How to Play Flag Football

Flag football is very similar to touch football, except that plays end when the ball carrier's flag has been pull from his or her belt.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Flag Football Belts
• Flag Football Flags
• Football Cleats
• Footballs
• Plastic Cones
• Footballs

Establishing Rules, Field and Positions

1. Find a large, grassy area to play on.

2. Divide players evenly into two teams and hand out the appropriate colored football flags and flag belts to each team.

3. Have each team decide who will act as its quarterback, runners and line players.

4. Set your playing field's boundaries with plastic cones. Your boundaries should establish a rectangular playing area with two end zones, one on each end of the field (measured lengthwise). Anything outside the playing area is out of bounds.

5. Decide how the winning team will be chosen, by limiting either playing time or points scored.

6. Flip a coin to decide which team will begin playing offense.

Playing the Game

7. Place the ball in the middle of the field.

8. Line up each team on either side of the ball parallel to the end zones, facing each other, after an allotted time for deciding offensive and defensive strategies. Each team's line players should be closest to the ball, with the offense nearer to it and the defense farther away.

9. The offensive player in the center of the line (called the "center") passes the ball to the quarterback between his or her legs.

10. While offensive line players block the defensive line, the quarterback hands off or passes the ball to a runner, who runs with the ball toward the opposite end zone while defensive players try to pull his or her flags. Other offensive players try to block the defensive players from pulling the ball carrier's flags.

11. If one or both of the ball carrier's flags are pulled, the defensive player who pulled the flag drops it on the ground, and the play ends.

12. Place the ball where the flag was dropped, and repeat steps 8 through 11.

13. Set the ball down where it was last in play if the ball carrier drops the ball or runs out of bounds, and repeat steps 8 through 11.

14. Change possession of the ball if three more flag pulls, drops or out-of-bounds runs occur (for a total of four) before the offensive team gets the ball to the end zone. Switch possession where the ball was last in play or where the flag was dropped. The defense becomes the offense and the offense becomes the defense. The new offense gets four attempts to move the ball toward the opposite end zone.

15. Switch possession after a point is scored. The scoring team becomes the defense and the defending team becomes the offense, and play begins again by setting the ball in the middle of the field and lining up the teams as before.

16. Continue play in this fashion until the point limit or time limit is reached.

Tips & Warnings

• The ball cannot be passed forward (toward the target end zone) from past the line of scrimmage (the line ' parallel to the end zone - from which the ball was snapped to the quarterback during the current play). A ball carrier may pass backward to another offensive runner, however, once he or she has passed the line of scrimmage.
• The number of downs is flexible according to field size. Play fewer downs for smaller fields and more downs for larger fields.

Who Can Help:

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on 6/30/2006 For small games, like 3-on-3 or even 2-on-2, you should basically make one opportunity for a first down at midfield, that way it makes more possessions. It's a good idea if you play 2-on-2 to switch quarterbacks every play...not a strategy tip or anything, just makes it more fun for everyone.

on 11/22/2005 If you want a more authentic football feel, and if your playing field is long enough, you may want to play with downs.

Of course, in organized American football, the offense gets four downs to move the ball ten yards down the field or it will turn the ball over to the defense. Marking exact yardage can be tedious if you don't have a crew marking it off for you as you play. So, most people use one of these two popular methods for first downs.

1. Every time the offense completes two passes past the line of scrimmage, they gain a first down.

2. Use markers, such as cones, to divide the playing field into three or four equal-sized "zones". The offense must move out of one zone to another down the field for a first down.

The second is the preferred method because the offense has to work harder to get a first down. In the first method, the completions can be even one-yard each and it would result in a first down.

on 11/22/2005 Call your own penalties, but don't nitpick if the foul doesn't give the other side an advantage or is not a harm foul (liable to hurt someone).
For example, no stiff arms to the head are allowed. If you simulate one, it's like a 5 yard face mask penalty. If you make contact, it's like a 15 yard face mask call. All other tactics, other than tackling (which is a 15 yard penalty), are allowed.

You're just playing for fun and there's usually no ref. Remember that if you call a penalty on the last play of the game (or half if using a time limit) and the call is against the defense, you play one more down.

If you have a dispute that cannot be resolved, just replay the down.