Youth Flag Football Practice Tips
- Many kids choose flag football to avoid injury risks.kids playing football image by sonya etchison from Fotolia.com
Flag football incorporates many of the same skills as traditional football, but focuses on different techniques. When practicing for flag football, speed and agility are more important than strength. Since tackling and full- contact blocking are not involved, a strong foundation in foot quickness and an understanding of angles of pursuit are required to succeed in flag football. - Run and exercise every day, or at least every other day. Keeping in good shape is key because getting tired will allow anybody on the field to easily outrun you. Each exercising session should lasts at least 30 minutes to an hour.
- Flag football blocking requires you to have your hands and arms behind your back, removing the ability to block people using strength. Practice your lateral speed by shuffling from side to side without turning your body. Extending one leg out to the side, plant on it and hop quickly sideways to pull your other leg in. This exercise improves your quickness when moving from side to side, which will help you cut off peoples' angles much more effectively when blocking.
- Grabbing the flag is an overlooked skill in flag football. No matter how quickly you're able to catch up to another player, you cannot stop him unless you can pull his flag. Have a friend put on a set of flags and stand facing you about 15 yards away. When you are ready, have him attempt to run past you without getting his flag pulled. Repeat this until you feel comfortable pulling flags off somebody running at you. Set up the same drill, except have your friend line up five yards in front of you, facing the same way you are facing. Try to grab your friend's flag from behind as he runs away from you.
- The most important part of running the ball in flag football is running toward the end zone. Many youth flag football players run from sideline to sideline to evade defenders and end up gaining very few yards.. When practicing running with the ball, try to run past your defender with minimal lateral motion. Get around him without going too much to the side.
- To be a good flag football quarterback, you must have a good and an accurate throw. To practice throwing accuracy, set up a high stool in your backyard and place an empty milk jug on top of it. Stand five yards away from it and try to knock the milk jug off the stool. Once you can do this consistently, step 10 yards away and repeat. Continue to move further from the jug once you develop consistency from each distance. To develop timing, have a friend run different routes as a receiver. Throw the ball to her in a location that allows her to catch the ball without having to slow down (also known as catching it "in stride"). Being able to throw the ball this way makes it much easier for receivers to catch and also reduces interceptions.
