Impact Attempts: American Football 44 - 45

The University of Nottingham has tons of sports to choose from, with opportunities for students to do anything from MMA to Ten Pin Bowling. Throughout this year’s print issues, Impact Sport is attempting some that drift under the majority of students’ radar. For this edition, it's time to study the playbook and strap on the pads, as Impact’s Alex Ismail attempts American Football.

I had never strayed far from traditional sports, playing rugby, football, and cricket all my life. In another of the pandemic’s frustrating blows, Covid almost stopped me from playing any sport in my first year.

Starting my second year, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try something new. My inspiration came from the NFL All or Nothing documentaries on Amazon Prime - one of my many lockdown binges, and the New York Giants shirt I bought on a school trip to America the previous year.

After speaking to the American Football representatives at the university’s welcome fair and stalking their social media, I decided to go to their taster session and see if it was really for me.

The early sessions involved trying out every position. Being 5’7” and 60 kg ruled me out of several positions, and it soon became clear there was only one place for me: wide receiver - a role which required speed and good catching ability. While practising simple routes (paths run by receivers to get into position to catch the ball), I soon discovered that the quick feet and good hands I developed playing rugby were essential.

Training sessions were a step up from the tasters. Practice on Tuesday and Thursday started with an hour-long classroom session at 6pm and ended at 10pm. Sunday morning practice lasted three hours. For these eleven hours of training a week, I felt like a side character in some coming-of-age movie, and I unashamedly bought into it.

Over the following weeks, I learned what it meant to be a wide receiver and slowly developed my knowledge about the complexities of American Football. I loved running routes and catching the ball as it provided me with an opportunity to show off. However, we did not do nearly as much live practice as I would have liked.

A wide receiver’s second most important job is blocking. This responsibility involves moving defenders out of the way to clear space for the running back. As someone who spent years avoiding people twice my size, it certainly challenged my instincts! Despite often ending up on the floor, I actually enjoyed the role, seeing how vital it was for the team to succeed.

Although practice could be difficult, it was the classroom sessions that really tested me. Studying the playbook involved learning the names, numbers, and variations of twenty different tactics. You could not do your job without it, and you would struggle to get selected if you ran the wrong route in practice. As a result, I would spend my walks onto campus practising the plays, and over the first few weeks of term, I spent more time studying the playbook than working on my degree.

The initial training was done without pads and with minimal contact, but this soon changed. With this step up came my first real issue. Although most players received their pads straight away, there was a delay of almost two weeks before I got an opportunity to train in pads. It was only after I tried them on that I realised two things. One, American Football with pads was almost a completely different sport, and, two, I had two weeks of catching up to do.

I decided to go home, work harder and make the most of the opportunities that came my way. After buying an American football and some wide receiver gloves, I found that catching in my bedroom was an excellent new way to procrastinate doing my university work while also helping me improve.

Despite the Tangfastics the physios gave me, I was unable to continue

My first chance to show my new skills was as a kick-returner against the university’s premier side, the Gold team. The ball sailed through the air towards me, I caught it cleanly and spotted a gap in the chasers and thought that this was my moment! Yet, as I crashed into my teammate and was crushed by people twice my size, this thought quickly evaporated. A humbling experience to say the least but I still felt like I was making progress.

Then, disaster struck. A simple catch struck my hand at the wrong angle, causing my thumb to swell up to twice its usual size. Despite the Tangfastics the physios gave me, I was unable to continue the session and was forced to sit out the following three practices to rest the injury.

I watched from the sideline, continued to learn the playbook and tried to participate in any drills I could, but the injury persisted. I knew if I continued to sacrifice my time without playing it was going to be detrimental to my degree and my mental health. So, after two months of American Football, I had to admit defeat and hang up my ‘cleats’. It may not have worked out for me, but I definitely recommend giving it a go, especially if you are in first year and have more time.

My brief flirt with American Football was nothing if not fascinating. I was challenged both mentally and technically in a unique way. Having to learn and work off a playbook rather than on instinct tested me like never before. I loved the sport, the people, and the experience, but unfortunately, you won’t be seeing me in the NFL any time soon.

Even though I stopped playing, my fascination with the sport persists. I continued to follow the New York Giants despite their dismal 2021 season, and I am extremely excited for their 2022 campaign – especially since I will be watching them play against the Green Bay Packers at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in October!

By Alex Ismail

Illustrations by Cora-Laine Moynihan