4 QB Drills to Teach QB’s to Extend Plays

By Mike Dovenberg
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
College of San Mateo (CA)
Twitter: @CoachDovey

 

 

While every coach hopes to have a perfect, clean pocket for every play, the reality is that oftentimes quarterbacks are forced to adjust and throw from an imperfect base or on the run. There is certainly value in recruiting a great athlete for whom these things come somewhat naturally, but I believe as coaches, we can drill and improve these skills. These drills are designed to enhance a QB’s “toolkit” for making plays in real game situations.

 

Organization of a Drill Bank
At the College of San Mateo (CSM) and as a private QB coach, I organize my drills into five categories:

1. General Footwork
2. Throwing Mechanics and Body Control
3. Perfect Drops
4. Pocket Movement and Escapes
5. Run, RPO, and Ball Security

 

For this report, we will primarily focus on the pocket movement and escapes portion. We drill at least one of these skills every day both and out of season. Let’s dive right into it.

 

Drill 1: Jog-Flip-Toss

Drill Mechanics

• QBs pair up 10 yards apart with one ball per pair.
• QB jogs slowly away from the target.
• On command, flip hips & deliver the ball to the target. Switch turn direction & repeat.

 

Coaching Points

• Emphasis is a fast turn with body control and smooth delivery of football.
• Ball in secure carriage position (armpit to armpit).
• Weight transfer from plant foot through the ball.

 

Clean follow through and throwing mechanics:

1. Full arm extension.
2. Elbow above the shoulder.
3. Finish with a thumb to the opposite hip.