What is Flag Football?
Flag football is a popular team sport in which the object of the game is to advance the ball over the opponent’s goal line. During our football unit we will be playing flag football or touch football. While most of the rules of flag football are similar to regulation football, there are a few modifications that make flag football more enjoyable!
There will be no heavy football equipment used. Tackling is not permitted. The runners will be stopped by the use of a one or two hand tag in lieu of a tackle. The tag must be made on the area between the shoulders and the knees. If flags are available, the runners will be stopped by grabbing one of the flags from the runner’s belt.
The official flag/tag football team consists of seven players as compared with the eleven players in regulation football. However, many flag football games may consist of 6-9 players per team. These smaller teams allow for greater student participation. Another feature of flag football is that all players are eligible to receive a pass. This makes the game more interesting and fast-paced. Because the game gives players a greater opportunity to handle the ball and to score, flag football is a very popular activity with students.
Player Positions
In flag football, the seven players have different duties. The center will hike the ball to the quarterback. There are usually two other players on either side of the center, the left end and the right end. These three line players usually help to block the defensive line from getting to the player with the ball. The three backs, the left halfback, the fullback, and the right halfback usually assist the quarterback by blocking, accepting a handoff or a pass, and running for yardage. Since all players are eligible to receive a pass, the ends and the center may also be involved in pass plays.
Glossary of Flag Football Terms
Back: One of the four players that usually pass or carry the ball on offense. They are the quarterback, fullback, left and right halfback.
Balanced Line: A lineup where there are an equal number of players on either side of the center. If there are more players on one side of the center than the other, the line is unbalanced. This may mean that a running or passing play may be made on the side that has more linesmen on it.
Block: The action made by one of the linesmen or backs to ward off an opponent trying to get to the player with the ball.
Clipping: A violation in which a player throws his or her body across the back of the legs of an opponent in an attempt to cause the player to fall. This tripping action is illegal.
Conversion: Another term for the “point after a touchdown” or “extra point”.
Defensive Team: The team without the ball.
Defensive Back: A defensive player who has the responsibility to guard the receiver from catching a pass. He or she will also be watching for running plays where the runner gets past the defensive line players.
Fumble: When a player who has the ball loses control of it, causing it to fall to the ground.
Handoff: A play where the ball is handed to another player who attempts to run for a gain. Usually performed by the quarterback to another back.
Lateral Pass: A play where the ball is thrown in an underhand manner to another player. The lateral cannot be thrown forward, but is thrown to another player who is behind or to the side of the passer.
Line of Scrimmage: This is an imaginary line that marks the ends of the ball nearest to each team’s goal line. There is a line of scrimmage for each team, with the zone between the lines called the “neutral zone”.
Offside: This is an infraction of the rules. It happens when a player on either team moves past his or her line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped by the center.
Punt: Kicking the ball by dropping it and contacting it with the foot before it touches the ground.
Place Kick: Kicking the ball from a stationary position on the ground or on a kicking tee.
Safety: This usually happens when the offensive team has possession of the ball near the touchdown zone of the defending team. If the defending team tags an offensive player in the end zone or the ball rolls out of bounds behind the goal line, then 2 points are awarded to the defensive team.
Shotgun Formation: A formation where the quarterback lines up 5-7 yards away from the center. The two halfbacks usually line up about two yards on either side of the quarterback and about one yard in front of the quarterback. The fullback may be positioned behind the quarterback or used on the line.
Strong Side: The side of an unbalanced line that has more players on it.
Weakside: The side of an unbalanced line that has fewer players on it.
The most striking difference between flag football and regulation football is that the ball must be advanced from one twenty yard zone to another in order to get a first down.
Teams are allowed four downs to do so. The typical flag football field is 100 yards long, including two 10 yard end zones.
· At the start of the game, a coin toss decides which team has the choice of kicking off or the selection of goals. The ball is put into play by the use of a place kick from the kicker’s thirty yard line.
· The defensive team must be at least 10 yards away when the ball is kicked. If the kicked ball goes out of bounds after 10 yards, the opponents can select to begin play where it went out of bounds, or on their 20 yard line. If the ball does not travel 10 yards, the ball must be kicked over again. If the ball is kicked into the end zone and is not run back by an opponent, the play begins at the 20 yard line.
· The offensive team is given 4 downs to move the football from one 20-yard zone to the next. Once crossing one of the twenty yard lines, the team gets another four downs to advance further.
· The game consists of four 10 minute quarters.
Passing
· All players are able to receive passes.
· Forward passes can be thrown from any point behind the line of scrimmage and lateral passes can be thrown anywhere on the field.
Dead Balls
· The ball is dead when the player is tagged by one hand somewhere between the shoulders and knees, or when the flag is pulled.
· A fumbled ball is dead and belongs to the team that fumbled the ball.
· A fumbled pass is ruled as an incomplete pass.
Penalties
5-yard penalties from the line of scrimmage:
· Offsides
· Illegal forward pass
15-yard penalties from the site of infraction:
· Illegal block
· Unsportsmanlike conduct
· Illegal use of hands
· Clipping
· Unnecessary roughness (pushing, shoving, tripping, holding, tackling)
· Continued and abusive behavior are grounds for a player to be taken out of a game.
