Straight arm into the net drill
Whenever a quarterback throws the ball to another player, he should be working on accuracy. For this reason, he SHOULD NOT throw to another player in this particular drill, since the entire purpose of this drill is to improve the “whip” and strength of his throwing arm. In this drill HE SHOULD throw the ball as hard as he possibly can, without concern about the accuracy of the throw.
For this drill you will need some type of net or target for the quarterback to throw at. The QB should stand about 10 yards in front of the net gripping the ball in his passing hand. The ball is raised directly over his head with both hands so that his passing arm is straight up and down. From this position, he throws the ball as hard as possible without drawing the ball either backward or downward prior to throwing. He must avoid the natural tendency to flex the elbow or to draw the ball back just before he starts to throw. Constantly remind him to throw the ball as hard as he can. With enough practice, he will eventually find that by whipping his arm down and snapping his wrist, he will be able to throw into the net with considerable power. Players who have worked on this drill have found that it has added another 10 yards of distance to their throws.
Throwing on the run into the net drill
This is another drill designed to improve the strength in your quarterback’s passing arm by throwing hard into the net without having to worry too much about accuracy. The QB lines up to one side and about 5 yards away from the net. Then, he should “sprint-out” or “roll out” and throw the ball as hard as he can into the net while running at full speed. Remind him to run with the ball in both hands at chin level and then twist the upper body as the shoulders are parallel to the net.
Off-balance drill
When discussing proper passing techniques, it has been emphasized that whenever possible the passer should be on balance, and should step toward the receiver he is throwing to. It is certainly always preferable that this be done. However, there will be occasions when a quarterback may have to pass while spinning out of the grasp of a tackler, or when fading back away from some hard rushing defensive lineman.
In this drill the quarterback should deliberately throw while off-balance so that when forced to do this in a game he will realize it is now necessary to put more power into the throw in order for the ball to carry the same distance. Ordinarily, when throwing to a receiver 15 to 20 yards away, a quarterback would step toward the receiver and it would not be necessary to throw particularly hard. When throwing the same distance while fading back away from the receiver, momentum is going in the other direction, and it is now necessary to throw with the same amount of power he would normally use on a 30 to 40 yards pass. Otherwise the ball will drop short, which is one of the major reasons why passes are so often intercepted when a passer throws off-balance.
In this drill, the quarterback should throw while fading straight back, moving laterally to either side, or when falling back at a 45-degree angle in either direction. With practice your QB will find that he can still throw fairly accurately, once he realizes how much extra arm whip is necessary to make the ball reach the receiver.
Some individuals are fortunate to have a stronger natural throwing arm than others. A “great” passer, however, is one who becomes great because of his willingness to constantly work to perfect his throwing motion and to strengthen his passing arm.
You can improve if you are willing to work!
“Practice without improvement is meaningless”
Chuck Knox Former Head Football Coach Seattle Seahawks
“Don’t mistake activity for achievement. Practice it the right way.”
John Wooden Hall of Fame Basketball Coach UCLA
About the Author:
Recently retired coach Charlie Stubbs coached for 27 years on the college level. Known as being an outstanding quarterbacks coach, Stubbs had coaching stints at his alma mater, BYU, as well as at Alabama, Oregon State, Louisville, UNLV, Tulsa, Memphis, Nicholls State, Tennessee-Martin and Central Missouri. He can be reached through his e-mail: charliestubbs86@gmail.com.