Everybody's it
Why it works
Pulling a flag off somebody who is actively trying to avoid you is the only version of the skill that resembles a game, and because everybody is it at once there is no queue, no elimination and no child standing on the side getting cold.
Run it
6 MINThree rounds of ninety seconds with a count between them. Six minutes. Shrink the grid for each round rather than making the rounds longer, because a tired round is a slow round.
Say this
“Eyes on the belt, not the face.”
A flag is at hip height and a player who looks up is reaching at where somebody used to be.
“One hand, and pull it through.”
A grab and a pull-through takes a flag. A slap moves it and leaves it on the belt.
“Keep your own hips away.”
In this version everybody is both, so protecting a flag while taking one is the actual skill.
Good looks like
- Everybody is moving for the whole ninety seconds with no queue anywhere.
- Hands go to hip height rather than up at shoulders.
- Flags come off in one motion rather than after three grabs.
- A player who loses a flag is back in within a few seconds.
The mistakes
Watching the shoulders and grabbing at air. Make them call out the colour of the flag they are going for.
Say: “Eyes on the belt, not the face.”
Two hands and a shove, which is a penalty in a game and a hurt kid in a warm-up. Stop the round and say so.
Say: “One hand, and pull it through.”
Running straight at somebody and losing a flag to get one. Count flags lost as well as flags taken.
Say: “Keep your own hips away.”
A bigger grid, and one pull makes you safe for ten seconds with your hands on your head. It stops the smallest players spending the whole round re-belting.
Shrink the grid by five yards every round, and finish with last three standing so a lost flag means out for the final round only.