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AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


Passing Drills for Young Quarterbacks

by: John Sheridan
Clyde (Ohio) High School
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Coaching quarterbacks is unique for a number of reasons. First, the spaced repetition time needed to master the mechanics of throwing, setting up to throw, optioning - along with all of the footwork that accompanies the position - is extensive. Secondly, the mental preparation is more demanding than with any other position on the field. Finally, the need for the quarterback to be an on-the-field extension of the head coach and offensive coordinator requires that a unique bond develop between play-caller and performer. It is this relationship that is at the foundation of all successful offensive teams. If mutual trust and respect are not at the heart of this association, the outcome on the field will certainly be sub-optimal.

When choosing a quarterback, choose wisely. I have found that you can do great things with a young man who may seem to be a lesser athlete but possesses other characteristics that give him an intangible, winning quality. When the game is on the line, good people are the ones who deliver.

DRILLS

Knee Drill

This drill helps develop correct arm movement, shoulder turn and release.

With his right knee on the ground, have the quarterback establish a balanced position by placing his left foot roughly six to 12 inches forward of his right knee. Initially, the left shoulder should be upfield so that his chest is pointing toward your right hip. The ball is held with both hands below the chin in the middle of the chest (see photo one).


Photo 1

As the quarterback begins the throwing motion, the left hand simply falls and the left thumb turns down to the ground. Optimally, the ball is taken back at a flat level, with only a slight dip toward the waist.

When the ball is pulled beyond the back shoulder, the ball tip opens up as the quarterback's elbow above the shoulder (see photo two).


Photo 2

A critical aspect to this "J" motion is that his arm follows the timing of the shoulders. If the shoulders rotate too quickly, the arm won't reach its peak.

The single most critical determinant in throwing the football is the arm movement. If the release is above the helmet, the passes will have a consistent trajectory (see photo three).


Photo 3

If not, underthrowing and overthrowing receivers will be the result. Moreover, having the arm too low in the delivery motion increases the likelihood of soreness in the shoulder and elbow.

Throughout the entire throw, the quarterback should aim at the chin of the receiver. This will improve the quarterback's targeting. The distance at which to run this drill depends upon the arm strength of the quarterback. Make sure it is far enough for there to be some arc on the ball. This helps develop a good spiral release.

One-Step Drill

The purpose of this drill is improving the quarterback's initial flexion and throwing step, as well as his hips, shoulders and right foot at finish.

The quarterback aligns eight yards behind the goalpost (approximating a five-step drop from the back of the end zone), with the receiver at the 10-yard line (18 yards away). The goal is for the quarterback to make a quality throw to the chin of the receiver. The ball should pass directly over the goalpost - about two feet above the crossbar.

After establishing good throwing flexion (see photo four), the quarterback steps so that he will end up on the ball of his right foot.


Photo 4

Overstriding and staying on the heels leads to overthrows, while landing flat-footed leads to underthrows. Ideally, the quarterback lands on his front-foot heel and rolls onto the ball of his front foot (see photo five).


Photo 5

As weight is transferred to the ball of the front foot, the quarterback thrusts his left hip forward, creating some arch in his back (see photo six).


Photo 6

The left knee must be bent for this to occur.

We want the quarterback to hold his finish after the throw so he can self-check two things (see photo seven).


Photo 7

First, his right hip should have come through, resulting in his hips being square to the target. This can only happen if his weight is transferred to the front foot. Secondly, we tell the quarterback to check his shoulders to see that they are slightly lowered and in front of his knees as the right thumb moves downward to the left thigh. If the quarterback can't hold his finish, then his balance over the front foot is poor. This leads to diminished accuracy.

Five-Step Drill

The idea for this drill is to teach the proper step depths, hop, hip movement, arm motion and finish position.

The quarterback starts in his initial under-center stance - arms fully extended as they would be during the exchange - with the end line as the line of scrimmage (see photo eight).


Photo 8

The quarterback then follows his five-step progression as the ball is brought to the stomach with both hands and taking the biggest first step possible (see photo nine).


Photo 9

He wants to be seven yards deeper than his starting position on step five, and the depth he achieves on his first and third steps are the most critical in achieving this.

The second and fourth steps in the drop are smaller, with the length varying by player. The steps need to be small enough to prevent the quarterback from turning his shoulders. He must keep his front shoulder perpendicular to the line of scrimmage if he is to see the left flat. The quarterback should use the ball in his drop to help him move fluidly; thus the ball doesn't stay centered but rather moves from one breast to the other during the drop. However, the ball should never be outside the framework of the body (see photo 10).


Photo 10

During this drill, we want the receiver to move from the center of the goalpost to just inside each upright so the quarterback can practice realigning his feet. In fact, we try to get the quarterback to hop or jump stop so that his feet and hips are in the direction of the throw when he lands. If the quarterback throws to his left, this makes his step outside less drastic and the jump quickly neutralizes his backward momentum from the drop, enabling him to get into his throwing motion (see photo 11).


Photo 11

Sprint-Out Drill

This drill teaches the quarterback proper ball-on-shoulder technique, as well as good shoulder turn, footwork and finish position.

My experience has been that the fundamental throwing mechanics of sprint-out quarterbacks is so different from straight dropback quarterbacks that rarely do you find a young person who excels at both. Moreover, since we prefer using roll-out action only to exploit a defensive weakness or to get our QB out of the pocket, we only emphasize the most critical aspects of throwing on the run.

The most important aspect of the sprint-out pass is how the quarterback positions the ball on his rollout. As he sprints away from the center to a point seven yards deep before arcing upfield toward his target, the ball needs to be held on the shoulder instead of below the chin near the middle of the chest. (see photo 12)


Photo 12

We also stress shorter steps around the apex point of the rollout so that the quarterback is under control as he begins to run toward the receiver.(see photo 13).


Photo 13

While some things are different, we keep the arm peak the same. That is, we continue to accentuate a high release point of the ball.(see photo 14).


Photo 14

Again, if the release point is low or inconsistent, the delivery of the ball will be less consistent.

The most interesting difference in this delivery is that the throw is actually made off of the foot of the throwing arm. The finish actually takes the quarterback to his left foot. We try to get the quarterback to continue running to his target for at least two steps after the throw.

In terms of targeting, if the quarterback is throwing to a receiver on the move in the same direction he is running, it is essential he throw right at the receiver and not lead him. I'm not sure exactly what law of physics this is, but he has to target the chest of the moving receiver if they are both running in the same direction.

Finally, the degree of shoulder turn by the quarterback, especially when sprinting out to his non-throwing hand, is extreme. Again, if the quarterback runs at his target, his shoulders will generally line up naturally.

Pictured is Jonathan Hunek, Ashland University.






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