/ Why this drill
What it teaches.
Six routes form the entire passing tree in 6v6 flag football. Route Tree drills all six in 15 minutes — slant, out, curl, post, corner, go. Run it every Tuesday and your receivers will know every route in the playbook by week three.
/ How to run it
Step by step.
- Receiver lines up at a single spot on the LOS.
- Run all six routes in this order: slant (3 yds), out (5 yds), curl (8 yds), post (12 yds), corner (12 yds), go (vertical).
- Coach (or a QB) throws to each route. Receiver catches and tosses back.
- Receiver returns to the LOS between each route — no walking it off, jog back.
- After all six routes, rotate to the next receiver.
/ Coaching points
What to watch for.
- Each route has a sharp break — no rounding off corners.
- Eyes find the ball at the top of the break.
- Sell the route before breaking — sprint the first 3 yards before any cut.
- Same release every time. The break is what's different — the start should look identical.
/ Variations
Progress the drill.
Random calls
Coach calls the route just before the snap. Receivers must process and execute.
Both sides
Mirror the entire tree to the other side of the field. Makes the receiver work both leverages.
With a defender
Add a press defender at the LOS. Now there's a release component too.
/ Common mistakes
Where it goes wrong.
- Rounding the breaks — turns sharp routes into lazy angles.
- Slowing down before the cut — telegraphs the route.
- Different releases for different routes — defenders read it.
- Walking back to the line between routes — kills the tempo of the drill.