Twelve six-year-olds and not one flag pulled

2026-10-08 · Marcus Bell

My first flag football practice lasted an hour, and in that hour not one flag got pulled. Twelve six-year-olds ran in happy circles while I explained a passing drill nobody was listening to.

I'd planned too much and talked too long. A parent told me afterwards, kindly, that her son had asked if they could "just play the shark game" next time. That was the most useful coaching advice I got all season.

So the next week, I talked for ten seconds and then we played. Sharks and Minnows, then one simple play, then a mini scrimmage where every kid touched the ball. They pulled flags. They laughed. A couple of them even ran the sweep the right way.

Everything I learned that season went into the Flag Football Season Plan: one practice on a page each week, one play, one cue, and the parent emails already written. Fun first, flags second.