What is Paper Football?

Paper Football or Chinese Football is a game played on a table that is similar to American Football.  It requires a football made out of paper with two opponents sitting across from each other at a table.

The game starts with a kickoff with one player holding the football and flicking their finger to make the ball go towards the other player to score a touchdown.  If the football hangs off the edge of the table, it is considered a touchdown.  And if a touchdown is not made the other player receives the ball.  That player will try to flick the ball along the table to the other side to attempt a touchdown.  Each player will take turns flicking the ball until a touchdown is made.

Scoring is the same as American Football with a touchdown being six points and a field goal one point.  A field goal is achieved by the opposite player making a field goal with their hands, and the person who scored flicking the football through the field goal.  A two point conversion can also be achieved by the one who scored, again trying to flick the football to hang over the side of the table.

How to Make a Paper Football

You begin with an 8 ½ x 11 inch piece of paper.  Place the paper horizontally in front of you, so the long side is facing you.  If the paper contains holes, place it so the holes are pointing towards the top.  Fold the top of the paper in half and crease the edge to make long strip.  Then evenly fold the left side of the paper to the right and crease it again.  Now, unfold the strip and draw a line down the center crease.

Place the strip vertically in front of you and fold the bottom up towards the left to match the center crease.  It should look like a backwards “L”.  Next fold the bottom up again to match the crease, and then fold the remaining paper along the bottom strip.  You then take the protruding excess and fold it to the left to square off the bottom.  Take the top half and fold it down, then flip it over and fold the excess again to create a square.  Again fold the top part down and then fold the whole top into the pocket on the bottom.  When you fold one side down, a triangle should be formed, and then you can push the side into the pocket to form a paper football.

V.K. enjoys covering the topic of flick football.