The Best Quarterback Exercises

One of the biggest myths in football is that the quarterback's arm strength determines how good he is at his position. Arm strength is a factor, but it won't help much if the quarterback is not accurate. The quarterback also must have excellent footwork, hand-eye coordination and ball-faking ability. There are exercises and drills to help the quarterback do his job well.

Get-Back Drill

After taking the snap from the center, the quarterback must drop back, set his feet, find his open receiver and throw the football. In this drill, the quarterback takes the snap from underneath the center, drops back three steps, sets and delivers the ball. He then does the same drill and drops back five steps and then seven steps. The key is to throw the ball quickly and on balance.

Quick-Release Drill

The quarterback stands 8 yards behind the line of scrimmage with a coach in front of him. The quarterback scrambles to his right 5 to 7 yards at full speed and then goes the opposite direction at full speed. At one point, the coach yells "ball," and the quarterback throws the ball to him as quickly as he can. This teaches the quarterback how to get rid of the ball quickly and accurately in an instant.

Sprint-Out Exercise

The quarterback has to throw the ball on the run in the modern game. When teams throw the ball 40 times or more in a game, the quarterback faces significant pressure throughout the game. The quarterback must get used to throwing the ball on the run. Have the quarterback take the snap and sprint out 7 to 10 yards and fire the ball to the wide receiver approaching the sidelines. Have him make 10 throws going to his right and 10 going to his left. When a right-handed quarterback can throw going to his left -- or vice versa -- he becomes much more unpredictable and dangerous.

Progression Exercise

The quarterback drops back 7 yards and throws the ball 10 yards upfield to his wide receiver. As soon as he gets rid of the ball, a coach tosses him another ball and the quarterback sets his feet and throws it 20 yards upfield. He takes a third ball from the coach and throws it 30 yards to a receiver running a deep pattern. The ability to throw three different passes -- short, medium and long -- in succession helps a quarterback develop versatility and avoid predictability.