Defense skill

How to pull a flag

Updated November 3, 2026 · 1 min read

Most missed pulls come from lunging too early or watching the wrong part of the runner. Here's the technique, in order.

1. Take the angle. Run to where she'll be, not where she is. Use the sideline as a teammate.
2. Break down. About 3 yards from her: short, choppy steps, hips low, chest up, arms ready.
3. Eyes on the hips. The head and shoulders fake. The hips, and the flags on them, go where she goes.
4. React, don't guess. When the hips commit, step with her and reach for the near flag.
5. Rip down and away. Then hold it up so the ref sees it.

Mistakes

• Lunging from too far: she cuts and you're on the ground.
• Following the head fake.
• Grabbing the jersey: a penalty.
• Stopping your feet: keep them chopping.

Drills

• Flag Tag: A 15 × 15 yard box. Everyone wears a belt.
• Hip Hunt: A 5-yard-wide lane, 10 yards long. A runner at one end, a defender at the other.
• The Gate: Two cones 4 yards apart make a gate. The defender stands in it; the runner starts 8 yards away.
• Angle Pursuit: A runner on the sideline, a defender 10 yards inside and 5 yards up the field.
• Mirror: Two players face each other in a 5-yard-wide lane.
• Sharks & Minnows: Minnows on one end line, two sharks in the middle of a 20 × 20 box.