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The full text of “Eight Parts of the Body That are Crucial to Quarterback Accuracy” by Mitch Dahlen, Quarterbacks Coach, College of Idaho, from the Vol 2 — Fall 2018 issue.
Page 24A s a Quarterback Coach, I am always wanting my guys to be more accurate. Getting to the magical 70% completion rate is a tough but attainable goal through constant progression and refinement. Quarterback mechanics have created a divide in many coaching circles because many believe it is something you cannot coach. I firmly disagree with this statement, because like all things, minor tweaks and adjustments can cause major changes. Especially in a Quarterback’s throwing motion.
Like swinging a golf club, if you have one minor tweak in your swing, your ball might end up in someone’s windshield. The following are parts that are pivotal for high accuracy and increasing velocity. Feet- Your feet are the most critical aspect of the throw, because they are what start the motion. If you are not stepping at your target, then no matter how efficient your upper body is, you will hardly ever be accurate. Without good foot placement will be fighting the physics of your body trying to be accurate.
Teaching QB’s to point their left pinky toe directly at their target will allow the body to have the optimal position to bring their throwing hip through the throw. The weight of your feet should be balanced throughout the drop, only at the top of the drop is when weight should be “loaded” onto that right foot and then transferred through the throw in the direction of the intended target. Knees- Knees are next in the line when it comes to throwing mechanics.
Your knees are the catalyst for driving the energy from your feet through your hips. As a QB is throwing he should have enough bend in his knees that he is able to explode through his throw. Locking the front knee will cause many issues when trying to throw. The most prevalent issue being that the ball will sail and it will make it impossible for the throwing hip to 8 Parts of the Body that are Crucial to Quarterback Accuracy By Mitch Dahlen, Quarterbacks Coach College of Idaho
Page 2525 come through on the throw. If the back knee is locked, the QB will not be able to bring the right hip through because he will have to “pop” his hip up in the air when he throws. This popping of the hip results in high balls and a major decrease in velocity. The optimal level of bend is just enough that the QB can transfer his weight from his back foot through the front leg. The bend in the knees should allow the QB to feel like he can drive his right hip directly at the target.
Off Hip- Your off hip is the hip away from your throwing arm. This hip is what will guide the throw and guide the shoulders of the Quarterback. If the left hip is not pointed at the target it will result in balls sailing high and outside when throwing to the right and high and inside when throwing to left. This is because as the off hip goes so too, will the off shoulder.
To be accurate a QB needs to have his off hip in the direction of his target to optimize the amount of torque created though the Quarterback’s legs and core. The off hip, also be called the lead hip, is imperative for high accuracy and also creates a high degree of velocity when the QB is throwing. Throwing Hip- The single biggest problem I have had when working with QB’s is this part of the throwing motion.
Many QB’s have the tendency to pop their hip in the air, losing all the energy and momentum they created in their drop. If they pop their hip they have lost all their velocity and the ball will die on them. You see the great mechanical throwers and they are bringing the right hip though their motion on every throw. Having a strong core is great but a QB must be able to use that in his throwing mechanics. Bringing that right hip through the throw is where high velocity comes from.
If a QB is popping his hip up in the air I would suggest telling him to “tickle the grass” with his right foot on the throw. This will insure that he is not lifting his leg up like a baseball pitcher would. We want that right hip exploding through the throw in the direction of the target. I am not a scientist by any means but bringing that right hip to the target will create more velocity and more accuracy for the throw. Hands- Many young QB’s will have problems with their grip.
Choking the pall and palming the ball are both common mistakes. The biggest mistake that I see is that kids will have too many fingers on the laces. I teach my QB’s to have their ring finger on the laces, and their index finger as high on the ball as they can. The index finger is what gives the QB control when he Look at Drew Brees. See his left pinky toe is pointed in the direction of his target. This allows for his right hip to come through with power.
Page 2626 is throwing and allows for him to “flick the booger” on his release. For smaller handed QB’s, I suggest putting the ring finger on Lace #1 while the pinky is just off Lace #4. For bigger handed QB’s, I suggest putting the ring finger on Lace #2 while the pinky is just off of Lace #5. Overall, the biggest coaching point for the grip is to be comfortable and to have control over the ball with the index finger so you can “flick” the ball and it will spiral.
Off Shoulder/Elbow- The off shoulder and off hip are what sets the line for a QB. If my off hip is pointed at the 20 yard line just outside the hash, my off shoulder needs to be pointed at that EXACT same target. Teaching QB’s to “stay closed” is critical for high accuracy. The second a QB is throwing with his shoulders “open”, meaning that they are not pointed at the target he is having to fight his body to be accurate and that is not what we want.
We want the QB to have his off hip and off shoulder aligned so that the QB can finish through his throw and all of his strength and velocity aimed right at the target. The off elbow is another HUGE problem area for QB’s. If a QB is lifting his elbow and almost making a “W” with his arms he is not being efficient with his motion. I teach QB’s to keep left their left armpit tight so they could hold a wallet in there.
By keeping the left elbow tight to the body it allows the right arm to come over the top with a nice high release. I also tell QB’s to “Elbow their Brother”, meaning that they will push their off elbow all the way through the throw allowing their throwing hip and throwing shoulder to come through with the maximum amount of torque. Keeping the left elbow close to the body and elbowing the brother gives QB’s a nice tight frame that is able to transfer their weight to the throw.
Throwing Shoulder- The throwing shoulder should be the least emphasized part of a QB’s motion. Velocity and accuracy are created from the ground up, meaning that the feet, knees, and legs are what create velocity and accuracy. If everything is aligned from the off hip to the off shoulder, a QB’s throwing Peyton does a great job of keeping his elbow above his shoulder and getting a nice high release. This decreases the tension on his shoulder and allows for high accuracy.
Tom Brady does a tremendous job of keeping the wallet under his left armpit, and elbowing his brother on the throw.
Page 2727 arm should face minimum resistance. The forces of the body should allow the throwing shoulder to follow through at the target with no pain or tweaks. The ball should be “on the shelf”, on the right pec. This will allow the QB to push the ball up and back into the top of his throwing motion where he is able to keep his elbow above his shoulder. The second that the elbow dips below the shoulder now there is an ENORMOUS amount of tension on the elbow and shoulder. This leads to pain and damage of the shoulder.
Keeping the elbow high will allow for the QB to throw over the D-Line and keep his shoulder healthy. Also want the QB’s to have their bicep close to their helmet to ensure that we “lead with our elbow” causing minimal stress on the shoulder. The throwing shoulder should be flexible and be able to transfer the energy created from the lower body into the throw. Eyes- Lastly, if you want to be accurate, you need to “aim small, miss small”.
Meaning that if we want to use our throwing motion effectively we need to have a small target to aim at. For most QB’s that target should be right through the head of that receiver. A professional archer isn’t going to have a soft focus and just kind of guess where he is going to aim. He aims at a small target and he focuses his eyes on that specific target. It is no different for quarterback’s. If we want to be accurate we need to aim at a small target: the head of our receiver.
If we are able to create energy and velocity through our feet all the way up to our throwing arm, we better be able to focus on our target and give them the best possible ball.
