Body tackling

The various codes of football share certain common elements. Players in American football, Canadian football, rugby union and rugby league take up positions in a limited area of the field at the start of the game.[8]They tend to use throwing and running as the main ways of moving the ball, and only kick on certain limited occasions. Body tackling is a major skill, and games typically involve short passages of play of 5–90 seconds.[8]

Association football, Australian rules football and Gaelic football tend to use kicking to move the ball around the pitch, with handling more limited. Body tackles are less central to the game, and players are freer to move around the field (offside laws are typically less strict).[8]