Holding (American football)

Edit links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

A Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman holds a New York Giants player, preventing him from tackling the running back.

In gridiron football, holding is the illegal use of the hand or arm to restrain another player who is not in possession of the ball. Holding is prohibited in most football leagues because it does not allow fair play of the game and increases the risk for injury.[1] It is one of the most common penalties in American football.

While in the field of play, offensive holding results in a 10-yard penalty,

safety. In the NFL, when holding is committed by the defense, the penalty is 5 yards and an automatic first down.[2]

In the 2021 NFL season offensive holding was the most common penalty issued with 649 penalties being issued for 6,297 penalty yards. In addition, Defensive holding was the fourth most common penalty in the 2021 NFL season as well with 163 penalties being issued for a total of 780 penalty yards.[3]

References

  1. ISSN 0736-5144
    . Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  2. ^
    About.com
  3. ^ "2021 NFL Penalty Data". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Holding_(American_football)&oldid=1207162172"