Warm-up

• Before any practice, it is important to perform a proper warm-up. The warm-up not only prepares the team physically for the practice, but it also serves as a team-building exercise. Start by lightly jogging around the field as a team to get the blood flowing. Follow that with a group stretch led by the team captains. With the muscles ready for action, set up a square with cones about 15 yards apart. Have each player sprint to the first cone, side step to the second cone, back peddle to the third cone and sprint back to the start. On the final leg, throw the player a football so he can work on his ball-catching and concentration skills.
  
  

Flag Drills

• One of the key adjustments to make when starting flag football is learning how to grab flags. There are a number of practice drills designed to help you with your flag-grabbing skills. One drill is referred to as "Bengal in the Middle." Have one defensive player stand in the middle of a field. The rest of the players line up on one end of the field; each offensive player has his own football. On a whistle, players try to run across the field, eluding the defensive player. Any player who loses a flag to the defender joins the defensive unit. Keep going until all players lose their flags. This helps both offensive and defensive players with their ball-carrying and flag-grabbing skills.
  
  

Quarterback/Receiver Drills

• The relationship between a quarterback and receiver is important to flag football success. Set up four throwers at each corner of a 10-by-10-yard square. A receiver and a defender run inside in the square. Have the outside quarterbacks throw the ball between themselves until the opportunity to throw to the receiver arises. This drill sparks communication between a receiver and his quarterback. It also provides one-on-one work for receivers and defenders.
  
  

Hand-off Drills

• Another important play in flag football is handing the ball off to a running back. This play also requires a quarterback to be on the same page with a teammate. Drills for hand offs and pitches can be mastered in practice. Set up pairs of cones about 7 yards apart and at 5-yard intervals. Line up a player at the start of each cone line -- one player should have a football. Players sprint to the cone on the opposite side and when they cross paths with their teammate, they complete a hand off. In addition to improving exchanges, this is also a good drill for agility, which is an important attribute for flag football.