 Advancing the ball in American football resembles the "six-tackle rule" and the "play-the-ball" in rugby league.The team that takes possession of the ball (the offense) has four attempts, called downs, in which to advance the ball toward their opponent's (the defense's) end zone.When the offense succeeds in gaining at least 10 yards, it gets a first down, meaning the team has another set of four downs to gain yet another 10 yards or to score.