Game version
Flag-reach game: a partner jogs with flags and you reach and pull one flag, with no body contact. Put the flag back and swap.
Eyes on the Hips
Watch the ball carrier's hips, because hips cannot fake.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
Set up
Face your partner in a 5-yard box.
Core: Jogs. Beat your own count of clean pulls.
- Ages
- 7 and up
- Time
- 8 min
- Players
- You and a partner
- Space
- Yard or field
- Bring
- Flag belts, partner, cones
- Level · skill
- Beginner · Flag Pulling
The steps
How it works
- Face your partner in a 5-yard box.
- They shuffle and fake with their head and shoulders.
- Watch only their belt and mirror their steps.
- Do 6 rounds of 15 seconds.
Coaching point
Watch the belt, not the head.
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.
Make it fun
Play it, don't drill it
Challenge
Pick a level: Less (partner walks), Core (jogs), More (changes direction). Beat your own count of clean pulls.
Story
You are a picker plucking one ripe fruit from the tree.
My best
Beat your own count
Beat your own count of clean pulls. Only your own number counts: today against last time.
Practice makes progress
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