Being in the possession of the ball and making full use of the opportunities it presents is the ultimate in the exercise of mastering the ground running game. Just being the possession on the ball for a good part of the game is also a good ploy, if the relevant goals have already been scored and that puts the team scoring goal in the lead.
The offense tries to advance the play of the ball while the defensive tries to prevent the offences tactics. In the down system, the offense must make the advances of the ball positioning at least 10 yards as the first down is called. If the offense does not get the 10 yards in four plays, then the other team gains possession of the football.
Kicking the ball to the other team intentionally will allow the first team to get into a good field positioning for the ball kick. The center passes the football between the legs of the players to the offensive player which is usually the quarterback. The ball is the advanced either by running with the football called rushing or by passing the football.
The football in play is stopped or considered over, when a variety of different scenarios unfold some of which may include the player with the foot ball is tackled, or goes out of bounds or an incomplete pass takes place or a score or otherwise known as touchdown is achieved.
There are also several other ways the offensive team can lose possession of the football, such as through scoring, not getting 10 yards in four downs, fumbling or dropping the football and the defense team capitalizing on this by gaining possession on the ball, throwing the foot ball to the defense player for an interception, punching or kicking, missing a field goal or getting tackled in the end zone for a safety.