This article will cover flag football strategies. I am going to assume you are coaching or playing 7-on-7 flag football.
Offense in flag consists of a couple of key things, first misdirection. Misdirection is key for running an efficient offense. Reverses, halfback passes, and having your offensive lineman pass are some very effective trick plays. Those plays are a good place to start from. You can add your unique touches on these plays. Try to run a trick play once every 12-15 plays.
Next, remember to use your offensive lineman for catching passes. Most teams just use their offensive linemen to block. Using your offensive lineman to only block will limit your offense. For example, when starting a game, start the game by passing to your offensive lineman. As the defensive begins to key on your offensive lineman, your wide receivers will begin to get open for the deep passes.
Speed is key in flag football, especially for offensives. Every position should have a player who has speed, even your offensive lineman. A slow offensively player does more damage to your offense and will also slow your offense down. There may be some situations where you may want a big slow lineman in the game but these situations should come rarely. With fast players on the field the defense will not be able to key out your top offensive performers. Speed, speed, and more speed mixed with misdirection plays will help you score a ton of points.
Somethings you should practice with your offensive units are breaking towards the sidelines after a catch, catching the ball at the highest point, and blocking. Teach your players to break towards the sidelines. There are two reasons for this: First the sidelines cut off the numbers of flags the defenders can pull and second, it makes it tough for the defenders to get a good angle to pull the flags that are available. Catching the ball at the highest point teaches your players to be aggressive and to go up and get the ball. A simple drill to use is to have a head to head competition between two players. Toss the ball and allow the players to fight for it. The loser runs a lap and if they both drop the ball then they both run a lap. Blocking is key and the blocks do not have to be quality blocks. Pretty much your players just have to put a body on someone. One key block can lead to a big play for your offense. These are basic flag football strategies, you can build from here.
