The Importance of a Good Off-Season Training Program

By Jim Baxter

Lets face it; the quarterback has diverse requirements on the field as the offensive game continues to develop; no longer are we looking for a tall guy who can stand still and sling it. The quarterback has to be smart, mobile, strong armed and have the ability to think and throw on the move. A solid off-season training program that focuses on processing information, flexibility, body alignment, footwork outside of the throwing motion (drops) and the throwing motion is the type of program that has your quarterback ready for the football season.

A good strength program is essential in the overall development of any athlete and with the quarterback can prevent shoulder injuries by focusing on a program that includes stabilization of the shoulder. I see a lot of quarterbacks in our camps that have great anterior strength but are weak on the posterior side.  Remember, you’re only as strong as your weakest link so regardless of how strong that  anterior side is, the velocity from strength is going to be determined by the weaker side. What you want to look at is a program that focuses on core strength, joint integrity focusing on the smaller stabilizing muscles of the joints (not just the big lifts), speed, explosive quickness, flexibility and recovery.  For our speed work, I like to focus on functional speed or “field speed” as much as linear work. A good 40 yard dash time is nice but not nearly as important as how explosively quick the quarterback is within a 15 yard area, where he is making plays.

In overhanded throwing, there is a proximal to distal sequencing supplied by the kinetic chain.  Understanding the entire kinetic chain of the throwing motion of the quarterback is key in the development and implementation of drills focused on correcting deficiencies in the motion, as well as enhancing proper mechanics through the motion.

With QB1 Quarterback Training, we focus on every element of that kinetic chain, dividing it into four phases: Early cocking phase, late cocking or “loading” phase, the acceleration phase, and the follow through. You will hear me and my coaches at training camps continually talking about generating ground force to rotational force. This is accomplished by transferring that ground force up through the kinetic chain through the release and follow through phases. If one “link” in this chain is broken, then a series of poor mechanics will follow resulting in the death of "ground to rotational force" as well as the velocity of the football.

There also needs to be an understanding of the growth and development stages of the athlete. While we work with young quarterback hopefuls as early as 4th and 5th grade, there are slight variations in the program based on the abilities that may be restricted by the adolescent athlete’s growth and development stage. That said, there is no age limit on learning to do things the right way. We have criteria for each age group that we focus on in the training of our quarterbacks.