ATTENTION: All Personal Quarterback Coaches

To All Personal Quarterback Coaches:

I would like to begin promoting personal quarterback training throughout the U.S. and the global football community.

If you would like your name and contact information to be listed on the Quarterback Blog, please send your information to evan (dot) a (dot) bowen@gmail.com.  This is a free service.

In the subject line of the e-mail, please include:  ATT: Personal Quarterback Coach Listing

Many Thanks,
Coach Evan Bowen

8-Year-Old Connecticut Quarterback Daron Bryden

Check out Daron Bryden, Quarterback from Enfield, CT showing off his skills.

ESPN's Year of the Quarterback

Check out ESPN's Year of the Quarterback
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/feature/index?page=yearofthequarterback

What is the Year of the Quarterback?

"This yearlong initiative will cover the lives and careers of quarterbacks from high school to the NFL, providing an in-depth examination of one of the most critical, coveted and talked about positions in all of sports."
-ESPN.com

3 Ways to Beat Press Coverage in Youth Football

By Dave Cisar 
WinningYouthFootball.com

How do you defeat press coverage when coaching youth football?

Most non-select teams in youth football do not play press coverage with their defensive backs, as it requires very physical and athletic corners. Press coverage almost always has the defensive backs right in the face of your receivers. With the defensive backs playing very physical, they will try to get their hands on your receivers and try to jam them up at the line of scrimmage.

Click here for Article

Berzinskas Still Waiting for First Offer

Roger Brown Recruiting Blog  |  ESPN.com  |  By Roger Brown

Quarterback Erich Berzinskas (Clinton, Conn./The Morgan School) may be the best-kept secret in Connecticut.

He is a shade under 6-foot-5, weighs 205 pounds and has been a standout on the combine circuit this year. However, he's still waiting for his first scholarship offer.

Perhaps it's because Berzinskas suffered a broken collarbone in the second game of his junior season and didn't appear in another game last fall. Although the injury occurred in the first quarter, Berzinskas played the remainder of that game.

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Ian Milne, QB, Trumbull High School, CT - Spring 2010

QB MVP - Junior - Erich Berzinskas - U100 East, NJ 2010

Erich Berzinskas - 2010 Ultimate 100 Combine

Erich Berzinskas - Elite 11 - Ohio State University

Self-Diagnosing the Throwing Motion

Ninety nine percent of all throwing errors and bad balls can be attributed to one or more of four common but fixable problems. Teaching quarterbacks to understand and recognize which of these four problems they are prone to will help them self-diagnose and correct bad balls faster and easier.

Problem #1: Over Striding

Over striding (stepping out too far) makes it difficult to impossible for a quarterback to throw over his front foot. This causes the release point to be closer to the ear, turning the throw into a “push” that results in high and wide balls. Over-striding also makes it nearly impossible to follow through as the ball will release well before the hand and shoulders can do their work.

The Fix: 1. Practice throwing with feet parallel and 2. throwing with very short or no strides. Both will enable the body to follow over the front foot. This will help release the ball at a higher and more forward point, enable a smoother and better follow through resulting in tighter and more accurate spirals.

Problem #2: Locking/Squaring the Opposite Shoulder

Keeping the opposite shoulder in a locked or square position also causes the release point to be closer to the ear and will significantly impact velocity as the arm is now forced to throw with little to no shoulder and body help.

The Fix: Practice pushing the ball back with the opposite arm to where the front shoulder points at the target. This creates more natural should action enabling the QB to practice rotating his opposite shoulder back farther to allow a higher and more forward release point. Another effective drill to increase should rotation is to have the opposite hand reach behind on each throw as if to slap a hand directly behind the quarterback. Improving shoulder rotation immediately impacts ball velocity as well as accuracy.

Problem #3: Breath Holding

Breath holding is a surprisingly common yet often overlooked problem. Breath holding causes the chest area and shoulders to tighten, restricting the shoulders from rotating properly. This causes the same problems as locking and squaring the opposite shoulder.

The Fix: Practice exhaling on each and every throw, including warm-ups, practice and in games.

Problem #4: Follow Through

A proper follow through is more than a pretty hand motion after a throw; it is a natural and smooth deceleration of a successful should rotation and hand pronation (finishing with the index finger and thumb pointing downward – opposite a curve ball throw). It is nearly impossible to throw a spiral without a good follow through as the hand will have to push the ball rather than rifle it towards the target.

The Fix: Exaggerate good follow through motions on every throw, including warm-ups, practice and in games.

Throwing Motion Tip: Pushing the Ball Back

Pushing the football back to the ear: QB's must always think "chest-ear-throw" while throwing the football, keeping the elbows relaxed by the side, shoulder width apart, avoiding tension and strain throughout the upper body. Pushing the football back to ear at the start of the motion will allow for the opposite shoulder to face down field in a perpendicular position. This results in better shoulder rotation, generates a more consistent release point and adds more torque to the throw.

Throwing to Both Sides of the Football Field

Throwing the football to both sides of the field is extremely difficult to do without proper footwork. Many quarterbacks have the tendency to open up their front/lead foot and front shoulder to quickly when throwing to the arm side of the field. This can cause the body to be too far out ahead of the arm and throwing motion causing the QB to sail the football and lose accuracy. Quarterbacks also have the tendency to stay too closed while throwing to the opposite side of the field (not stepping at the target), causing them to throw the football across their body.

Proper footwork the end of each drop (3, 5, or 7) is the key to preventing these two common errors from happening at. On the final step of the drop, the Quarterback should angle his foot and body towards the side of the field he's intending on throwing to. This will prevent the QB from having to take an additional gather step to re-direct the body. This also gives the QB the opportunity to deliver the football quicker if need be, since he's already in a "ready" position to throw.

Points to focus on:

1. On the final "plant" step of the drop, angle the feet and body towards the side of the field you intend on throwing too.
2. Do NOT open your shoulder to quickly, QB's should be able to look on a straight line over the front shoulder at the target receiver.
3. The front/lead foot should be facing the side of the field you intend on throwing to.
4. Do not lose momentum; keep a forward lean on the final step and keep the feet moving (“crushing pebbles”) until you are ready to throw.
5. Do NOT throw across the body.