Anyone play any flag football?

[bgeno]

I've got a 4-on-4 tournament coming up on Saturday preceded by a scrimmage Friday.

I've played 7-on-7, and I know what works there. But this is my first venture in to 4-on-4.

Anyone have any tips? We practiced a little the other day and flood passes seemed to be a good play (get the QB on the move and 2/3 receivers around the same area at different layers moving with him).

Any advice on D? Pass rush is free from 7 yards beyond the LOS and the QB cant run beyond the LOS. I'm thinking of just always lining everyone up at 7 yards, playing man to man, and having a Blitzer/Free Safety either (obviously) blitz or play free.

I'll take any advice. Thanks!

[Gibbz]

Re: Anyone play any flag football?

Can't help you there, but keep us informed.

[bgeno]

Re: Anyone play any flag football?

I will. I've got some decent athletes and enough guys that everyone will be fresh... i'm just looking for a little strategery.

[dieselboy]

Re: Anyone play any flag football?

Never played 4 on 4.

Speed will kill in that game.

[Brankles]

Re: Anyone play any flag football?

I played intramural football up at UF for 2 years now.

The obvious keys to the 4 on 4 game are 1.) Speed 2.) Hands and 3.) Height. For your quarterback, 1.) Footwork and 2.) Passing Ability.

If your QB is easily flustered and can't move around in the pocket, you're screwed. I've played with a lot of kids who were sick in HS at QB, but are only average in flag, just because they can't move well enough to get away from the rusher.

Our 4 on 4 offense consisted of short dump offs to our center, short slant routes to our most athletic player (who was about 5'7" and fast as all hell) and lobs to me (6'4"). Crossing routes destroy teams who make any attempt to play zone in the short field. Make sure your plays are quickly drawn up and rarely use a blocker on those plays, unless their pass rush is just insane. Roll outs tend to work pretty well if they rush from one side, as well as flooding one side of the field in timed patterns.

We tried a few lateral plays, but we didn't really run them too well. Some of the best teams run those often, since there's no fumbles, and it works great in 4 on 4 if you can change field direction, because it's so hard to make up ground with only 4 defenders.

Also, if you're allowed one rush per possession, like we were at Florida, I suggest using your rush on first or second down. They can be pretty deadly if you roll all your receivers to one side and leave the open field to your QB.


On defense, I suggest having substitutes, with the main substituted player being the pass rusher. That is usually one of the less athletic players, but still athletic enough to get to the QB and get a few flag pulls while giving 110% chasing him down. Put your best athletes in man-to-man coverage. Also, if the other team bunches their players up pre-snap, try mixing up blitzes by sending your pass-rusher into coverage and a different player at the QB from the side (behind the LOS cone, of course).


I suggest getting two or three short money plays down (especially for extra points), and mix up deep lobs and trick plays in between. We drew up all of our plays at the line, but some teams have actual play books.

What almost all 4 on 4 games come down to is who makes the least mistakes. One missed pull, one blown coverage, one bad pass, and it could mean the game for your team. Definitely an offensive-oriented sport, and I suggest getting your offense down before you worry about defense at all.

Hope that helps a little bit.

[mike01]

Re: Anyone play any flag football?

Crossing routes, flood routes, and any deep patterns that get the defender to turn and start running with the WR. Since there likely won't be a safety, get that DB turned around, then make a sharp cut and if you the receiver and QB are in sync, they should easily have 10 yards of separation while the ball is being released.

of course, I'm still haunted by an end around pass that I could only get my fingertips on and a leaping interception opportunity that bounced off my shoulder that ultimately led to a loss in OT in the playoffs last year. So, don't blow it.

Timing is probably the biggest key. A perfectly timed out route with a fake to the inside should work every time in one on one situations.

[Nivek]

Re: Anyone play any flag football?

I play in a 7-on-7 league in the fall, speed kills in flag football.

[bgeno]

Re: Anyone play any flag football?

We ended up doing really well. We went 3-0 in pool play, then lost our playoff game to the last team we beat in pool play.

It wouldn't have mattered though because there was a team in our pool who was just ridiculous. Beat the team we lost to in the playoffs 38-20 during pool play.

We didn't have a ton of speed on Offense, just played a smart game with short passes (SO MANY teams just wind up and throw deep) and well timed runs.

We made a lot of plays on defense to keep us in the game, too.


Most of all, we had a good time. Having played football from midgets through high school for 10 years and then not playing at all really makes me miss the game. It's nice to have a little haven of football here and there.