Six Things You Need To Play Football

Good old American football is not the same as soccer at all. It's more similar to the English game of Rugby, with players smashing up against each other, trying to gain control of a ball and bringing it to a zone on the opposite side of the field to make a goal.

The difference is that football can be so physically rough that players need to use special gear so that they don't hurt themselves badly on the field. But football can also be played by young people who are looking to just have a little fun with the game. Yes, there are still a few gear items needed to play a safe football game, and here are things to help you get started.

• The ball – Of course, all you really need to play football is the ball itself, granted that you are not planning to tackle your opponents. Also known as the pigskin, the ball is either made of rubber, leather or both materials depending on your playing skill. It is not a regular round ball but is oddly shaped in an oblong fashion. There is a special way to throw the ball so you might want to practice a few days on your passes so that you get the hang of it before playing an actually game.

• A field – The next thing to look for is an open area or a field where you can play the actual game. Usually, schools have fields where you can play and if there are no teams practicing on them for the day, you can probably ask permission to use those fields.

• Goals – Two Y-shaped goal posts are needed in a game of football. If you don't have goals like these and intend on playing on an open field that is not meant for football, you can always use your imagination. The important thing is that there is a zone where you and your opponents can score touch downs. These zones are usually part of the field at both ends.

• Padding – If you and your friends are planning to actually tackle each other during a game, then you must all be prepared for the consequences. Someone is bound to get hurt with the tackle rule on so what you will need to do is invest in protection gear like a helmet and shoulder pads at the very least. A full-on football game means that you will need to invest in the whole nine yards of football equipment because the game can get pretty rough.

• A book – Think you might have your own plays in mind and want to keep a note of them? Make your own book of plays with any regular notebook. The neat thing about playing friendly games is that you can make your own strategic plays that you think will work at your school games or just when playing against kids who are up for some healthy competitive gaming.

• Players – For a proper game of football, you need 11 players on your team and 11 on the opponent's side. Of course, this may be hard to organize and a friendly game can consist of less players. The professional game, however, is played with 11 people at a time for each team.