Rucker

Rucker
Rucker is a sport that originated in the Courtlands, a territory to the far east of Skytopia controlled by the Court of Violets. The Skytopian Rucker Federation is the governing body founded by Floyd Đâm Đầu of the Western Court of Violets for the organized playing of the sport in Skytopia. Rucker is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Axioms of Struggle. The game is played using a single, heavy, spherical ball. Two teams each compete to advance the ball into the other team's endzone, thereby scoring a goal. The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals at the end of regular play, then the game is decided in a special "shootout" between one player from each team. Each team is led by offensive and defensive captains.

The Ruckstone
The ball used in rucker is officially called a ruckstone, but is often called the "ruck", the "stone", or simply "the ball". The ruckstone is a hard wooden ball with a core of lead to add weight and a tough leather covering to enhance the players' grip. The official weight of the ruckstone is 2 kilograms and the official size is 22 centimeters in diameter.

The Field and Players
A regulation rucker field is a rectangle that measures 70 meters long by 43.26 meters wide. The longer boundary lines are sidelines, while the shorter boundary lines are end lines. Sidelines and end lines are out of bounds. There is a goal line 10 meters from each end of the field and there are 50 meters of play area between them which is divided into 5 10-meter zones. A scoring area called an end zone is the 10-meter zone between the end line and the goal line at each end of the field.

The offensive team has 5 players on the field and the defensive team has 6 players on the field at a time. Teams may substitute for any or all of their players, if time allows, during the break between plays. Most teams consist of the maximum of 13 active players (6 full-time defense, 5 full-time offense, and 2 alternates), but some teams play "Ironman" style with less than 11 players in total, which requires one or more players to play both offensive and defensive roles.

Offensive Positions
The offensive team has five players. These are the Center, two Wings, a Back, and a Tight End. The Center and Wings are linemen and must begin each play on the line of scrimmage. The Center, as the name indicates, is between the two Wings. The Back must be positioned behind the Center but the distance between the back and the center may be varied from play to play. The Tight End has the most freedom of movement and may be positioned anywhere as long as no other offensive player is between his starting position and the nearest sideline and he must be forward of the Back (closer to the line of scrimmage than the Back is). The side of the formation where the Tight End begins the play is called the "strong side" and the other side is the "weak side".

Defensive Positions
The defensive team has six players: three lineman and three linebackers. The linemen are the Guard who lines up opposite the Center and the Ends who line up opposite the Wings. The three linebackers must be positioned behind the row of linemen and within the same zone. The middle linebacker must not be closer to either sideline than the End on that side, but the Strong Linebacker and Weak Linebacker may be anywhere behind their linemen and inside the same zone as long as they are closer to their sideline than either of the other LBs. Some coaches may opt to replace one of their LBs with a Safety, which is a defensive player positioned in the next zone away from the line of scrimmage for a last chance to stop an offensive runner who breaks clean through the rest of the defense.

Periods and Start of Play
Play is divided into three periods. Each period begins with a "four-hand faceoff" to determine which team will begin on offense or defense. During the faceoff, one player from each team stands facing his opponent and they hold the ball between them by placing both hands on either side of it. When the referee signals with a whistle blast, the players attempt to wrest the ball from their opponent. During the faceoff, players are not allowed to touch the ground with any body part except their feet, so pushing an opponent down will win a faceoff just as well as pulling the ball from his grasp. A team may forfeit the faceoff by releasing the ball if they prefer to be on defense first (although this is rarely done except by cautious, undermanned teams who wish to avoid an early injury). The same player may not perform the face-off twice in one game so the faceoff is generally assigned to the three best players on a team.

At the beginning of each play, the teams face each other on the line of scrimmage. The offensive team has 5 "downs" or chances to score per period. The line of scrimmage for the first play is the line 30 meters from the target end zone (there are 5 zones between the end zones and the offensive team begins their first play of the period in the second zone). The line of scrimmage for subsequent plays is the line the offensive team last crossed. In order to score, the offensive team must cross four lines (the fourth being the goal line).

The teams assume their starting positions with the linemen on either side of the line of scrimmage in a three-point stance (both feet and at least one hand touching the ground). The Center holds the ball in one hand and he initiates the play by handing or tossing the ball to the Back, who may run with the ball or "pass the ruck" to another player. Only the Center, Back, and Tight End are eligible to receive the ball. The Wings work to protect the ball carrier and block defenders. The only way to legally advance the ball is by "running" it (i.e. carrying it in the hands and running toward the goal line). There is no forward passing allowed. Passing and handing off the ball is only allowed to an eligible receiver in the same zone (a "lateral pass") or a zone farther from the end zone (an "aft pass"). If the ball touches the ground or the ball carrier touches the ground with any body part except his feet or hands, the offensive team incurs a "down". If the ball or the player carrying it touches the ground outside the sidelines (i.e. "out of bounds"), the offense incurs a down. After one team scores a goal or incurs five downs on their offensive, their offensive half of the period is over and their team will change to defense for the second half of the period. After the second team scores or incurs five downs on their offensive, the period is over and a new Four-Hand Faceoff is done for the next period.

Defensive Goals
Although it is very rare, it is possible for a team on the defensive to score a goal by "sacking" the ball carrier (i.e. downing the player after forcing him back into zones farther from the offense's target goal line). This is extremely difficult because an offensive player in fear of being downed for a loss of ground can usually intentionally down the ball by dropping it or taking a knee before being pushed back across the zone line. Sacking the ball carrier across enough zones to cross the goal line requires holding him in such a way as to prevent him from dropping the ball or falling to the ground. This usually means a large and powerful defenseman bearhugs and carries the offensive player with the ball trapped between their bodies.

Offensive Strategy
There are three basic types of offensive plays, each one based around one of the three offensive players eligible to carry the ball.

Run: The Back takes the toss from the Center and tries to run past the defense. The offensive linemen occupy the defensive linemen and the tight end usually accompanies the Back to provide protection against the defensive linebackers.

Pass: The Back takes the toss from the Center and passes the ruckstone to the Tight End, who proceeds to run for the goal line. The Tight End begins farther forward than the Back so his run has a head start, but the Tight End will often have little direct assistance from the other offensive players so his run is a little riskier.

Shooting the Gap: The Back takes the handoff from the Center and hands it right back. Then, the Center attempts to dodge between the Guard and one of the Defensive Ends. On shooting plays, the Tight End will usually dive in to tackle the strong side End while the strongside Wing tackles the Guard to make an opening for the Center.

There are also a variety of "trick plays" designed to trick the defense into targeting the wrong offensive player to give the real ball carrier a chance to slip by.

Defensive Strategy
There are two basic defensive strategies: the block and the blitz.

Block: If the defense suspects that the offense will attempt to shoot the gap, they will concentrate their defense on holding the offensive line and the linebackers will come forward to reinforce the defensive line.

Back Blitz: If the defense expects a running play, they will attempt to rush the Back and tackle him. The linebackers will move to intercept the Back and attempt to get around the Tight End or any other offensive players trying to protect the Back.

End Blitz: If the defense expects a passing play, they will attempt to rush the Tight End as soon as the Center releases the ruck and starts the play. Ideally, the Strong Linebacker or Strong End will hit the Tight End just before he catches the pass to make him miss it (an "interrupted pass") or immediately after the catch to knock him down (a "downed pass").

There are also some variations on these defensive formations and some trick maneuvers called "stunts" designed to confuse the offense.