In 2004 I had the chance to train with the Manchester Titans American Football team. Slightly sceptical and without a clue how to play the game, I turned up on a cold Sunday morning. 

About 40 men, aged begween 18 to 50(ish) were dressed in varying standards of American Football attire. I was handed some pads and a helmet, given an old white training top and sent to stand with the 'defense'.

They seemed a nice bunch. We spent a short while chatting, many players were veterans from seasons and teams past, and a small spattering of rookies got to know their new teammates.

It all seemed good-natured and friendly. After a good warm-up and footwork drills, some bags were laid on the floor and I was given a ball. Pick a gap between the bags and run through it, I was told. The other guy will tackle you.

I have played contact sports in the past. I have played rugby and been tackled by bigger men than the one standing five yards away from me on this occasion. I selected the first 'hole' and ran into it, only to finish up on my back, about a yard behind where I started.

There was a large tuft of grass stuck to the top of my helmet. I'd never been tackled like that before.

In one contact, all my preconceptions about the game had been removed, and I was very glad to have been wearing the helmet and pads I had been given. Better put these in my bag and take them home, I thought. I'll definitely need them again.

As the weeks moved on, I got used to the contact and started to pick up on the finer points of 'hitting' rather than tackling. It would be some time before I fathomed out how a short lad, weighing about nine stone, was able to hit with so much force.

The next big hurdle I encountered was the terminology and the tactics. It wasn't long before I understood why, along with all the physical stats, you also needed to have a high IQ. There are more rules in American Football than any other game, and four years on I'm still (mostly) none the wiser. 

The tactics, formations, audible calls, responsibilities and different scenarios you have to remember during each play, along with trying to bang heads with the opposition, makes this game one of the toughest to play.

If you're just looking for some violence, you won't get vary far. You have to be mindful of all around you.

I am still playing the game and find myself enjoying each one more than the last, but socially there is stigma to playing the game. You tell your friends and the responsee is always a mixture of ''Isn't that like rugby but with pads?'' and ''Are you slightly mental?''

I will be playing for the Manchester Titans this weekend in the British American Football League. The game that filled Wembley Stadium with an English team in the 1990s  is doing so again with NFL teams.

When you combine the collegiate, youth and senior leagues American Football is the fastest growing sport in the UK.