Rush from seven yards

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American football drill · Under-9 and up

In flag football the rusher has to start seven yards off the line of scrimmage, so the rush is a race, and both sides of it can be coached. The rusher learns to take a straight line at the quarterback with their hands up; the quarterback learns that the ball has to be gone before the rusher gets there. One drill, two lessons, and it settles the argument about who is allowed to rush and from where.

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Time
10 minutes
Players
3 at a time: a centre, a quarterback and a rusher
Equipment
  • 1 or 2 balls
  • 2 cones to mark the rush line
  • A flag belt for the quarterback

Setup

  1. Mark the line of scrimmage, and the rush line seven yards from it on the defensive side, with a cone at each sideline.
  2. Centre on the ball, quarterback five yards behind in the shotgun.
  3. The rusher starts on or behind the rush line, a little to one side of the centre.
  4. On the snap the centre releases upfield and turns out; the rusher goes straight at the quarterback.
  5. The quarterback throws to the centre before the rusher arrives. If the rusher pulls the flag first, it is a sack.

Coaching points

  • Rusher: start behind the line, every time. In NFL FLAG and most other rules, a rusher who is not seven yards off at the snap is a penalty.
  • Rusher: take the straight line to the quarterback, aiming at the throwing shoulder, with your hands up to block the view or the ball.
  • Rusher: no contact. Go for the flag or the ball, never the arm or the body.
  • Quarterback: know where the ball is going before the snap, and throw it on time rather than waiting to be sure.

On the run sheet: Rusher starts behind the seven-yard cone, straight line at the throwing shoulder, hands up; quarterback gets it out before the rusher arrives

Progressions

  1. Count the NFL FLAG seven-second pass clock out loud, then shorten it to four.
  2. Add a second receiver, so the quarterback has to choose under the rush.
  3. Let the quarterback hand off instead. Once the ball has been handed off, the rusher no longer has to wait behind the rush line and can chase the runner.

How it runs

The rusher starts seven yards from the line of scrimmage, on the defensive side, which is where the rush line is in NFL FLAG and most rules based on it. The centre snaps to the quarterback and releases into a short route. The rusher sets off on the snap and takes the shortest line to the quarterback, which in five-a-side flag is through the space the centre has just left. The quarterback has to get the ball out first. The animation shows the race: the snap, the centre turning out, the rusher halfway there, the ball going to the centre, and the rusher arriving at the quarterback a moment too late.

Why it works

The rush line turns pressure into arithmetic. Seven yards at a youth sprinter's pace is a couple of seconds, and a quarterback who holds the ball longer than that is sacked. Running it as a drill makes both players feel that clock. The rusher learns that a curved run gives the quarterback the extra second; the quarterback learns to throw on rhythm instead of waiting for a receiver to be wide open.

It is also where to teach the rules that decide close games: a rusher who starts inside the seven yards is a penalty, a rusher who hits the quarterback is a penalty, and a rush after a handoff is different, because the rush line no longer applies once the ball has been handed off.

The mistakes to watch for

Rushers creeping inside the line before the snap. Rushers who run around the centre in a wide arc. And quarterbacks who watch the rusher instead of their receiver.

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