Football: Quarterback Grip Errors

Dick Moss, Editor, PE Update.com

Your quarterbacks are having difficulty throwing spirals, and sometimes throw balls that fly with the nose up or down. How do they correct these problems?

Actually, these errors may originate in the grip your quarterbacks are using on the ball.

Flight of the Football With the Tip Up

Ball Flight Problems & Corrections

If the nose of the ball is down as it flies through the air, your quarterbacks' grip on the ball may be too tight.
If the nose of the ball is too high, the grip may be too loose.
If the ball wobbles instead of assuming

Flight of the Football With the Tip Down

a spiral, your quarterbacks may be gripping too hard with their middle fingers. Instruct them to focus on the index finger so that it's the last finger to leave the ball. This will impart the correct spin for a tight spiral and improve the accuracy of the throw.

References
1. Perry Gilmore, Coaching High School Football - A Brief Handbook for High School and Lower Level Football Coaches, Charles River Press, 2013.
2. Doug Mallory, Spalding Football Drill Book, Masters Press, 1993.

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