Free drill library · Flag Football

At-home flag football drills for 11 to 13 year olds

This is a free sample week of at-home flag football training for 11 to 13 year olds: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 13 to 14 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of flag football for 11 to 13 year olds

Session 1

Route Running at home 13 minutes

  1. Sharp Cuts at the Cone · 4 min
    Chop, sink, cut.
  2. Timing Routes With a Passer · 5 min
    Same depth, every time.
  3. Getting Off the Line · 4 min
    Jab and go, no hands.

Session 2

Flag Pulling at home 13 minutes

  1. Break Down and Pull · 4 min
    Chop, get low, pull.
  2. Pursuit Angles · 5 min
    Aim ahead of them.
  3. Funnel Angle Pull · 4 min
    Angle in, chop, pull.

Session 3

Evasion: Point-and-Go Reaction 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Point-and-Go Reaction · 5 min
    See it, then go. Safety: Use a clear, non-slip space and change direction only as fast as you can control. Stop if a knee or ankle hurts.
  3. Cross-Crawl Rhythm · 5 min
    Smooth rhythm, opposite sides.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 flag football plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Sharp Cuts at the Cone

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Sink your hips and change direction fast at the break of a route.

  1. Set a cone 8 yards ahead.
  2. Run at three-quarter speed and chop your feet in the last two steps.
  3. Plant your outside foot and cut 90 degrees.
  4. Do 8 cuts each way.

Coach's cue: Chop, sink, cut.

Bring: cones

Safety: Warm up first and run on flat, non-slip ground. Stop if a muscle feels tight.

Timing Routes With a Passer

Ages 11 and up · 12 min

Match your route to the passer's drop so the ball and you arrive together.

  1. Your passer takes a three-step drop as you start.
  2. Run a hitch at 5 yards and turn on their last step.
  3. Catch and turn upfield.
  4. Run 15 routes, mixing hitch, out and slant.

Coach's cue: Same depth, every time.

Bring: flag football, cones, partner

Safety: Warm up your arm first and stop if your shoulder or elbow hurts. Throw only where the area is clear.

Getting Off the Line

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Get past a defender in front of you at the start of a route with footwork only, no contact.

  1. A defender stands a yard in front of you.
  2. Use a quick jab step one way, then go the other way.
  3. Keep your hands to yourself, no pushing.
  4. Do 12 starts, then swap.

Coach's cue: Jab and go, no hands.

Bring: cones, partner

Safety: Non-contact: no pushing or blocking by anyone. Run on flat, non-slip ground.

Break Down and Pull

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Slow down under control near the ball carrier before you reach for a flag.

  1. Run toward your partner from 10 yards.
  2. Three yards away, chop your feet and get low with knees bent.
  3. Reach for the flag with your hands, not your body.
  4. Do 12 pulls as they jog past.

Coach's cue: Chop, get low, pull.

Bring: flag belts, cones, partner

Safety: Non-contact: reach for the flag, not the player. No holding, pushing or blocking, and slow down before you get close. Wear a mouthguard in any partner or game drill (and soft headgear if your league requires it). Keep your head up, call for the ball, and give way in traffic.

Pursuit Angles

Ages 11 and up · 12 min

Run to where the ball carrier is going, not where they are now.

  1. Your partner starts at one cone and runs to the end line.
  2. You start 5 yards inside them.
  3. Take an angle that meets them before the line and pull a flag.
  4. Do 10 rounds from different starting spots.

Coach's cue: Aim ahead of them.

Bring: flag belts, cones, partner

Safety: Non-contact: reach for the flag, not the player. No holding, pushing or blocking, and slow down before you get close. Wear a mouthguard in any partner or game drill (and soft headgear if your league requires it). Keep your head up, call for the ball, and give way in traffic.

Funnel Angle Pull

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Close on a ball carrier from an angle and pull a flag without overrunning them.

  1. Make a funnel of cones that narrows over 10 yards.
  2. The carrier jogs through the funnel.
  3. Start from the side, come at an angle and pull at the narrow end.
  4. Do 10 pulls from each side.

Coach's cue: Angle in, chop, pull.

Bring: flag belts, cones, partner

Safety: Non-contact: reach for the flag, not the player. No holding, pushing or blocking, and slow down before you get close. Wear a mouthguard in any partner or game drill (and soft headgear if your league requires it). Keep your head up, call for the ball, and give way in traffic.

Point-and-Go Reaction

Ages 10 to 14 · 10 min

A partner points left, right, forward or back and you move that way 3 yards and back. Trains reacting to what you see.

  1. Stand in a ready stance facing your partner.
  2. Your partner points in a direction with no warning.
  3. Move 3 yards that way and return to the middle.
  4. Do sets of 6 points; swap roles.

Coach's cue: See it, then go.

Bring: partner, cones

Safety: Use a clear, non-slip space and change direction only as fast as you can control. Stop if a knee or ankle hurts.

Cross-Crawl Rhythm

Ages 9 to 14 · 6 min

Touch opposite hand to opposite knee and foot in a rhythm. Builds left-right coordination.

  1. March and touch your right hand to your left knee, then left hand to right knee.
  2. Next touch behind you: hand to opposite heel.
  3. Mix front and back in a 4-count rhythm.
  4. Do 4 sets of 20 touches.

Coach's cue: Smooth rhythm, opposite sides.

Bring: none

Safety for ages 11 to 13

  • Plans for this age group use beginner and developing drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
  • Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: flag football

  • Mouthguard for partner and game drills; soft headgear if your league requires it.
  • A flag belt that fits.
  • No blocking, no tackling, no contact: pull the flag, not the player, and never guard your flag.
  • Keep your head up and call for the ball; give way in traffic to avoid collisions.
  • Stay on your feet; no diving for flags.
For every sport and age (7)
  • Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
  • Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
  • Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
  • Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
  • Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
  • Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
  • Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 29 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Flag Football: governing bodies, safety and development (9)
Youth athletic development and safety (20)

More plans