WARREN CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL FOUNDATIONS OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION FLAG FOOTBALL UNIT HISTORY Flag football is believed to have

begun in the U.S. Military during World War II to prevent injury to military personnel playing football. Fort Meade in Maryland has the first recorded history of flag football and is generally accepted as its birthplace. Local leagues were formed as military personnel returned home in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, Nike runs 4 on 4 summer flag football and their local 7 on 7 teams. Many colleges run male/female and co-ed flag football intramural team league play. RULES The game allows players to participate in a relatively safe situation while still retaining many of the skills used in football. The rules for touch football and flag football are generally the same. However, when playing flag football, the rules for blocking, fumbling, and tackling must be strictly enforced. In flag football, any ball carrier without two flags is considered tackled. In order to minimize hazardous play, the following precautionary measures are suggested: No blocking, tackling, or holding the ball carrier. Defensive players must maintain contact with the ground. Ball carriers may not employ straight-arm or body contact. LENGTH OF GAME: Four 10-12 minute periods constitute a game with a 1 minute rest between periods and a 5 minute rest between halves. PLAYERS: A team generally consists of seven players, and the offensive team must have at least 3 three players on the line of scrimmage when the ball is put into play. Any number of substitutions may be made at any time during a stoppage of play. OVERTIME: Tie games may be decided by one of the following methods: Award the game to the team with the greater number of penetrations inside the opponents 20 yard line. Award the game to the team with the greater number of first downs. Give each team four downs from the 20-yard line and award the game to the team advancing the ball farther. TIMEOUTS: Each team is allowed 2 timeouts per half. Timeouts are taken: When the ball goes out of bounds After a score is made While a penalty is being enforced At the direction of the referee At the end of each period SCORING: Scoring is the same as regulation football: Touchdown = 6 points Field Goal = 3 points Safety = 2 points Kick after touchdown = 1 point (2 points by run or pass) FLAG AND TOUCH FOOTBALL PLAYING REGULATIONS PUTTING THE BALL IN PLAY: The ball is put into play by a place kick from the kickers 20-yard line at the start of the game, after a score, and at the beginning of the third quarter. NOTE: If the team can not kick, a free toss can be used for a kickoff. The defensive players must be 10 yards away when the ball is kicked. Members of the kicking team must be behind the ball before kicking off. The ball must travel at least 10 yards or be re-kicked or thrown. If the ball goes out of bounds after 10 yards, the opponent has the choice of beginning play where it went out of bounds or placing it on his or her own 20-yard line. If the ball is kicked into the end zone and the opponents choose not to run it back, play begins on their own 20-yard line. FUMBLED BALL A fumbled ball is considered a dead ball and belongs to the team that committed the fumble. The down and point to be gained remains the same. A fumbled forward pass is ruled as an incomplete pass. DOWNED BALL In touch football, the ball is dead or the player is downed when an opponent touches him or her with one hand between the shoulders and knees. In flag football, the ball is downed or the player is tackled when one flag is detached from the belt or the ball carrier loses his or her flag.

FIRST DOWNS Each team has 4 chances to move the ball from one 20-yard line to the next. If a team is not successful at moving the ball from one zone to the next in 4 downs, the ball is awarded to the opponents on the spot where the last stoppage of play occurred. PASSING All players on both teams are eligible to catch passes. Forward passes may be thrown from any point back of the line of scrimmage. Lateral passes may be thrown anywhere on the field. Any number of passes may be thrown in a series of downs. PENALTY INFRACTIONS 5-YARDS Offside Delay of game Less than three players on the line of scrimmage Illegal motion Illegal forward pass PENALTY INFRACTIONS 15-YARDS Illegal use of hands Illegal block Unnecessary roughness: pushing, tackling, shoving, tripping, holding Unsportsmanlike conduct Clipping Pass interference VOCABULARY BACKS-Players on the team who are stationed behind the linemen and who ordinarily carry or pass the ball on offense. BLOCKS-Action of offensive linemen and backs in which they use their bodies to ward off defensive players from the ball carrier. BUTTON HOOK-A forward pass play in which the receiver runs toward the defender, turns, and runs back toward the passer to receive the pass. CLIPPING-A blocking action in which a player throws his or her body across the back of the leg(s) of a player not carrying the ball. This can cause injury and is a personal foul. CUT-BACK-An offensive maneuver in which the back starts wide and then cuts back toward center of the line. FAIR CATCH-A player may make a fair catch on a kickoff, return kick, or kick from scrimmage by raising a hand clearly above his or her head before making the catch. No tackling and they may not take more than 2 steps. FLANKER-An offensive maneuver in which a player lines up nearer the sideline than a designated opponent. FORWARD PASS-An offensive play in which the ball is thrown toward the line of scrimmage. HANDOFF-An offensive play in which the ball is thrown toward the line of scrimmage. LATERAL PASS-An offensive play in which the ball is passed sideward or backward to the line of scrimmage. LINE OF SCRIMMAGE-An imaginary line, vertical plane, passing through the end of the ball nearer a teams goal line and parallel to the goal lines. There is a line of scrimmage for each team. NEUTRAL ZONE-The imaginary line that passes between the lines of scrimmage for each team. Either team is offside if it moves across the neutral zone before the ball is snapped. OFFSIDE-When an offensive player is ahead of the ball before it is snapped. SAFETY-A score made when a free ball, or one in possession of a player defending their own goal, becomes dead behind the goal. Two points are awarded to the opposing team. SCREEN PASS-An offensive maneuver in which a wave of eligible receivers converge in the area where a pass is to be thrown. SHOTGUN OFFENSE-A formation in which the quarterback lines up 5 to 6 yards behind the center. SHOVEL PASS-An offensive maneuver in which a pass is thrown, underhand, usually forward to a back behind the line of scrimmage. TOUCHBACK-When a ball that is legally in possession of a player guarding his own goal becomes dead behind the opponents goal line, provided the impetus that caused it to cross the goal line was supplied by an opponent. No points are scored on the play. Ball goes to the 20-yard line.