Taking the Tackle out of Football

Tackle football is not for everyone.  As a matter of fact it’s not the only way to play the game.  There are many other ways to play football without knocking someone else to the ground.  Football is traditionally a game of start and stop action.  This does not have to be the case when a child plays alternative forms of football.

It’s been successfully proven that tackle football can also be played in a variety of alternative ways as well.  I just returned from Arena Bowl in New Orleans this past weekend, for Arena Football’s annual Championship Game.  Arena Football is played on a 50 yard indoor field, with dasher boards similar to ice hockey, large nets that serve as huge back stops behind the length of each end zone (where balls can bounce off of on kick-offs and passes and are still considered in play), 8 offence and defensive players on the field at any one time, a continuous running clock between plays, and field goal posts that are only 9 feet apart (compared to approximately 18 feet in traditional football).

Why does this concept work, when all other traditional professional football leagues have failed in their attempt to replicate the NFL as a competing professional alternative? There are many answers to that question, however one reason Arena Football continues to succeed and grow in popularity is the contemporary methods employed by the League. When young fans are placed in close proximity to a fast paced, high scoring and offensive minded product they are attracted and buy into it, to the extent the League has been around for over 21 years.

The same holds true for other forms of play.  If you’re a parent with a child that wants to play but is either hesitant or not interested in playing tackle football please read the following ways to the play the game while avoiding contact.

Flag football:
Is played by millions of kids and adults every year, and is designed primarily as a passing game. The game is played similar to traditional tackle football, however the player with the ball is stopped by pulling one of two flags that dangle from each hip, held by a belt.  Flag belts are designed to allow either flag to be pulled easily off.

Games are most often played 5 on 5, with one quarterback, a center, and three receivers, and or two receivers and one running back on a field approximately 60 yards long by 25 yards wide.  Due to the fact that no blocking is allowed in most leagues, the center is also an eligible receiver.  On defense, one player is designated to rush the quarterback, but must stand a minimum of seven yards back from the line of scrimmage, and can begin their rush only after the ball has been snapped.  The remaining 4 players defend against either the pass or run.

For safety purposes we highly recommend no kick-offs, play begins at a team’s own 5 yard line, with four downs to make a first down at mid field, followed by another 4 downs to score.  Interceptions are not returnable and are marked at the spot where the ball was intercepted.  Players are also not allowed to set picks anywhere on the field.

Ultimate Football:
Is a game similar to soccer, lacrosse, ice hockey, rugby, and ultimate Frisbee.  The game involves continuous play with no downs.  Each team moves the ball around the field via passing and catching.  A team can throw the ball in any direction, with the ultimate goal to score a touchdown in the designated end zone.  There are no set positions, so everyone is involved in moving the ball.

The offense must avoid defenders and work the ball around the field while attempting find an open teammate in the end zone. There are no set plays.

The offensive team is allowed to take only two steps after receiving the ball, and has only five seconds to the pass ball after receiving the ball.  Each team must continuously pass the ball without letting the ball hit the ground. All possession changes start immediately from the spot where the ball was dropped or from the 5-yard line after a touchdown.

The offensive team must pass the ball into the end zone, but cannot run the ball in to score.  Six points are rewarded for every touchdown.

A regulation football field is appropriate for 11 on 11 competitions, however games can be played 7 on 7 on a field half the size.  

 NFL Street:
I created this game when I worked at the NFL, and it’s captured the attention of hundreds of thousands of kids nationwide. The NFL Street experience allows participants to combine creative on-field play with NFL Street video game skills. Style points are awarded for skills such as one-handed receptions and behind the back catches.

Teams of three, play with the objective of scoring or preventing as many style plays/trick play possibilities in the field of play or end zone. On field scores are combined with on-site NFL Street video game scores to determine an overall champion.

Games consist of two consecutive minutes of offense, followed by two consecutive minutes of defense for a total of 5 consecutive games.

The NFL Street Unplugged game is played with a quarterback, two receivers on offense and two defensive backs on defense. The third member of the defensive team is on the sideline (scoring points) playing on the PSP portable NFL Street video game.

The same team remains on offense for two minutes and advances towards the same end zone. There are no changes of possession or direction of the offense.

• Play begins when the ball is placed on the 20-yard line and the offense attempts to complete passes downfield or into the end zone. The field is 15 x 25 yards with a 5 yd end zone.
• No player (including the QB) can run the ball from the line of scrimmage.
• When the offense scores, or if the ball is intercepted, the ball returns to the 20-yard line where the same offense continues their attempt to score points.
• Play stops immediately after the ball is caught and a player is touched with one hand (shoulder or below), or the play is incomplete or intercepted.
• If the receiver fails to reach the end zone the next play begins immediately from the spot where the receiver was touched or to the original line of scrimmage.
• All games are timed on a central clock, which cannot be stopped at anytime.
• Wins and Loses are not tracked. Overall scores are only determined by on-field style points combined with PSP scores.
• BONUS BALL – For one play per game, teams can request to use the purple and black NFL Street Unplugged bonus ball with which they will receive double the points for a successfully executed style trick.

Style Points – the following are a number of ways a team can accumulate thousands of points on the field of play.

The 100-Yard Dash:
A multiple position skill oriented game that emphasizes the basic fundamentals of the quarterback, center, and receiver positions. Two teams of three players line-up adjacent to each other on the end line of a regulation football field, with the objective to continually set-up in a correct formation and execute a successful quarterback/center exchange and reception downfield. The first team to execute all their plays downfield 100 yards wins the race. The field is divided equally by cones placed every 5 yards down the middle in order for teams to avoid running into each other. 

The game is played with a series of quarterback/center exchanges and passes downfield to a receiver. At the spot of each successful reception the team of three set and repeat the execution of a quarterback/center exchange and pass to the receiver until they successfully reach the end of the field.  Teams must switch positions after each reception.  The first team to successfully execute all their quarterback/center exchanges and receptions 100 yards downfield wins the race. Teams must correctly get into their stances, set, and execute the proper quarterback/center exchange and successfully complete a pass in order to advance downfield.  If any of these fundamentals are executed incorrectly or are unsuccessful completing their pass downfield the team must repeat the play over again from the same spot on the field. Quarterbacks can either get directly under the center or into the shotgun position. You can increase the difficulty of this game by requiring each team that fails anywhere on the field to execute a play or fundamental to return back to the original line of scrimmage where each team began the race.
            These are several different ways to play and practice the fundamentals of football without the element of contact.  We will continue to provide you with additional ways to play the game throughout the fall football season.

Scott Lancaster, August, 2007