Paper football
Encyclopedia
Paper 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. This game is widely practiced, generally by boys of upper primary, middle school
& high school
age in the United States
, as an informal recreation.
tables for impromptu games. Generally, a playing area can be made out of any flat surface where the two players are able to face one another, and where the players are roughly a normal conversational distance apart. When a surface is larger than the desirable field of play, drink containers and other artifacts can be used to mark out-of-bounds. For one-down games, the field is typically 24 inches (2 feet or 60 cm) long and for 4-down games, the field is typically at least 36 inches (3 feet or 91 cm) long, and as long as 60 inches (5 feet or 152 cm).
paper to leather
has been used. The paper is either cut or folded to form a long strip, and this is in turn folded up in a diagonal fashion until the end of the strip is tucked into the last fold, securing the final paper football in its iconic triangular shape. In the absence of paper, sugar packets and matchbooks have also been used to substitute for a ball.
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.
There is a "wind" rule on kickoffs where the opposing player can blow the ball backwards as "wind."
, or another manner comfortable to the player. Striking with objects such as pencils is more rare.
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 an object vertically along the edge of the table. If the object disturbs the ball, the touchdown is considered successful.
Play resumes with either a fresh kickoff by the scoring player, or a change of possession, based on house rules.
is any attempt by a player to hold the ball in one hand (which in turn generally rests on the table), and to flick the ball using the other hand such that it travels through a goalpost formed by the fingers of the opposing player. Field goals generally score 3 points. Implementation of field goals varies widely, and in some variations the game consists entirely players kicking field goals back and forth with no other plays in between. When used in this manner, field goals tend to be one point each, rather like a simple mockup of basketball
with players trading free throws.
Some variations:
Various methods in turn or in combination can be used to break ties:
Table (furniture)
A table is a form of furniture with a flat and satisfactory horizontal upper surface used to support objects of interest, for storage, show, and/or manipulation...
-top game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
, loosely based on American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, in which a sheet of paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
folded into a small triangle is slid back and forth across a table top by two opponents. This game is widely practiced, generally by boys of upper primary, middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
& high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
age in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, as an informal recreation.
Paper football field
The game is normally played on table tops. The optimal table top is roughly rectangular to resemble an American football field, and has an evenly polished surface to facilitate sliding of the "ball". Players of the game frequently adapt school desks or fast foodFast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
tables for impromptu games. Generally, a playing area can be made out of any flat surface where the two players are able to face one another, and where the players are roughly a normal conversational distance apart. When a surface is larger than the desirable field of play, drink containers and other artifacts can be used to mark out-of-bounds. For one-down games, the field is typically 24 inches (2 feet or 60 cm) long and for 4-down games, the field is typically at least 36 inches (3 feet or 91 cm) long, and as long as 60 inches (5 feet or 152 cm).
Standard goal posts
The defending player must provide the Goal Posts, as most games incorporate kicking of the ball (for field goals, kickoffs, etc.) by flicking the ball through the air. Standard goal posts are made by holding the thumb and forefinger of each hand at a 90 degree angle, and touching the thumbs or forefingers together to resemble a goal post. The method used should be agreed upon before play begins. Since hand sizes vary, players generally agree to hold their fingers closer or further apart so as not to unfairly disadvantage any player. Some competitors even choose to fashion goal posts from other materials to standardize the process. The body is used as a net to prevent the ball from flying too far from the play area.Paper football construction
Due to the audience and impromptu nature of the game, a paper football is often made out of a single sheet of notebook paper, though any material from origamiOrigami
is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, which started in the 17th century AD at the latest and was popularized outside Japan in the mid-1900s. It has since then evolved into a modern art form...
paper to leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
has been used. The paper is either cut or folded to form a long strip, and this is in turn folded up in a diagonal fashion until the end of the strip is tucked into the last fold, securing the final paper football in its iconic triangular shape. In the absence of paper, sugar packets and matchbooks have also been used to substitute for a ball.
Game play
Many variations of the game exist, but in general paper football is played to resemble American football. The two opposing teams (usually two opposing players) sit facing each other over the play area. A coin (or, a specially-marked football) is flipped 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 a drive in American football, with the goal being to score a touchdown. Games may be as simple as flicking the ball back and forth in a fashion similar to field goals, or as involved as including simulations of events from touchbacks to penalties to first downs.Kick off
A kick off may start 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 opposing player's end of the table. 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.
There is a "wind" rule on kickoffs where the opposing player can blow the ball backwards as "wind."
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 which advances the ball through flicking or hitting, but pushing the ball is disallowed. The ball is generally flicked either with the thumb and forefinger in a manner similar to shooting marblesMarbles
A marble is a small spherical toy usually made from glass, clay, steel, or agate. These balls vary in size. Most commonly, they are about ½ inch in diameter, but they may range from less than ¼ inch to over 3 inches , while some art glass marbles fordisplay purposes are over 12 inches ...
, or another manner comfortable to the player. Striking with objects such as pencils is more rare.
Touchdown
A touchdown (TD) is generally worth 6 points, as in American football. It is scored when a player advances the ball such that it comes to rest with part of the ball extending over the edge the opponent's end of the table without falling to the ground.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 an object vertically along the edge of the table. If the object disturbs the ball, the touchdown is considered successful.
Extra points
Following a touchdown, the scoring player usually kicks a field goal for 1 point (an extra point or point-after touchdown), or has the option to try for 2 points (a two-point conversion).- Point After Touchdown: The opponent holds his fingers in the goalpost position, and the scoring player flicks the ball through the air. The attempt is successful so long as the center of the ball travels through the imaginary area over the bottom fingers and between the uprights, even of the ball bounces off the uprights (but continues through the scoring area) in the process.
- Two Point Conversion: The scoring player gets one attempt to flick the ball over the edge of the table in a manner similar to scoring a touchdown. In some games, the player starts from the middle of the table for this attempt.
Play resumes with either a fresh kickoff by the scoring player, or a change of possession, based on house rules.
Field goals
A field goalField goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
is any attempt by a player to hold the ball in one hand (which in turn generally rests on the table), and to flick the ball using the other hand such that it travels through a goalpost formed by the fingers of the opposing player. Field goals generally score 3 points. Implementation of field goals varies widely, and in some variations the game consists entirely players kicking field goals back and forth with no other plays in between. When used in this manner, field goals tend to be one point each, rather like a simple mockup of basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
with players trading free throws.
Some variations:
- If a team gains possession in the other teams territory (such as after an illegal attempt to push the ball or the ball going out of bounds), the player can attempt a field goalField goal (football)A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
instead of trying for a touchdown. 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, or from the spot the football left the table. - 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.
Safety
A safety is worth two points. This occurs when a player fumbles by accidentally knocking the ball into a scoring position off his own end of the table (scoring in favor of the opposing player), or the ball coming to rest in the scoring position during a kickoff.Penalties
Pushing the ball, kicking the ball wildly so that it goes far from the table, or disturbing the ball during an opponent's play may all result in penalties depending on game variation. Most often, a penalty moves the ball toward the offender's side of the table, to the opponent's advantage. If players are using downs, the offending player generally loses a down (or the opponent's play is considered not to have used a down), in addition to letting the opposing player move the ball to a more advantageous position.Game length
Games may last a set amount of time, and this has historically been dictated by the end of the class period during which the game was started, or when one participant scores a predetermined number of points. Games are generally played quite quickly.Various methods in turn or in combination can be used to break ties:
Overtime
If a time length game is tied after the allotted time, the teams may play an additional period called overtime, which usually lasts 5 minutes. The overtime should be started with a coin flip to determine who kicks off.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.Variations
- The game was known to be played with matchbooks as footballs in the 1950s in the American midwest.
- Paper football was played in Connecticut in the 1950s using an American quarterQuarter (United States coin)A quarter dollar, commonly shortened to quarter, is a coin worth ¼ of a United States dollar, or 25 cents. The quarter has been produced since 1796. The choice of 25¢ as a denomination, as opposed to 20¢ which is more common in other parts of the world, originated with the practice of dividing...
. Each player had 4 downs to advance the quarter up the field, and hang it over the edge of the table for a touchdown. If the quarter fell off the edge or the player failed to hang it within 4 downs, the opponent was given possession. The shooting player could try a field goal at any time by hanging the quarter over his own edge of the table, and "kicking" it with his index finger toward the opponents field goal "posts." The player with the highest score won the opponent's quarter. Due to increased noise from the metallic quarter scraping the table and clanking off tile or wooden floors, this method was often avoided in classrooms and study halls. Also depending on the length of the paper football, and the length of the playing table, the chance of hanging the football off the edge varied. - One classroom variation incorporates a study guide or test into the game. Each player in turn answers the next question on the quiz, and may only take possession of the ball with a correct answer, playing the ball from its current position on the table.