Flag Football Trick Plays 7 youth trick plays with diagrams

A good flag football trick play is not magic. It is a play the defense has already seen, run with one change at the end. Below are 7 trick and misdirection plays from our free playbook, each with a diagram, the play it copies, the age it fits and the one exchange you have to practice. No sign-up, and every play can go on a printable wristband card.

RouteBall carrierFake / decoy

The three rules of a trick play

Set it up. Every trick here copies a normal play. Run the normal play first, then call the trick off the same look.
Practice the exchange every week. Trick plays fail at the handoff or the second throw far more often than downfield.
Call it once. The second time, the defense is ready. Save the rest for next week.

Handoff tricks (good from 6U and 8U)

These use fakes and handoffs behind the line. Nobody throws, so they work for teams that cannot pass well yet.

Double Back Dive

5v5 Run Split Backs

What it fakes: Nothing yet, and that is the point. The right back runs to the flat as a decoy while the left back runs the ball just outside the center.
Set it up with: This is the setup play. Run it until the defense crowds the left back, then call Crossbuck from the same look.
Age fit: The best first handoff play for 6U. One exchange, one direction, no read. Listed for 6U · 8U · 10U.
Defense it beats: Defenses that wait deep and give up short yards. It is a short-yardage play, not a home run.
Practice first: The QB-to-back handoff at full speed. Snap, turn, ball in the belly.

Full Double Back Dive breakdown

Crossbuck

5v5 Run Split Backs

What it fakes: A handoff to the first back. The QB pushes the ball toward H, pulls it back and gives it to R running the other way.
Set it up with: Double Back Dive. It starts from the same two-back look, so the defense has already seen the first back get the ball.
Age fit: 6U and up. The kids only need to cross without bumping into each other. Listed for 6U · 8U · 10U.
Defense it beats: Defenders who chase the first body they see. Against a 1-3-1 zone the middle defender often bites on the fake and the edge opens.
Practice first: The fake itself. H has to sell it by bending over with arms closed as if holding the ball, and keep running.

Full Crossbuck breakdown

Reverse

5v5 Trick play Slot Right

What it fakes: A sweep to the right. H takes the first handoff running right, and the whole defense flows that way before Z takes the ball back to the left.
Set it up with: Sweep Right. Run the sweep right once or twice first so the defense learns to race to that sideline.
Age fit: 8U is the sweet spot. It can work at 6U, but only if you practice the second handoff every week. Listed for 6U · 8U · 10U.
Defense it beats: Fast, aggressive defenses that all chase the ball, especially a zone where the backside defender leaves their area to help on the sweep. Against man-to-man it is weaker, because the defender covering Z can follow Z across the field.
Practice first: The second handoff between H and Z. Walk it, jog it, then run it. Most reverses fail at that exchange, not downfield.

Full Reverse breakdown

Fake Reverse

5v5 Trick play Spread, Back Left

What it fakes: The reverse. A receiver comes around behind the play as if to take the ball back the other way, but the first runner keeps it and keeps going.
Set it up with: Reverse. It only works after the defense has seen the reverse and started turning back to stop it.
Age fit: 8U and up. It needs a team that already runs the reverse cleanly. Listed for 8U · 10U · 12U.
Defense it beats: A defense that has learned to stay home on the backside. When a backside defender turns to chase the fake, the original side opens up again.
Practice first: The pass-by. The receiver and the runner get close enough to look like a handoff, with the ball kept on the far hip.

Full Fake Reverse breakdown

Pass tricks (10U and up)

These fool the defense with where the ball is thrown from or where the receivers go. They need a player who can throw on time.

Double Pass

5v5 Trick play Twins Right

What it fakes: A quick throw to a receiver standing behind the line. The defense comes up to pull that flag, then the receiver throws downfield.
Set it up with: A quick short throw to the same receiver earlier in the game, so the defense jumps it the next time.
Age fit: 10U and up. The second passer has to throw accurately after catching the ball. Listed for 10U · 12U · 14U.
Defense it beats: Defenders who jump short throws and a deep defender who creeps up to help.
Practice first: The first throw. It must clearly go backward, not flat or forward, so it is not called the forward pass, and the receiver catches it behind the line of scrimmage.

Full Double Pass breakdown

Halfback Pass

7v7 Trick play Pistol Slot Right

What it fakes: An outside run to the right. R takes the handoff toward the sideline, the defense comes up for the flag, then R stops behind the line and throws deep.
Set it up with: Outside runs to the right. In our 7 on 7 set, Counter and Draw get the defense thinking run first.
Age fit: 10U and up. The back has to stop, set their feet and throw, which younger players rarely do on time. Listed for 10U · 12U · 14U.
Defense it beats: Defenses that bring their safeties up fast to stop the run. In Cover 0 man-to-man the defender on Z often watches the ball instead of the receiver.
Practice first: The stop and throw. R must throw from behind the line of scrimmage, so mark the line with a cone and practice stopping short of it.

Full Halfback Pass breakdown

Scissors

7v7 Pass Doubles Gun

What it fakes: Where each receiver is going. The outside receiver runs a post and the slot runs a corner, so the two routes cross and defenders who switch late lose their receiver.
Set it up with: Four Verticals. Once the safety respects straight vertical routes, the crossing routes break away from where the safety is looking.
Age fit: 12U and up. It is a timing pass that needs a QB who can read one deep defender. Listed for 12U · 14U.
Defense it beats: A single deep safety and man-to-man coverage where defenders get tangled at the crossing point. Our defense pages list it against: Cover 2 Zone (7v7), Man-to-Man (Cover 0) (7v7).
Practice first: The depth of the cross. Both receivers should cross at the same spot every time so they do not run into each other.

Full Scissors breakdown

When to call a trick play

Call a trick play when the defense is reacting to what it expects, not reading what it sees. The signs are easy to spot from the sideline: every defender takes off toward the ball at the handoff, the backside defender leaves their area to chase, or the deep defender creeps up because you have not thrown deep all game.

After the setup play works. Two sweeps right, then the reverse. Two handoffs to the left back, then crossbuck.
After a big gain or a turnover. Defenses tend to fly to the ball on the next play.
Not on the first play of the game. The defense has not seen anything yet, so there is nothing to fake.
Not when you must have a yard. On short yardage, call the play your team runs best.

How many trick plays per game?

One or two. A trick play gets its value from surprise, and each time you run it the surprise shrinks. For a whole season, most youth teams do well with two or three trick plays in the book: one handoff trick for every age, plus one pass trick once you have a player who can throw on the move. If a trick play fails in practice more than it works, cut it. A fumbled reverse costs more than it earns.

Why misdirection works without blocking

In tackle football, a trick play still needs blockers. In flag football nobody blocks, so the only way to get a runner free is to put the defenders in the wrong place before the runner gets there. Misdirection does exactly that.

Kids watch the ball. Young defenders follow the first player who looks like the ball carrier. A good fake moves three or four of them at once.
A handoff frees the whole defense. Under NFL FLAG style rules, only the rushers can cross the line at the snap. Once the ball is handed off or pitched, every defender can, and they all chase, which is exactly what a reverse wants.
The field is wide and short. With five players per side on a narrow field, one defender out of position leaves a whole sideline empty.
No pile-ups. Without linemen in the way, a runner going the other way has a clear path around the back of the play.

Legality notes: check before you install

Handoffs, pitches and backward passes. The NFL FLAG rules page says direct handoffs and unlimited backward pitches and passes are allowed behind the line of scrimmage, and none are allowed past it. Every handoff trick here happens behind the line.
Forward passes from behind the line. The forward pass has to be thrown from behind the line of scrimmage. NFL FLAG rules say that once the ball is handed off or pitched, the offense has unlimited time to throw a forward pass, which is what the halfback pass uses. If your league lets only the QB throw, skip it.
The double pass risk. The first throw must go backward. A throw that drifts forward counts as your forward pass, and the second throw is then illegal. Under NFL FLAG rules a backward pass the defense catches in the air behind the line can be returned for a score, so throw it only to an open receiver.
Laterals past the line. Youth flag rules generally do not allow a pitch or lateral once the ball is past the line of scrimmage, which is why we do not teach plays that depend on one.
No-run zones. A handoff trick is a run, and runs are not allowed when the ball is snapped inside a no-run zone. Pass tricks still work there.
The QB. Under NFL FLAG style rules the QB cannot run the ball past the line, but becomes an eligible receiver after a handoff or pitch.

Rules change by league and by season, and many leagues write their own version. Check your league's rulebook, and ask the referee before the game if you are unsure. Our rules summary covers the rest.

Trick play questions

How many trick plays should a youth flag football team have?

Two or three is plenty for a season, and one is enough for 6U. A trick play you have repped every week beats three you walked through once.

What is the easiest flag football trick play for young kids?

Crossbuck. It is one fake and one handoff, both behind the quarterback, and it starts from the same look as a plain handoff play. Teach Double Back first, then Crossbuck.

Are trick plays legal in flag football?

Most are. NFL FLAG rules allow direct handoffs and backward pitches and passes behind the line of scrimmage, but not past it, and one forward pass that is caught beyond the line. Leagues write their own versions, so check yours before you install a double pass or halfback pass.

When should I call a trick play?

After the play it copies has worked at least once or twice, so the defense is reacting to what it expects. Many coaches save one for right after a big gain, when the defense is flying to the ball.

Can you run a trick play in the no-run zone?

Only if it ends in a forward pass. A reverse or crossbuck is a run and is not allowed when the ball is snapped inside a no-run zone under NFL FLAG style rules. A halfback pass should be fine as long as the forward pass is thrown, but check how your league enforces the zone.

Keep building the playbook

A trick play needs a base play to copy. See our flag football running plays for the runs that set up the reverse and crossbuck, the formations guide for the looks these plays start from, and the defense guide to learn what a defense that stays home looks like.