KS4 · Physical education · Year 10

Flag football: rules and basic skills

Invasion games: tactics and strategies in world games

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Your learning goal

I can explain the origins, objectives and main rules to flag football.

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Flag football: rules and basic skills: slides adapted from the imported teaching text; recall questions created from its keywords, learning points and common mistakes. Self-check practice, with no automatic grading or XP. Answers stay on this page and are cleared when you leave.

What you’ll learn

I can explain the origins, objectives and main rules to flag football.

Key learning points

Move: the fingers slide down the outside of the ball to apply spin on the quarterback overarm pass upfield.
Move: keeping your eye on the ball while sprinting, with hands in the air allows you to catch it before the defender.
Think: tackles are made by pulling a flag (tag) from the ball carrier's waist in this non contact game.
Feel: confidence comes from transferring skills from rugby and other invasion games to a new context.
Connect: you can support each other by drawing on knowledge within the group of American football activities.

Words to know

down: attempts or plays to advance the ball toward the opponent's end zone
touchdown: scored when a player carries the ball into, or catches the ball within, the opponent's end zone, worth 6 points
end zone: the area of the field where scoring occurs

Common mistakes

Pupils think they have 6 'downs/tags' like tag rugby or rugby league.

In flag football, teams only have 4 downs (or attempts) to advance the ball 10 yards or score. If they don't succeed within those 4 downs, the ball is turned over to the other team.

For parents, carers and teachers

If you don't have tag belts, use bibs tucked into the side of shorts. Encourage pupils to discuss their play in a huddle before performing the snap. When a player makes a tag, they can hold up the tag in the air to show the ball carrier when they have been tagged.