Flag Football Trick Plays (5v5, 6v6, 7v7) With Diagrams

The plays below are the trick and misdirection templates that already exist. Open the diagram, then change the routes for your roster in the play creator. Choose Use a template in the creator to load a play, or start from a blank field. You can draw without signing up.

Best trick plays by format

5v5

Teach Reverse and Fake Reverse from the starter plays. Add End Around once that exchange is clean. 5v5 has the longest gadget list, including a second play named Reverse, a double reverse, and the only Reverse Pass. Extra exchanges give defenders more time to close. Install the single reverse first.

6v6 and 6 on 6

The same pair: Reverse and Fake Reverse. The end around for this format is End Around in the other-plays pack. 6v6 also has a Double Reverse. It does not have Reverse Pass or Double QB Run.

7v7 and 7 on 7

Start with Reverse and Fake Reverse. The end around is End Around. 7v7 has fewer gadgets than 5v5. There is no Double Reverse template and no Reverse Pass. Use your actual field width to set the exchange point; seven players per side does not guarantee a wider field.

The reverse, then the fake

Reverse is a second handoff. The quarterback gives the ball to the back, and the back gives it to a receiver coming across. The receiver should take the ball outside the back's hip, already moving toward the sideline. An exchange deep behind the quarterback gives the defense time to recover. Keep both handoffs behind the line of scrimmage.

The starter version is the one to teach. It is in all three starter packs:

• 5v5 Reverse
• 6v6 Reverse
• 7v7 Reverse

The 5v5 NFL Flag 2024 playbook has a different play that is also named Reverse. The quarterback sells a drop before the ball goes to the receiver coming around. Open both. Keep the exchange your players can make at full speed.

Fake Reverse is the counter. The back shows the ball as if the reverse is coming, then keeps it and gets north and south into the space the defense just left. It only works after the real reverse has made someone chase.

• 5v5 Fake Reverse
• 6v6 Fake Reverse
• 7v7 Fake Reverse

End around

An end around sends a receiver across the formation to take the handoff going the other way. The receiver should be at full speed at the exchange and turn upfield. It is the same idea as a reverse, with the ball going to the player who started wide.

• 5v5 End Around
• 6v6 End Around
• 7v7 End Around

Longer reverses, and what 7v7 does not have

Double Reverse hands the ball off twice before the runner turns upfield. It is drawn for 5v5 and 6v6. It is not drawn for 7v7.

• 5v5 Double Reverse
• 6v6 Double Reverse

Fake Double Reverse sells that second handoff and keeps the ball. Call it after the real double reverse, where that template exists.

• 5v5 Fake Double Reverse
• 6v6 Fake Double Reverse
• 7v7 Fake Double Reverse

7v7 has the fake and not the real double reverse. Set the 7v7 fake up with Reverse or End Around, or draw the missing double reverse in the play creator.

Fake Triple Reverse is in all three formats. A real triple reverse is not in any of them, so there is no template to run first. The routes are long. Leave it for an older team that already hands the ball off cleanly, and draw the real version yourself if you want the setup.

• 5v5 Fake Triple Reverse
• 6v6 Fake Triple Reverse
• 7v7 Fake Triple Reverse

The back throws, and the one reverse pass

There is no play named halfback pass, flea flicker, or double pass. Two templates are the closest.

Run/Pass Option is in every starter pack. The back takes the handoff, looks at the deep route, and either throws or tucks it. One read. If the throw is late, run.

• 5v5 Run/Pass Option
• 6v6 Run/Pass Option
• 7v7 Run/Pass Option

QB Option is the same family in the other packs: the back is outside with the choice to run or throw. Also 6v6 QB Option and 7v7 QB Option.

Reverse Pass exists only in 5v5. The quarterback hands off, the runner pitches backward to the reversing receiver, and that receiver throws from behind the line of scrimmage. With a backward pitch, that throw is the first forward pass: the handoff and backward pitch do not count as one. A flea flicker instead returns the ball to the original passer before the throw. Open 5v5 Reverse Pass and read it against your league before you install it. For 6v6 and 7v7, draw it in the play creator.

Options where the quarterback keeps the ball

HB Option is a keep-or-give read. The quarterback can hold the ball and turn upfield. That is a problem in a league that does not let the quarterback advance the ball past the line. Check the rule, then open the diagram:

• 5v5 HB Option
• 6v6 HB Option
• 7v7 HB Option

Double QB Run is 5v5 only. One quarterback laterals to a second quarterback, who runs. It is not drawn for 6v6 or 7v7. A toss that goes forward is a pass in most rule sets. Confirm laterals, and check whether the running restriction applies to the player who took the snap or to any passer before you put it in the call sheet.

Crossbuck is simpler misdirection: two backs cross and the quarterback gives it to the one with a lane. It is a change-up run, not a gadget. It is in 5v5, 6v6, and 7v7.

When to call a trick play

Call it after the defense has a memory of the base play. HB Dive is the usual setup in the starter packs. The same handoff look is in 6v6 and 7v7. Once defenders step toward that back, the reverse has somewhere to go. The 5v5, 6v6, and 7 on 7 guides are the base offense. A trick play is a change-up from those calls, not a replacement for them.

Down and distance:

• An early down with room to recover, outside any no-run zone. A loss still leaves a down. This is the window.
• After the real version has gained yards or pulled pursuit. Fake Reverse two or three plays after Reverse. Fake Double Reverse after Double Reverse, in the formats that have it.
• After a timeout. Use the stop to walk the exchange once.
• Not on a down you must convert. Third and short is a slant or a hitch, not a second handoff.
• Not inside a no-run area. A reverse and an end around are runs. If your league bars runs near the goal line, these calls are penalties there. Check the rule before you script one.

Keep the exchanges quick because defenders can close during them. Under NFL FLAG rules, a backward handoff, pass, or lateral removes the seven-second pass clock, but a handoff or backward transfer also lets all defenders rush. Check how your league handles both the clock and the rush.

How to set it up and teach it to kids

One trick. For most youth teams that is Reverse, then Fake Reverse, and nothing else until the handoff is boring.

1. Show the diagram. Name the quarterback and both runners who touch the ball, then mark the second exchange spot.
2. Walk it. The receiver comes across at a jog and takes the ball outside the back's hip, not behind the quarterback.
3. Cone that spot. If the ball arrives deep, move the cone up and wider.
4. Run it at full speed with no defense. A walk-through that looks sharp will still fumble once everyone is running.
5. Add pursuit. One defender chases the first back so the runner feels why the exchange has to be on time.
6. Add the fake only after the real play has worked in a game or a live period.

The install order is the same one in how to teach a flag football play: diagram, walk-through, full speed, then live defense. A clever call that the back cannot hand off can cost a down or yardage. In NFL FLAG, a dropped ball is dead rather than a recoverable fumble. The 8-play rule still applies. A trick play replaces a call you do not use. It does not become play number fifteen.

Rules to check before you call one

Flag leagues do not share one rulebook. Read yours, then match the template to it. Do not assume a diagram is legal because it is in a public playbook.

• Handoffs behind the line are the normal case for Reverse and End Around. They are still runs.
• No-run zones show up in a lot of youth leagues, often near the goal line. A reverse there can be a dead ball or a loss of down. Check the yard line.
• The quarterback running the ball is limited in some leagues, including a rule that the quarterback may not advance past the line of scrimmage. HB Option and Double QB Run are the templates that put a quarterback on the run. Confirm them.
• Who may throw. Run/Pass Option, QB Option, and Reverse Pass ask a player who did not take the snap to throw. Some leagues allow it. Some do not.
• One forward pass. A handoff or backward pitch does not use up the forward pass. A receiver can take a legal handoff and then throw the first forward pass from behind the line, if your league permits that player to pass. If an earlier transfer was a forward pass, another forward throw would violate a one-forward-pass rule. Do not confuse a forward toss with a handoff.
• Laterals and pitches. A backward pitch is not a forward pass. A toss that floats forward usually is. Double QB Run is a lateral. Practice the direction of the pitch, and confirm your league allows it.

Common mistakes

The trick comes before the base play

If the defense has never chased a handoff, Reverse has nothing to reverse away from. Run HB Dive, or whatever your base run is, until someone steps up. Then call the trick.

The exchange drifts backward

The receiver catches the ball deep in the backfield and the edge defender arrives with them. Move the mesh outside the back's hip and closer to the line.

Too many gadgets for the age group

Fake Triple Reverse and Double QB Run are a lot of ball handling. First-year players need one reverse they can hand off. Older teams can add a fake. Almost nobody needs three exchanges.

The fake is the end of the play

Showing the ball is the setup. The runner still has to plant and go. A player who keeps drifting sideways after the fake turns the lane back into a race to the sideline.

A template gets installed without a rules check

HB Option, Reverse Pass, and Double QB Run are the ones that get a team flagged. The diagram does not know your no-run zone, your quarterback-run rule, or whether a back may throw.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best flag football trick plays?

The best flag football trick play to install first is Reverse, then Fake Reverse from the same look. Both are in the 5v5, 6v6, and 7v7 starter plays, and each format also has an End Around. A flea flicker, hook and lateral, statue of liberty, double pass, and a play named halfback pass are not in the library. Draw those in the play creator, or start from Reverse Pass in 5v5, which is the only template where a reversing player throws.

What are the best 5v5 flag football trick plays?

Start 5v5 with Reverse and Fake Reverse in the starter plays, then End Around in the NFL Flag 2024 playbook. That playbook also has a second play named Reverse, plus Double Reverse, Fake Double Reverse, Fake Triple Reverse, HB Option, and QB Option. Reverse Pass and Double QB Run are in 5v5 other plays. Teach the basic reverse before adding more exchanges; each extra exchange gives defenders time to close.

What are good 6 on 6 flag football trick plays?

6 on 6 starter plays include Reverse, Fake Reverse, and Run/Pass Option. The 6v6 other plays add End Around, Double Reverse, Fake Double Reverse, Fake Triple Reverse, HB Option, QB Option, and Crossbuck. There is no Reverse Pass and no Double QB Run drawn for 6v6.

What are good trick plays for 7 on 7 flag football?

7 on 7 starter plays include Reverse, Fake Reverse, and Run/Pass Option. End Around, Fake Double Reverse, Fake Triple Reverse, HB Option, QB Option, and Crossbuck are in the other plays. There is no Double Reverse template for 7v7, and no Reverse Pass. Draw a missing gadget in the play creator.

When should you call a trick play?

Call a trick play after the defense has chased your base run, on an early down where a loss is survivable, and only after players have seen the real version. Skip it on a down you must convert, on the first snap of the season, and anywhere your league does not allow a run. A reverse and an end around are runs.

Are laterals and quarterback runs allowed?

Check your league's rules before you install them. A toss that travels forward is a pass in most sets of rules, some leagues limit who may throw, and some do not let the quarterback run the ball past the line of scrimmage. No-run zones can make a reverse illegal even when the handoff itself is allowed. HB Option, QB Option, Double QB Run, and Reverse Pass are the templates to read against your rule sheet.

The full packs are the 5v5 play templates, the 6v6 play templates, and the 7v7 play templates.