How to Tackle in Flag Football

In many ways flag football resembles and, to a certain extent, plays as if it were traditional football. In other ways, of course, it does not. One of the major differences between the two games is the method of "tackling" someone. Tackling in flag football is completely different and is only called "tackling" because that is what it's called in ordinary football. Learning how to tackle in flag games is absolutely essential to doing well, though. Here's how to do it:

Things You'll Need

• Time to practice
• Agility and general athleticism

Instructions

How to Tackle in Flag Football

1. To begin with, use your quickness and agility to position yourself in front of the ball carrier, blocking their path up the field.

2. Keep your knees bent slightly and stay lower to the ground than normal to help lower your center of gravity and improve your balance.

3. Watch the ball carrier's flags and their movement, not any shoulder movement or head fakes. This will give you the best idea of which direction they're heading in as they start accelerating, plus your eyes will already be on the flags that you'll need to grab.

4. As you close in on the ball carrier, keep your hands in until the last second. Do not reach out for the flags until the absolute last second because doing so slows you down and puts you off-balance.

5. Grab for the ball carrier's flag in one quick, fluid motion, attempting to stay with them on their current path while you do so.

6. Grab the flag firmly and yank downwards. Once you have one of the flags then the player has been "tackled" and is considered down at the spot where you captured the flag.

Tips & Warnings

• * Always pull flag football flags firmly downwards, not laterally. Pulling to the side may not detach all types of flags.

• * In most leagues if there aren't enough flags to go around then anyone not wearing a flag is subject to two-hand touch. This means that simply making contact with them with both of your hands will "tackle" them.

• * Do not "tackle" someone in flag football the way that you would in normal football. Not only will doing so result in a penalty, but it could also easily cause either you or the individual being tackled to sustain potentially serious injuries.