.
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Step 3
Tell the boys that the defense is made up of linemen called tackles (2) and ends (2). Their job is to stop runs and push the offensive line back. There are three linebackers who stand behind the linemen to guard against runs and throwing the ball called passes. Tell them the four remaining players are called defensive backs (2) and safeties (2), and their job is to stop the pass. Tell the boys where the two teams line up is called the line of scrimmage.
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Step 4
Continue to explain that the game starts with a coin toss. The winner can kick the ball to the other team or receive the ball. When the team with the ball starts, they are running "plays." A team is allowed four plays, or "downs," to travel 10 yards. If they do, they get another set of downs. If they don't, they have their kicker kick to the other team and they go on defense.
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Step 5
Advise the boys that a game is made up of 4 quarters of 8 minutes each (15 in the pros), and scoring consists of touchdowns--if you get the ball into your opponent's end zone, it counts as 6 points. Kicking the ball through the uprights, or goalposts at the end zone, is an additional point. To run or pass the ball into the end zone after a touchdown is 2 points. If you stop your opponent in their own end zone, that is a "safety," and counts as 2 points. Finally, tell the boys that if they get close enough to kick the ball through the goalposts, they get 3 points and it is called a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Comments
momahoppi said
on 7/18/2009 Great start - now what