OFFICIAL'S HAND SIGNALS

Crowd Noise
Touch Down Safety First Down (One Arm above head Personal foul
(Both arms extended (Palms together above (Arm pointed towards with an open hand. (One wrist striking the other
above head) head) defensive team's goal) With fist closed) Fourth above head)
Down

No time out or
Ball illegally False start, illegal
time in with Delay of game Or
touched, kicked, or Time out formation, or kickoff or
(Hands crisscrossed whistle excess timeout
batted safety kick out of bounds
above head.) (Full arm circled to (Folded arms.)
(Fingertips tap both (Forearms rotated over and
simulate moving
shoulders) over in front of body.)
clock.)

Penalty refused, Pass juggled

Illegal use of hands, incomplete pass, inbounds and
Holding arms, or body caught out of
play over, or Illegal forward pass
(Grasping one wrist, the (Grasping one wrist, the bounds
missed field goal (One hand waved behind back
fist clenched, in front of hand open and facing (Hands up and down in followed by loss of down signal.)
chest.) forward, in front of or extra point front of chest (following
chest.) (Hands shifted in incomplete pass
horizontal plane.)
signal).)
 Interference with Ineligible receiver
Intentional
forward pass or fair Invalid fair-catch or ineligible
grounding of pass Illegal contact
(Parallel arms waved in
catch signal member of kicking (One open hand extended
a diagonal plane across (Hands open and (One hand waved team downfield
extended forward from above head.) forward.)
body. Followed by loss (Right hand touching
shoulders with hands
of down signal.) top of cap.)
vertical.)

Interlocking
Offside, interference,
Illegal motion at
encroachment, or Loss of down pushing, or helping Unsportsmanlike conduct
snap
neutral zone (Both hands held runner (Arms outstretched, palms
(Horizontal arc with one behind head.)
infraction hand.) (Pushing movement of down.)
(Hands on hips.) hands to front with arms
downward.)

Touching a forward Illegal crackback

(Strike of an open
pass or scrimmage Illegal cut Tripping
right hand against the Player disqualified
kick (Hand striking front of (Repeated action of right foot in
right mid-thigh (Ejection signal.)
(Diagonal motion of one thigh.) preceded by personal
back of left heel.)
hand across another.) foul signal.)
Uncatchable Twelve men in
forward pass offensive huddle or
Face mask Illegalshift Reset play clock - 25
(Palm of right hand held too many men on
(Grasping face mask (Horizontal arcs with seconds
parallel to ground the field with one hand.) two hands.) (Pump one arm vertically.)
above head and moved (Both hands on top of
back and forth.) head.)

Roughing the
Major Face Mask Illegal block below the
Reset play clock - Roughing the Kicker Passer
(One wrist striking the waist
40 seconds (One wrist striking the (One wrist striking the other above head
other above head (One hand striking front of thigh
(Pump two arms other above head
followed by grasping preceded by personal-foul
vertically.) followed by swinging leg) followed by raised arm
face mask) signal.)
swinging forward)

Chop block Clipping

(Both hands striking (One hand striking back
side of thighs preceded of calf preceded by
by personal-foul signal.) personal-foul signal.)