Flag football practice plan for 6 and 7 year olds (45 minutes)

🏈 Flag football · ages 6–7 · 45 minutes · 10 players · 5 balls

1. 0:007 min

   Warm-up Warm-up

   Jog on the spot, Arm circles, Skipping. About a minute each, easy first, then a little bigger.

2. 0:078 min

   Drill Break down and pull

   X playerO partner or defender— run- - pass∿ dribble

   Set up. Partners face each other in a lane of cones five steps wide. One carries a ball; one defends. Gear: a flag belt each, four cones a pair. With your players that is 5 groups of about 2.

   1. The carrier jogs down the lane at three-quarter speed.
   2. The defender runs to meet them, takes short choppy steps, knees bent: break down.
   3. Eyes on the hips, then pull the flag and hold it up.
   4. No diving and no contact. Swap after each run.

   Say: “Chop your feet” · “Eyes on the hips” · “Pull and show”

   Easier: The carrier walks straight down the middle. Harder: The carrier may make one cut inside the lane.

3. 0:158 min

   Drill Catch on the run

   Set up. Partners jog side by side down the field, four steps apart. Gear: a ball a pair. With your players that is 5 groups of about 2.

   1. Toss the ball a little ahead of your partner.
   2. They catch it with their hands without slowing down, then toss it back.
   3. Down the field and back, then swap sides so you throw with the other arm.

   Say: “Lead your partner” · “Hands out” · “Keep running”

   Easier: Walk, and use a soft ball. Harder: Jog faster and throw one-handed.

4. 0:232 min

   Water Water break

   Everybody drinks, in the shade if there is some.

5. 0:258 min

   Drill Diamond hands catch

   Set up. Partners five steps apart. Gear: a ball a pair, a smaller or soft ball for the youngest. With your players that is 5 groups of about 2.

   1. Above your chest: thumbs and pointer fingers touch to make a diamond.
   2. Below your belly: pinkies together instead.
   3. Your partner throws to the chest; catch with your hands, not your body, and tuck it.
   4. Ten, then a step back.

   Say: “Make a diamond” · “Watch it in” · “Tuck it”

   Easier: Underhand tosses from closer, with a soft ball. Harder: Throws a little to the side so the catcher reaches.

6. 0:338 min

   Game Keep your flags

   Set up. Everyone wears a flag belt inside a square of cones about fifteen big steps on each side. Gear: flag belts for everyone, cones for a small square.

   1. On go, everyone tries to pull other players' flags and keep their own.
   2. Pull a flag, drop it on the ground, and keep playing: nobody is ever out.
   3. A player with no flags left picks one up and puts it back on.
   4. Stop after a minute, count the flags each player pulled, and play again.

   Say: “Hands on flags” · “Dodge and turn” · “Flags, not shirts”

   Easier: Grown-ups wear the only flags, and the children chase them. Harder: Make the square smaller, so there is less room to dodge.

7. 0:414 min

   Cool-down Cool-down

   Reach for your toes, Butterfly. About a minute each, easy first, then a little bigger.

Every plan here has a water break, two in practices over an hour (our rule). On hot days the CDC says to drink more water than usual without waiting to be thirsty, to start slowly and build up, and to practice when it is cooler. cdc.gov: Heat and Athletes. Head knocks and concussion: read CDC HEADS UP, the CDC's page for coaches and parents. cdc.gov/heads-up