Rules

How To Learn The Rules

Where to start?

Learning the rules is paramount for officials as it serves as the foundation for maintaining fairness, safety, and integrity within the game. Understanding the intricate details of regulations ensures consistent judgment calls and effective game management. Ultimately, mastering the rules not only enhances the official’s credibility but also upholds the essence of sportsmanship and promotes a positive experience for all involved in the game.

Learning the rules is part of the initiation experience and a long term undertaking while mastering the rules is an ongoing process.

Beginner

Goals

New officials begin learning the basic definitions of the rules. In football, this is “Rule 2” and it is the foundation of the rules.
The first time you read Rule 2, your goal is to familiarize yourself with the format and jargon style. There are 45 definitions and we recommend spreading the reading out over several sessions by chunking Rule 2 into groups of 15.
Rule 2
The next time you read Rule 2, your goal is to start learning the definitions and making connections between the definitions. We designed a Rule 2 study aid which presents each definition along with other referenced definitions in one place. In addition, some of the definitions have accompanying quizzes, videos, and diagrams to help reinforce the rule.
Rule 2 Study Aid
Now that we have a basic idea of the definitions it is time to start using them. The next rule to tackle is Rule 7.
Rule 7

Rules

Rules with Case Book Plays