Flag Football Review Sheet
-Football (as well as rugby and soccer) are believed to have descended from the ancient Greek game of harpaston.
-Harpaston is mentioned frequently in classical literature, where it is often referred to as a “very rough and brutal game.”
-The birth date of football in the United States is generally regarded by football historians as November 6, 1869, when teams from Rutgers and Princeton Universities met for the first intercollegiate football game.
-Walter Camp introduced the idea of an 11 man team based off the rugby-style play. He also introduced the system of downs
-St. Louis is the birthplace of the first national flag football organization - the National Touch Football League (NTFL).
-Mike Cihon, the regional director of the NTFL broke free to create the United States Flag Touch Football League
-Flag football can be played with up to 9 players on a team, and can be played indoors or outdoors. In the real game of American Football, 11 players can play on the field of play at one time.
-A coin toss determines who gets first possession of the ball.
Scoring:
Touch down = 6 points
Conversion by running = 1 point Conversion by passing = 2 points
Safety = 2 points
Time: Two 20-minute halves
Down- when the ball becomes dead. Four downs (or tries) are allowed to score a touch
down, or cross the centerline. On the fourth down if the offensive team doesn’t
score or reach the centerline they should punt the ball or risk turning over the ball
at the line of scrimmage.
Dead ball- the ball becomes dead when:
a. the ball carrier’s flag becomes detached
b. when any part of the ball carrier’s body other than the hands and feet touch the ground
c. an incomplete pass
d. a fumble
e. when the ball goes out of bounds
Center- the offensive lineman who snaps the football to the quarterback
End zone- the area between the goal line and the end line where touchdowns occur
Fumble- the ball carrier drops the ball while in their possession. Fumbles become dead
balls and can not be advanced by the recovering team
Handoff- an exchange of the football from the quarterback to a teammate. Only one
off during a series of downs
Interception- when the defense catches a ball that was meant to be caught by the offensive
team
Line of Scrimmage- Imaginary line drawn from the forward tip of the football to the side
line
Offside- Movement across the line of scrimmage before the football is snapped
Safety- removing the flag of the other team behind their own goal line with the ball
Touchdown- an offensive player having possession of the football in the opponent’s end zone
Pass interference- Contact during a down in which a legal forward pass is thrown, contact which interferes with an eligible receiver unless it occurs when two or more eligible receivers make a simultaneous and bona fide attempt to reach, catch, or bat a pass.
Flag Belt Removal:
a. No article of clothing may cover any portion of a player's flag.
b. When the flag belt is clearly taken from the ball carrier the down shall end and the ball is declared dead.
c. In any attempt to remove the flag belt from a ball carrier, defensive players may contact the body and shoulders of an opponent with their hands, but not their face or any part of their neck or head. A. defensive players may not hold, push, or knock the ball carrier down in an attempt to remove the flag.
d. Ball carriers shall not guard their flags to prevent the opportunity for an opponent to pull or remove flag belt and by blocking with arms or hands. (15 yards)