What are the best 4th and short conversion plays in flag football?
Six plays convert almost every short-yardage down in flag football: All Slants, Quick Out, Bunch Pick, Clearout, Back Angle and Trips Spacing. The rule that separates them from a normal call is that every route breaks inside five yards, because you need three yards and not thirty. Start with All Slants, which puts three receivers at the distance you need at the same moment, and keep Quick Out for the situations where an incompletion is far better than a turnover.
The six plays, safest first
- Play 1
All Slants
The staple. Everything breaks in at the sticks.
Both outside receivers cut inside at three yards and the slot runs the same route two yards deeper. Three targets arrive at the same moment at the distance you actually need. The ball is out before a rush gets home, which is why this is the first short-yardage play to install.
- Play 2
Quick Out
The safest throw on the list. Nothing behind it.
X breaks to the sideline at four yards with the flat underneath as the second option. The ball travels away from every defender on the field, so the worst outcome is an incompletion rather than a turnover. Call it when you would rather punt than give the ball back where you are.
- Play 3
Bunch Pick
Traffic at the line, so nobody has to win one-on-one.
From a bunch, three receivers leave the cluster in three directions at three yards. Defenders in man coverage have to fight through each other to stay on their assignment. For three yards you do not need separation, you need one defender delayed by half a second.
- Play 4
Clearout
One deep route to move the defense, then throw underneath it.
Z runs straight downfield with no intention of getting the ball. A defense that respects it retreats, and the drag underneath walks into the space he left. The deep route is a decoy and the quarterback should know that before the snap.
- Play 5
Back Angle
The back is the target, not the checkdown.
The running back releases to the sideline as the primary read while the receivers clear the space in front of him. Most defenses assign their loosest coverage to the back, which is exactly backwards on a play that needs three yards. Call it once and it changes how they defend the rest.
- Play 6
Trips Spacing
Numbers beat yardage. Three receivers, one side, three depths.
Trips to one side with a flat, a slant and a short out. Two defenders cannot cover three receivers in a five-yard box, so somebody is open by arithmetic rather than by athleticism. The most reliable call on this page against a zone defense.
Why it works
Short yardage is a different problem, not a shorter one
You need three yards, so a route that takes four seconds to develop is a worse route regardless of how open it gets. Everything here breaks inside five yards and the ball comes out on rhythm.
The defense is closer, which helps you
A defense expecting a short throw crowds the line. That leaves nothing behind them, which is why one clear-out route buys more space on fourth and short than it does on first and ten.
Three yards does not need separation
It needs one defender delayed by half a second. Traffic, numbers and timing all produce that. Nobody has to beat anybody, which is what makes these callable with an ordinary team.
How to run it
- 1
Decide before the huddle whether a turnover is acceptable
Deep in your own end, call Quick Out and accept an incompletion. Past midfield, the inside-breaking plays are worth the risk.
- 2
Tell the quarterback the read before the snap
Short yardage is not the down to scan the field. One primary, one answer if it is covered. Say both out loud in the huddle.
- 3
Set the depth to the sticks, not to the play
If you need three yards, the primary route breaks at three. Receivers habitually run their normal depth, which is the most common way these plays fail.
- 4
Catch it moving forward
A receiver who catches the ball drifting sideways gains nothing. Every route here should be caught with momentum toward the line.
Adjustments
Move the sticks, not the play
The same six plays work on third and two or fourth and four. Change the break depth to the yardage and leave everything else alone.
Run the same look twice
Short yardage repeats more than any other situation in a game. Calling All Slants twice in a half is fine; changing the side it goes to is usually enough.
Use the back more than feels natural
Back Angle works because defenses under-assign the back. That stays true all season if you only call it two or three times.
When not to call it
When you need more than five yards
These are conversion plays, not chunk plays. Every route breaks short by design, so on fourth and eight they hand the ball over at the sticks.
Against a defense that plays six yards off
If nobody is near the line, the space is underneath and you do not need a designed play to reach it. Take the free throw.
In the red zone
Inside the ten the constraint changes: there is no grass behind the defense, so width and traffic beat quick-breaking routes. The red zone plays are their own set.
Build your own short-yardage package
Open any play above in the designer, set the break depth to your own sticks, and print it for game day. Free.
Open the play designerRelated questions
What is the best 4th and short play in flag football?
Should you run or pass on 4th and short in flag football?
How deep should routes be on 4th and short?
What is the safest short-yardage play?
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Coach Ray Carroll
Twelve seasons coaching youth and rec flag football, and the builder of RC Football. Every play on this site has been run by a real team on a real Saturday.