Hash marks

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with American football. (Discuss)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007)

In Ice hockey, the hash marks are two pairs of parallel lines on either sides of the face-off circles in both ends of the rink.

In American football and Canadian football, the hash marks are two rows of lines near the middle of the field that are parallel to the side lines. These small lines (about 1 yard long) are used to mark every yard on the field between the 5-yard lines, which go from sideline to sideline. All plays start with the ball on or between the hash marks. That is, if the ball is downed in between a hash mark and the nearest sideline, it must be reset on the hash mark for the next play.