Improve Quarterbacking Skills with Specific Drills

In all levels of the sport, the quarterback is the most important player on the team. His ability to lead the team, play under pressure and perform capably in all situations will decide the fate of a team, raising mediocre squads to great ones or in some situations, bringing down very good teams to average ones. Teaching your quarterbacks the fundamentals will help your entire team improve.

Basic quarterback drills are always important, but there especially important at a young age. This is when habits are formed and basic skills are remembered for the long haul as hardened techniques.

Before your quarterback can effectively throw the ball he has to be able to hold onto the ball. Therefore one of the most basic drills you can start with involves your quarterback holding the ball with one hand and moving it around, over and through his body. Have him change body postures and do it on the move. It will help your quarterback gain a sense of what is and isn’t possible and how he has to react in game situations.

You can make this more challenging by having another player or a coach walking around the player or running at the player and trying to swipe the ball out of his hands. The purpose of this drill is to instill ball control and comfort with handling the ball.

Moving up to the next drill you will have to teach your quarterback the proper way to hand the ball off. Line up as the running back behind your quarterback and have him simulate taking a snap, turning around and handing the ball to you. Be sure to show him how to hold the ball during the hand off process and where it needs to be placed, in your stomach where your hands and arms are ready to grasp it.

From the basic handoff you can then practice the harder tosses and pitches that accompany a complete offensive attack. You can practice reverses, sweeps, laterals and all behind the line of scrimmage handoffs and passes. Some players have difficulty being accurate with these short throws, so be sure to give them the opportunity to get in a solid number of repetitions so they can consistently develop their muscle memory and learn the skill.

Throwing the ball accurately is more important than throwing the ball with force, and this drill will help instill accuracy while also building strength. Have two of your quarterbacks each be on one knee about ten yards apart from one another. Without ever standing up or moving from side to side, one quarterback picks up a football from the turf and with proper techniques throws it to the other player. They alternate in this fashion without ever getting up which forces accuracy and teaches sound technique.

The goal is that neither player should have to get up and move to catch any of the passes or make any of the throws. You’ll be emphasizing accuracy and teaching solid techniques, while building core strength and range of motion. Each player should complete two or three dozen passes, then switch knees and do it again. After a few practice sessions, have the players be down on both knees when performing this drill.

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