Introduction 1
About This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Getting Started with Flag Football 5
Chapter 1: Introducing Flag Football 7
Discovering What Flag Football Is - and Isn't 8
Understanding What Makes Flag Football Great 9
Seeing who's playing flag football: A sport for everyone 10
Starting young and growing with the game 11
Tracking flag football's history 12
World Cups 13
Perusing Various Levels of Play 13
Flag football in the NFL 14
International competitions 15
The road to the Olympics (LA 2028) 16
Chapter 2: The Wear and Where of Flag Football 17
Where: The Field 17
Playing surface 18
Field dimensions 18
The marks on the field 19
Yard Lines 21
Out of bounds 22
Other marks 22
Down indicator 22
7-yard chain 23
Team areas 23
Wear: Uniforms 23
The jersey 23
Pants 24
Cleats 24
Flags 25
Mouthpiece 25
What is not permitted 26
The Ball 26
Chapter 3: The Who and How of the Game 29
Looking at Who's Involved in Flag Football 29
Coaches: The beating heart of a team 30
Managers: The team's backbone 35
Athletic trainers: Keeping players in top shape 35
Referees and officials: The guardians of fair play 35
The players: The stars of the game 37
The Big Picture: How the Game Is Played 40
Chapter 4: Regarding the Rules 41
Remembering the Golden Rule of Flag Football 41
Noting the Ins and Outs of the Game Clock 42
Checking Out the Coin Toss 43
Getting the Gist of Downs and Yards 44
Scoring Points 45
Touchdowns 45
Extra points: One or two points 46
Safeties 46
Recognizing the Roles of the Officials 46
The referee 47
The field judge 48
The down and side judges 48
Other official responsibilities 48
Familiarizing yourself with the referees' signals 49
Penalties and other violations 52
Part 2: Offense 55
Chapter 5: The Quarterback 57
Understanding the Role of the Offense 57
The Quarterback: More Than Just a Strong Throwing Arm 59
Qualities of a Successful Quarterback: From Mentality to Precision 60
Arm strength and release 61
Accuracy (and timing) 61
Positive leadership 61
Competitiveness 61
Intelligence 62
Strategy 62
Emotional intelligence 62
Agility 62
Vision 63
Mastering the Fundamentals 63
Stance: Balance starts here 63
Quick feet 64
Dropping back 64
Getting a good grip 64
Power comes from the hips 65
Three keys to a great throw: Timing, accuracy, ball positioning 65
Reading the Defense 66
The pre-snap read 66
7-second rule 67
Coverages 68
Reading in the red zone 75
Chapter 6: The Passing Game 77
The Anatomy of a Playmaker: Wide Receiver Essentials 78
Speed and endurance 78
Hands 78
Field awareness 78
Competitiveness 79
Consistency 79
Timing 79
Wide Receivers 79
Lining up 79
Stance 80
Release 80
Motions 80
Center 80
Stance and snap 80
Quick release 81
Field vision and awareness 81
Route Tree 81
Compound Routes 83
Catching the Ball 84
Eyes on the ball 84
Hands ready 85
Body positioning 85
Finishing the play 85
Beating man-to-man coverage 86
Gaining yards after catch 86
Quick feet 87
Hips and dips 87
Field awareness 87
No contact or blocking 87
Thinking Smart: Mastering Game Situations 88
Chapter 7: The Running Game 89
When Is a Running Play Used? 90
Who Can Run the Ball? 91
Lining Up: Hand-offs and Reverses 92
Variations on Running Formations 93
The Basic Skills for Running the Ball 95
Receiving the hand-off 96
Running at top speed 97
Seeing the field 97
Being agile 97
Evading the clean flag pull 97
Part 3: Defense 99
Chapter 8: The Linebacker 101
Looking at What the Linebacker Does 102
Filling a hybrid role 102
Playing downfield and backfield 103
Seeing Where the Linebacker Is Positioned 105
Considering the Core Traits of a Dominant Linebacker 106
Quickness 106
Vision 107
Instinct 107
Communication 107
Stance 108
Reading the offense 108
Chapter 9: The Blitzer 111
Reviewing a Blitzer's Role and Responsibilities 111
Understanding the Core Traits of a Dominant Blitzer 114
Speed 114
Reaction 114
Body control 115
Lining up 115
Stance 116
Studying Blitzer Maneuvers 118
Reading hand-offs 118
Defending a crowded backfield 120
When the blitzer has to cover 121
Chapter 10: The Secondary 123
Reviewing Core Traits of the Secondary Players 124
Speed and quickness 124
Vision 124
Hands 124
Body control (noncontact) and reaction 125
Flag pulling 125
Understanding the Game Situation 126
Knowing the down and distance 126
Forcing them to stay in bounds 127
Adjusting according to the situation 127
Cornerbacks 127
What the cornerback does 128
Positioning and alignment 129
Free Safety 130
What the free safety does 131
Positioning and alignment 131
Avoiding Common Mistakes 133
Part 4: Building Skills: Key Drills and Plays 135
Chapter 11: Practicing Drills by Position 137
Quarterbacks 138
Accuracy drills 139
Throwing on the go 140
Evading the blitzer 140
Wide Receivers and Centers 142
Catching the ball 142
Running routes 142
Agility and footwork 143
Running Backs 143
Acceleration and explosiveness 144
Footwork and agility 144
Hip agility and fluidity 145
Cornerbacks and Free Safeties 146
Defensive footwork 147
Attacking the ball 147
Pulling flags 148
Linebackers 149
Reacting 149
Pulling flags 150
Blitzers 150
Drill 1: Sprint and redirect flag pull 151
Drill 2: Forward blitz, backward drop 151
Chapter 12: Getting into Flag Football Shape 153
Understanding the X Factor of Flag Football 154
Conditioning by Position 154
Wide receivers, cornerbacks, linebackers, and safeties 155
Quarterbacks 158
Blitzers 163
Crossing Over: Multi-Sport Advantage 165
Chapter 13: Offensive Plays and Strategies 167
Using Strategy to Play to a Team's Strengths 168
Defining the Goals of an Effective Offense 168
1 Consistency 169
2 Efficiency 169
3 Adaptability 169
4 Game control 169
5 Drive 169
Mastering Offensive Formations 170
Spread 170
Trips 171
Bunch 172
Beating a Defense 173
Beating man-to-man coverage: Cover 1 173
Beating zone coverage 177
Double QB 189
Nailing One- and Two-Point Conversions 191
Chapter 14: Defensive Plays and Strategies 193
Defining the Goals for Effective Defense Formations 193
Mastering Defensive Formations 195
Game situation 195
Field position 196
Time management 196
Providing Defensive Coverage 196
Man versus zone coverages 197
Man-to-man coverage 197
Cover 2 198
Cover 3 199
Cover 4 201
Cover 31 202
Building the Wall: Core Elements of an Unstoppable Defense 203
Playing Mind Games: Outsmarting the Offense 204
Part 5: From Youth Leagues to the International Stage. 205
Chapter 15: One Sport, Many Styles 207
Exploring Varieties of the Game 207
5-on-5 208
7-on-7 208
Beach 209
Coed (or mixed) 209
Introducing NFL FLAG Football 210
Finding where it's played 211
Understanding the rules 211
Looking at its international intention 212
Chapter 16: Homing in on High School and College Flag Football 213
Becoming a Sanctioned High School Sport in the United States 214
Exploring Flag Football in College 214
Mexico 215
United States 216
Reviewing the Rules 220
Chapter 17: Investigating IFAF International Competitions 223
Citing Continental Championships 224
The Americas 224
Europe 225
Asia 225
Africa 225
Whirling through World Cups 226
Reviewing World Rankings 228
Chapter 18: Diving into The World Games. 229
Exploring The World Games History 229
Comparing The World Games to the IFAF World Championships 231
Chapter 19: Becoming an Olympic Sport: LA 2028 233
Dreaming the Dream: From Grassroots to Olympic Bid 233
Identifying the Power Players: IFAF and NFL's Global Push 235
Getting on the Road to LA: How Teams Will Qualify 235
Exploring What This Means for the Sport 236
Part 6: the Part of Tens 237
Chapter 20: Ten Essential Skills to Get Started 239
Listening and Learning 239
Being a Good Teammate 240
Having the Courage to Try (and Try Again) 240
Being Agile 240
Being Fast (If Not the Fastest) 241
Maintaining Coordination and Balance 241
Building Endurance 241
Staying Positive, Even When It's Hard 242
Being Curious About the Game 242
Believing You Belong on the Field 242
Chapter 21: Ten Reasons to Play Flag Football 243
You'll Build Mental Toughness 243
You'll Find New Opportunities 244
You'll Feel Empowered 244
You'll Find Your Place 244
You'll Discover the Power of Teamwork 245
You'll Have Fun (and It's Easy to Learn) 245
You'll Grow to Believe in Yourself 245
You'll Create Lasting Connections 246
You'll Build Leadership Skills 246
You'll Develop a Healthier Body 246
Glossary 247
Index 253
