How Players are Improving Tackle Football Skills and Mitigating Injury and Why Coaches Love It.

Flag Football Helps Develop Players for Tackle Football

Over the past decade, an increasing awareness of concussions and head injuries has led to an increase in participation in flag football, especially among those ages 14 and under. The flag game varies somewhat from traditional tackle football but shares many of the same fundamental principles with its sister sport. Playing flag football at a young age can help to prepare an athlete for tackle football in junior high and high school. Many college-level and pro-level players are using flag football as a way to build confidence and practice technical skills meanwhile mitigating risk of injury.

Skill Position Fundamentals

Every skill position player, from quarterbacks and receivers on offense to linebackers and defensive backs on defense, learn the same skill position fundamentals whether they are playing flag or tackle football. Think about the quarterback position. There is so much to learn when playing quarterback that does not involve any contact whatsoever. Quarterbacks master the fundamentals of throwing a football by practicing with receivers without any sort of contact. Learning to read defenses, for example, is a skill that can be improved upon without facing contact on the football field. Even a receiver in a one-on-one situation with a defensive back does not necessarily get involved in any type of contact and certainly is not going to be tackled.

All across the nation, high school varsity and sub-varsity level football programs are taking part in 7-on-7 drills, competitions, and even tournaments. In the state of Texas where football reigns supreme, schools compete for a state championship in 7-on-7 competition. Playing 7-on-7 involves a quarterback and his five receivers playing against the linebackers and defensive backs of a defense. There is minimal contact and no tackling. Players are downed by any form of touching, one hand or two, when controlling the football. Regardless, all players can improve at their respective skill positions by competing in flag football.

Defensive Fundamentals

Just like offensive skill position players like quarterbacks and wide receivers, defenders can improve and learn more about the game by playing flag football. Linebackers and defensive backs learn proper alignment and techniques, such as backpedaling, which are completely transferrable to tackle football. Defenders, especially secondary players, learn the basics of zone and man coverage, the same types of coverage played in tackle football. Those playing defense in flag football also learn one of the key elements of defense – leverage – whether they realize it or not.

Defenders must be able to find the ball and prevent runners or receivers from advancing the football. Playing defense in flag or tackle football involves putting oneself in the best position to make a play. That often involves maintaining leverage, or proper positioning, in locating and tackling (or pulling the flag) a defender.

A fact that defensive coordinators love about flag football is that the flags are located on the hips of players. Teaching defensive players to focus on the hips/waist/thighs of offensive players is a key fundamental skill. Repetitions involving flag pulling create muscle memory and excellent peripheral vision training.

Preparation for Tackling

One of the most important skills that youth playing flag football learn is tracking a ball carrier. The ball carrier could be a running back who has taken a handoff or a pitch from a quarterback, or a ball carrier could be a receiver who has just caught a pass from a quarterback. Either way, tracking that ball carrier or getting into position to prevent said ball carrier from advancing any further is a skill that can be taught and improved by playing flag football.

Proper tackling technique, which is taught at every level of the game from youth all the way to the NFL, is of utmost importance to the game. Tracking a ball carrier and getting into position to make a tackle is the same whether one is playing tackle or flag football. Learning proper technique at the flag level can help to reduce concussions and head injuries at the tackle level.

At the professional level, many teams have opted for the “Hawk” tackle which is much safer than traditional tackling. In years past, players were taught to see what they hit, get their head across a ball carrier, and essentially use the head as a weapon. The “Hawk” tackle, made popular by the Seattle Seahawks and head coach Pete Carroll, emphasizes leverage-based shoulder tackling taking the head out of the equation.

Getting into the proper position to execute a “Hawk” tackle is the same for a flag player as it is for a tackle player. Defenders still track the near hip of a ball carrier, but instead of executing the tackle, flag players will pull the flag. Very often, pulling the flag is more difficult than stopping a ball carrier in tackle football. Pulling a flag requires laser-beam accuracy, intense focus, and determination. This skill translates to outstanding tackle setups in tackle football.

Setting the Stage for Blocking

Just like tackling, flag players that learn proper leverage and tracking are actually learning the first steps toward becoming good blockers. Some of the most difficult blocks in tackle football are those made by wide receivers out in space. Receivers and defensive backs are usually some of the better athletes on the field. Trying to block a good athlete in space requires skills that can be developed by playing flag football. The same method for tracking a ball carrier can be used in tracking a defender that must be blocked.

Playing flag football can lay the foundation that a young player needs when making the transition to tackle football. Many of the skills learned playing flag directly translate to tackle football and those who have learned these skills will have an advantage over those that have not.

Playing flag football during off-season has become normative for some of the most competitive high school programs in the nation. Coaches encourage players to sharpen technical skills, increase cardio-abilities, athleticism, and general fitness via flag football. Key players don’t have injury risks but still gain an advantage by playing flag football.

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