Purpose: to develop spotting a target with the eyes.
to develop the cool of the upper body.
to develop the front arm tuck.
to develop the wrist/finger release position.
to develop the proper ball release point.
Release drill setup
Stand 10 yard apart from a throwing partner. Stand with your two toes on a line with your knees, hips and shoulders squarely facing your partner. Keep your feet stationary and facing your partner as your throw. Do not move them. Rotate only your upper body to throw. NO stride.
Stance
Hold the football with two hands in the drop back position, "chest to chin height", no higher and no lower. The end of the ball is pointed at a 45 degree angle to the ground insuring that your wrist is "loaded", or cocked, to release at the right moment. Stand tall and bend your knees so you are in athletic position with your shoulders over your knees and your knees over your toes. Focus your eyes on your throwing target, your partners face.
Throwing at a Target
I believe that you don't have to ask a quarterback what he saw or where he was looking after a thrown because:
You always throw where you are looking,
and you always hit what you are looking at.
Consequently where you look during this throwing progression is extremely important.
Training accuracy
During all these drills, the eyes need to focus on the face of the receiver or partner. He needs to have "laser eyes". His "throwing target" for all throws will be the "face of his partner". His "throwing miss area" is shoulder top to shoulder tip width and no lower than chest height. Any throw outside of this defined area is a mistake. But not a wasted rep. No reps are wasted. It's how you learn.
If you don't give the quarterback specific accuracy parameters for every throw including any warm-ups, then you will not develop his accuracy to the maximum level, or, to a level you will be content with on game day.
Target accuracy error feedback
Use the feedback of where the miss occurred to correct the mechanic mistake for the next throw. This is a most critical component of this program. When you are correcting each throw for accuracy and fixing it on the next rep you are doing "deep practice".
Deep practice means you monitor each repetition for a mistake, you know when you make an error and you know how to fix it. The ability to deep practice is extremely important if you want to become elite or to be able to reach full potential.
Here are the general target error rules for a quarterback for these drills:
Missing high - ball is released too early
Missing low - ball is released too late
Any miss left or right of the target indicates that the throwing arm path started outside the vertical line to the target. In other words, the throwing arm came across the body to throw the ball. This is caused by:
Front arm movement and tuck that rotates around the body and pulls the throwing arm on a circular path to the target instead of a linear or straight path to the target.
So, when a throw is to the left or right of the face (target) of the throwing partner the the arm was not on a perfect linear path to the target. Focus on keeping the front arm stable and pointed at the target. Move your chest toward the front arm as you throw.
To summarize:
Missing left of target - arm path not toward target, ball is released too late.
Missing right of target - arm path not toward target, ball is released too early.
Coil and rotation of the upper body
To start the coiling of the upper body, "push the ball backward" with the front hand. It is the left hand for a right handed quarterback. This helps load the upper body coil quicker and with more energy.
It is natural to feel like you can't rotate or coil as much as you like. Keeping the hips square to the target inhibits hip rotation and causes this feeling. We want to isolate the upper body and develop the oblique muscles, side muscles, to pull aggressively through the delivery and release motion and this is the method to do that.
Rotate or coil your upper body to the point where your "front shoulder is almost
pointing straight at your target". It will stall out about 10-15 degrees short of that but this mind set will get you to maximum rotation. Keep your upper body tall as you do this. Don't lean backward.
Notice:
• Feet stable as toes straight ahead
• Hips rotated
• Ball pushed back with front hand
• Eyes like lasers on target
• Upper body tall
Starting the arm forward
Start the uncoiling of the upper body and the moving of the arm to throw by taking your front hand off the ball and tucking the elbow of your "front arm downward and tight to your chest". Move the chest to the arm and not the other way around. Keep the front arm stationary.
Getting the ball on the target line
To get the ball on line to the target the "throwing elbow needs to come through above the shoulder line". As you tuck your front elbow you will notice a slight shoulder tilt, left to right, that will cause the throwing elbow to be elevated to this position.
Keep the throwing elbow above the shoulder line throughout the throwing motion. Dropping the elbow below the shoulder line causes the arm to cut across the body or rotate away from the target.
The throwing elbow will be up and out at a 45 degree angle with the hand inside the elbow. As the arm comes through, think about "pointing your index and middle fingers directly at your target".
Your "laser eyes" are telling your fingers where to point.
"Hold your upper body perfectly stable" while the arm is moving to the target. Any movement of the upper body forward, backward, left or right will change the arm path to the target and create an inability to control the flight path of the ball.
Upper body movement during the arm movement to throw causes inconsistent arm paths which causes inconsistent accuracy.
Releasing the ball
The ball is released just in "front of the face" at the point where the triceps or arm is almost fully extended. This is the point where:
• your hips have fully uncoiled
• your belly button is facing your target
• your arm is at maximum speed
• your triceps muscle is fully contracted
• your weight has shifted to your toes
• your upper body is upright and stable
Now your whole body is behind the throw, the ball is on the target line and you can control the flight of the ball.
Any deviation from these essential elements of release will cause an errant throw.
Finger tip release
The fingers are spread out on the football with fingertip pressure applied as you hold it. You should hold the ball firmly but not with a "death grip". As you release the ball it will roll off the fingers smoothly and easily with the middle and index finger being the last two to release off the ball.
Remember that these are the two fingers point at your target so a smooth roll of the ball off these fingers provides the spin that keeps the ball on line to the target.
Wrist action
The wrist which was in the "loaded position" during the drop back phase is now ready to snap and accelerate the fingers off the ball to provide greater spin to the ball. As you feel the middle and index finger leaving the ball, snap your wrist to accelerate these fingers. This "wrist snap" will cause your hand to rotate inward so your pinky finger is facing upward and your thumb is facing downward.
This wrist snap is a timing element that you develop a feel for. And, this is why you will do this throwing sequence every time as a warm-up before you throw to moving targets.
Sequencing and timing movements need to be practiced and "warmed up" BEFORE you are asked to perform or do skills, like throwing at moving targets.
Finishing the throw
Decelerating the arm improperly is what causes most arm injuries.
The arm must continue to move forward at the same rate of speed just after release. It gradually decelerate through the finish until it reaches the opposite hip. This insures that your arm is "accelerating through the throw" and has ample time tonreduve speed or decelerate without causing damage to the arm over time.
"Arm speed at and through the release" is also paramount to keeping the ball on line to the target.
The faster the arm is at release the longer distances the quarterback is able to throw the ball "on a line".
Arm speed equals ball flight distance and "on a line" throws.
Continue the upper body rotation after the release so that the back part of the throwing shoulder is pointing at the target. This demonstrates that the arm was "accelerating to and through" the release point.
Coaching notes
You must learn to release the ball from the same point in front of your body every time in order to be accurate.
You can have a different arm angle for the release but the same release point must be reached in order to have the same arm velocity and accuracy on every throw.
An early release point results in high passes with poor accuracy. A late release results in low passes with reduced velocity and accuracy.
Repititon sequence
Do these 15 throws for this release drill. The distances are how far apart you are from your partner.
10 yards - 5 throws
15 yards - 5 throws
20 yards - 5 throws
Release drill execution goal
Do it RIGHT......
Focus on accuracy; aim at your partners face every time.
Do it with INTENSITY....
Keep track of how many times you hit his face from each distance; a total of 15 points I.e. 14 out of 15
Do it AGAIN...
Record your results for each distance and for an overall accuracy percentage
For example:
10 yards = 5 out of 5
15 yards = 3 out of 5
20 yards = 4 out of 5
Total = 12 out of 15
Work towards a perfect score, 15 out of 15.
