Stick: a 5v5 flag football play
Stick puts two receivers on one underneath defender. The slot runs 5 yards and sits facing the QB; the center releases to the flat underneath. Whichever way the defender goes, the other one is open. The outside go route keeps the deep defender from helping.
Opens the free play maker with Stick added, ready to edit and print on a wristband card.
How Stick works
- Z runs a go route to pull the deep defender away.
- Y pushes 5 yards, settles just inside, and sits facing the QB (the T on the diagram means stop and sit).
- C snaps and releases to the flat on the same side.
- X runs a backside slant for the QB who likes that side pre-snap.
The quarterback's read
- Watch the defender between the stick and the flat.
- If they widen with the flat, throw the stick.
- If they sit on the stick, throw the flat.
- If the deep defender bites down, Z is open on the go.
Coaching points
- The stick settles in the open window between zone defenders. Against man, tell Y to keep running away from the defender instead of sitting.
- The center must get width fast on the flat; a flat run too close to the stick lets one defender cover both.
- The QB reads one defender, not two receivers.
When to call it
Against zone defenses and soft coverage on third and short. A great answer when the defense stops your slants by sitting underneath.
For youth teams
Teach Y to 'find the hole and sit.' Kids understand it faster than a numbered route.
Rules check
IFAF (5v5, 7v7 and beach)
Legal as drawn. All three receivers catch beyond the line, so stick also works inside a no-run zone.
NFL FLAG and other rulebooks
Legal as drawn. Keep the flat beyond the line of scrimmage, because every NFL FLAG forward pass must cross it.
Rule numbers refer to the IFAF International Flag Football Rules 2023, the current edition. See the trick plays guide for the six rules that decide most plays.
Put Stick on a wristband
Add it to your playbook in the free play maker, change the routes to fit your team, and print numbered wristband cards and a coach's call sheet on regular paper.