The quarterback plays one of the most important roles on any football team. Not only does he govern the plays that are executed on the field, it is also his job to make sure that the proper plays are executed correctly to gain yards and score points, and therefore win football games. There is a whole series of football quarterback drills you can run in your practices so your quarterback is in his best shape and playing his best game possible.
Building your football quarterback drills into a ritual will help your quarterback chart his progress throughout the season. When executed correctly, these drills last 20-30 minutes, leaving plenty of time in your practices for a short warm-up and a game of scrimmage after the drills.
Start with this drill that helps your quarterback work on ball handling and security. The quarterback should take a football in his hands and move it in a circular motion around his head, under his arms, around his waist, and between his knees and legs. Start with a rotation of all areas and then have the coach running the drill say the name of a specific area for the quarterback to focus on. Adding commands like “reverse,” which changes the direction of rotation, to the drill will keep your players on their toes.
The next of the football quarterback drills begins with the quarterbacks standing in a line with each holding a ball. For this drill, the supervising coach will act as the running back by standing to the side behind the quarterbacks approximately where the running back stands to receive a throw sweep. To begin the drill, the quarterback steps back, throwing a sweeping pass to the coach, simulating the sweeping game. After completing his throw, the quarterback moves to the end of the line and the next player throws the same throw. The drill continues in this manner until each quarterback throws at least 10 passes.
The next quarterback exercise aims to build flexibility and speed of release. Divide your quarterbacks into pairs that start facing each other ten yards apart with the right knee on the ground. A player starts by taking the soccer ball next to his right leg, picks it up with his powerful hand, and brings it to his ear with both hands on the ball. He throws it to his partner, who catches it, places it on the ground next to her right arm, and repeats the throwing procedure. Proper throwing techniques should be emphasized during this drill: leading with the elbow, pointing the wrist in the direction the ball should be headed, and bringing the ball up to the ear before releasing. After throwing and receiving 20-30 passes, have your players switch knees and repeat the drill. Once this drill has been implemented and practiced a few times, your players should be able to complete the task with both knees on the ground, once enough flexibility has been gained in the torso area.
