Touch football (American)

While some games roughly follow conventions, more often, all players will be considered eligible receivers (as in six-man football), and there are usually no running backs.

There may or may not be a snapper; if there is not, the quarterback initiates play by hovering the ball above the line of scrimmage and pulling it backward to simulate a snap.

Some games will implement a "blitz count", or a period of time that must elapse after the snap before the defense may cross the line of scrimmage in order to attempt to tackle the quarterback.

Instead of requiring that a team advance the ball ten yards, sometimes two pass completions result in a first down.

Another option is to eliminate first downs, so that a team gets four (sometimes five) chances to score; this process is most desirable on shorter fields.

Change of possession after scoring is often accompanied by rules determining where the ball is thrown from as opposed to actually kicking since throwing offers more control to players who are not playing on standard football fields.

[citation needed] In games without a blitz count, they may use the first touch rule to control the action of the offensive team's current quarterback.

Depending on the group, first touch can refer to the quarterback's ability to run or walk after the shift.

This rule is commonly and informally referred to "first taught," the result of players creating another past tense verb for "touch."

As the name suggests, this rule determines the number of hands that must land on an offensive player simultaneously to stop the play/first touch situation.

When used against more mature players, one-hand touch puts more pressure on the offense to juke and misdirect the defense.

A variant called "rough touch" is also sometimes used, in which the defensive player must place both hands on the ball carrier with sufficient force to lightly shove him in order to stop the play.

However, if traditional scoring is desired and no goal posts are available, teams have the option of using "automatic" extra points.

[1] With the first edition published in 1983, the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association maintains a rule book for flag and touch football collegiate play.

[3] In 1988 the United States Flag & Touch Football League (USFTL) was established in Cleveland, Ohio.