Flag Football Practice

The Importance of a Practice Routine for Competitive Adult Flag Football

Any team, especially a flag football team, plays like it practices, which is why coming up with a solid practice plan is essential to any team’s success.  When developing a flag football practice plan, the key is having a solid routine in place that covers all your bases.  The main advantage to having a routine is less wasted and unproductive time during practice because after a few times everyone should know exactly what they should be doing, when and where. 

Lights, Camera, Action! 

I like to start off the first practice of the week by screening a film of the team’s previous game.  When watching the film, place emphasis on the upcoming game instead of dwelling on the mistakes of the previous one.  Analyze your opponent’s game as well for things to improve on with regards to your own team and for ways to beat them at their own game for next time you meet on the field.  You can also use this as an opportunity to reward players for their merit or make an example of players who aren’t performing up to your or their own standards. 

After the film screening, it’s time to hit the gym for weight training.  The weight room is one of the greatest places to maintain the sense of competition yet reinforce a sense of teamwork since players will have to spot one another.  Weight training gives players an excellent opportunity to set goals for themselves and chart their progress against personal bests and, in some cases, other members of the team.  

Next, players move to the field for the conditioning drills that improve their physical strength and stamina.  While conditioning drills are a necessary part of any sport, they are often the athlete’s least favorite part of the practice due to their demanding nature.  Conditioning drills are an excellent punishment for a poorly done job, and can also be combined with special teams training if time is a factor.  

Facing Off Against Teammates 

Finally, it’s time for most players’ favorite part of flag football practice: the scrimmage.  Generally, when I run scrimmages with my team I enforce a strict “no contact below the waist” rule, since it is especially heartbreaking to watch a great player become injured by a member of his own team during a scrimmage.  

I use scrimmages as the basis of deciding which players make the starting line-up and which ones are there to keep the bench warm.  When players know that their game time status is based to a large extent on their scrimmage performance, you’ll be surprised at the hustle in their step, especially with regards to your non-star players.  

The flag football practice plan outlined above is used for the first practice after a game.  During all other practices, I replace the film screening and weight training with a solid rotation of position drills and special teams.  Remember whenever players are practice to include a warm-up and cool down period to reduce the risk of injury. 
 

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