Flag Football Drills For Kids
For the youngest players, flag football drills are focused on having fun! The 4 v 4 playing format ensures plenty of playing time to keep shorter attention spans engaged. Players at this age begin to practice running plays, passing, and flag grabbing techniques.
As players mature, skills, drills, and game play slowly become more advanced. The following flag football drills for kids can become more complex as players grow and develop.
1. Two Line Passing Warm Up
Passing is one of the most important flag football skills. The two line warm-up is easily customized to suit any age and skill level. Players stand in two lines, across from a partner and simply throw the ball back and forth. As players progress, they can move farther apart, or create a goal to have more successful passes in a set period of time.
2. Handoff Drill
Another important aspect of flag football for kids is the ability to successfully hand the ball to teammates. Being able to hand the ball off is especially important for younger children whose accuracy in throwing and catching the ball is still developing. Handoff drills focus on proper hand position so whether the child is handing-off the ball, or receiving it, they can develop accuracy and avoid fumbles.
For this drill, line your flag football team up in two single file lines 15 yards directly across from each other and call them team 1 and team 2. The coach holds a football about 2 yards in front of team 1 to start the drill. Coach says, “set, hut” to signal the first player from team 1 to run at the ball with his arms in position to accept the hand off. This player then takes the ball and sprints towards team 2.
Once he gets about 2 yards from the other team he switches the ball to his proper hand and hands it off to the player at the front of the line for team 2. The player on team 2 must have his arms ready to accept the hand off from the team 1 player. They will then run back towards team 1 and repeat the process until each player has touched the ball at least twice.
This drill works on where to put your arms when receiving a handoff, and how to give a handoff. It also works on conditioning by running back and forth.
3. The Gauntlet Flag Pulling Drill
Flag pulling is the key to defense in flag football. The Gauntlet is a fun game that builds both offensive and defensive skills.
For this drill, you will need four cones. Two cones are set up at one end to create a goal line, and two cones at the other end in the same manner as the starting line. There is one defensive player in the middle of the coned off area facing the starting line. The rest of the players are behind the starting line on offense. One offensive player at a time attempts to run from their side of play to the goal line on the other side. Meanwhile, the defensive player tries to grab the flag of each player who runs across. Kids take turns on defense until all have rotated through.
Flag football is a fun and safe way for kids to learn the sport of football at a young age. Recreational leagues teach the skills kids need to learn how to safely play the game. The Football Development Model breaks these skills down into different stages so they are appropriate for each age level. No matter the age of the player, flag football drills have the potential to help to build skills while developing a love for the game.
To keep your kids active and entertained outside of practice, check out these flag football drills you can do at home!
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