There certainly is a lot to learning football, but rest assured it can be done. Football has a language all its own, and just like any other language, it does take time to learn. All it takes is desire and a little patience, but trust me, it's all worth it.
Here are a few football basics to get you started:
1. Think of football as a game of "keep away". You want to be the one with the ball, because if you don't have the ball, you can't score. In football, when a team has the ball, it is on Offense, trying to score and when the opposing team has the ball, it is on Defense, trying to keep its opponent from scoring.
2. Defense wins championships! Much like other major sports, Defense is the key to winning. This is a statement that most sports experts would agree with. This goes against what most beginners think. After all, the object is to score more than your opponent, which means you need to have the stronger Offense, right? While it is true that the object is to outscore your opponent, it is vital that you have a strong Defense. In football, a team with a strong Defense not only stops its opponent from scoring, it provides opportunities for its own team's Offense to score.
3. Football is all about field position. Field position refers to where on the field the ball is. In football, a team attempts to move the ball down the field and score against its opponent, while trying to keep its opponent from doing the same. Ideally, a team wants the ball to be as far down the field as possible, because that means it is closer to scoring and its opponent is further away from scoring.
4. Time of possession is a critical factor in football. This refers to how long a team has possession of the ball throughout the game. For example, in a given game, one team may have possession of the ball for 35 minutes, and the other team for 25 minutes (there are 60 minutes in a professional football game). While no guarantee to winning, generally speaking, the team that has possession longer usually has the advantage - remember how we talked about "keep away" in the first point?
5. Turnovers are crucial. A turnover refers to when a team that has the ball (is on Offense), unwillingly turns possession of the ball over to its opponent through a fumble (losing possession of the football) or through an interception (throwing a pass intended for a teammate that is caught by an opposing player). Generally speaking, if a team has 2 turnovers or less in a game, it isn't so bad, but if it has 3 or more, this could spell trouble. As you will see turnovers can be the difference between winning and losing.
Hope this helps!
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