Three of the most important rules of Electric football?

[Long island EFL]

List three of your most important rules and share with the efl community

Edited August 18, 2020 by Long island EFL
Add info

[mccaber]

1.  Listen to what other people have to say and then make your own decisions.

2.  Be consistent.

3.  Have fun.  It's a game, if it's not fun then it's work.

[Paul Kian]

I feel like the MOST important rule, is to have fun. If you're not enjoying the game, why bother, right? 😁

As far as the three most important procedural type rules:

1) Player Weight Limits: some leagues are the Wild West, and would let you play with a ten thousand pound figure if you could carry it. 😆 Other Leagues are pretty strict on their weight limits, and some leagues only allow Box-Stock. Whatever the situation, I think it's a very important rule to have established beforehand. No one wants to spend all weekend making the perfect figures, only to find out that they can't use them because they're overweight. 😢

2) Stationary Bases: I confess, I'm a sucker for magnet bases. To some, this is heresy. To others, watching your guys do loop-de-loops for zone coverage and/or cleaning up poster tack grease off the board is a worse heresy. Make sure you cover your ground rules and preferences on stationary bases before cracking plastic. It's one of those rules that I see slipped into the handbook where people probably won't notice until it's game time.

3) Good sportsmanship: Don't be a sore loser or an annoying winner. Some coaches like to talk a little smack here and there, and as long as you are both cool with each other then go at it. But there's a fine-line between ribbing and straight up insulting. Try not to cross it.

If you get absolutely spanked on the field, then take your lumps, eat a tiny bit of crow, and congratulate as necessary. No one should ever feel the need to ragequit- this isn't Madden afterall.

On the other side of the coin, whether you just won a 17-16 squeaker or a 63-7 blowout (sorry, Marino) don't be a jerk and hold it over the opponent's head like a life sentence. Celebrate, and then move forward. You could just as easily be on the other side of that road next time....😉

Edited August 18, 2020 by Paul Kian

[Long island EFL]

Love it Paul!  Those rules are great! Keep stuff like this coming! We love reading about electric football and the more information we get out there the greater our legacy and contributions will be remembered.  You are so right about all the Wild-West players. 

The Players Figures: We use the LIEFL uses the "rare" Tudor 67 Big Men players with no exceptions.  We love the artistic work coaches have done with their player figures, but in our league we don't allow over-sized custom made player figures because it simply changes the professional uniformity of the league. All LIEFL teams MUST have official NFL Tudor Regulation size, and officially licensed painted uniforms in both home and away jersey's professionally decaled using only NFL teams. 

The Rule Issues:  Over the years we have competed in at least 15 tournaments outside of the LIEFL, which provided us with great insight into rules, strategies, and skill-level, as well as the attitudes of coaches we competed against. Here is what we learned. We learned that first, we can compete with the best of them, next, that the biggest conflicts are over rules, so our rules committee, which consists of eight people debated for weeks about rules until we finally collaborated and came up with our own variation of rules so that everyone protects the integrity of the hobby.We know that some coaches are insistent over rules as a "must-way" of doing things, but they seem to be put off by running leagues.  We don't care who passes, and you shouldn't care that we run. It's good old fashion smash mouth electric football, and it works! Even in the NFL, the running teams utilize the skill to control the clock and the ball.

In our clarity, the official version of the Tudor rules was created by hobbyists like us, but the problem is we all see the play-by-play on the field differently in what's best for the game and the coaches. Like your leagues, our rules benefit everyone, and not just tailored for the few or a few people who made rules to manage their style of play. We all do this. One of the biggest issues to us with the rules is set-up times and formations for the offense and defense, time counts to turn men, and other arguable rules. 

The Essence of Time: We find that one of the most important factors in moving a game along is time. Because we are working professionals like almost everyone else around the country, we have strict rules which engage the competition and propel the progress and the speed of the game. Our goal is always to make the game more competitive, while keeping tradition and originality in tact. A few philosophical differences exist in our league approach in terms of time to set-up plays, regulation size player figures sizes and weight, and the format in which we use to play the game on the field. These fundamental differences are what make each league unique.

In previous years, the LIEFL used to give one-minute to complete set-ups, but we now utilize a 40-second for coaches to complete a set-up for both offense and defense with no re-sets like we have witnessed in other leagues where more time is taken to move and turn several players. In our league both teams have to set-up within seconds of the 40 second regulation time or we walk you back 5 yards. Time management is crucial and the offense must complete their set-up at the same time as the defense.  It's all about never interfering with the natural flow of a game with all these stops.

Like most great competitive leagues, having set-up times are important to us. We feel it forces our coaches to think about play-making and the big picture before the game. In the LIEFL, if the team and opponents don't frustrate and break coaches down, the time will. Our regular season games are 30-minutes with post-season games set at regulation time of 60 minutes with two timeouts per half. We don't whine, we just play the game and make the necessary adjustments. When our fastest set-up coach had his team set up in 30 seconds consistently in games on offense, we realized the game speed standard had to change with all of us compromising on a 40 second complete set-up clock. This new standard for us would change the game to be more competitive, even with the most experienced of EFL coaches. If coaches want to be competitive in the LIEFL there has to be a plan with quick-thinking strategies in order to constantly improve how to handle fast 40 second set-ups without delays and penalties. 

In our first seven-game season format in 2008, managing the clock was a frustrating challenge for coaches who struggled handling the chaos, but these days after working smarter and as a result of the 40 second time-stress set-up rule, there are 10-15% more plays. We know you understand how that goes when the rigors of being able to play hard under duress could cause big mistakes that cost teams wins and losses. It gives coaches a realistic feel to the sport of football, of how stress affects and impacts performance in a time-driven league. We feel that is one important factor in determining what is missing from the national rules.  Way too much time is given again, to turn players, have other countdown rules, and impact the flow of the game.

In the end, this progressive fast time set-up balances the competition quickly, but it also pushes coaches foreign to our league to think on their feet, make split second decisions, make mistakes, and define the need to make adjustments and corrections to each coaches playing style. We suggest you try this mode in your league to see how your time-competition changes the speed of the game. Our highest scoring 30-minute game last season was on August 14, 2019, when the LIEFL #19 Ranked Tampa Bay Buccaneers (66-86), beat the very tough LIEFL #17 Ranked  San Francisco 49ers (66-76), 35-31, in an opening day stunner! There were several high-scoring, high-stake games like this.

Play-by-Play on the field and the Natural flow of the Play: In the LIEFL when it comes to passing, we strongly believe that if we get burned on a passing play, we get burned, that's part of the game! We also have no rule against linemen touching elbows and we never will as long as coaches do not stack their line, we are good. We find that rule to be open for debate against other leagues and Tudor Rules. We embrace and respect all styles of electric football, but what works for some doesn't always work for all.

One of our play-by-play rules on the field in the LIEFL is coded that when a receiver catches a ball we do not allow the defender closest to the receiver to suddenly be turned around with the game stopping to chase a receiver in any way. Again, it interferes the the actual play that was naturally meant to be. We don't ever change the continuity of any play. We believe a coach needs to be prepared at every level win or lose when it comes to running, passing, receiving and defending in real-time with the only game turn-off to pass the ball and hit a receiver.

RULES: The on-going Debate of rushing and passing rules and the  "Great Equalizer": 

We have been playing the hobby as long as most people around the world.

As for Rushing the ball. For us, bull-rushing, in-your-face, smash-mouth bully-ball electric football is considered a style of play whether we win or lose. In the NFL when the offense is on the inch-line breathing down the defenses' throat crunched together the way the Chicago Bears did it in 1985, when William "Refrigerator" Perry did in Super Bowl XX against New England with his one-yard touchdown run. The defense didn't like it, and fans and players were whining because they couldn't stop the Bears front line or Perry, but they had to adjust and accept it that Perry tanked them.

Our rule is simply that "as long as there are five core lineman on the line of scrimmage, three guards and two tackles, with two receivers on the ends on offense, and anywhere from one to four men in the backfield," it's game-on as long as there are no stacks of five men in the backfield! We call this style of electric football the great equalizer. It forces coaches to defend against the great running teams just as coaches have to defend against the great passing teams. It balances out. We also feel that the great coaches are one's who can do it all; pass, run, kick, play tight defense, and be special teams experts.

O                              OOOOO                   OO

                                    OO

                                      O

In our league, we don't allow passing sticks, strings, custom crafted passing enhancement tools, or special guides in passing. We expect our coaches to use "raw" talent to pass in the LIEFL. Coaches must be able to develop passing skills using a Tudor Games provided official kicker/passer. If an opponent wants to live by the pass, they need to develop the skill to win by the pass with no exceptions.

One team may get buried by the passing game,  but another team may equalize the game with the running attack, and it's just a theoretical strategy that works well in balancing the game in our league. It is a fair balance of agreed upon rules, and when we compete against other people in tournaments, we go 50/50 on rules. We see many different rules in other leagues vs. the new standardized Tudor Rules. The contention with that is that we didn't necessarily all agree on the rules, but we do agree to disagree.  That is what makes the game so exciting!

The sign of an exciting league is when each year different teams make it to the Super Bowl, but as you all know, when a team wins two in a row, that is special in a competitive league. After another tremendous 2019 season of growth in our league, with the defending 2018 LIEFL Super Bowl XIV Champion, Wild Card #11 LIEFL-All Time Ranked Los Angeles Rams (8-3) (76-80), beating the #1 LIEFL-All Time Ranked AFC Miami Dolphins (7-3) (143-33) in a thrilling Super Bowl XV 44-41, in overtime, the Long Island Electric Football League is back with our 2020 regular season, playoffs and our sixteenth big show, Super Bowl XVI. Super Bowl Sunday is very special to us. The Rams are fighting for their third straight LIEFL NFC title and Super Bowl in 2020. We will provide a Game Day Program featuring the league, highlighting the players, and announcing the All-Pro Team for the season as well as film from the previous Super Bowl if you like this sort of thing in this super exciting league!

LIEFL OFFICIAL RULES.pdf306.76 kB · 4 downloads

[RickLM30]

I agree with both Mccaber and Paul.  I only play solitaire, so I usually don't run into the problems Paul mentions in point number 3!  😊

Edited August 19, 2020 by RickLM30

[Long island EFL]

21 minutes ago, RickLM30 said:

I agree with both Mccaber and Paul.  I only play solitaire, so I usually don't run into the problems Paul mentions in point number 3!  😊

I miss the solitaire!  Thank you so much for your thoughts.

[Paul Kian]

That's a good point about time, LIEFL. Thanks for bringing it up. I hadn't really thought about a set up time limit for my Solitaire league as it's really not much of a problem there, but it is definitely important when playing with others. The couple of times I've played (I freely admit that I'm pretty new, like around a year and a half to two years of experience new) we generally just went with whatever is a reasonable set up time, but if I get to play again I'll mention your points about timing being just as much a gaming element as a convenience one.

Rick, thanks for giving me an idea for a new solitaire league- the schizophrenic solitaire league, where the coaches talk pure junk to themselves after every play.

"You call that a pass, who bought this sucky Quarterback Figure anyway?"

"You did, now pass me the controller you troglodyte."

"WOAH NOW, that'll be a 15 yarder for unsportsmanlike conduct, buddy."

"15 YARDS?! Don't make me break my foot off in my...." Er, I think you get the picture. 😆

Edited August 19, 2020 by Paul Kian

[Long island EFL]

I love it!  In solitaire I don't think the time is as important as when we play against people obviously. I love the satire! 

[Paul Kian]

I think another consideration for timing is whether you are playing a multi-stop league vs a league with one or two stops. In the FAT8 for example, you have the initial formation (I don't remember how long it is, but I think it's 35 seconds), then (I think) 10 seconds to adjust/pivot/motion, a quick on/off to simulate a snap, and then another adjustment period of 5 seconds, run the board again for routes or a RB cutback, and then a stoppage for after-catch/crossing the line of scrimmage adjustments.

If that's your set up, timing is definitely of the essence. If you're just doing one or two stops, then you might consolidate a couple of those steps to save board stops and therefore have more time between stops. Your League seems to fall somewhere in between the two.

 

[RickLM30]

12 hours ago, Paul Kian said:

That's a good point about time, LIEFL. Thanks for bringing it up. I hadn't really thought about a set up time limit for my Solitaire league as it's really not much of a problem there, but it is definitely important when playing with others. The couple of times I've played (I freely admit that I'm pretty new, like around a year and a half to two years of experience new) we generally just went with whatever is a reasonable set up time, but if I get to play again I'll mention your points about timing being just as much a gaming element as a convenience one.

Rick, thanks for giving me an idea for a new solitaire league- the schizophrenic solitaire league, where the coaches talk pure junk to themselves after every play.

"You call that a pass, who bought this sucky Quarterback Figure anyway?"

"You did, now pass me the controller you troglodyte."

"WOAH NOW, that'll be a 15 yarder for unsportsmanlike conduct, buddy."

"15 YARDS?! Don't make me break my foot off in my...." Er, I think you get the picture. 😆

Paul, were you secretly recording one of my solitaire games?  I'll have to be more careful about my trash talking! 😊

[Paul Kian]

Haha, it's possible Rick. Might need to call the paramedics if it gets any rougher, sounds like you're tearing yourself apart. 😆

Then again, I may have also just copied my own experiences of playing video games when I was in college, minus some of the "spicier vocab" for the kids' sake of course. 😁

 

Edited August 20, 2020 by Paul Kian

[Long island EFL]

On 8/19/2020 at 2:05 PM, Paul Kian said:

I think another consideration for timing is whether you are playing a multi-stop league vs a league with one or two stops. In the FAT8 for example, you have the initial formation (I don't remember how long it is, but I think it's 35 seconds), then (I think) 10 seconds to adjust/pivot/motion, a quick on/off to simulate a snap, and then another adjustment period of 5 seconds, run the board again for routes or a RB cutback, and then a stoppage for after-catch/crossing the line of scrimmage adjustments.

If that's your set up, timing is definitely of the essence. If you're just doing one or two stops, then you might consolidate a couple of those steps to save board stops and therefore have more time between stops. Your League seems to fall somewhere in between the two.

 

Thank you for sharing!