- American Football Tutorial
- American Football - Home
- American Football - Overview
- American Football - History
- American Football - Terminology
- American Football - Playing Environment
- American Football - Equipment
- American Football - Players & Positions
- American Football - How to Play?
- American Football - Scoring System
- American Football - Rules
- American Football - Variants
- American Football - How to Learn?
- American Football - Tournaments
- American Football - Participating Countries
- American Football - Champions
- American Football - Surprising Facts
- American Football - FAQs
- American Football Resources
- American Football - Quick Guide
- American Football - Useful Resources
- American Football - Discussion
American Football - Variants
American Football is the descendant of Rugby Football and has many variants which are played with different rules. The teams in the NFL play American Football and the main aim of each team is to win the Super Bowl. Let us discuss some of the variants of American Football in detail.
Arena Football
Arena Football is an indoor variant of American Football. The speed of the game is much faster comparatively and both teams have the opportunity to score high. The sport was invented in 1981 and it got its patent in 1987. The field of the game is made in a similar way like basketball or ice hockey. The width of the field is 85 feet and the length is 200 feet. Each team consists of 8 players and the game is in the control of Arena Football League. It is one of the popular variants of American Football.
Canadian Football
Canadian Football is a variant of American Football but is also considered as a variant of Gridiron Football. There are two teams in the game and each has 12 players. The field of Canadian Football is 10 yards longer and 10 yards wider than the field of American Football. Its end zone is also 10 yards deeper.
The Canadian Football League is the only league for this game. The season for the game starts in June and ends in November. Teams have to compete for the Grey Cup. A women football league for the game has also been created in 2004 and the game is becoming popular.
Six-man Football
Six-man Football is a modified version of the American Football game. This is a game in which each team consists of six members. A teacher from Chester Nebraska is the inventor of the game for high school students. The rules of the game are similar to American football and some of them are listed below −
The dimensions of the field are 80 x 40 yards.
Four points are awarded for each field goal.
The first exchange is snapped at the center and the players cannot advance the ball till the second exchange
A forward pass can be caught by anybody.
First down should be done on 15 yards
Two points are rewarded for a kick after touchdown
One point is awarded for a run or pass
If a team has got 45 points more than the other team before or after half-time, it can end the game and win it.
The duration of each quarter is 10 minutes
Breaks between two quarters are 2 minutes and the half-time break is of 15 minutes
Eight-man Football
Eight-man Football is also a variant of American Football which has been developed for high school students. The schools that are having a small number of enrolments play this game. The game has become so popular that in 2015, the game was played in 1,561 schools in the United States. The rules of this game have much similarity with the original American Football game. The special team is not there in this game. There is no fourth down and two-point conversion.
The size of the field is either 40 yards x 80 yards or 40 x 100 yards. Each team has eight players and the team can earn points through.
Touchdowns
Extra point conversions
Field goals
Safeties
There are four quarters in the game and the duration of each of them is 15 minutes.
Nine-man Football
Nine-man Football is another variation of American Football in which each team consists of nine players. The game has been developed for high school and 116 schools adopted this variant in 2015. The rules of the game are similar to American Football. The game is played in a field whose dimensions can be either 40 x 80 yards or 40 x 100 yards. Teams can score points through −
Touchdowns
Field goals
Extra point conversions
Safeties
There are four quarters in the game and the duration of each of them is 15 minutes. This game is also popular in small schools in Canada, Australia, Italy, Norway, France, and Argentina.
Flag Football
Flag Football is another variant of American Football and the rules of both games are similar. Tackling is not a part of this game. The defensive team has to remove a flag or the flag belt from the player who is handling the ball. Players are not allowed to touch each other and this makes it an enjoyable game for people of every age.
The game is played between two teams and each of them can have 5, 7, or 8 players. The game is played on a field having the dimensions of 70 x 30 yards. Each end zone is allotted a space of 10 yards. Teams have to carry the ball through four downs. The defensive team has to pull out the flag to prevent the offensive team from advancing. Touchdowns provide six points and teams can also score points through two-point conversions and extra points.
Flag Football is popular in North America, Asia, and Europe and it will also become the part of Olympics in 2028.
Sprint Football
Sprint Football is a variant of American Football in which the weight of the players should be 172 pounds or less. The body fat should be only 5%. This game is played in the United States at the college level only. The weight restriction has been kept so that the game can be played at a fast pace.
The size of the field is similar to the American Football and the offensive team gets the possession of the ball. Points are scored through the following −
Touchdowns: 6 points
Field goals 3 points
One point conversion
Two point conversion
Safeties
The game comes under the control of the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL). The members of CSFL belong to nine universities and the sport is held every year. There are nine teams in the competition and each of them has to play seven matches. The championship is awarded to the team that has won most of the matches. If more than one team has won the similar number of games, the championship is shared.
Touch Football
Touch Football consists of all the rules that are followed in the American Football game. The only rule that is not followed is the full-contact aspect. Players just have to touch the players of the other team to end a play. There is no need to wear any protective gear. The size of the field and the number of players vary. There are different variations of the game which are as follows −
One of the formats is one-touch or two-touch tackle where players have to touch other players with a single or both hands.
In the second format, all forms are kicking are not available in this game and points can be scored only through touchdowns.
There is a third format in which the time duration of the games is not fixed and the players have to score a fixed number of points
Ultimate Football
Ultimate Football is also known by the name of Ultimate Frisbee or Frisbee. The game is played with the help of a flying disc which is called Frisbee. The game was started in the 1960s and was played at Columbia High School in New Jersey.
The game is played between two teams each having seven members. The aim of the game is to throw the disc so that it can reach the end zone of the opposition team. If there is an interruption in the pass, the disc is handed over to the other team. Many leagues of this game are arranged and some of the popular ones include USA Ultimate and Ultimate Canada.
Kayak Football
Kayak Football is a game that has been developed by combining Kayaking, American Football, and Frisbee. A swimming pool is one of the best places where the game can be played. A kayak with a double paddle is used along with a small soft football. The aim of a team is to reach the end zone of the other team.
The game is played between two teams each having ten players. Players can throw the ball to their team members or in the water and a team member can paddle up to it. Holding the ball is not allowed in the game and paddle with it. A pass in the air can be prevented with the help of a paddle.
Players have to catch the ball to score points. Each catch leads to one point. Ramming the boats and hitting players with paddles is not allowed.
Lingerie Football
The American Football that is played by women who wear lingerie is known as Lingerie Football. The game was started as a half-time show for the Super Bowl but now it is played for full time. The game is played between two teams of seven players each. The equipment used in the game is −
Pads
Knee pads
Elbow pads
Helmets with visors
There are four periods of ten minutes each in which the game has to be completed. Only touchdowns can be used to score points. No field goals can be done for scoring. One-point conversion from one-yard and two-point conversion from the three-yard line can be performed for scoring points. The game is popular in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Unicycle Football
Unicycle is a variant of American Football in which players have to use a unicycle to move around the field. Marcus Garland from Texas invented the game. This game can be played in parking lots, indoor arenas, or any place having a small or large space. Each team can have four to 11 players.
The number of players is decided on the basis of the size of the field where the game has to be played. Players have to use a helmet to play the game with a regular-size football.
A Unicycle Football League is also available which consists of 9 teams that have to play 56 games in a season each year.