--- title: "Flag Pulling Drills: Breakdown, Hips & Angles" description: "Flag pulling drills teach defenders to break down, watch the hips and grab with two hands. Get a 3-stage progression, setup, coaching points and variations." url: "https://www.coachboard.app/library/flag-football/flag-pulling-drill" sport: "Flag Football" category: "Drill" level: "beginner" dateModified: "2026-09-24" --- # Flag Pulling Drill — Flag Football Drill A flag pulling drill trains defenders to stop a ball carrier the flag football way: break down in front of the runner, keep eyes on the hips, and pull a flag with a two-hand grab instead of tackling. Flag pulling is the tackle of flag football, and missed pulls give up more big plays than blown coverages. The usual miss is easy to spot: a defender runs flat out at the ball carrier, reaches with one hand, and grabs air as the runner cuts. The fix is the same one tackling coaches teach in the contact game, only without contact: arrive under control, then strike. This progression moves from a standing partner to a full-speed runner in open space. Each stage adds one problem (movement, then a cut, then an angle), so defenders build the habit of breaking down before they ever have to chase a faster player across the field. ## Objective Build reliable flag pulling technique: a controlled breakdown, eyes on the ball carrier's hips, a two-hand grab at the near hip, and pursuit angles that cut off the runner. ## Setup - **Area:** Three channels, each 5 yards wide and 10 yards long, marked with cones - **Players:** 6–15 players in pairs or small lines - **Equipment:** Flag belts for every player, 12 cones, 1 ball per channel (optional) - **Duration:** 10–12 minutes - **Level:** beginner (U6+) ## How it works 1. **Stage 1: Stationary breakdown and pull** — Partners face each other 2 yards apart. The defender drops into a breakdown: feet shoulder-width, knees bent, chest up, hands out in front. On the coach's call the defender steps in, grabs the near-hip flag with both hands, pulls it clear and holds it high. Five reps each, then swap. 2. **Stage 2: Walk, then jog in the channel** — The ball carrier starts at one end of a 5-yard-wide channel and walks, then jogs, straight toward the defender 10 yards away. The defender closes fast for the first 5 yards, chops the feet into the breakdown about 2 yards short, and pulls. The sidelines of the channel stop the runner from escaping wide. 3. **Stage 3: One cut allowed** — Now the ball carrier may make one cut left or right inside the channel. The defender keeps eyes on the hips, not the head, shoulders or the ball, because the hips only go where the runner is actually going. Pull the flag on the side the runner cuts toward. 4. **Stage 4: Angle pursuit in open space** — Remove the channel. The runner starts 5 yards to the side and runs for a cone 15 yards upfield near the sideline. The defender must take an angle aimed at a spot in front of the runner, not at where the runner is now, and use the sideline as an extra defender to pin the ball carrier. ## Coaching points - Chop your feet before contact range; a defender who arrives at full speed cannot change direction when the runner cuts. - Eyes on the hips, because head fakes and ball fakes do not move the belt. - Grab with two hands on the near hip: two hands double your chance of getting the flag, and the near hip means you never reach across the runner's body. - No holding, pushing or tackling, and in most leagues no stripping the ball; you are allowed to pull the flag only. - After the pull, raise the flag high and stop, so the official sees it and nobody runs into the ball carrier. ## Variations - **Sharks and minnows** — For younger groups, one or two sharks stand in the middle of a 20 x 20 yard box and every minnow wears a belt. Minnows run end to end, and anyone who loses a flag becomes a shark. It builds breakdown and angle habits without feeling like a drill. - **Flag guarding check** — Add a ball carrier who tries to protect the flags with a hand or arm. Stop the rep and call it: flag guarding (using the hands, arms or ball to block a defender from the flag) is a penalty in NFL FLAG and most leagues, so runners learn to beat defenders with cuts and speed instead. ## Build it in Coach Board Use Coach Board to show the angle, which is the part kids struggle to picture. Place a runner and a defender on the flag football field, draw the runner's path to the sideline and the defender's pursuit arrow aimed at a point in front of the runner, then animate it. Duplicate the board with the defender chasing directly behind and play both back slowly to show why that one never catches up. [Flag Football coaching app](https://www.coachboard.app/sports/flag-football) · [Start 14-day free trial, no card](https://my.coachboard.app) ## FAQ ### How do you teach kids to pull flags? Teach kids to pull flags in stages: first a stationary breakdown and two-hand grab at the near hip, then a jogging runner in a narrow channel, then a runner who can cut, and finally open-field angles. Keep eyes on the hips and feet chopping before the grab at every stage. ### What is flag guarding in flag football? Flag guarding is when the ball carrier uses a hand, arm or the ball to stop a defender from reaching the flags. It is a penalty in NFL FLAG and most other leagues. Runners may spin and cut to avoid defenders, but they cannot cover or swat at their flags. ## Related - https://www.coachboard.app/library/flag-football/rushing-drill.md - https://www.coachboard.app/library/flag-football/zone-defense.md - https://www.coachboard.app/library/flag-football/practice-plan.md --- [Flag Football coaching app](https://www.coachboard.app/sports/flag-football) · Animate and share this drill with your team: https://my.coachboard.app