American Football Referee Signals COMPLETE GUIDE

American Football referee signals. Learn all of the rules of football and what each referee signal means. We break down each penalty in the game and how it relates to the game.

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0:00 - Introduction
0:31 - Delay Of Game
0:49 - False Start
1:12 - Illegal Shift
1:40 - Illegal Substitution
2:05 - Encroachment
2:24 - Neutral Zone Infraction
2:57 - Offsides
3:45 - Illegal Block In The Back
4:12 - Chop Block
4:37 - Clipping
4:58 - Illegal Block Below The Waist
5:23 - Illegal Forward Pass
5:47 - Illegal Hands To The Face
6:17 - Ineligible Receiver
7:07 - Intentional Grounding
8:05 - Holding
8:31 - Offensive Pass Interference
9:04 - Tripping
9:14 - Facemask Penalty
9:45 - Horse Collar Penalty
10:25 - Defensive Pass Interference
11:43 - Roughing The Kicker
12:29 - Targeting
13:10 - Unsportsmanlike Conduct

[robertcostanzo]

I shared this with my uncle Burt who is coming from Italy next week and wants to experience American football, it was so helpful!

[Thehandler]

I have my first game as an official Saturday. Man, you saved my life out there with this video lol

[jean-claudbenade]

We are trying to develop American Football in South-Africa and this video is GREAT to use for showing the players what to focus on as well as potential officials!

[sphtpfhorbrains]

6:17 - Ineligible Receiver: You forgot to mention how having O-linemen down field can draw this flag, if they're downfield when the pass is thrown (typically on screen passes). They are allowed to be 3yds from scrimmage in college, and 1yd in the NFL.

[Butterfly-vnyw]

Thank you so much for your video! I am new to officiating football and I have a lot of learning to do. The information you gave is going to be really helpful. Thank you for taking the time to make this video. It’s greatly appreciated!

[cademitchell]

Thank you my 11 year old doesn’t know about football this really helped!

[thatguyonthebostonsidewalk]

Great job! I am a new official, and this is very helpful. Thank you

[beanman]

My team kept getting penalties and I didn’t know why thank you

[charlessmith]

The horse collar tackle signal - I know this - you grab the hand on the collar. But use the personal foul signal before that.

This is a new rule especially in the NFL several years ago. Now it is a 15-yard penalty to the defensive team who is guilty of it (personal foul). It is now illegal for the defender to tackle the offensive ball carrier by the collar of the carrier's jersey now. I guess this new rule is to help prevent neck injuries or issues related to this type of tackle.

[warrenpowell]

High School Football-Have to correct you on a couple of aspects. I am a 35yr veteran Referee. In H.S. Football-Pass Interference is a 15yd. Penalty and not a 10 yd. Penalty. Defensive Pass Interference is always penalized from the previous spot which would be the line of scrimmage. Also on your illustrations with your Referee, he gives some of the signals twice instead of once. For example: The chop block signal was given correctly but you only tap your legs once not twice. Clipping is only one tap on the back of lower legs. The demonstration by the official is correct but do it only once on the back of the legs not tapping twice. Otherwise your demonstrations are good.

[jayplaysgolf]

Great video some penalties you didn't explain how many yards it was for instance the illegal hands to face

[cristarquinio]

Illegal shift in high school football in not a dead ball foul - it is a live ball foul - both players can reset and make the play legal.

[USC]

AS A LONG TIME PLAYER AND COACH IT DISTURBS ME WHEN I SEE HOW MANY PLAYERS ARE IGNORING WEARING THEIR KNEE PADS OR PULLING THEM INCHES ABOVE THEIR KNEES. WE USED TO TRY AND WEAR THEM HIGH BUT COACHES AND REFS WOULD ALWAYS TELL US THEY WERE TOO HIGH. IVE SEEN GUYS CRACK THEIR KNEECAP OR GET A SEVERE BONE BRUISE AFTER SMACKING THEIR KNEE INTO A HELMET OR FACEMASK. I EVEN SAW A KID SLIP ON WET SMOOTH CONCRETE AND LAND DIRECTLY ON HIS KNEE. A BONE BRUISE WILL KEEP A PLAYERS OUT FOR WEEKS!!! REFS NEED TO DO THEIR JOBS TO PROTECT PLAYERS FROM THEMSELVES

[charlessmith]

Illegal blindside block--a rare thing--if I want to make it up, it would be one hand over the eye, and then, the other hand does a blocking gesture to the L or to the R.

The other way to signal that foul is usually a blocking gesture to the R or to the L, but you do not see your own blocking gesture, so usually to the side and pointing diagonally back.

A blindside block is illegal if one blocks usually at the end of the play, to the point that it is like a "defenseless player". That is, you block in a way that the one being blocked did not expect the block at all and cannot have enough time to brace for the blocking impact in the first place.

Penalty is generally a personal foul, so therefore, a 15-yard penalty to the team guilty of such an unacceptable block.

[warrencarswell]

Ok. New one on me. At a local VAHS football game. Ref called, “False start offense, offside defense. Penalties offset.” Wait, what??? Is that even possible?

[michaelhogg]

Defense can also be called for Delay of Game and Illegal Hands to the face

[michaelhogg]

DPI and OPI in HS or College is 15 yards NOT 10 yards

[melenzoferrer]

It makes me sad using the Chiefs in 2018 AFC title game as the example for offsides.

[YoungTrash-roip]

You forgot defensive holding and illegal contact

[warrenpowell]

You left out certain exception that needed to be added in. The neutral zone is not 1 yd. It is ball tip to ball tip. Please do more investigative work by conferring with a Referee.