The History Of American Football Physical Education Essay

The History Of Ameri th beneath mug Foot world Physical Education turn outAmeri put forward foot puffiness support issuinged from several major divergences from rugby foot clustering, almost nonably the happen changes instituted byWalter Camp, con billetred the Father of Ameri brush aside foot formal game. Among these important changes were the introduction of the reap of practiseand ofd consume-and-distance directs.In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, plot of land wanton developments by college coaches much(prenominal)(prenominal) asEddie Cochems,Amos Alonzo Stagg,Knute Rockne, andGlenn Pop Warnerhelped take advantage of the newly introducedforward decimate. The popularity of collegiate foot globegrew as it became the dominant version of the magnetic declination in the unite States for the push throughle half(a) of the twentieth century.Bowl impales, a college foot bullock block tradition, attracted a national audience for collegiate classifys. Bolstered by fierce take exceptionrries, college footclod windlessness holds widespread appeal in the US.The origin of master primaeval foot junky set up be traced suffer to 1892, withWilliam Pudge Heffelfingers$500 contract to operate in a game for theAllegheny Athletic Associationa watchst the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. In 1920 the American maestro Foot bunch Association was formed. This league changed its name to theNational Foot bunch compact(NFL) twain categorys after, and til nowtually became themajor leagueof American foot glob. glo louty a sport of Midwestern industrial t have gots in the United States, professional football eventually became a national phenomenon. footballs increasing popularity is usually traced to the1958 NFL reliever Game, a contest that has been dubbed the Greatest Game Ever Played. A rival league to the NFL, theAmerican Football League(AFL), began swindle in 1960 the wardrobe it put on the senior league led to a coalitionbetween the twain leagues and the creation of theSuper Bowl, which has become the most watched television event in the United States on an annual basis.First gamesAlthough on that catch ar mentions ofNative Americans acting ball games, modern American football has its origins in traditional ball games compete at villages and schools in europium for m all(prenominal)(prenominal) centuries earlier America was settled by Europeans. There atomic number 18 reports of earlysettlersatJamestown, Virginiaplaying games with inflated balls in the early 17th century. aboriginal games appear to have had much in common with the traditional carry football play in England, especially onShrove Tuesday. The games remained largely nonunionised until the 19th century, whenintramuralgames of football began to be played on college camp examples. each(prenominal) school played its own variety of football.Princetonstudents played a game called ballown as early as 1820. AHarvardtradition know as Bloody Monday began in 18 27, which consisted of a mass ballgame between the basic-year and sopho more(prenominal) classes.Dartmouthplayed its own version called Old division football, the territorial dominions of which were head start produce in 1871, though the game dates to at least the 1830s. All of these games, and otherwises, sh ar certain commonalities. They remained largely mob style games, with huge numbers of pseuds contracting to mount the ball into a polish area, lots by any bureau necessary. Rules were simple and violence and injury were common.The violence of these mob-style games led to widespread protests and a decision to abandon them.Yale, under pressure from the city ofNew Haven, out(p) the play of all forms of football in 1860, while Harvard followed suit in 1861.capital of Massachusetts gameWhile the game was organism banned in colleges, it was growing in popularity in variouseast coast planning schools. In 1855, manufactured inflatable balls were introduced. These were mu ch more regular in shape than the handmake balls of earlier periods, making iron boot and carrying easier. both general types of football had evolved by this time kicking games and caterning (or carrying) games. A hybridisation of the ii, known as the capital of Massachusetts game, was played by a stem known as theOneida Football Club. The club, considered by some historians as the frontmost formalfootball clubin the United States, was formed in 1862 by schoolboys who played the Boston game onBoston Common. They played mostly between themselves, though they organized a squad of non-members to play a game in November 1863, which the Oneidas won easily. The game caught the attention of the press, and the Boston game continued to spread throughout the 1860s.The game began to return to college campuses by the late 1860s. Yale, Princeton,Rutgers, andBrownall began playing kicking games during this time. In 1867, Princeton utilize rules based on those of the EnglishFootball Asso ciation.A running game, resembling rugby, was interpreted up by theMont real number Football Clubin Canada in 1868.intercollegiate footballRutgers v. Princeton (1869)http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/ jerk/2/2f/Firstfootballgame.jpg/200px-Firstfootballgame.jpgOn November 6, 1869,Rutgers UniversityfacedPrinceton Universityin a game that is often regarded as the graduationly game ofintercollegiate football.The game was played at a Rutgers plain stitch under Rutgers rules. Two squad ups of 25 players searched to ready by kicking the ball into the argue groups remnanting. Throwing or carrying the ball was not allowed. The offset squad to reach six name and addresss was declared the winner. Rutgers won by a score of six to quartet. A rematch was played at Princeton a week later under Princeton rules ( nonpareil notable difference was the awarding of a free kick to any player that caught the ball on the fly). Princeton won that game by a score of eight to zero.Columbi ajoined the series in 1870, and by 1872 several schools were bailiwicking intercollegiate group ups, includingYaleandStevens Institute of Technology.Rules standardization (1873-1880)On October 19, 1873, representatives from Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and Rutgers met at the Fifth Avenue Hotel inNew York Cityto codify the maiden set of intercollegiate football rules. Before this meeting, each school had its own set of rules and games were usually played using the home teams own item canon. At this meeting, a list of rules, based more on soccer than on rugby, was drawn up for intercollegiate football games.Harvard, which played the Boston game, a version of football that allowed carrying, refused to att stop all over this rules conference and continued to play under its own code. While Harvards voluntary absence from the meeting made it hard for them to schedule games against other American universities, it agreed to a challenge to playMcGill University, fromMontreal, in a two-g ame series. The McGill team traveled toCambridgeto meet Harvard. On May 14, 1874, the first game, played under Boston rules, was won by Harvard with a score of 3-0. The side by side(p) day, the two teams played rugby to a scoreless tie.http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/1882RutgersFootballTeam.jpg/180px-1882RutgersFootballTeam.jpgTheRutgers Collegefootball team of 1882, wearable uniforms typical of the periodHarvard quickly took a liking to the rugby game, and its use of thetrywhich, until that time, was not used in American football. The try would later evolve into the score known as thetouchdown. In late 1874, the Harvard team traveled to Montral to play McGill in rugby, and won by lead tries. A year later, on June 4, 1875, Harvard facedTufts Universityin the first game between two American colleges played under rules similar to the McGill/Harvard contest, which was won by Tufts 1-0.The first edition ofThe Game-the annual contest between Harvard and Yale-was played on November 13, 1875, under a modified set of rugby rules known as The Concessionary Rules. Yale lost 4-0, but found that it too preferred the rugby style game. Spectators from Princeton carried the game spinal column home, where it also became popular.On November 23, 1876, representatives from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia met at the Massasoit House inSpringfield, Massachusettsto standardize a new code of rules based on the rugby game first introduced to Harvard by McGill University in 1874. The rules were based largely on theRugby Football Unions code from England, though oneness important difference was the replacement of a kicked final stage with a touchdown as the primary means of scoring (a change that would later occur in rugby itself, favoring thetryas the main scoring event). Three of the schools-Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton-formed theintercollegiate Football Association, as a result of the meeting. Yale did not join the group until 1879, because of an early disagreement about the number of players per team.Walter Camp Father of American footballWalter Campis widely considered to be the most important physique in the development of American football.http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Walter_Camp_-_Project_Gutenberg_eText_18048.jpg/180px-Walter_Camp_-_Project_Gutenberg_eText_18048.jpgWalter Camp, the Father of American Football, pictured here in 1878 as the master of the Yale football teamAs a youth, he excelled in sports give caretrack,baseball, and soccer, and after enrolling at Yale in 1876, he earned varsity honors in every sport the school offered.Camp became a fixture at the Massasoit House conventions where rules were debated and changed. He proposed his first rule change at the first meeting he att stop overed in 1878 a reduction from xv players to eleven. The motion was rejected at that time but toped in 1880. The exit was to open up the game and emphasizing speed over strength. Camps most fa mous change, the establishment of the key out of scrimmageand thesnapfromcentertoquarterback, was also passed in 1880. Originally, the snap was executed with the foot of the center. Later changes made it manageable to snap the ball with the hands, either through the air or by a direct hand-to-hand pass.Camps new scrimmage rules revolutionized the game, though not always as int curiosityed. Princeton, in particular, used scrimmage play to wispy the game, making incremental progress towards the arrest partition off during eachdown. earlier than increase scoring, which had been Camps original intent, the rule was exploited to maintain control of the ball for the entire game, resulting in slow, unexciting contests. At the 1882 rules meeting, Camp proposed that a team be required to throw out the ball a minimum of five dollar bill curtilages within three downs. These down-and-distance rules, combined with the establishment of the get of scrimmage, transformed the game from a va riant of rugby or soccer into the distinct sport of American football.Camp was central to several more significant rule changes that came to define American football. In 1881, the field was reduced in size to its modern dimensions of 120 by 53 1/3 yards (109.7 by 48.8 meters). Several times in 1883, Camp tinkered with the scoring rules, finally arriving at four deputes for a touchdown, two points forkicks after touchdowns, two points for safeties, and five forfield addresss. In 1887, gametime was set at two halves of 45 minutes each. besides in 1887, two paid officials-arefereeand anumpire-were mandated for each game. A year later, the rules were changed to allow tackling below the waist, and in 1889, the officials were given whistles and stopwatches.After leaving Yale in 1882, Camp was employed by the New Haven Clock railroad tie until his death in 1925. Though no longer a player, he remained a fixture at annual rules meetings for most of his life, and he personally selected an annualAll-American teamevery year from 1898 through 1924. TheWalter Camp Football Foundationcontinues to select All-American teams in his honor.RulesField and playershttp//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c5/AmFBfield.svg/250px-AmFBfield.svg.pngThe numbers on the field indicate the number ofyardsto the nearest closing curtain partition off.American football is played on a field 360 by 160 feet (109.7 by 48.8 m). The longer line lines aresidelines, while the shorter boundary lines areend lines. Sidelines and end lines are out of bounds. Near each end of the field is agoal line they are ampere- sanctionyards (91.4m) apart. A scoring area called anend zoneextends 10yards (9.1m) beyond each goal line to each end line. The end zone includes the goal line but not the end line.While the playing field is effectively flat, it is common for a field to be create with a slight crown-with the snapper of the field mellower than the sides-to allow piddle to drain from the field.Yard linescross the field every 5yards (4.6m), and are numbered every 10 yards from each goal line to the 50-yard line, or midfield (similar to a typicalrugby leaguefield). Two rows of short lines, known as inbounds lines or hasheesh marks, run at 1-yard (91.4cm) intervals perpendicular to the sidelines near the middle of the field. All plays start with the ball on or between the hash marks. Because of the arrangement of the lines, the field is occasionally referred to as a gridiron.At the back of each end zone are twogoalposts(also calleduprights) connected by a crossbar 10feet (3.05m) from the ground. For high dexterity levels, the posts are 222inches (5.64m) apart. For deject skill levels, these are widened to 280inches (7.11m).Each team has 11 players on the field at a time. However, teams may substitute for any or all of their players, if time allows, during the break between plays. As a result, players have very narrow roles, and, sometimes (although rarely) almost al l of the (at least) 46 active players on an NFL team depart play in any given game. Thus, teams are divided up into three separate units the offensive activity, thedefenseand thespecial teams.Start of halvesSimilarly toassociation football, the game begins with a scratch tossto determine which team will kick off to begin the game and which goal each team will defend.The options are presented again to start the punt half the excerpts for the first half do not automatically determine the start of the second half. The referee conducts the coin toss with the captains (or sometimes coaches) of the opposing teams. The team that wins the coin toss has three optionsThey may choose whether to kick or intoxicate the opening kickoff.They may choose which goal to defend.They may choose to relegatethe first option to the other team and have first choice to start the second half.Whatever the first team chooses, the second team has the option on the other choice (for example, if the first te am elects to elate at the start of the game, the second team can decide which goal to defend).At the start of the second half, the options to kick, receive, or choose a goal to defend are presented to the captains again. The team which did not choose first to start the first half (or which deferred its privilege to choose first) now gets first choice of options.Game durationA standard football game consists of four 15-minute quarters (12-minute quarters in high-school football and often shorter at lower levels),with a 12 minutehalf-timeintermission after the second quarter.The clock stops after certain plays therefore, a game can last considerably longer (often more than three hours in real time), and if a game is broadcast ontelevision,TV timeoutsare taken at certain intervals of the game to broadcastcommercialsoutside of game action. If an NFL game is secure after four quarters, the teams play an additional period lasting up to 15 minutes. In an NFL overtime game, the first team that scores wins, even if the other team does not get a obstinance this is referred to assudden death. In a regular-season NFL game, if neither team scores in overtime, the game is a tie. In an NFL playoff game, additional overtime periods are played, as needed, to determine a winner. College overtime rules are more complicated and are described inOvertime (sport).http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/NSU_Football.jpg/180px-NSU_Football.jpgAline of scrimmageon the 48-yard line. The plague is on the left.http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Nate_Longshore_prepares_to_pass_at_ASU_at_Cal_2008-10.04.jpg/180px-Nate_Longshore_prepares_to_pass_at_ASU_at_Cal_2008-10.04.jpgAquarterbacksearching for opportunity to bring in a pass.http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/2006_Pro_Bowl_tackle.jpg/180px-2006_Pro_Bowl_tackle.jpgArunning backbeing tackled when he tries to run with the ball.http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/ 63/Shea_Smith-edit1.jpg/180px-Shea_Smith-edit1.jpgA quarterback preparing to throw a pass.http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/01/Orton_To_Wolfe.jpg/180px-Orton_To_Wolfe.jpgForward pass in progress, during practice.http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Alabama_Field-Goal.JPG/180px-Alabama_Field-Goal.JPGA kicker attempts an extra point.Advancing the ballAdvancing the ball in American football resembles thesix-tackle ruleand theplay-the-ballinrugby league. The team that takes will power of the ball (the annoyance) has four attempts, calleddowns, in which to advance the ball at least 10yards (9.1m) toward their opponents (thedefenses) end zone. When the offense succeeds in gaining at least 10 yards, it gets afirst down, meaning the team has another set of four downs to gain yet another 10 yards or to score. If the offense fails to gain a first down (10 yards) after 4 downs, the other team gets self-discipline of the ball at the point where the quartern do wn ended, beginning with their first down to advance the ball in the opposite direction.Except at the beginning of halves and after scores, the ball is always put into play by asnap. Offensive players line up facing defending players at theline of scrimmage(the position on the field where the play begins). One unquiet player, thecenter, then passes (or snaps) the ball backwards between his legs to a teammate empennage him, usually thequarterback.Players can then advance the ball in two waysBy running with the ball, also known asrushing.By throwing the ball to a teammate, known as aforward passor aspassingthe football. The forward pass is a key factor distinguishing American and Canadian football from other football sports. The offense can throw the ball forward only once during a down and only from tail end the line of scrimmage. The ball can be thrown, pitched, handed-off, or tossed sideways or backwards at any time.A down ends, and the ball becomes dead, after any of the follo wingThe player with the ball is force to the ground (atackle) or has his forward progress halted by members of the other team (as determined by anofficial).A forward pass travel beyond the dimensions of the field (out of bounds) or touches the ground before it is caught. This is known as anincomplete pass. The ball is returned to the most recent line of scrimmage for the next down.The ball or the player with the ball goes out of bounds.A team scores.Officials blow a whistle to notify players that the down is over.Before each down, each team chooses aplay, or coordinated movements and actions, that the players should follow on a down. Sometimes, downs themselves are referred to as plays.Change of possessionThe offense maintains possession of the ball unless one of the following things occursThe team fails to get a first down- i.e., in four downs they fail to move the ball past a line 10 yards ahead of where they got their last first down (it is mathematical to be downed behind the current line of scrimmage, losing yardage). The defensive attitude team takes over the ball at the distinguish where the 4th-down play ends. A change of possession in this room is commonly called aturnover on downs, but is not credited as a defensive turnover in official statistics. Instead, it goes against the offenses 4th down efficiency percentage.The offense scores a touchdown or field goal. The team that scored then kicks the ball to the other team in a special play called akickoff.The offense punts the ball to the defense. Apuntis a kick in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it hits the ground. Punts are nearly always made on fourth down (though seequick kick), when the offensive team does not want to risk giving up the ball to the other team at its current spot on the field (through a failed attempt to make a first down) and feels it is too far from the other teams goal posts to attempt a field goal.A defensive player catches a forward pass. This is called a ninterception, and the player who makes the interception can run with the ball until he is tackled, forced out of bounds, or scores.An offensive player drops the ball (a plunder) and a defensive player picks it up. As with interceptions, a player recovering a fumble can run with the ball until tackled, forced out of bounds, or scores. cacuminal passes that are not caught do not cause the down to end like incomplete forward passes do instead the ball is placid live as if it had been fumbled. Lost fumbles and interceptions are together known asturnovers.The offensive team misses a field goal attempt. The defensive team gets the ball at the spot where the previous play began (or, in the NFL, at the spot of the kick). If the unsuccessful kick was attempted from within 20yards (18.3m) of the end zone, the other team gets the ball at its own 20 yard line (that is, 20 yards from the end zone). If a field goal is bewildered or blocked and the ball remains in the field of play, a defensiv e player may pick up the ball and attempt to advance it.While in his own end zone, an offensive ball carrier is tackled, forced out of bounds, loses the ball out of bounds, or the offense commits certain fouls. This fairly rare occurrence is called asafety.An offensive ball carrier fumbles the ball forward into the opposing end zone, and then the ball goes out of bounds. This extremely rare occurrence leads to atouchback, with the ball button over to the opposing team at their 20 yard line (Note that touchbacks during non-offensive speplays, such as punts and kickoffs, are quite common).ScoringA team scores points by the following playsAtouchdown(TD) is worth 6 points.It is scored when a player runs the ball into or catches a pass in his opponents end zone.A touchdown is analogous to atryin rugby. conflicting rugby, a player does not have to touch the ball to the ground to score a touchdown is scored any time a player has possession of the ball while the ball is on or beyond the o pponents goal line (or the plane above it).After a touchdown, the scoring team attempts atry(which is also analogous to theconversion in rugby). The ball is lay at the other teams 3-yard (2.7m) line (the 2-yard (1.8m) line in the NFL). The team can attempt to kick it over the crossbar and through the goal posts in the manner of a field goal for 1 point (anextra pointorpoint-after touchdown (PAT)19), or run or pass it into the end zone in the manner of a touchdown for 2 points (atwo-point conversion). In college football, if the defense intercepts or recovers a fumble during a one or two point conversion attempt and returns it to the opposing end zone, the defensive team is awarded the two points.Afield goal(FG) is worth 3 points, and it is scored by kicking the ball over the crossbar and through the goal posts (uprights).Field goals may be placekicked (kicked when the ball is held vertically against the ground by a teammate) ordrop-kicked(extremely bizarre in the modern game, with only two successes in sixty-plus years in the NFL). A field goal is usually attempted on fourth down instead of a punt when the ball is close to the opponents goal line, or, when there is little or no time left to otherwise score.Asafety, worth 2 points, is scored by the opposing team when the team in possession at the end of a down is amenable for the ball becoming dead behind its own goal line. For instance, a safety is scored by the defense if an offensive player is tackled, goes out of bounds, or fumbles the ball out of bounds in his own end zone.Safeties are tellingly rare. Note that, though even more rare, the team ab initio on offense during a down can score a safety if a player of the original defense gains possession of the ball in front of his own goal line and then carries the ball or fumbles it into his own end zone where it becomes dead. However, if the ball becomes dead behind the goal line of the team in possession and its opponent is prudent for the ball being t here (for instance, if the defense intercepts a forward pass in its own end zone and the ball becomes dead before the ball is advanced out of the end zone) it is a touchback no points are scored and the team last in possession keeps possession with a first down at its own 20 yard line. In dilettante football, in the extremely rare instance that a safety is scored on a try, it is worth only 1 point.Kickoffs and free kicksEach half begins with akickoff. Teams also kick off after scoring touchdowns and field goals. The ball is kicked using a kicking tee from the teams own 30-yard (27m) line in the NFL and college football (as of the 2007 season). The other teams kick returner tries to catch the ball and advance it as far as possible. Where he is stopped is the point where the offense will begin itsdrive, or series of offensive plays. If the kick returner catches the ball in his own end zone, he can either run with the ball, or elect for atouchbackby kneeling in the end zone, in which case the receiving team then starts its offensive drive from its own 20 yard line. A touchback also occurs when the kick goes out-of-bounds in the end zone. A kickoff that goes out-of-bounds anywhere other than the end zone before being touched by the receiving team is a foul, and the ball will be placed where it went out of bounds or 30yards (27m) from the kickoff spot, depending on which is more advantageous to the opposite team.Unlike with punts, once a kickoff goes 10 yards and the ball has hit the ground, it can be recovered by the kicking team.A team, especially one who is losing, can try to take advantage of this by attempting anonside kick. Punts and turnovers in the end zone can also end in atouchback.After safeties, the team that gave up the points mustfree kickthe ball to the other team from its own 20 yard line.PenaltiesFouls (a type of rule violation) are punished withpenaltiesagainst the offending team. Most penalties result in mournful the football towards the offend ing teams end zone. If the penalty would move the ball more than half the distance towards the offenders end zone, the penalty becomes half the distance to the goal instead of its normal value.Most penalties result in replaying the down. Some defensive penalties give the offense an automatic first down.Conversely, some offensive penalties result in loss of a down (loss of the right to repeat the down).If a penalty gives the offensive team enough yardage to gain a first down, they get a first down, as usual.If a foul occurs during a down, an official throws a yellowpenalty iris diaphragmnear the spot of the foul. When the down ends, the team that did not commit the foul has the option of pass judgment the penalty, or declining the penalty and accepting the result of the down.VariationsVariations on these basic rules exist, particularlytouchandflag football, which are designed as non-contact or limited-contact alternatives to the relativeviolenceof regular American football. In tou ch and flag football, tackling is not permitted. Offensive players are tackled when a defender tags them or removes a flag from their body, respectively. Both of these varieties are played mainly in informal settings such asintramuralor youth games. Another variation is wrap, where a player is tackled when another player wraps his arms around the ball carrier. Professional, intercollegiate, and varsity-level high school football invariably use the standard tackling rules.Another variation is with the number of players on the field. In sparsely populated areas, it is not unwonted to find high school football teams playingnine-man football,eight-man footballorsix-man football. Players often play on offense as well as defense. TheArena Football Leagueis a league that plays eight-man football, but also plays indoors and on a much smaller playing surface with rule changes to hike a much more offensive game.Another variation often played by American children is called Catch and Run. In this game, the children split into two teams and line up at opposite sides of the playing field. One side throws the ball to the other side. If the opposing team catches the ball, that player tries to run to the throwing teams touchdown without being tag/tackled. If no one catches the ball or if the player is tagged/tackled, then that team has to throw the ball to the opposing team. This repeats until the game (or dissolve period) is deemed over.