Playing quarterback is one of the most demanding positions of all sports and it takes a very discipline and structured individual to be successful playing this position, because of the physical and mental strain one endures during a season is very tasking.
Before we get into the misunderstandings of off-season training, let’s talk about what it takes to play the quarterback position and how you should dedicate yourself to off season training.
Two Tough Honest Questions for Quarterbacks?
Before we get going, I’m going to ask players two very hard and honest questions.
- How much time have you dedicated to your off season training before training camp?
- And, if you’re playing football 8 to 9 months of the year, when are you resting and training on your skill sets?
Depending on your answers, you can see the goal to off season training is to improve your skill sets, and that is why you must dedicate your off-season training with a very detailed practice plan to cover every physical and mental aspect of your game.
Here are 5 Mistakes QB make during the off season.
- Focused too much on throwing.
- Not enough attention given to footwork drills.
- Not taking the time to be fundamentally sound with QB mechanics
- Not having a proper training regiment for the physical and mental attributes.
- Most importantly, not knowing how a defense works.
Do I Need to Throw for 50 Minutes in Practice?
When you break down game film, any game, it can be your last game or the game you just watched on television, what was the ratio of Run to Pass? If you’re in a 50% pass and 50% rush offense, how many of those 50% passes were over 20 yards?
Here’s a guestimate of the types of throws during a game.
- Screens 7%
- TB Swings or Flats passes 3%
- Quick Game (10 yards or less) 15%
- Play Action 10%
- Passing Plays 15%
As you can see, there are many different types of throws in this type of offense (Spread), so make sure you practice every type of throws during off season training.
Fix Your Feet, the Rest will Follow!
After warmups, I always like to get into footwork drills, as it gets an early sweat going, which tells the mind you are getting work done and it gets the blood circulation moving. The things to focus on during footwork drill is quickness, explosiveness, and balance.
Attention to Details on QB Mechanics
Every play has a special attention to detail for the QB position. Like I said from the top, every play in football is not a passing play. How do you set up as a Quarterback? Are you a “Right or Left” foot forward type of quarterback? Do you take a punch step on the snap? What are your “Ride and Decide” mechanics? If you want to be a great quarterback, you will need to dedicate your training to specific movements on certain plays.
Are you a Weekend Warrior QB or Dedicated to Your Craft?
There’s an old saying, you get out of life what you put into it!
If you put 2-hours a week into your quarterback training, you will be a 2-hour a week quarterback. If you dedicated 10 or more hours a week, then there’s a greater chance you will be better than the weekend warrior quarterback.
Now, I’m not saying you must train in the dome 2 hours a day for 7 days a week, understand your body is the vehicle and your mind is what drives the car. Plus, rest is also needed in the off season, you must recharge the batteries.
Here’s a very basic QB training plan:
- Strength and Conditioning: Aim for 2 to 3 days per week. Improve core strength.
- Speed Training: 2 to 4 days per week – Train for speed and agility
- QB Skill Set Training: Having anywhere from 2 to 3 dedicated training sessions per week.
Depending on your goals, you can see time management will play a key role in attaining those goals.
Wouldn’t You like to Have the Answer at the Line of Scrimmage Before the Snap?
I think it would be safe to say, over 50% of high school quarterbacks are winging it once they get to the line of scrimmage. Once you understand how a defense works, you will have half the battle won before the snap.
Learning the basic “Fronts and Coverages” will take a lot of the guess work right out of the equation and you will have an idea where to attack the defense and know the strength and weakness of all the coverages.
About Coach Ron Raymond
Capital QB’s was founded by 8-time champion Head Coach Ron Raymond of Ottawa, Ontario in June 2011. Coach Ron Raymond has played and coached the Quarterback position in the Ottawa area for over 30 years and has helped developed hundreds of amateur and university quarterback and players since he started the school in 2011.
Quarterback Training Ottawa
Are you looking for quarterback training in the Ottawa area, we have 3 different training sessions that could fit your developing needs. Starting in January 2023, we will be training on Saturdays at the Louis Riel Dome with our friends at Gridiron. If you’re looking for more footwork and throwing sessions, then maybe the Thursday throwing sessions might be more beneficial for your development.
Finally, it’s great to have all the physical tools to play the quarterback position, but without understanding the game of football as a student to slow the game down for you mentally, will make you a hesitant quarterback to make the right decisions during critical times of a game. If you’re interested in joining coach Ron’s online QB-iQ online course, the first course starts on January 17th via Zoom lessons.
