Skip to the plays
Flag50 Coaches · 7v7 Girls & College

The Best 7v7 Plays to Beat the Blitz

A 7v7 blitz is beaten by the clock, not by blocking. Stick and Spacing put the ball in the air in three steps, Mesh gives the quarterback a moving target, and the now screen turns rushers upfield against themselves. Then there is the answer 5v5 does not have: hand it to your back and run where the rush left.

Two of the 15 plays in the Flag50 7v7 playbook are tagged blitz-beaters, Stick and Spacing, and both are built to be thrown on the third step.

By Jay Fraser. Published .

Coaching tip: Give your quarterback one pre-snap rule: count the rushers, and if there is one more than you expected, throw the quick route on that side on the third step. Holding the ball is what makes a blitz work.

Blitz: A blitz is any rush that sends more defenders at the quarterback than the offense has accounted for, which is why the answer is a faster throw or a handoff rather than a better block.

Open the free 7v7 coaching tools →The 10 best 7v7 plays →
Plays curated by the Flag50 coaching staff
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 LOS QB C X Y Z H A
#1

Stick

Trips Right · diagram from the Flag50 7v7 playbook
Three-step answer

Stick is the cleanest pressure answer in the book because the quarterback has one defender to read and the ball is gone before a free rusher arrives.

Read progression
Flat defender only. She sits, throw the out. She widens, throw the stick.
Say this in the huddle
Stick at 5, turn and face me, hands ready on step three.
When to call it
Any down where you saw pressure on the previous snap, and every second and long.
beginnerquick-gameblitz-beater
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 LOS QB C X Y Z H A
#2

Spacing

Empty · diagram from the Flag50 7v7 playbook
Five options, no back

Empty removes the back entirely, so the defense gets no one to chase and the quarterback gets five short options spread across the field.

Read progression
Middle first, then the nearest flat. Throw the open spot now.
Say this in the huddle
Everybody at 5 or 6 yards, stop, and show me your numbers.
When to call it
Third down in the middle of the field when you need a completion more than a chunk.
beginnerquick-gameblitz-beater
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 LOS QB C X Z Y H A
#3

Mesh

Spread · diagram from the Flag50 7v7 playbook
A moving target

A blitzing defense cannot squeeze two crossers running toward each other, and a receiver on the move is the easiest throw for a quarterback with someone in her face.

Read progression
First crosser, then the second, then the back out of the backfield.
Say this in the huddle
Crossers, almost high-five, and keep running through the catch.
When to call it
Against pressure that comes from the middle, and any time your quarterback throws better moving than standing still.
intermediatequick-gameman-beater
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 LOS QB C Z X Y H A
#4

Now Screen

Quads Right · diagram from the Flag50 7v7 playbook
Use the rush against them

The now screen is the punishment for an all-out rush: the rushers run past the throw and there is nobody left between your best runner and the sideline.

Read progression
Catch and throw to Z the moment the ball is in your hands.
Say this in the huddle
Three of you wall the inside, Z reads the wall.
When to call it
Right after a blitz got home, and on first down when the defense has been winning with pressure.
intermediatescreen
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 LOS QB C A X Y Z H
#5

Dive

Spread · diagram from the Flag50 7v7 playbook
Make them pay for leaving

When a defense sends extra rushers it empties the middle of the field, and a handoff walks into the space those rushers vacated.

Read progression
No read. Hand it off and let the back run at the vacated middle.
Say this in the huddle
If they are all coming, you are running through where they were.
When to call it
Second and short against a defense that has blitzed three snaps in a row.
beginnerrunshort-yardage
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 LOS QB C Y X Z H A
#6

Levels

Trips Left · diagram from the Flag50 7v7 playbook
High-low under pressure

Two in-breakers at different depths give the quarterback two answers on the same side, so pressure never takes the whole concept away.

Read progression
Low in-breaker first, then the deeper one. Throw the open window.
Say this in the huddle
In-breakers, flatten your route and get in front of the linebacker.
When to call it
Second and medium when the pressure has been coming off one edge.
intermediatequick-game

Blitz beater wristband set

Keep these five together in one color. When your quarterback sees an extra rusher she should be choosing inside one small block, not scanning the whole band.

Blitz beater wristband set: one call per situation
SlotPlayFormationWristband call
First answer to pressureStickTrips RightTRIPS RIGHT STICK
Third downSpacingEmptyEMPTY SPACING
Pressure up the middleMeshSpreadSPREAD MESH
Punish the all-out rushNow ScreenQuads RightQUADS RIGHT NOW SCREEN
Run at the empty middleDiveSpreadSPREAD DIVE
Print this set on a wristband →Find your scheme →

Common questions

Can the running back block the rusher in 7v7 flag football?

No. Flag football is a no-contact game, so a back cannot protect the quarterback the way a lineman does. In the Flag50 7v7 playbook the back either takes a handoff or releases as a safety valve. Read your state association adoption of the NFHS flag football rules for exactly what screening is allowed.

How fast does the ball have to come out against a 7v7 blitz?

On the third step. Stick and Spacing are built so the throw is already gone by then, which is why both carry the blitz-beater tag in the Flag50 7v7 playbook. If your quarterback is still reading on step five, the play design is not the problem.

Does running the ball beat a blitz in 7v7?

Often, yes. Extra rushers empty the middle of the field, and a handoff to your back runs into the space they left. This is the one pressure answer 5v5 coaches do not have, because 5v5 has no back in the backfield.

What do you do if the blitz keeps coming from the same side?

Call your quick game away from it and your run toward it. Stick and Levels give the quarterback an answer on the opposite side, and a Dive or Jet Sweep at the side the rusher vacated makes the defense stop sending her.

Coach Lite

Keep score and stats for your team with Coach Lite, then send parents one link to follow live.

Get early access. Leave your email and we'll email you the moment your spot opens up.

Where to go next

Other 7v7 play guides

Sources