Be Organized and Prepared

Some coaches might think, it’s just recreational flag football, I’ll wing it. Well, we would recommend that you come prepared. With our history coaching at a competitive level, we have found that having a practice plan makes all the difference in the world. Of course, you can adjust practice depending on what is happening, how many players show up to practice, how the drills are going, but going in prepared helps you get the most out of your time and helps the athletes learn more.

Get Help Coaching

If possible, find help. Talk to a friend or the parents and see if you can get an extra hand to make practice go more smoothly. This will allow the team to break out into smaller groups during drills. The athletes will get more reps, learn more, have more fun, and so will you.

Keep Talking to a Minimum

Young athletes, even old ones, get bored if you talk, talk, talk. Of course, you need to talk about the schedule and your expectations, relay concepts, share fun antidotes and explain drills, but if you only have an hour or two of practice, make good use of it. Don’t have the athletes standing and listening to a ton. This is where having a practice plan helps keep your schedule going and the talking to a minimum.

Keep Athletes Moving

When scheduling your practice, keep the periods for each drill relatively short. Set 5-10 minutes depending on the drill. The first time you run a drill, you will need a little extra time to explain how to run it and the concepts around it, but once the athletes get the activity down, you can move quickly between drills. It’s a win-win. They learn more and have more fun.

Teach the Fundamentals

We want the boys and girls to learn skills that would help them if they went on to play tackle football or simply other sports. Teach them proper alignment and stance, how to carry the ball, throw the ball, catch the ball, snap the ball, handoff/exchange the ball, basic run routes, proper stance, pursuit angles, containment, footwork, back peddling and breaking down, flag pulling and defense.

Keep It Simple

Especially when a team is young, we recommend keeping it simple. Keep the drills simple and keep the plays simple. As the season progresses, read how your players are doing and increase the skill level of drills as needed. The coaches are allowed in the huddle, so put together several laminated cards with our basic sets.