Martin, American football enthusiast and player for the Montpellier Hurricanes

My name is Martin, I’m 21 and I’m passionate about sport, particularly American football!

I discovered American football thanks to my father. Of course, I had already heard of it, but I didn’t know that the sport was played in France. At first, I wasn’t particularly drawn to the sport, and I had no intention of making it my main activity. However, my father really wanted me to give it a try, so I ended up giving it a go. And in the end, I got hooked much more than I could have imagined!

This year, I will have been playing the sport for eight years. I started with flag, a non-contact version of American football, before moving straight on to American football. After a first year devoted to flag, I fully integrated into American football.

The rules of American football are quite complex, as the sport involves many strategic and technical facets. However, the basic principle is relatively simple: each team tries to advance down the field to score points by reaching the opposing end zone, either by carrying the ball or by throwing it to a teammate.
The game is played in attack and defense phases. The team in possession of the ball has four attempts (downs) to advance at least 10 yards (about 9.1 meters). If it succeeds, it gets four more attempts, and so on until it potentially scores a touchdown by reaching the end zone. They can also choose to score a field goal by kicking the ball between the goalposts if they fail to reach the end zone.
The defending team, meanwhile, tries to stop the offense by tackling the ball carrier or intercepting passes. If the attack fails to progress on its four attempts, possession of the ball is returned to the opponent.
In addition to all this, there are also numerous rules governing contact, penalties and strategies, making this sport all the more technical and tactical.

Yes, I have already had the opportunity to attend a professional game, it was in London, during an NFL game. The atmosphere is typically American, with a real show every moment: grandiose entertainment, halftime shows, and an impressive staging that goes far beyond the simple match. Unlike football, where the atmosphere relies heavily on constant singing and encouragement from the fans, here, everything is designed to offer an immersive and spectacular experience. As for the match itself, it was simply incredible. You immediately notice the difference between the NFL and other leagues, as the level of the players is stratospheric. Their speed, power and precision are extraordinary, which makes every action all the more impressive.

After years in Paris, in September I joined the Hurricanes de Montpellier club. This club was founded in 2005 and is obviously dedicated to American football, but also to flag football and cheerleading.

The club is currently playing in Division 2 of the French American football championship. I am a starter at Safety. The safety position is a key role in defense, belonging to the group of defensive backs, responsible for stopping passes and countering running plays. There are two types of safety on the field: Free Safety and Strong Safety. I am a Free Safety.

In addition to American football, I do weight training to improve my power, explosiveness and endurance on the field. At the same time, I sometimes play basketball and soccer with my friends. From time to time, I also go swimming, which is an excellent way to strengthen my muscular endurance while promoting recovery and avoiding injury.