The Army Training System - AskTOP

up across the field separated by thewidth of the ball. Only one player mayplace his hands on the ball. The playerwho just scored is directly in front ofthe ball. At the referee’s signal, theball is put into play for one minute. Ifany part of the ball is driven across thegoal line in this period, the offensescores one point. The defense may notscore during the extra point attempt.The game continues until four 10-minute quarters have been played.Rest periods are allowed for two minutesbetween quarters and five minutesat halftime.RulesPlayers may use any means ofinterfering with the opponents’ progressexcept striking and clipping.Clipping is throwing one’s body acrossthe back of an opponent’s legs as he isrunning or standing. Force may legallybe applied to all opponents whetherthey are playing the ball or not. Aplayer who strikes or clips an opponentis removed from the game, and histeam is penalized half the distance toits goal.When any part of the ball goes outof bounds, it is dead. The teams lineup at right angles to the sidelines.They should be six feet apart at thepoint where the ball went out. Thereferee tosses the ball between theteams.When, for any reason, the ball istied up in one spot for more than 10seconds, the referee declares it dead.He returns the ball into play the sameway he does after it goes out ofbounds.STRATEGY PUSHBALLStrategy pushball is similar to pushballexcept that it is played on twoadjacent fields, and opposing teamssupply soldiers to the games on bothfields. Team commanders assess thesituation on the fields and distributetheir soldiers accordingly. The commanderdecides the number of soldiersused, within limits imposed by therules. This number may be adjustedthroughout the game. Play on bothfields occurs at the same time, but eachgame progresses independently. At theend of play, a team’s points from bothfields are added together to determinethe overall winner.This game requires two pushballsthat are five to six feet in diameter.Pull-over vests or jerseys of two differentcolors are used by each team fora total of four different colors. Startersand reserves should be easily distinguishable.Starters and substitutesshould wear vests of one color, whilethe team commander and reserves wearvests of the second color.Players may wear any type of athleticshoes except those with metalcleats. Combat boots may be worn, butextra caution must be used to preventinjuries caused by kicking or steppingon other players. Soldiers wearingillegal equipment may not play untilthe problem has been corrected.The playing area is two lined-offfields. These are 240 to 300 feet longby 120 to 150 feet wide. They areseparated lengthwise by a 20-footwidedivider strip. The length of eachfield is divided equally by a centerlinethat is parallel to the goal lines. Linesare also marked 45 feet from each sideof the centerline and parallel to it. Thelines extend across both fields. Dimensionsmay be determined locallybased on available space and the numberof players. The space between thefields is the team area. Each teamoccupies the third of the team spacethat immediately adjoins its initialplaying field.Time periods should be adjusted tosuit weather conditions and soldiers’fitness levels.9-8