Football Training Tips To Succeed At The College Level: Quarterback Position Tip #4:

by CSA Prepstar Canada

As far as passing goes, most college teams in the NCAA pass an awful lot more than most people imagine. As such, the quarterback must be very consistent in passing and decision making on the field.

As a new quarterback in the NCAA, in the beginning of your college career, you should concentrate more on the section of the field where you'll be throwing the ball and not so much on the receiver's pass pattern. For the most part you will have one primary receiver and one secondary receiver. If both of your receivers are covered then take off and run.

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THROWING

Make sure you use a comfortable grip on the ball with your index finger resting near the top of the ball slightly across the scene and off the laces. The middle and third fingers rest across the laces while your pinky finger should rest directly on the lace.

Now depending on the size of your hand, it will be positioned near the middle of the ball. Your hand lightly grips in the back part of the ball's center and with your opposite hand resting firmly on the ball.

FOOTWORK

If you are a right-handed quarterback you should take a short cheat step forward with your left foot in the ball is snapped. The rest of the footwork of course will be based upon what play is called.

In the short three-step dropback, after your initial cheat step, you'll then step back with your right foot, crossing over with left foot, then crossing over with your right foot to plant for the throw.

In a five-step dropback, you'll do this the same as a three-step dropback, however you'll then add a left crossover and use the next right cross to plant for the throw. For a deep, seven step drop you'll start the same as a five-step, but then you'll have a left crossover and use the next right cross to plant for the throw.

For most screen throws, you'll basically use a seven step drop but then continue back an additional few steps away from the line.

MAKING THE THROW

The first part to make in a successful throw is to have your feet finish directly under your hips. Your feet should be closer together than when you took the dropback steps. The last step in the dropback is the first in the stride phase. Make sure you grip the ball firmly at the numbers and bring the ball back behind your head with your hips and shoulders pointed at the target area.

During the stride portion your stride for will come forward landing with your toes pointing towards the intended target. Your midsection should be pointed at the target before the ball is released with your elbow bent at almost a right angle as you begin the throwing motion.

As you are throwing you should be holding the ball on top of your hand with your hand in back of the elbow as the ball begins to come forward. As your stride foot comes forward the opposite hand releases the ball. Rotate your hips around the trunk and shoulders around your head as the ball is thrown finishing the throw lined up with your target.

For the follow through the palm of your throwing hand should face out and away from your body after the ball is released.

There will of course be many other situations that call for different types of throws, specifically lofting the ball and throwing while on the run or under pressure. If you're forced to loft the ball, slightly tip the ball's nose up and release at a higher point with a higher follow through than normal. When passing on the run or under pressure always try to point your hips towards the target with your stride foot stepping directly toward the target.

YOUR RECEIVERS

Now, as you are going through each step involved in a throwing play your receivers are also going through various steps. Fair pass routes basically break into four different areas: the release; the glide; the Sprint; and the burst.

During the release your receiver will be sprinting up field trying to get past a defender as quickly as possible. The glide portion changes the route to try and move the defensive back away from and break free. If the defense of back is not in the position where the receiver wants him to be, the receiver will then run directly at the defense of back to try and move him into the desired position.

The Sprint portion is designed to try and make a defense of that think that the receiver is going deep. The burst, prepares a receiver to catch the ball. The receiver's head will turn towards the area where the ball be thrown and he'll prepare to catch the ball.

While all this is going on, the Center, after the snap will move backwards towards the quarterback keeping their body between the defender and you.