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Aussie rules football is a completely different game. American football builds in a guaranteed 6+ head contacts per play, from linemen colliding with each othe

by jfager 16y ago

Aussie rules football is a completely different game. American football builds in a guaranteed 6+ head contacts per play, from linemen colliding with each other when the ball gets snapped each down. In Aussie rules, players distribute across the field, and the game isn't built around downs. And in American football, when you tackle someone, the play is over. Aussie rules is much more fluid, and every time you tackle someone, you simultaneously risk taking yourself out of the play. In that regard, it's much more similar to hockey, where laying out a hard check might cost you a goal because it means you're sprawled out on the ice rather than getting back on defense. Edit: also, a bunch of the worst hits in American football come thanks to the forward pass - a QB leads a crossing route too much, and the defenseless receiver gets jacked stretching out for the ball. There are no thrown passes in Aussie rules football.

hugh3 16y ago
Indeed. Aussie rules is probably the least tackle-intensive of the non-round-football games. A better comparison would be to Rugby League, which is tackle-stops-play much like Grid Iron (which is what we call American Football). But there's still less tackling, because you're only allowed to tackle the guy with the ball, whereas Grid Iron seems to be an everybody-tackles-everybody-all-the-time sort of situation.
- anigbrowl 16y ago
  Quite. In American football the basic play is to prevent the entire team from following the ball around. In rugby the only time you have this pushing behavior is in a scrum (aka scrimmage), where most of the team members get into a group blocking position against the other team and the referee throws the ball into the middle between their legs. Then the teams try to push each other backwards so one of them can get over the ball and kick it out to the rear of their scrum, where another player can pick it up and start running. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/rules_and_equipment/4205334.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/rules_and_equipm... has an explanation and a useful picture) Even though this scrum is a test of brute strength, there's no impact involved because the scrum is carefully arranged and supervised by the referee before the ball is thrown in, not least to minimize the risk of injury. Pushing is one tactic, especially beloved of teams like the New Zealand All-Blacks who have a lot of big Polynesian players, but an equally valid approach is to rotate the scrum to one side or the other and use an opposing team's forward momentum against them. The main injury risk is a broken neck or torn ear, but these are mercifully rare. About 10% of rugby injuries involve concussions, but the overall rate of injury is much lower, and you could play many games without ever getting a bang on the head. Strength is important, but no more so than speed or agility. I weigh only 140 pounds but I was a fairly good rugby player in school because I was nimble, and there are quite a few small professional players. If you are interested and have 4 minutes to spare, this video shows the highlights of a game with two excellent, versatile teams doing 'a bit of everything': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heoO_5MvZ0w&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heoO_5MvZ0w&feature=relat...
notahacker 16y ago
True. The rate of head injuries in either variant of Rugby might be a better comparison. Quite apart from the frequency of contact, another difference between American Football and other contact sports is the greater emphasis on physical speed and power of players over stamina, positional awareness etc. As someone who once completed a rugby tackle by intentionally headbutting a moving opponent's ankle (in a local third team game...) I can assure you that lack of helmet doesn't solve the problem of overly aggressive sportsmen on an adrenalin rush...
Travis 16y ago
Gotcha, I wasn't aware the game was so significantly different. I think the WSJ article suggests that removing the helmets would force the game to change in this manner. Also very much agreed regarding the linemen situation. It does conflict a little with your edit, however -- while the worst hits come from the forward pass (frequently), I think the most brain damage (at least from reading the Malcolm Gladwell article on the topic) comes from subconcussive impacts. Basically every time a player runs into each other, 50-80 times per practice or game. I think the NFL is at the cusp of realizing how much damage the players' brains suffer. They (and even the NFLPA) aren't very good about taking care of players after their careers are over. I see two possible solutions: improve the equipment, or significantly change the game.

by jfager 16y ago

hugh3 16y ago

Indeed. Aussie rules is probably the least tackle-intensive of the non-round-football games. A better comparison would be to Rugby League, which is tackle-stops-play much like Grid Iron (which is what we call American Football). But there's still less tackling, because you're only allowed to tackle the guy with the ball, whereas Grid Iron seems to be an everybody-tackles-everybody-all-the-time sort of situation.

anigbrowl 16y ago
Quite. In American football the basic play is to prevent the entire team from following the ball around. In rugby the only time you have this pushing behavior is in a scrum (aka scrimmage), where most of the team members get into a group blocking position against the other team and the referee throws the ball into the middle between their legs. Then the teams try to push each other backwards so one of them can get over the ball and kick it out to the rear of their scrum, where another player can pick it up and start running. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/rules_and_equipment/4205334.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/rules_and_equipm... has an explanation and a useful picture) Even though this scrum is a test of brute strength, there's no impact involved because the scrum is carefully arranged and supervised by the referee before the ball is thrown in, not least to minimize the risk of injury. Pushing is one tactic, especially beloved of teams like the New Zealand All-Blacks who have a lot of big Polynesian players, but an equally valid approach is to rotate the scrum to one side or the other and use an opposing team's forward momentum against them. The main injury risk is a broken neck or torn ear, but these are mercifully rare. About 10% of rugby injuries involve concussions, but the overall rate of injury is much lower, and you could play many games without ever getting a bang on the head. Strength is important, but no more so than speed or agility. I weigh only 140 pounds but I was a fairly good rugby player in school because I was nimble, and there are quite a few small professional players. If you are interested and have 4 minutes to spare, this video shows the highlights of a game with two excellent, versatile teams doing 'a bit of everything': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heoO_5MvZ0w&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heoO_5MvZ0w&feature=relat...

notahacker 16y ago

True. The rate of head injuries in either variant of Rugby might be a better comparison. Quite apart from the frequency of contact, another difference between American Football and other contact sports is the greater emphasis on physical speed and power of players over stamina, positional awareness etc. As someone who once completed a rugby tackle by intentionally headbutting a moving opponent's ankle (in a local third team game...) I can assure you that lack of helmet doesn't solve the problem of overly aggressive sportsmen on an adrenalin rush...

Travis 16y ago

Gotcha, I wasn't aware the game was so significantly different. I think the WSJ article suggests that removing the helmets would force the game to change in this manner. Also very much agreed regarding the linemen situation. It does conflict a little with your edit, however -- while the worst hits come from the forward pass (frequently), I think the most brain damage (at least from reading the Malcolm Gladwell article on the topic) comes from subconcussive impacts. Basically every time a player runs into each other, 50-80 times per practice or game. I think the NFL is at the cusp of realizing how much damage the players' brains suffer. They (and even the NFLPA) aren't very good about taking care of players after their careers are over. I see two possible solutions: improve the equipment, or significantly change the game.