The Quarterback is the most controlling and essential position on the offensive side. The reason behind that is that the Quarterback should lead the offense, throw the ball, hand it to the accurate player, and relay the plays to other players. This player receives the ball in the line of scrimmage, initiates action, and handles the snap movement at the beginning of the game.
Quarterbacks are always someone who is tall and should have one of the expertise of instead passing the ball well or running well. They should have the leadership qualities and should be able to guide the offense down the field.
We all know good passes win the game, and the responsibility of knowing the positions of every player and executing the play are the qualities of a quarterback.
When talking about a Quarterback’s accuracy, many different things go along while improving the skills. The player has to be calm to be more accurate with passing while on the field; pressure in Quarterback usually ruins it all.
The more room and space they get from the offensive line better they perform for an accurate pass.
Overall, quarterback roles vary depending on what he is good at and the skills of the player. Here in this blog, we will lookout for some of the best quarterback playing and training strategies combined with quarterback drills that would help you whether you have been playing Quarterback for years or just starting.
Understand the Defense.
Understanding the defense weaknesses and understanding what’s going on around him is very important for a good quarterback. They should be smart and identify in what front they are in and what coverages can be run from that point and then, based on the keys to exactly which blitz, narrow them down, which will be the significant factor in identifying how well you will perform on the field.
This should be trained every day, and it’s so crucial that it usually takes a lot of time and takes years to develop.
Being More Accurate.
If you want to be effective as a Quarterback, accuracy is one factor that would let you become in football. Your main motto should always be able to deliver the ball so that they shouldn’t get tackled right away and should catch the ball comfortably.
There are many ways of becoming more accurate; some are having an extra high-quality throwing session. Most international quarterbacks throw at most three times(3x) a week, whereas Quarterbacks in America throw 3x to 5x times a week. These little extra work counts and compounds with time and makes a significant difference in the long run. You can script your session to get various throws, looks, throwing to different positions, and types of footwork.
The Quarterback Should be a Leader.
As we know, whenever there is a question about who is the greatest player in football, most of them will be Quarterbacks.
Quarterbacks are always the most popular players in football, and many things go behind being the one. And one of the qualities that make them so glorifying is their leadership skills.
All players must respect quarterbacks, and for that, they must make sure they are up to a point in all scenarios. Respect is earned by working hard on the field and the film room taking everyone together, and being accessible.
They always need to be students of the game and keep learning all the time, though it looks easy to throw, handle the ball, and run. They should understand the offense of their team and get to know about their core qualities and what makes them succeed to make them achieve a common goal.
Before we start with their throwing drills and playing strategies, none of this will be useful if you don’t have an effective workout program. Here are the best workouts focusing on rotational power, recovery for the joints, single-leg movement, and footwork drills.
Quarterback Training Guide.
- Shoulder Rotation.
Shoulder rotation helps increase the range of motions. It prevents muscle injuries for youth quarterback football players, resulting in one of the crucial exercises football players can practice decreasing muscle soreness.
- Rotational Lunge Twist.
Lunge rotational twist targets glutes, abdominals, hip flexors, and hamstring to develop the lower body strength for youth football quarterbacks. Working with a medicine ball while rotating and holding is a great exercise to build resilience that contracts your muscles to engage with your core while improving balance and proprioception.
You can start with a medicine ball and stand with feet about shoulder-width, and hold the ball with elbows bent 90 degrees. Step forward with your right foot into a primary lunge position. Being in a controlled manner, twist your upper body, and bring your arm back to the center. Repeat the process for ten reps.
- Dumbbell press.
Single-arm dumbbell presses are the key for fitness, power, and strength-building athletes to improve muscle hypertrophy, upper body strength and reduce muscular dysfunction. Unilateral bench press variation, single-arm dumbbell press, offers many benefits that help build a firm, athletic physique.
Start by lifting weight in one hand and lying into the bench; ensure that the non-weighted hand is either placed on the stomach or extended the same as another hand to create maximum back tension and stability.
Start by pulling the dumbbell slowly towards the body and pushing back, and repeating the same process with the other hand.
- Squats
Squats are universal exercises for everyone, and I love doing squats before my warm-up exercise.
A squat is a versatile exercise that targets many muscles in your lower body, such as” quads, glutes, and hamstring.”
Once you have warmed up with a few reps, you can start lifting weights to increase the exercise’s intensity.
The squat has been the most popular exercise for everyone working out, but there is a lot to see about the posture you are squatting on. A wrong squat stance can result in irregular pains and back pains.
So here are the tips to make sure you are squatting correctly.
Stand with your hip one foot apart and turn your toes forward or little towards outside.
As shown in the video, make your back straight and engage with your core; slowly lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the ground or 90 degrees between the legs.
Pro tip: To know whether your back is straight or not, face your chin a little upwards and try to focus on 2 feet above your height level, which will eventually result in making your back straight.
Exhale and stand back and repeat the process for 3 to 4 reps.
Improve Quarterback Throwing Drills.
- Pat and Go Drill.
Pat and go is one of the most crucial drills for youth football quarterbacks. The back-shoulder throw is always the most underutilized throw in the game. When quarterbacks throw the ball effectively, it becomes impossible to defend. It can hurt the defenders when thrown properly. Since the player can’t see the flight of the ball to protect, it becomes challenging to cover.
- Motive Behind the Drill: Pat and go Drill helps the Quarterback improve its catching skills by getting plenty of passes in a very short interval of time. It also teaches to throw during the receivers making the pass route cut, making it appropriate for tackle football.
- Set up: Setup for a Pat and go drill is very straightforward; split your team into two groups, having one Quarterback in each group along with two receivers.
- Procedure to do the Drill: The quarterbacks touch the football as the sign for their receiver to start their pass route, as the receivers start running on the way. The first receiver in line starts running as the Quarterback touches the ball, and it throws the ball, and the receiver catches it. As it catches the ball, the receivers give the ball to the Quarterback at the end of the field. The receiver catches the ball and runs towards the fronting Quarterback, joining the Quarterback’s receivers’ line as you complete placing the ball with the Quarterback’s feet.
Dead Bugs
The dead bug involves lying on the mat with face up and the arms in the air, your torso, and legs, bending your knees while making an angle of 90 degrees. And when you get in this position, lower your opposite hand and legs slowly in the ground position while the other two opposite one hand and one leg are in the air. Repeat this process with alternative hands and legs. This seems simple, but you have to completely stabilize through the midsection if you want to perform this abs exercise. It’s a total core movement that helps you work on your abs and helps you get a better form in your overall game.
This exercise honors the natural body structure, which decreases the chance of injury while you practice.
This means some parts of your body are meant to be mobile like “hips and ankles” while others are intended to be stable like your lumbar spine. Here, since you are lying on the ground and pressing the lower rib cage, you’re engaging the core’s lower muscle and protecting your lower back.