Football 101: General Hand Signals and What They Mean
Knowing what the referees are doing when they are flashing hand signals is a big part of knowing the game of football. In this guide well take a look at the general hand signals and what they mean.
Successful Score
The game official extends both arms skyward when the offense has scored a touchdown, converted a field goal or extra point, or made a successful 2-point attempt. Fans often mimic this to celebrate when their team scores a touchdown.
First Down
Whenever the offense successfully advances the ball 10 yards from the line of scrimmage, the game official turns to face the direction in which the offense is moving and extends one arm toward the goal.
Fourth Down
When the offense is faced with a fourth-down attempt, the game official holds one fist in the air, to alert the fans, players, and coaches that its fourth down. Officials often use fingers to show second or third down.
Unsuccessful Attempt
If a pass is ruled incomplete, a field goal or extra point fails to go through the uprights, or if a 2-point conversion fails, the game official extends both arms in front of him and waves them back and forth to signal an unsuccessful attempt. The game officials also make this motion to show that a team has refused to accept a penalty.
Dead Ball
When the game official wishes to communicate that the clock was stopped when an infraction occurred, he gives the dead ball signal, simply holding one hand up high in the air.
Begin (or Continue) the Game Clock
When the game official makes a circular motion with one straight arm, it means the game clock should be active. The official does this to start the clock or when a player is tackled near the sideline but not ruled out of the field of play.
Stop the Game Clock
The game official waves both arms over the top of his head to stop the clock, due to a break in the action, when a player is injured on the field, when a player has gone out of bounds, or when a team has called a time-out. The game official also makes this motion at the end of the first half or regulation.
Reset the Play Clock
Whenever the play clock is not properly set, the game official halts the action before the snap and requests that the clock operator reset the game clock, or set it to a certain number of seconds. To do this, he pushes upward repeatedly, with palms pointed up.
Loss of Down
When the game official puts both hands behind his head, it signals a loss of down. This is important to remember because some penalties, if accepted by the defense, allow the offense to replay the previous down. Loss-of-down penalties do not.
Bobbling the Ball
If a receiver isnt able to secure the football before establishing possession with his feet, usually on his way out of bounds, the game official makes a juggling like motion to indicate he did not make a clean catch.
Change of Possession
Whenever the defense takes control of a fumble, catches an interception, or prevents the offense from getting the necessary yardage on fourth down, the game official shows a change of possession by facing and using one arm to point in the direction in which the defense is also facing.
Safety
When a defender tackles the offensive player with the ball inside that players own end zone, the game official signals a safety by pressing both of his hands together directly above his head. The defense is awarded 2 points, and the team that sacrificed the safety is forced to kick the ball from its 20-yard line (either by kicking or punting).
The defense can also earn a safety if the game officials rule that the opposing quarterback has committed intentional grounding while in his own end zone, when the offense is called for holding in the end zone, or when the offense fumbles the ball out of its end zone.
Uncatchable Pass
When the game official waves one hand palm down over his head, it signals that the last pass thrown was not a catchable ball for its intended receiver.
A defender cannot be guilty of pass interference on a ball ruled uncatchable; however, the defender may still be called for illegal contact or holding on such a play.
Player Ejection
On rare occasions, game officials feel the need to remove a player from the game, either due to too much violent behavior or for poor conduct. When this happens, the official forms a hitchhiking thumb and makes an ejectionlike motion with his arm. The player is then asked to leave the field of play and enter the locker room.
Penalty Declined
Either team can opt not to accept a penalty, often because the result of the penalty isnt as favorable as the result of the play it occurred on. When a team declines a penalty, the official indicates this by waving both arms in front of his body.
Declining a penalty is common practice for the defense because a penalty often moves the offense back a number of yards but also presents them with a chance to replay the previous down. The defense would rather it be fourth and 5 yards to go than accept a penalty that would make it third down and 15 yards to go.
Now that you know what the hand signals mean, youll have more fun watching your next game. For more information on football rules, check out our Quick Guides Football 101: Defensive Hand Signals and What They Mean and Football 101: Offensive Penalty Hand Signals and What They Mean. Enjoy the game!
From The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Football by Mike Beacom
