Safety
 
First Down
 
 
Touch Down
(Both arms extended above head)
Safety
(Palms together above head)
First Down
(Arm pointed towards defensive team's goal)
     
Ball illegally touched, kicked, or batted
 
Time out
 
No time out or time in with whistle
Ball illegally touched, kicked, or batted
(Fingertips tap both shoulders)
Time out
(Hands crisscrossed above head.)
No time out or time in with whistle
(Full arm circled to simulate moving clock.)
     
False start, illegal formation, or kickoff or safety kick out of bounds
 
Personal foul

 
Holding
 
False start, illegal formation, or kickoff or safety kick out of bounds Personal foul
(One wrist striking the other above head)
Holding
(Grasping one wrist, the fist clenched, in front of chest.)
     
Penalty refused, incomplete pass, play over, or missed field goal or extra point
 
Pass juggled inbounds and caught out of bounds
 
Illegal forward pass
 
Penalty refused, incomplete pass, play over, or missed field goal or extra point
(Hands shifted in horizontal plane.)
Pass juggled inbounds and caught out of bounds
(Hands up and down in front of chest (following incomplete pass signal).)
Illegal forward pass
(One hand waved behind back followed by loss of down signal.)
     
Interference with forward pass or fair catch
 
Invalid fair-catch signal
 
Ineligible receiver or ineligible member of kicking team downfield
 
Interference with forward pass or fair catch
(Hands open and extended forward from shoulders with hands vertical.)
Invalid fair-catch signal
(One hand waved above head.)
Ineligible receiver or ineligible member of kicking team downfield
(Right hand touching top of cap.)
     
Offside, encroachment, or neutral zone infraction
 
Illegal motion at snap
 
Loss of down
 
Offside, encroachment, or neutral zone infraction
(Hands on hips.)
Illegal motion at snap
(Horizontal arc with one hand.)
Loss of down
(Both hands held behind head.)
     
Unsportsmanlike conduct
 
Touching a forward pass or scrimmage kick
 
Illegal cut
 
Unsportsmanlike conduct
(Arms outstretched, palms down.)
 
Touching a forward pass or scrimmage kick
(Diagonal motion of one hand across another.)
Illegal cut
(Hand striking front of thigh.)
     
Player disqualified
 
Tripping

 
Uncatchable forward pass
 
Player disqualified
(Ejection signal.)
Tripping
(Repeated action of right foot in back of left heel.)
Uncatchable forward pass
(Palm of right hand held parallel to ground above head and moved back and forth.)
     
Face mask
 
Illegalshift
 
Reset play clock - 25 seconds
 
Face mask
(Grasping face mask with one hand.)
Illegalshift
(Horizontal arcs with two hands.)
Reset play clock - 25 seconds
(Pump one arm vertically.)
     
Roughing the Kicker Roughing the Passer Major Face Mask 
Roughing the Kicker
(One wrist striking the other above head followed by swinging leg)
Roughing the Passer
(One wrist striking the other above head followed by raised arm swinging forward)
Major Face Mask
(One wrist striking the other above head followed by grasping face mask
     
Chop block
 
Clipping
 
Crowd Noise, Dead Ball, or Neutral Zone Established
 
Chop block
(Both hands striking side of thighs preceded by personal-foul signal.)
Clipping
(One hand striking back of calf preceded by personal-foul signal.)
Crowd Noise
(One Arm above head with an open hand. With fist closed) Fourth Down
Delay of game Or excess timeout
 
Clipping
 
Illegal use of hands, arms, or body
 
Delay of game Or excess timeout
(Folded arms.)
Clipping
(One hand striking back of calf preceded by personal-foul signal.)
Illegal use of hands, arms, or body
(Grasping one wrist, the hand open and facing forward, in front of chest.)
Intentional grounding of pass
 
Illegal contact
 
Interlocking interference, pushing, or helping runner
 
Intentional grounding of pass
(Parallel arms waved in a diagonal plane across body. Followed by loss of down signal.)
Illegal contact
(One open hand extended forward.)
Interlocking interference, pushing, or helping runner
(Pushing movement of hands to front with arms downward.)
Illegal crackback
 
Illegal block below the waist
 
Reset play clock - 40 seconds
 
Illegal crackback
(Strike of an open right hand against the right mid-thigh preceded by personal foul signal.)
Illegal block below the waist
(One hand striking front of thigh preceded by personal-foul signal.)
Reset play clock - 40 seconds
(Pump two arms vertically.)
Twelve men in offensive huddle or too many men on the field
 
   
Twelve men in offensive huddle or too many men on the field
(Both hands on top of head.)