Flag Football Plays: Strategies to Dominate the Game

Flag football involves passing and possession until there is a fumble and the team loses control of it. No player may impede opponents or guard flags during gameplay.

At the snap, receivers X and Y run staggered angled post routes at staggered lengths to draw in defense.

At that moment, the center runs a five-yard hitch route on the left side which should open up heavy yardage.

Slot-Fade

The Slot Fade is an effective play when attacking one-on-one matchups on the outside.

This concept gives your receiver plenty of space, especially against heavy blitz teams, while adding the slant adjustment forces the corner’s technique behind the slant route to trail more closely, providing him with greater outside leverage opportunities.

This play works well against both single and double high coverage. When running against two high defenders, the quarterback can read whether their opponent’s defense is in man or blitz zero coverage to determine whether they want to take either a hitch or fade shot.

When the defense is in single high coverage and no blitz zero defense, receivers can hitch to the inside seam in search of grass.

If a corner sits on this hitch, quarterbacks can use this play as an opportunity to throw fade passes to slot players in the slot players – something many offenses utilize effectively in the NFL.

This flag football play is ideal for teams looking to create more big-play opportunities.

It works against both single and double-high coverages and both man and zone defenses; furthermore, teams looking to take advantage of mismatches between their speedy receivers can use this play effectively; for example, the Eagles use it with Zach Ertz and Tyjon Lindsey in RPOs against overmatched cornerbacks to capitalize on 1-on-1 matchups.

Zone-Fade

End Zone Fade Route One of the most widely utilized flag football plays is an end zone fade route.

This play offers an effective means of getting the ball into the end zone, potentially making the difference between scoring a touchdown or having to settle for field goal attempts.

But its successful execution requires teamwork between the receiver and the quarterback.

The receiver needs to catch and run through the contact area, while the quarterback must hit the target location successfully.

This route works best against zone coverage with two high safeties or single high safety coverage; however, it can also be utilized against single high safety coverage with single deep safety coverage.

When run against single deep safety coverage or man coverage in the high red zone area, this play can force the defense to kick a long field goal instead of stopping third down play.

Not only can this play be run from virtually any formation or personnel grouping, it is highly effective at drawing defensive pass interference calls from opposing defenses and can be successfully utilized within the red zone, where teams usually overload against running plays.

Hike-Hitch

Flag football players can use various routes to position athletes for quick passes from their quarterback, opening themselves up for quicker yardage gains nearer the first down line.

A hitchroute player typically runs straight for several yards before turning backward and pivoting.

They juke their defender, creating an opening for an immediate pass from the receiver.

This also disorients defensive players who might otherwise be looking for vertical runners coming towards the sidelines.

The next player will run a slant route. They must keep their head up to avoid collisions with other players running similar routes and are an effective strategy for beating man coverage.

This simple play can be utilized by any team and represents one of their best chances at beating it.

For long yardage plays, this 5 on 5 flag football play works exceptionally well.

When activated, Receiver Y runs an eight-yard route while the center performs a deep post route that pulls defensive lines backward.

Once this step has been taken, receivers can run different types of routes at staggered intervals for varied routes of various lengths.

As is true of all flag football plays, teaching your players to read defenses and understand each of their routes is key for making smart decisions on the field and building up confidence.