Coaching Flag Football epub

Coaching essentials and insights for the fastest-growing team sport in the United States.

Flag football is growing rapidly at every level of the sport. Youth league participation is surging, middle school and high school programs are blossoming across the country, college programs are emerging, and the sport will make its debut at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Now all these new players and teams need capable, knowledgeable coaches to teach and lead them.

Joshua Saunders and Matt Hernandez, two of the nation’s premier coaches in the sport, have written a book that provides precisely the information and guidance those coaches need. Coaching Flag Football is the most comprehensive guide to building a successful program and guiding a winning team. The book helps flag football coaches master the basics and grasp the finer points of the game. It provides proven methods for developing players and managing a team, and details how to prepare and direct a squad to perform successfully in competition. Blending instruction, insights, and anecdotes, Coaching Flag Football is an informative, accessible, and engaging guide that will serve as an essential resource for coaches at every level of the sport.

Whether you are a new coach or a veteran, this book is designed to help you ready your team to compete and develop a thriving flag football program. Included are the following:

• Coaching principles, philosophy, leadership, communication, and establishment of a culture that lay the groundwork for a successful program
• Management methods and organizational priorities involving coaching staff, support personnel, players’ parents, schedules, and events
• Game planning and the preparation process for in-game decision-making, communication, and sporting behavior
• Off-season goals, competitions, and opportunities for player growth and team formation
• Key takeaways at the end of each chapter to reinforce essential concepts and confirm the material’s contribution to overall coaching success 
• Sample season and practice plans and guidance to optimize instruction, training, and sessions to foster athlete and team development
• Detailed offensive, defensive, special team player position-specific and team technical and tactical instruction along with some basic Xs and Os

Flag football will continue to grow and thrive only if its coaches are prepared to nurture the sport and those who want to play it. Coaching Flag Football is the single best resource to help those coaches meet that need.

Audience

High school flag football coaches seeking to build strong programs and lead their players and teams to even greater success. Also, youth and middle school coaches seeking more basic guidance and instruction, as well as experienced and advanced coaches interested in advanced insights will find the book of great value.

Foreword by Deliah Autry-Jones

Part I. Establishing Your Coaching Approach
Chapter 1. Learning and Leading in Flag Football
Chapter 2. Coaching Philosophy and Priorities
Chapter 3. Communication and Motivation

Part II. Building and Maintaining a Program
Chapter 4. Coach a Team, Construct a Program
Chapter 5. A Culture of Caring
Chapter 6. Program Support and Resources
Chapter 7. Program Organization and Expectations
Chapter 8. Season and Practice Scheduling

Part III. Teaching the Game to the Team
Chapter 9. Developing Offensive Skills
Chapter 10. Playing Offense
Chapter 11. Developing Defensive Skills
Chapter 12. Playing Defense
Chapter 13. Coaching Special Teams

Part IV. Preparing for and Coaching Games
Chapter 14. Off-Season Goals and Competitions
Chapter 15. Game Planning and Preparation
Chapter 16. Sportsmanship
Chapter 17. In-Game Adjustments
Chapter 18. Postgame Review

Index

Joshua Saunders is the head flag football coach at Robinson High School in Tampa, Florida. His teams have won 11 state championships from 2014 to 2026 and have been recognized as national champions twice (2021 and 2024), with a record of 238-11 from 2014 through 2026. Saunders has been named Florida’s Coach of the Year four times and is the first high school flag football coach to win 300 games. He also coached the University of Florida’s women’s club flag football team to seven national championships and was assistant coach of the gold-medal-winning girls’ 15U U.S. national team in 2024. Since 2025, he has been the head coach of the 17U girls’ U.S. national team, winning the gold medal in the 2025 Junior International Cup. Additionally, since 2015 he has served as chair for flag football in the Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA).

Matt Hernandez is the head flag football coach at Alonso High School in Tampa, Florida. Since 2018, he has led his teams to four state championships and a national championship in 2023 and 2025, with a record of 152-11 from 2018 through 2026, earning him National Coach of the Year honors. His accolades also include 2022 NFL Flag Coach of the Year, 2023 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coach of the Year, 2024 National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) Coach of the Year, and two Florida Dairy Farmers Coach of the Year awards (2018, 2023). Hernandez has served as a USA Football junior national team head coach as well as an assistant coach for the U.S. women’s national team during international competitions in China and Panama in 2025 through 2026. In 2024, he coached his daughter’s 11U girls’ team to an NFL Flag National Championship in Canton, Ohio. He also serves on the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) flag football advisory committee.

“I’ve seen firsthand the passion, knowledge, and commitment Joshua Saunders and Matt Hernandez bring to the game. Coaching Flag Football reflects those qualities and offers coaches practical tools to develop athletes and elevate their programs.”

—Saaid Mortazavi, Head Coach of USA Football’s Women’s Flag National Team

“Learning flag football from two of the best in the game will only help you as a coach.”

—Willy Perez, Head Coach of Women’s Flag Football at Baker University and Assistant Coach of USA Football Men’s Flag National Team

“Coach Saunders and Coach Hernandez are elite in every facet of what they do: structuring a complete program; cultivating a winning culture; developing players; mastering and executing the intricacies of the game of flag football both offensively and defensively through practice, fundamentals, and scheme—they do it all as well as anyone. They have been at the forefront of the incredible growth that we have seen with flag football and are two of the finest coaches you will find in any sport. Whether you are a veteran flag football coach searching for a new perspective or a way to enhance your program or you are brand-new to the sport and trying to figure out where to begin, reading Coaching Flag Football will benefit you.”

—Ricky Hufty, Head Coach of Flag Football at Florida Gateway College and Four-Time College National Champion

“Saunders and Hernandez have created a valuable resource that blends culture, leadership, organization, and game strategy into one comprehensive guide for coaches at every stage of the game.”

—Jake Burgdorf, Head Coach of Flag Football at McEachern High School in Georgia

“The impact that Matt Hernandez and Josh Saunders have had on the game of flag football is immeasurable, and they are among the most exceptional coaches I have had the privilege of working with. Their expertise, strategic insight, and unwavering commitment to excellence set them apart, while their emphasis on character, leadership, and personal growth ensure their athletes succeed well beyond the game. Their approach establishes a standard of coaching that deserves recognition and should be emulated across all levels of the sport.”

—Zak Zumbiel, Senior Community Impact Manager for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

“The authors are two of the most accomplished and winningest coaches in flag football, Josh Saunders and Matt Hernandez, who have helped shape the game into what it is today. I especially appreciated how they shared the sport’s evolution through the challenges they experienced while clearly explaining the nuances that separate flag football from tackle football. What stands out most is that these aren’t just coaching philosophies—they’re lessons found through years and years of trials and tribulations at the highest levels of the game. Coaching Flag Football is an invaluable resource that will elevate your understanding of the sport.”

—Melinda Nguyen, Head Coach of Flag Football at the University of Texas at Arlington