8U Flag Football Practice Plan (60 minutes for 7 and 8 year olds)
A 60-minute practice plan for 7 and 8 year olds. Players at this age can run real routes, so the plan adds a route drill and three passing plays on top of flag pulling and ball carrying.
Goal for today
Take good angles to pull flags, make one juke and go, run a slant, out and curl at the right depth, and learn Curl-Flat, Stack Go-Out and Snag.
The schedule
- 0:00
Warm-upWarm-up6 min
Jog, high knees, butt kicks, side shuffles, backpedal, then 3 short sprints from a ready stance.
- 0:06
DrillSideline Flag Pull Drill8 min
Full speed after two walk-throughs. Keep score by line to make it a game.
- 0:14
DrillCone Weave and Juke Drill8 min
One juke only. Carriers who spin get another turn.
- 0:22
WaterWater break4 min
Everyone drinks, even the kids who say they are not thirsty. Coaches set up the next station while they drink.
- 0:26
DrillRoute Tree on Cones9 min
Use color names for the routes if football words are new to the group.
- 0:35
Team installTeam install12 min
Four minutes per play. Walk it on the whistle, then run it against air three times. Everyone learns every position.
- 0:47
ScrimmageScrimmage under your league rules10 min
Offense runs only the installed plays. Use no pre-handoff rusher where your 8U division prohibits one; add a designated rusher only if local rules permit it. Rotate the QB every 3 snaps.
- 0:57
HuddleCool-down huddle3 min
Water, then a quick quiz: call a play name and ask two kids where they line up. Team cheer.
- 1:00
Done
Short on time? The 45-minute version
Keep the route drill and the scrimmage under your league rules. Install two plays well instead of rushing through three. Here is exactly what to trim and the one block to cut when you only have 45 minutes.
What to say to the kids
- "Cut at the cone, not before it."
- "Ball carriers: one move, then go straight!"
- "On Curl-Flat, the QB watches one defender. If they go to the curl, throw the flat."
- At the end: "Who can tell me what route the X runs on Curl-Flat?"
Drills in this practice
Plays to install
Game this week? Open these plays as big sideline cards with a playing time tracker in Game Day.
Planning the whole season? The 8-week season plan tells you which plays, drills and defense to add each week. Want to write your own? Print the blank practice plan template.
For players at home: want more football between practices? Football Bros is a free arcade football game that runs in the browser with no download or login. It's no substitute for reps, but it keeps kids thinking about passing, running and tackling.
More plans: First practice · 6U · 10U · 12U · 14U
Teach one route decision at a time
Begin the passing install with Curl-Flat's two windows. Ask the quarterback which route the short defender leaves available, then make the throw. Add the next play only after the receivers can reach separate landmarks. Age is a guide to selecting drills, not proof that every player is ready for the same number of reads.
Make the scrimmage match the league's rush rule
Start without a pre-handoff rusher if your younger division prohibits one. A defense can react after a legal transfer when the rules allow it. If your division permits a designated rusher, add controlled pressure after the routes are understood. Keep the rushing rules checklist with your practice preparation.
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