How does flag pulling work, and what can a runner not do?

Question

Accepted Answer

To stop a ball carrier, a defender pulls off 1 or 2 flags without preventing the carrier from moving forward. The ball is dead at that point, and the defender must hold the flag up for the officials and hand it back to the ball carrier. Tossing a flag aside or onto the ground is unsportsmanlike conduct. A defender may not pull a flag before the player gains possession of the ball or touches it with the intent of gaining possession (Illegal Flag Pull, an automatic first down for the offence). The runner may dip (bend the knees and lower the flags), and spinning is legal if the height of the flags is not significantly raised. Diving (leaning the upper body forward to avoid a flag pull) and jumping are types of flag guarding and are illegal. Players must not wind flags on belts: the first time brings a warning, the next time removal from the game. The quarterback may not run the ball across the line of scrimmage unless possession has been transferred to another player and returned. There are no fumbles: if the ball carrier loses possession and the ball touches the ground or a defender's hands, the play is whistled dead and the ball is spotted where possession was lost. Source: Canadian Amateur Rule Book for Flag Football 2026, Definitions, Rule 5 (Article 2.9), Rule 6 (Article 1.4), Rule 13 and General Rules (Ethical Play).