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Learning the game of American football is a little tough if all you are doing is watching the game. You may find it confusing, in the way that many Americans find European football (or soccer) or cricket or other sports that Americans do not play en masse.

Because of this potential confusion, I am providing you with a basic guide to football, American-style. You should be able to get the basics down and go from there. First, the field is technically 120 yards long. The playing field is only 100 yards long, but the end zones can count, too, especially when you are talking about interception returns and the like. Each team fields 11 players on offense, defense, and special teams. Although there is some overlap in players, these groups typically are different sets of players.

The game is divided into four quarters. The most common length of playing time for each quarter is 15 minutes although it varies based on the level of the players. After the first half (two quarters), there is a half-time, or intermission, during which the teams return to their locker room for a little pep talk (or yelling) and a bit of a rest. There typically is some entertainment, such as a marching band, during this break.

The game traditionally begins with a coin toss. The referees go to the middle of the field with the captains or other representatives of the teams, and then they toss the coin up in the air. The team that wins the toss gets to choose whether they want to play offense or defense first. They also can defer their decision to the second half of play when they will have a better idea of how the game is going.

The game begins with a kickoff. The team that will be playing defense first kicks the ball to the other team. Someone from that team, on the kick return team, will catch the ball. That person can signal a fair catch, meaning that he (almost always he) will keep the ball where he caught it or he may attempt to run up field to see how far he can get.

After the kick-off return, the offense and defense take the field. The quarterback is the centerpiece of a team's offense. This player directs the offense on the field. How much control he has over the plays depends largely on the coach's desires. The teams line up at the line of scrimmage, which is the point where the football was at the end of the previous play. The center holds the ball, and the quarterback signals to the center to let him know when to hike the ball back to the quarterback. That means that the center essentially tosses the ball, in a move called the snap, through his legs to the quarterback.

Once the ball is snapped, the players from both sides get moving. The job of the defense is to get to the quarterback, or whoever has the ball at the time, to stop that player. The offense's job is to give the quarterback time to get the ball to another player or to run it himself. Few quarterbacks run very often because it puts them in greater danger of injury. They can pass the ball to a receiver, or they can hand off to a running back who just grinds out yards down the field.

Once the person with the ball is tackled, the teams get ready for the next play. The line up and start all over again. The offense must get 10 yards in a max of four plays to continue with the ball. Once they have completed four plays, they must give the ball to the other team. Few teams wait until the fourth down. Instead they punt, meaning that they have a kicker come in and kick the ball to the other team, much like the kick-off.

A team can get into the opposing team's end zone with the ball for six points (and an after-touchdown kick worth one point or another play worth two points). They also can kick the ball through the goal posts for a field goal, worth three points. These basic rules will get you started learning about football.

By Julia Mercer