Guide · Combine
How to prep for a flag football combine
At a FlagPlay combine your speed, power, and agility are captured on VALD performance hardware — the same timing gates and force plates used by pro and college programs — so the numbers on your profile are verified, not self-reported. Here's what each test measures and how to show your best.
The four tests
40-yard dash
What it measures: Straight-line speed and acceleration — how fast you separate on a route or close on a ball carrier.
How to train it: Short acceleration sprints (10–20 yards) with full recovery, wall-drive drills for a strong forward lean, and A-skips for clean mechanics. Speed is built fresh, not fatigued — quality over quantity.
Vertical jump
What it measures: Lower-body explosive power — the pop for a jump-ball catch, a defended grab, or a quick first step.
How to train it: Box jumps landing softly, broad-to-vertical combos, and controlled squats and hip-hinge work to build the force you convert into height. Rest between reps so every jump is a max effort.
Broad jump
What it measures: Horizontal explosive power and single-effort force production — closely tied to your first-step burst.
How to train it: Standing broad jumps for distance, bounding, and hip-hinge power work. Focus on a violent arm swing and a stable, balanced landing you can stick.
Pro-agility (5-10-5) shuttle
What it measures: Change-of-direction and short-area quickness — decelerating, planting, and re-accelerating, which is most of what flag football actually is.
How to train it: Line drills that rehearse the plant-and-drive, low-hip deceleration work, and lateral shuffles. Getting low to change direction beats trying to run through the cut.
The 6–8 weeks before
- Train speed and power when you're fresh, 2–3 focused sessions a week — not tacked onto the end of a long practice.
- Rehearse the actual tests. Knowing the start stance, the shuttle turn, and the jump setup removes wasted motion on the day.
- Sleep, hydration, and food are training too — recovery is when the adaptations actually happen.
- Taper the last few days: lighter volume, sharp movements, so you arrive rested and explosive.
Test day
- · Warm up thoroughly — a dynamic warm-up plus a couple of build-up sprints before you're timed.
- · Wear cleats that fit and bring water; a mouthguard is required for the field portion.
- · On the 40 and shuttle, start under control — a false-start lunge costs more time than a calm, powerful first step.
- · On the jumps, take your full setup and commit; a hesitant jump tests nothing.
- · You usually get more than one attempt — treat the first as a real rep, then chase the number.
After the event, your verified results are emailed within 24 hours and attach to your FlagPlay profile with their provenance badge — ready for a coach to open.