Encouragement Leader
Leadership
Legend
- player
- coach / parent
- movement path
How it works
Develop verbal leadership skills by assigning a player the role of team encourager during a live practice series.
What you need
- football
- flags
- cones
Your focus
Encouragement is one of the highest-impact leadership behaviors in flag football because it sustains team energy through adversity. Players who learn to lead through encouragement contribute more to team performance than those who only lead by example. Building encouragement as a deliberate practice creates a culture where all players feel supported.
Designate one player per series as the Encouragement Leader whose primary role is to verbally lift teammates.
Run a small-sided activity flag football series; the Encouragement Leader calls out positive observations after every play.
After the series, teammates rate the Encouragement Leader on 1-5 scale: did their words change how you played?
Debrief: what specific words or phrases had the most impact on the team?
Helpful cues
- Leadership through encouragement is a skill, not a personality type
- Name a specific player and a specific thing they did well
- Your words are your leadership tools, use them deliberately
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Coach provides the Encouragement Leader with a list of five specific phrases to use.
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Encouragement Leader must also play their regular position simultaneously, requiring multitasking leadership.No account needed
Build a practice plan
Add drills, keep the plan in this browser, then share a link with your staff or parents.This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.
This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.After every practice, UpLVL automatically surfaces the drills each player needs to work on most. See it for yourself.