What is First To The Flag Drill?
First To The Flag Drill is a free football drill on FantasyHQ’s Football Coaching hub for blocking work. It covers Set Up, Purpose, Execution and more with purpose, setup cues, and coaching language for youth and high-school staffs.
- First To The Flag Drill is part of FantasyHQ’s free football drills library.
- Focus: Blocking.
- Inside: 4 drill progressions.
How to run this drill
First To The Flag Drill is built for youth, high-school, and volunteer coaches who need clear drill language — not a random cone circuit. Beginners can install the first progression; experienced staffs can layer competition.
- Read the purpose once, then walk the setup on air before live tempo.
- Demonstrate one clean rep so players see landmarks, pad level, and finish.
- Run short competitive periods — quality reps beat long lines.
- Close with one coaching cue players can repeat in the huddle next period.
Progressions
- Set Up
- Purpose
- Execution
- Coaching Tips
Full drill
Purpose
This drill reinforces to offensive lineman that they need to fire out of their stance and get to their block fast.
Set Up
- You can line up 5 offensive linemen at a time, or in smaller groups if you don’t have the numbers.
- You will need a pylon with a flag for each person.
Execution
- Players line up in their normal positions. Each player should be across from a pylon with a flag.
- Using a standard cadence (down, set, hutt), when you get to ”˜hutt’, the linemen need to burst forward and get to the flag and bat it with their hand (the flag should be about 2 to 3 yards away).
- The player that gets out of their stance first and touches the flag gets to sit out the next tries.
- Then the next fastest gets to sit out”¦ and so on until you get to the last player. The last player should understand that they need to work on bursting out of their stance to get to the flag – similar to firing out at a block during a game.
- If a false start occurs, the offensive lineman that would be penalized will have to continue in the drill, even if they are the first person to get to the flag.
Coaching Tips
- Make sure players are maintaining good balance as they get up and surge forward, failure to do this could leave them open to getting beat by the defensive player.
First To The Flag Drill FAQ
- What is the First To The Flag Drill drill?
- First To The Flag Drill is a free football drill on FantasyHQ’s Football Coaching hub for blocking work. It covers Set Up, Purpose, Execution and more with purpose, setup cues, and coaching language for youth and high-school staffs.
- Who should use this football drill?
- First To The Flag Drill is built for youth, high-school, and volunteer coaches who need clear drill language — not a random cone circuit. Beginners can install the first progression; experienced staffs can layer competition.
- How do I run First To The Flag Drill in practice?
- Read the purpose once, then walk the setup on air before live tempo. Demonstrate one clean rep so players see landmarks, pad level, and finish. Run short competitive periods — quality reps beat long lines.
- Is this drill free?
- Yes. Browse FantasyHQ football drills, youth plays, and coaching guides free on Football Coaching.
- What progressions does First To The Flag Drill include?
- This page includes Set Up, Purpose, Execution, Coaching Tips.
