Paper football
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Paper football (also called Finger football, Chinese football, Biren football or Flick football) refers to a table-top game, loosely based on American football, in which a sheet of paper folded into a small triangle is slid back and forth across a table top by two opponents.
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[edit] Paper Football Field
A long, narrow rectangular table resembling at least somewhat the shape of a football field is recommended but just about any table top will do. Fast food restaurant tables are perfect - drink containers and other artifacts can be used to mark out-of-bounds. School student desks and lunchroom tables have been the preferred paper football arena for decades.
[edit] Standard Goal Posts
When needed the defending player must provide the Goal Posts. There are two methods to make standard goal posts. One is made by placing index fingers in pointing position with the thumbs up, the pointing fingers touching tip to tip. The other standard goal post is made with the pointing fingers up, and the thumb tips touching. The method used should be agreed upon before play begins.
[edit] Field Goal Nets
Use your body to create a field goal net to block the ball as it flies through your goal posts or duck under the table. Do not use your face for a field goal net.
[edit] Paper Football Construction
A proper paper football is created by folding a sheet of paper (8.5x11) twice lengthwise. Next, place the paper lengthwise and take the open-of-the-fold top corner and fold till flush against the opposite side. This forms a triangle. Keep folding the triangle until there is not enough paper left for it to be folded anymore. Take the last bit of paper at the bottom and fold it to conform with the football and tuck it into the gap between the folds.[1] Sometimes the end does not have enough paper - in that case back up the football one fold and fold from the bottom and tuck that piece in. You may also fold a post it note three times diagonally and then staple or tape it.
- A smaller football can be made by using half sheet (8.5x5.5).
- The football can be decorated. Draw seams along the hypotenuse.
- A book of matches can be used as a football if no paper is available (in some circles matchbooks are the preferred football).
- While at a restaurant waiting for an order, a sugar packet may be used as a football.
- A football should be used once and the score and players recorded on it and saved forever (or until your mother throws it away after you've gone to college).
[edit] Game Play
The paper football game is played as much as possible to resemble American football. The two opposing teams (usually just two people) flip a coin to see who kicks off to start the game. After the kickoff the teams advance the Ball by flicking it across the field. Each flick represents drive in American football. All sorts of things can happen during the game: touchdowns, touchbacks, safeties, extra points, field goals, fumbles, out-of-bounds, interference penalties, etc.
[edit] Kick Off
The kick off starts the game. The player holds the football under a fingertip of one hand on his end of the table and flicks (kicks) it with a finger from the other hand towards the other teams end of the table.[2] The receiving team gets possession where the ball stops. If any part of the ball is overhanging the end of the table a safety has occurred. The kicking team is awarded 2 points and the receiving team kicks off to the other team from its own end of the table.
There are a couple of other ways to perform the kick off. One is by placing the ball on the edge of the table with one corner overhanging, and flicking it towards the opposing side of the table. Other players use a one-handed type of kick off: the ball is held resting in the palm, then it is tossed onto the table by hitting the fingers on the underside of the table. The method used should be agreed upon before playing.
[edit] Advancing the Ball
The primary activity of the game is to slide the paper football across the football field by flicking it. The legal flick or shot or throw is any method where the hand is stationary on the table that slides the ball down the field (table). Examples:
- Use the thumb and forefinger of one hand in a motion similar to that used in shooting marbles
- Use a flicking motion with the pointer finger to give the "ball" extra spin, so as to come to rest with part of it extending from the end of the table adjacent to the opponent.
- Flicking it with an index finger only.
- Flicking it with all fingers at once.
It is illegal to push it down the table[3]. Any method that can be interpreted as a push should be avoided since sooner or later you will find yourself in a game where the push is not allowed. Keep one part of your hand still on the table until after your opponent has declared your shot a TD.
[edit] Change of Possession
Shots which fail to reach the end of the table result in a Change of Possession allowing the opponent to receive possession, that is, to take his own shot from that point. Players generally alternate shots until one scores a touchdown or the paper football is knocked completely off the table. There are two ways to go off the table:
- Off the end resulting in a touchback.
- Off the side resulting in out of bounds.
In some variations, a shot which results in part of the paper football extending over the side of the table results in a "first down", and the shooter retains possession and is allowed another shot from that point.
[edit] Touchback
In American football when an offensive ballcarrier fumbles the ball forward into the end zone, and then the ball goes out of bounds. This occurrence leads to a touchback, with the ball going over to the opposing team at their 20 yard line. In paper football shots which go entirely off the end of the table result in a similar touchback and a Change of possession results. The defending player will place the at their 20 yard line (a point about 20% of the distance from the end of the table. In some versions the term touchback has been replaced by just the word off as in "after that "off" I made my field goal attempt".
[edit] Out of Bounds
Shots which go entirely off the side of the table are considered out of bounds, and the opponent is allowed a shot from the point at which the paper football went over the edge of the table, or an equivalent spot directly inward from that point. A portion of the table top can also be designated out of bounds as in "past this glass or into the pizza is out of bounds". After taking possession after a football as gone out of bounds the new shooter can place the ball in any position they want at the point the ball went out of bounds. This gives them an advantage since they can put the ball at their favorite angle.
[edit] Scoring
A team scores points by the following plays:
[edit] Touchdown
A touchdown (TD) is worth 6 points. In American football it is scored when a player runs the ball into or catches a pass in his opponent's end zone. In paper football to score a touchdown the team in possession must advance the ball so it comes to rest with part of it extending from the opponent's end of the table.
In some cases, it is unclear whether or not a touchdown has been scored, since only a small portion of the ball seems to be over the edge of the table. In this case, some players will bring out the chains, by sliding a pen or pencil vertically along the edge of the table. If the pen or pencil touches the ball and causes it to move, the touchdown is considered successful.
[edit] Extra Points
In American Football after a touchdown has been scored the ball is placed at the other team's 3-yard (2.7 m) line (the 2-yard (1.8 m) line in the NFL). The team can attempt to kick it over the crossbar and through the goal posts in the manner of a field goal for 1 point (an extra point or point-after touchdown), or run or pass it into the end zone in the manner of a touchdown for 2 points (a two-point conversion). In paper football the same options are available. The player who has just scored the touchdown can try to for either the single Point After Touchdown or Two Point Conversion.
- Point After Touchdown: the opponent must then form his fingers into the shape of goalposts, and the player who has just scored the touchdown is then given the opportunity to hold the football on one point vertically at his end of the table and flick it toward the goalposts. If it passes between the opponent's outstretched fingers it is considered a "good" extra point.
- Two Point Conversion: the ball is place by the player who has just scored the touchdown in the middle of the field and an attempt to advance the ball to the scoring position is made. If the attempt is unsuccessful a change of possession occurs, the defending team takes possession and play resumes. If successful the scoring team resumes play with a kickoff.
[edit] Field Goals
If a team gains possession in the other teams territory (after a fumble i.e. a misplayed flick or a ball going out of bounds) they can attempt a field goal instead of trying for a touchdown. This can be harder than it sounds since the defender can place the goal posts anywhere on their goal line and the kick must take place from the exact position where the football lies.
In some versions the defending player has the option to try for a field goal after a touchback. A field goal, which employs precisely the same method as described above for a Point After Touchdown, except that it scores three points rather than one. In some variations, the field goal option is only awarded after three (or another predetermined number) of touchbacks.
[edit] Safety
A safety, worth 2 points, In American football it is scored by the opposing team when the team in possession at the end of a down is responsible for the ball becoming dead behind its own goal line. In paper football a safety can occur if a team fumbles while advancing the ball near its own goal (end of the table) and the ball comes to rest in the scoring position or during a kickoff.
[edit] Game Length
Games can be a specific time length (till the bell rings) or played until one participant scores a predetermined number of points (often 21) and is then recognized as the winner. Games are generally played quite quickly unless the predetermined number of points required is very high. If a chess clock is used (or school house end of class bell) the game play can get quite frantic as the losing team attempts to quicken the pace while the winning player can try to delay the game by making wild flicks that require the loser to make great catches or go chasing the football.
Various methods in turn or in combination can be used to break ties[4]:
[edit] Overtime
If a time length game is tied after the allotted time, the teams play an additional period called overtime usually 5 minutes. The overtime should be started with a coin flip to determine who kicks off.
[edit] Sudden Death
If the game is still tied after overtime it can go into an additional time period called sudden death. In sudden death the next score of any kind wins.
[edit] Shootout
If the game is still tied after sudden death it can go into the final tiebreaker called the shootout. In a shootout tiebreaker each team alternate making field goal attempts from their end of the table. After 10 attempts the team with the most successful field goals wins. If the game is still tied another sudden death shootout using the small field goal post should be used.
[edit] Tiebreaker
The Paper Football Association[5] uses a two point conversion shootout to break the tie. In this tiebreaker each player is allowed 10 consecutive attempts to score from the middle of the table (this is the same procedure as a two point conversion and the player with the most number of successful tiebreaker two point conversion shots is the winner.
[edit] History
This game is widely practiced, generally by boys of primary and middle school age in the United States, as an informal recreation. At one point in time many schools attempted to ban it, but now it is generally tolerated as a harmless pastime less violent than many other forms of informal recreation.
- Known to be played with matchbooks as footballs in the 1950s in the American midwest.
- Played in Connecticut in the 1950s using a quarter ($.25) Not well tolerated by study hall monitors.
- In a classroom variation a study sheet may be incorporated into the game. Simply require a correct answer before each change of possession i.e. the next right answer gets possession and can flick the ball from its current location.
- The creator of paper football was Zachary Smith when the first football of paper was made thus creating paper football in his elementary years
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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