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Settle the argument · 0:39

Hook and lateral. Legal?

Laterals are legal in flag football, but only behind the line of scrimmage. Past it, the hook and lateral is a foul, with one exception.

Video poster: Hook and lateral. Legal? A play diagram of a pitch back to Y, a green check and a red X, and a cartoon referee.

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The call, step by step

  1. 0:03Legal: behind the line
  2. 0:08A foul: past the line
  3. 0:17The penalty
  4. 0:24The exception
Read the transcript

The hook and lateral. Legal in flag football?

Laterals are legal, but only behind the line of scrimmage. Once the ball’s been carried past the line, a backward pass is a foul. So a receiver who catches it downfield and lands can’t pitch it back.

The call: illegal backward pass. Five yards from where it was thrown, and loss of down.

One exception: catch it in the air and pitch it before you land. The pass isn’t complete until you come down.

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Good to know

  • The penalty: illegal backward pass, 5 yards from the spot of the foul (where it was thrown) and loss of down. Signals S35, then S9 (IFAF Rule 7-2-1).
  • Behind the line is fine. A pitch or lateral is legal as long as the ball hasn’t been carried past the line of scrimmage and possession hasn’t changed.
  • The airborne exception. A pass isn’t complete until the receiver comes down, so a pitch made in the air keeps the play legal (IFAF Rule 2-10-3).
  • NFL FLAG agrees. It also allows laterals only behind the line of scrimmage.

Next: can you get in the rusher’s way?

Shielding, blitzers and right of way: when stepping into a rusher’s path is a foul, and when it isn’t.

Watch: In the rusher’s way? Subscribe on YouTube

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