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Exercises

Flag football warm up: 10 minutes, no equipment, ready to cut

Published October 24, 2026

A good flag football warm up takes about 10 minutes with no gear: 3 minutes of easy jogging, skips and butt kicks, 3 minutes of leg swings, ankle circles and walkouts, 1 minute of side leg raises, then 3 minutes of fast feet, ladder or line footwork, skater hops and three short sprints with a cut at 5 yards. Then move into flag pulling and route drills, since nobody tackles and the game is all quick starts and changes of direction.

  1. Running Quads, Hamstrings, Calves
  2. Skipping in Place Calves, Quads, Hamstrings
  3. Leg Swings Hamstrings, Glutes
  4. Ankle Circles Calves
  5. Walkout Abs, Shoulders, Chest
  6. Fast Feet Calves, Quads
  7. Agility Ladder Drill Calves, Quads
  8. Skater Hop Glutes, Quads, Abductors

Raise: jog, skips and kicks

Jog the width of the field and back, then skip and do butt kicks over the same distance. Two to three minutes of easy movement warms the legs for the stop-and-go running flag football asks for.

Raise, jog

Running

Quads, Hamstrings, Calves

An easy jog is the simplest way to warm the whole team. Keep it slow enough to talk.

How to do it

  1. Start at an easy jog you could hold a conversation at.
  2. Run tall with relaxed shoulders and a slight lean from the ankles.
  3. Land with your foot close under your hips and keep your cadence quick.
  4. Over the last minute, lift the pace a notch.

Cues

  • Conversation pace
  • Relaxed shoulders
  • Feet under you

Common mistakes

  • Starting too fast: the first minutes should feel almost too easy.
  • Overstriding and landing on the heel far ahead of you: shorten the step.

Swap for: High Knees, Jump Rope, Stationary Bike

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Raise, bounce

Skipping in Place

Calves, Quads, Hamstrings

Rope-free skipping adds bounce and works on the spot when the field is crowded.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your fists beside your hips as if holding rope handles.
  2. Circle your hands and bounce lightly from one foot to the other, as if skipping over a turning rope.
  3. Keep the bounces low and springy for the whole interval.

Cues

  • Bounce off the balls of your feet
  • Hands circle, elbows close
  • Relaxed shoulders

Common mistakes

  • Stomping on the heels: stay on the front of your feet.
  • Hopping high: a small bounce clears an imaginary rope.

Swap for: High Knees, Jump Rope, Butt Kicks

Build a session with Skipping in Place

Raise, quads

Butt Kicks

Hamstrings

Butt kicks warm the quads through a deep knee bend, ready for sudden stops.

How to do it

  1. Jog on the spot with short, quick steps.
  2. Snap each heel back and up behind you as you push off.
  3. Let your arms swing in rhythm and keep your hips under you.
  4. Speed up over the last ten seconds.

Cues

  • Snap the heel back
  • Hips stay under you
  • Light feet

Common mistakes

  • Kicking out to the side: heels travel straight back.
  • Stomping the landings: land quietly on the forefoot.

Swap for: High Knees, Skipping in Place, Running

Build a session with Butt Kicks

Mobility: hips, hamstrings and ankles

Flag football is cutting and sprinting on grass, which loads the hamstrings and ankles. Ten leg swings per leg, ten ankle circles each way and three or four walkouts take about three minutes and use nothing but your body.

Hamstring and hip mobility

Leg Swings

Hamstrings, Glutes

Swings loosen the hamstrings for sprinting without a static hold.

How to do it

  1. Hold a support with one hand and stand on the leg nearest it.
  2. Swing the free leg straight forward and back with a relaxed knee.
  3. Keep your standing knee soft and your hips pointing ahead.
  4. Increase the range gradually, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Relaxed knee
  • Hips face forward
  • Grow the range

Common mistakes

  • Twisting the hips with each swing: keep them square.
  • Rushing the rhythm: smooth swings, no jerks.

Swap for: Standing Cable Hip Flexion, Walkout, Cossack Squat

Build a session with Leg Swings

Ankle range

Ankle Circles

Calves

Grass and turf are uneven. A minute of ankle circles prepares the ankles for planting and cutting.

How to do it

  1. Stand on one leg holding a support, or sit, and lift the other foot slightly.
  2. Draw slow, full circles with your toes, moving only at the ankle.
  3. Do all the circles one way, then reverse direction.
  4. Switch feet and repeat.

Cues

  • Big, slow circles
  • Move only the ankle
  • Both directions

Common mistakes

  • Rushing tiny circles: make every circle as large as the joint allows.
  • Turning the knee instead of the ankle: keep the shin still.

Swap for: Leg Swings, Single-Leg Calf Raise, Skipping in Place

Build a session with Ankle Circles

Full-body mobility

Walkout

Abs, Shoulders, Chest

Walkouts stretch the back of the legs and warm the shoulders and trunk, useful before throwing and catching.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall, then hinge and reach your hands to the floor, bending your knees as much as you need.
  2. Walk the hands forward one at a time until you reach a push-up position.
  3. Hold the plank for a breath with your hips level.
  4. Walk the hands back toward your feet and stand up. That is one rep.

Cues

  • Hands walk, feet stay
  • Level hips in the plank
  • Bend the knees if you need to

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hips sag at the front: squeeze your glutes in the plank.
  • Locking the knees and straining to touch the floor: bend them; this is a warm-up.

Swap for: Bear Crawl, Plank to Push-Up, Leg Swings

Build a session with Walkout

Activation: the side of the hip

Ten side leg raises per leg wake up the hip muscles that keep the knee steady when you plant and cut to dodge a flag pull. Hold any long stretches until after the game.

Side-of-hip activation, standing

Standing Side Leg Raise

Abductors

Lifting a straight leg sideways works the outside of the hip, which keeps the pelvis level and the knee in line when you land on one foot or cut.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall, hands resting at your waist.
  2. Keep the leg straight and the toes facing forward as you lift it sideways.
  3. Lower it with control, finish the reps, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Toes point forward
  • Torso stays upright

Common mistakes

  • Leaning away from the lifting leg: a lower lift with a still torso works better.

Swap for: Clamshell, Lateral Band Walk

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Primers: feet, cuts and short sprints

Finish fast: five seconds of quick feet, a pass through a ladder or along a line, skater hops, then three 10-yard sprints with a cut at 5 yards at rising speed. Now you are ready for flag pulling and routes.

Primer, quickness

Fast Feet

Calves, Quads

Quick feet sharpen reaction, the skill behind dodging a flag pull.

How to do it

  1. Stand in an athletic stance with feet about hip width apart and knees bent.
  2. Rapidly pitter-patter your feet on the balls of your feet, barely leaving the ground.
  3. Keep your chest over your knees and your hands ready in front of you.
  4. Go as fast as you can for the set time.

Cues

  • Low and quick
  • Barely off the floor
  • Athletic stance

Common mistakes

  • Standing up tall as you speed up: stay in your stance.
  • Lifting the feet high: tiny, fast steps.

Swap for: Agility Ladder Drill, High Knees, Skater Hop

Build a session with Fast Feet

Primer, footwork

Agility Ladder Drill

Calves, Quads

A ladder, or a line on the field, gets the feet quick and coordinated before routes.

How to do it

  1. Stand at the end of a ladder laid on the ground, facing along it.
  2. Step both feet into the first square, then both feet out to the sides of the next square.
  3. Continue in, in, out, out down the ladder, staying on the balls of your feet.
  4. Start slowly to learn the pattern, then speed up on later passes.

Cues

  • In, in, out, out
  • Quick light steps
  • Eyes up when you know it

Common mistakes

  • Watching your feet the whole way: learn the pattern, then look ahead.
  • Kicking the rungs out of place: lift the feet just enough to clear them.

Swap for: Fast Feet, Skater Hop, High Knees

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Primer, cut and land

Skater Hop

Glutes, Quads, Abductors

Skater hops rehearse pushing off one leg sideways and landing on the other, like a sharp cut.

How to do it

  1. Stand on one leg with a slight bend in the knee.
  2. Leap sideways to land on the opposite foot, letting the trailing leg sweep behind you.
  3. Stick the landing for a moment, then push back to the other side.
  4. Start with short hops and go wider as you warm up.

Cues

  • Stick each landing
  • Push off sideways
  • Knee over the toes

Common mistakes

  • Landing with a stiff leg: absorb through the hip and knee.
  • Going for distance right away: widen the hop over the set.

Swap for: Lateral Box Jump, Single-Leg Jump, Fast Feet

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Primer, explosive and fun

Star Jump

Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes

Star jumps add a full-power jump, and younger players love them as a finisher.

How to do it

  1. Stand with feet together and crouch slightly with your hands near your knees.
  2. Jump up, spreading your arms and legs into an X shape.
  3. Bring your legs back together before landing.
  4. Land softly and go straight into the next one.

Cues

  • Explode into an X
  • Feet together to land
  • Soft knees

Common mistakes

  • Landing with feet wide: bring them together in the air.
  • Stiff landings: bend the knees.

Swap for: Jumping Jack, Frog Jump, Box Jump

Build a session with Star Jump

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Youth flag football practice

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You coach a kids' team and need a warm-up they will actually do.

Kids need short blocks and lots of movement. This plan keeps each move to 20 to 30 seconds, all at a light effort, and ends with star jumps and short sprints that feel like play. Run it as follow-the-leader and it doubles as getting everyone's attention.

Youth Warm-Up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
RunningSeconds. Easy jog. 2 × 60 5 0 s
Skipping in PlaceSeconds. 1 × 30 4 0 s
Butt KicksSeconds. 1 × 20 4 10 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 1 × 8 5 0 s
Walkout 1 × 3 4 0 s
Fast FeetSeconds. 2 × 5 3 15 s
Star Jump 1 × 5 3 15 s
Skater HopPer side. 1 × 5 3 0 s
How to run it
Line the team up and lead each move. Then go straight into flag pulling drills.
How to progress
Once they know the order, let a player lead it each week.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Adult rec league game

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets14 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You play once a week after work and want to avoid feeling flat or tweaking a hamstring on the first sprint.

Adults who sit all day need more mobility than kids, so this version spends longer on leg swings, ankles and walkouts before the speed work. Effort stays light, 3 to 5 reps in reserve, until the final sprints climb to near full speed.

Rec League Warm-Up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
RunningSeconds. 3 × 60 5 0 s
Butt KicksSeconds. 1 × 20 4 10 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 1 × 12 5 0 s
Ankle CirclesPer direction, each foot. 1 × 10 5 0 s
Walkout 1 × 5 4 0 s
Standing Side Leg RaisePer leg. 1 × 10 4 10 s
Fast FeetSeconds. 2 × 8 3 15 s
Agility Ladder DrillPasses, or along a line. 2 × 1 3 20 s
Skater HopPer side. 2 × 5 3 20 s
How to run it
Get there 15 minutes early and do it on the sideline. Then throw and catch for a few minutes.
How to progress
Keep it every week; if you play twice, use the tournament plan for the second game.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Tournament day between games

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets5 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You play several short games in a day.

Between games you are warm but stiffen up quickly. This rewarm is five minutes of movement and short bursts at 4 to 5 reps in reserve, so the legs come back to speed without adding fatigue for later games.

Rewarm
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Skipping in PlaceSeconds. 1 × 45 5 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 1 × 8 5 0 s
Ankle CirclesPer direction, each foot. 1 × 8 5 0 s
Fast FeetSeconds. 1 × 6 4 15 s
Skater HopPer side. 1 × 4 4 0 s
How to run it
Start five to ten minutes before each game after the first.
How to progress
Use the same rewarm all day.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is a good flag football warm-up?

An easy jog with skips and butt kicks, leg swings, ankle circles, walkouts, side leg raises, then fast feet, a ladder or line drill, skater hops and short sprints with a cut. It takes about 10 minutes and needs no equipment.

How long should a flag football warm-up be?

About 10 minutes before drills. Between tournament games, five minutes is enough.

Is there pushing in flag football?

Most leagues ban blocking and pushing, which is why the warm-up focuses on cutting, sprinting and footwork rather than contact.

What are good drills for a flag football warm-up for kids?

Follow-the-leader through the moves, a fast feet contest, star jumps and short relay sprints. Then move into flag pulling games.

Should you stretch before flag football?

Moving drills like leg swings and walkouts prepare you better before a game; long holds are best afterward.