Growing up watching the Arena Football League, I was pretty familiar with the Arena Football rules and how it operated when I fell back into it recently. But as I started watching more games and other leagues over the past year or so (specifically the Indoor Football League), I quickly learned that just because football is being played inside an arena does not necessarily mean they are playing Arena Football.
On the surface, the words Arena and Indoor seem synonymous — just like ‘Fast’ & ‘Quick’, ‘Red’ & ‘Scarlet’, ‘Barry Wagner’ & ‘GOAT’, just to name a few— but there are differences (some more obvious than others) between the two that set themselves apart from not just the outdoor game, but each other as well.
While both play 8-on-8 football indoors on a 50 yard field, what are the things that set them apart?
Arena Football - Offense
One Player in Motion Towards the Line of Scrimmage
In arena football, one player can be in motion towards the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped. Aside from the smaller field, this has traditionally been one of the recognizable trademarks of the Arena game since its creation more than 30 years ago. The usage of the player in motion has evolved over the years and can create some very interesting wrinkles in an offense if the coaching staff is creative enough.
A wave of nostalgia just looking at this clip -- sheesh.
The main thing the player in motion gives the offense is the running head start on the defense. This has the potential to be very advantageous, especially when you consider that the player in motion is often times one of the most talent offensive players on the team. The ball doesn’t always go to the player in motion every play, but the defense has to be fully alert to the player in motion each play — otherwise it is going to be a very long game.
Ironman Football
Arena Football also features ‘Ironman Football’ rules — meaning that at least 6 of the 8 players on the field play both sides of the ball — Offense and Defense. Most commonly, you will see the following players playing both sides of the ball:
3 Offensive Linemen / Defensive Linemen
1 Running Back / Linebacker
1 Wide Receiver / Linebacker
1 Wide Receiver / Defensive Back
Typical formation and personnel in Arena Football. Graphic design is my passion.
On offense, the 7th & 8th players that only play offense are the Quarterback & the Offensive Specialist (most alike to a Wide Receiver in the outdoor game).
On defense, the 7th & 8th players that only play defense are 2 Defensive Specialists (typically most alike to a Defensive Back in the outdoor game).
When it comes to substitutions, all non-Specialists (i.e. Ironman players) may substitute only once during each quarter - while Specialists may only substitute only once per half.
Balls Off the Net are In Play
Something unique with Arena Football that sometimes comes into play on offense late in the game or in the first half are the large nets on either side of the 9 foot wide goal post.
On kickoffs and missed field goal attempts, teams can kick it into the one of the two large 'rebounding' nets on the sides of the nine-foot wide goal posts and it is a live ball that can be scooped up by either team and advanced.
You can see the big nets on either side of the middle net. Side note: hell of photo angle here. R.I.P. Utah Blaze
But on offense, a Quarterback can throw the ball into the net and it can be caught by a member of the offense since it is a live ball. This is usually only used in desperate times with little to no time left on the clock and the offense throwing a Hail Mary pass.
Unearthed footage from 1991 for this hail mary example. Yes, those are Zubaz football pants!
OL Declaring Themselves as Eligible as a Receiver
One of my absolute favorite aspects of Arena Football that I hope they bring back for the 2024 revival is the ability for one of the outer Offensive Lineman to declare themselves ‘Eligible’ to be a receiver. This means that on any given play, if they declare themselves as Eligible, they can go out for a pass and the quarterback can legally throw It to them.
In the clip below, look at the 'Left Tackle' position on the offensive line.
He is beauty, he is grace.
This was not used very often and was more so done as a change of pace play, but there is nothing better than seeing a 6’4 320 plus lb Offensive Lineman catch a pass and start rumbling down the field with touchdown aspirations in their eyes.
Arena Football - Defense
Mac & Jack LBs
The primary Arena Football rules that can be most confusing to understand involve the two linebacker positions: Mac LB & Jack LB.
The Mac LB is often the RB/LB ironman player and the Jack LB is often the WR/LB ironman player. In Arena Football, the RB/LB are often the bigger bodied Mike Alstott ‘90s Fullback looking players, while the Jack LB is typically more of a big bodied WR (i.e. Andre Johnson, AJ Brown, etc)
The Mac LB is allowed to blitz the quarterback, but can only do so in between the lineman — blitzing outside of or around the line will result in a penalty.
The Jack LB can not blitz and must stay in a roughly five yard by five yard ‘box’ until with the Quarterback hands the ball off, moves out of the pocket, or throws the ball. If the Jack LB moves before any of those things occur, there will be a penalty called on the defense. This rule was intentionally created to avoid situations where teams were playing ‘prevent’ defense and really open things up in the passing game.
The Jack LB position is named such because Jack has to stay in the box...
Jack.. in the Box. Get it?!
In the example below, number 42 is the Mac LB (which can blitz), while number 22 is the Jack LB (which has to stay within the tackle box until the ball is released).
Please ignore how bad this throw was. Just focus on the LBs.
Five Players in the Box
On defense, there must also be at least five players (three down linemen and two LBs - Mac & Jack) within a (roughly) five yard by five yard box at the beginning of the play. Conversely, the offense must have the same.
This rule was intentionally implemented to create more scoring opportunities and on the outsides create a more high paced, high scoring game for the fans to enjoy. As a result, in Arena Football a lot more teams focus on Passing the ball (to take advantage of the spacing and matchups they get with their WRs & Offensive Specialists) vs Running the ball (where you are at minimum running into a box of five players ready to tackle you).
No gif for this. Just imagine 5 players in the box for both teams.
No Stunting or Twisting on the Defensive Line
Since there are only three offensive lineman, the use of the popular Stunt or Twist defensive techniques that are common in the NFL are not allowed in the Arena game. These can result in penalties if performed in a game. Defensive Lineman or Blitzers can only power or speed past offensive linemen.
Indoor Football - Offense
Multiple Players in Motion
Similar to Arena Football, Indoor Football also allows forward motion towards the line of scrimmage before the snap — but with a twist.
TWO receivers may go in forward motion before the snap. Take the Player in Motion advantage that you can get in the Arena game and double it!
Having multiple players in forward motion creates a lot more opportunities for play calling creativity and can get very chaotic, very quickly in the best possible way.
No Ironman Football
Indoor Football doesn’t have any Ironman rules requiring players to play both sides of the ball. Much like the traditional outdoor game, Indoor Football has players that exclusively play offense or defense. This is more aligned with the traditional outdoor game.
Depending on your perspective, this can lead to offensive players having more stamina to make more plays throughout a game or season. But on the opposite side, the defensive players have the same stamina advantage to try to stop it.
No Balls Off the Nets
Unlike Arena Football, Indoor Football does not have the nets on the side and is more similar to the outdoor game when it comes to the field goal posts. The Arena Football League had a patent on the side rebounding nets in the 90s and 2000s, so when competing leagues were created, they had to adjust.
Indoor Football kicker is a tough, tough job.
The lack of rebounding nets also allows for more flexibility in the size of the arenas that Indoor Football can be played. With the big rebound nets, there are only so many venues that can house or accomodate those.
Indoor Football - Defense
The Alley
While Indoor Football does not have the Mac & Jack LB rules, they do have something known as the “Alley”. The Alley is defined as the area bordered by the outside shoulders of the two offensive guards on the left and right of the center. The Alley is established at the snap and does not move during the down. In order for a blitz to be legal in Indoor Football, the blitzer has to originate from the Alley.
The blitzer must also identify themselves to the offense and the officials as a potential blitzer by virtue of his alignment and raising his hand (if there are two LBs present in the box). The blitzer must be located in the Alley, behind the defensive box at the snap. As a result of the Alley rule, you never see Corner or Safety blitzes in the Indoor game like you do in the outdoor game and makes it a little more difficult for defenses to blitz.
In the example below, peep the LB next to the ref with his hand up. This is the indication that this player is the legal blitzer on the play.
The blitzer must also be much farther back from the line of scrimmage in Indoor than in Arena.
The nature of the Alley rule makes it easier for the Defense to defend against the Pass, but also makes it easier for the Offense to effectively run the ball. You see A LOT more Running plays in Indoor Football than you do in Arena Football. The offensive attacks are much more balanced and can result in an even more unpredictable game.
Pros & Cons to Both
The differences listed above are the primary differences between the two, but there are some other nuanced differences that we can get into later.
If you are thinking, “wow a lot of these rules seem like they are designed to help the offenses” — DING DING! You are correct! That’s because they are. This isn't the Big Ten West, we want POINTS.
There are Pros & Cons to both Arena & Indoor Football with their specific rules for both offense & defense, but ultimately they all lead to a lot of scoring and lots of back and forth action. It’s also important to note that what makes a team really efficient and impactful in one league may not necessarily work as well in another.
For example, quarterbacks. In Arena Football, your QB is often a more traditional 'pocket passer' who can scramble for a first down when needed — but they are primarily throwing the ball in upwards of 40-50 times per game.
In Indoor Football, it is very often a necessity for your QB to be a dual threat with how much more prevalent running the football is with the rules.
For running backs, in Arena Football you typically want them to be big bruisers (i.e. Mike Alstott, Vonta Leach, any pre-1999 fullback, etc) that can also play LB to blitz the QB on defense. Many of these players in past iterations of Arena Football were converted Defensive Linemen, so they were HUGE.
In Indoor Football, you typically want your RBs to be the more finesse and quicker type so they can make big impact plays on offense (since they are only playing one side of the ball), like traditional RBs in the outdoor game.
But to me, that’s the beauty of the two styles of play. There is more football available for the fans to watch. If you ask people what their favorite ice cream flavor is, some may say vanilla and some may say chocolate. But at the end of the day, both are ice cream and both can be enjoyed — and the same thing can be said about Arena & Indoor Football.
Which flavor of football do you prefer?