Call the animal
Why it works
A flag pull in a game never starts on a whistle. It starts on something a kid has to notice, and a story full of wrong animals is the cheapest way to make noticing the hard part.
Run it
8 MINTen calls, and lie to them at least four times. Eight minutes. Swap the animals halfway so nobody settles in.
Say this
“Eyes on me, feet ready.”
They cannot listen while they are talking to each other.
“Turn and go, do not turn and look.”
The runner loses a yard every time he checks whether he heard right.
“Take the belt on the way past.”
A chase is won at the hip, not by catching up and stopping.
Good looks like
- Both lines are still and leaning before the animal is said.
- The runners are moving on the word, not half a second after it.
- Chasers go through the pull rather than stopping at it.
- Nobody is sure which animal is coming, including the coach who is making it up.
The mistakes
Lines chatting through the story. Restart the story rather than telling anyone off, and they work it out.
Say: “Eyes on me, feet ready.”
Both lines freezing on the word while they decide who they are. Give each side a practice call first.
Say: “Turn and go, do not turn and look.”
Chasers slowing down to make the grab, which is how a slower kid gets away.
Say: “Take the belt on the way past.”
Two animals only, and say the animal on its own with no story around it. The story goes in once they are turning the right way.
Give each line two animals. Or call an animal that belongs to nobody and see who moves anyway.