How to Signal Defensive Holding in Football

Series Summary

In every game there are rules, and to enforce these rules we have assigned referees and umpires. This tedious task of watching and running has forever been shunned and yelled at throughout its existence. Countless shouts, profanities and flying hotdogs have been thrown in their direction and yet they continue to call the game as they see it. We thank referees for that because when it comes down to it, they make the game fair and much more interesting in the end.

Whether you want to be a referee or just want to understand what all those hand gestures made on the field mean, this is the video series for you. Throughout this series, you will learn the correct hand gestures for fouls such as tripping, holding, intentional grounding and delay of game. This is a great series for anyone wanting to know more about the finer points of the game of football so that the next time you watch a game you'll actually understand what's going on!

Video Transcript

"Hello, my name is Brian Currier and I am here on behalf of Expert Village. I'm here to talk about football penalties and the hand signals the officials give to indicate the penalties. A number of the penalties have different rules associated with them depending on the level of football you're talking about, whether it's high school, college, or even the NFL. If it's possible, we will indicate where those differences are. Defensive holding or illegal use of hands is a five yard penalty. At the NFL level defenses allow the hit, jam, or otherwise obstruct the receiver for the first five yards beyond the line of scrimmage. After that no contact is allowed. At the high school level, any contact is permissable unless the ball is in the air. The signal for illegal, defensive holding or illegal use of hands is. Penalties can be assessed on the offense, the defense and on special teams. Penalties involve five yard, ten yard, and fifteen yard markoffs, sometimes they have a loss of down associated with the penalty."