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Drills to Develop A Game-Ready Quarterback – Drills that simulate game conditions can help get your QB ready for any situation he'll face on the field.by: Rich PiccininiHead Coach, Peter Township High School (PA) © More from this issue The quarterback position has long been described as another coach on the field. The qualities of a good quarterback must be fine-tuned from his playing ability to his leadership ability. These qualities must be identified, explained, practiced and developed to their fullest to create a successful and winning quarterback. There must be drills developed and executed that cover every situation that will arise for a quarterback in a football game. But before we ever get to the game, practice and drills have to set the foundation for our quarterback’s success. Drills that warm up the quarterback while getting him ready for all practice and game situations are essential, as are the technique drills, and ultimately the decision-making drills. All must be perfected for your quarterback to truly move forward and improve in your system. It is important to make practices as game-like as possible. You always want to simulate game conditions as much as you can in every drill or practice period that you do. There are many elements that go into becoming a good quarterback. We break the drills down into 4 categories. Foot speed, agility and quickness are all very important skills for a dual threat, well-rounded quarterback to develop. Diagram 1: Four-Way Drill - The QB focuses on footwork until instructed by his coach which one of 3 targets to throw to. The Four-Way Drill works on the quarterback’s movement in all four directions: backward, forward, and laterally to both sides (Diagram 1). The coach will instruct the quarterback which direction to move, giving him three or four direction changes before instructing him which of the three target wide receivers to throw to. The quarterback will start the drill by taking a five-step drop then move laterally or shuffle forward or back two-three steps according to the coach’s change of direction instruction. Short, compact and under control steps will be taken by the quarterback at all times. The quarterback will have the ball at his chest at the proper throwing form during the entire drill, ready to throw and waiting until the coach signals which of the 3 wide receivers to throw to. This drill is great to simulate movement in the pocket before releasing the ball. Diagram 2: Proper Form Drill - In this drill, the QB’s always maintain 10 yards distance between each other. There are four components to this drill. The first has the quarterback kneeling down on his right knee, followed by his left knee, then both knees and finishing with both of his toes on the yard line. The object of this drill is to focus on the quarterback using proper form. His elbow should always be up and he should be concentrating on a good follow through. Again, proper form can be highlighted in this drill due to the fact that the quarterback is only concentrating on his upper body technique. Diagram 3: Zone Read Drill - In this drill the QB practices decision making by reading the DE’s movement.
It takes a considerable amount of time and effort to get to the point of being an outstanding quarterback and team leader, and these drills are a great starting point toward those goals. |
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