Last flag standing
Why it works
It is the highest rep count per minute of anything on the list, and it is the only flag pulling drill where a kid has to attack and protect at the same time. That split attention is the actual game, and every one against one drill quietly removes it.
Run it
8 MINThree rounds, shrinking the square by a yard each round. Eight minutes, and end it on a winner.
Say this
“Head up, hands out.”
You cannot see a belt while you are looking at your own.
“Take the one nearest you.”
Hunting one particular kid across the square is how you lose both of yours.
“Belt only, and let go after.”
It keeps it safe and it keeps it a drill.
Good looks like
- Everybody is facing outward and moving, nobody is hiding in a corner.
- Pulls are at the belt, always, and hands come off straight after.
- The square feels crowded, which means it is the right size.
- Kids are counting their own flags without being asked.
The mistakes
Turtling, arms over the belt, running away from everybody, which is what a nervous kid does for the whole round.
Say: “Head up, hands out.”
Chasing the best player, which is the most common first round mistake.
Say: “Take the one nearest you.”
Grabbing shirts, which is a penalty habit and how somebody goes over.
Say: “Belt only, and let go after.”
Bigger square and one flag each rather than two, so rounds finish quickly and nobody is out for long.
Shrink the square hard, or give each player a football to carry in one hand.