Football (American Football)

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Have you watched any Australian Rules football? They have more players on the field, but that sounds very similar.

I haven't seen anythig AFL since third grade, when they took it off of American cable, so I remember nothing about it.

ok, well I find the differences in the football codes (gridiron, soccer, Aussie rules, rugby etc) fascinating. They all developed from a common ancestor.

Anyway, Australian Rules football is played on a large oval field, usually about 150 meters long. There is no offside, and play only stops when the ball goes out of bounds or a player takes a 'mark' (catches the ball after it has been kicked more than 15 meters). The ball can be carried forward, kicked or 'handballed' (an odd sort of pass. Basically you hold the ball in one hand and punch it with the other) in any direction. The aim is to kick the ball through goal posts at either end of the field.

The game is very fast moving, with some teams favouring a long-kicking style (not dissimilar to a long-passing game) and others a fast-passing, more run-dependent style.

The similarities with gridiron are what we call 'shepherding' and you call 'blocking'; the ball carrier is aided by teammates who run in front bumping opponents out of the way. There are also a lot of spectacular catches, as guys run at full speed to catch the ball and often get absolutely axed after taking the catch.

One thing I think gridiron could do (apart from removing the hard-shelled equipment) is allow players to climb on each other to take catches and block kicks. It's allowed in rugby and aussie rules and it can be really spectacular. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ0W9SbBHqo

The game doesn't feature too many smashing RB style runs, as getting caught with the ball results in a turnover, but when a guy takes the risk and tries to run over opponents it's always a crowd favourite.

Anyway, the pros of Aussie rules are the sheer speed of the game, the spectacular kicks and catches, and the ability for a team to pile on a lot of points very quickly.

Cons? Well, because there are no offsides there aren't usually the big tackles you see in sports like rugby or gridiron. for the novice, the game looks like absolute chaos, with people often calling the game 'Australian No-Rules Football'.

Anyway, fans of field sports should check it out. You do occasionally see former Aussie footballers changing codes to play NFL (always as punters). Sav Rocca for the Eagles and Ben Graham for the Cards are both former AFL players.

Well I remember really enjoying it when I used to watch it on cable. Any idea what sites might have live streams of some games?

I really don't. We get it on free-to-air here, so it's not something I've ever had to deal with.

Never going to happen. The football equipment industry is too big. American football player think it's ok to lead with their head., Unfortunately most head injuries are helmet to helmet contact. Brett Favre got a concussion Monday after hitting the frozen ground while wearing a helmet, yet I believe a mouth guard/gum shield might have prevented it better.

In football unlike rugby, high and non-wrap tackles are allowed (high tackles as long as the face mask, chinstrap, or helmet opening is not grabbed). While a good wrap tackle is still the best option, high velocity crash tackles get the big cheers and make the highlight films.

Both Rugby League and Australian Rules football allow non-wrap tackles. The hit has to be above the knees and below the line of the shoulders, (ie, you can't drive your shoulder into their face), but they still do the diving-shoulder barge thing. Watch a few here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxxTLHJ1 ... re=related

Rugby league is as hard-contact as it gets. But the health outcomes for league players compared with gridiron are just so much better.

Yes, I should have specified union. I watch this and forget they don't have rucking in league.

But even in league, you're only hitting your opponent with body. There is no armor or helmet hitting the opponent.

Yes, I should have specified union. I watch this and forget they don't have rucking in league.

But even in league, you're only hitting your opponent with body. There is no armor or helmet hitting the opponent.

This is my point. You can still have a high-speed massive contact game without the body armour & helmets. The most important thing though is to notice that not one of the defenders in that video lead with their head.

The Rugby codes do have player safety issues, but in almost every case they are due to misconduct by players (deliberate high tackles, spear tackles (where a defender/s pick up the ball carrier and dump him back on the ground head-first) & scrum offenses). But in gridiron, contact to the head is pretty much required.

found some stuff from a few years ago. I think im in there a few times, I sack the qb at 420.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCBBQcFdD0g

And the tackles in american football and rugby are the ways they are because of the differences in the purposes of the offense. no continuous play + no re=positioning of the ball until 4th down requires american fb players to use any part of their body including their head to bring down the ball carrier. they gotta limit the offense to every inch they can, whereas in rugby theres more leeway with the meterage because its more about the spacing of the players rather than the actual distance gained. I think of it as in American football its a "obliterate the ball carrier any way you can" style tackling and in rugby its more form and finesse.

that is true for Rugby Union, but not Rugby League. Watch the video I posted earlier. In League, play stops as in Gridiron, when the ball carrier is down. League allows the same style of tackling as Gridiron, but none of the players lead with their head, because while they might be stupid, they aren't that stupid.

I'm playing at Yuba College this upcoming year...

nice dude, what position do you play?

I played defensive end in high school but I'm playing linebacker in college...