A Guide to Success on

and off the Field

Preparation means you’ll

never enter the battle
alone

© John Tomlinson
To become a successful Quarterback (QB) it is
important to first understand what it takes to be a
leader. In order to understand the qualities of a
leader its important to understand what leadership
means.
Leadership is the capacity to lead or the act or
instance of leading.

Leadership Qualities
 A leader knows how to lead his or herself.
 A leader doesn’t lead for the title of being a
leader.
 A leader has integrity, purpose, and vision for
his or herself.
 A leader has thick and durable skin for
criticism.
 A leader knows how to follow first.
 A leader understands that leading is a process
and you never arrive but your continually
arriving.
 A leader understands he or she always has a
responsibility to others and him or herself.
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1. Be a leader: Leaders are players who make good
decisions on and off the field. They motivate their
fellow teammates to give their all. They are
passionate.
2. Keep Your Throwing Elbow Up: One of the most
common habits of untrained quarterbacks is to drop
the elbow of the throwing arm. Work to keep the
elbow above the shoulder through the release.
3. Practice Accuracy: Accuracy should be your number
one goal with every throw. Regardless of whether
you’re warming up or throwing the long ball,
always strive for a precise target.
4. Quick Feet: Jumping rope, carioca, quick footwork
and drills which improve foot speed are essential for
quarterbacks. Footwork is the foundation of a solid
drop.
5. Strengthen the Core: The secret to a strong ball is
not only a strong arm, but core strength. Activities
which enhance the strength of the abs, oblique, hips
and gluts will help put velocity on your ball. QB’s
can improve these muscles by combining medicine
or weighted balls with throws, rotations, and ab
work.

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6. Good Attitude: Respect your coaches and
fellow teammates. While privately you may
not agree with your coaches approach, never
openly challenge his technique. Remain
positive. Use body language that says you’re a
winner, alert, and open to constructive
criticism.
7. Head Steady/Eyes Focused: While you
certainly don’t want to broadcast to your
defender where you plan to throw, once
you’ve located your man, zero in on your
target. Keep the head steady, eyes focused and
make the throw.
8. Explode away from Center or Gun: On all
drops, explode away from the center or gun
snap with speed, confidence, and purpose.
9. Improve your grip: Besides an INT, the worst
thing a QB can do is fumble the ball. QB’s with
“sticky” hands practice releasing, gripping and
grabbing the ball.

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1. Regardless of the circumstance,
accept the challenge.
2. Lead by example.
3. Stay positive, be authentic!
4. There’s always a critic, live with it!
5. Ride what motivates you!
6. Be first to practice, last to leave!
7. Control the huddle.

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First things first
Order “Get your priorities in order”
Cut out dead weight, negativity, and drama
Unify with Christ
Stick with it, no matter how tough it may get
 Giftedness will get you there but character will keep
you there!
 Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared
in advance for us to do.
 Are you determined enough to throw off the things
that have jacked you up?
 Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by
such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily
entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race
marked out for us.

The biggest distraction of being “Great” is

settling for being “Good enough!”

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QB, before leaving the locker room, the
huddle, or when at home, remember:
1. It’s not about you, your success will
never be defined by the scoreboard.
2. Your position is about moving the
chains not about just wins & losses. Its
about commitment.
3. Be a man! You can’t fake it. Do what a
man does.
4. Don’t love something that’s going to
go away, love the people you are going
through this journey with.
5. You cannot stay the same.
6. It’s not always going to be fun.
7. The quality of your life will be
measured by your passion for others.
Have a legacy bigger than your talent!

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From head to toe, here is the acronym that best
describes our Quarterback.

Focused
Eyes
Accountability
Toughness
Unfazed
Resolute
Energized
Student
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 Why fundamentals?
 We can do nothing without
fundamentals as an every down, play
to play QB. We will focus on this
aspect more than any other
component because this is the area
where we will hang our hat when all
else breaks down.
 What’s important?
 When evaluating the fundamental
aspects for a QB, I look at 5 major
components:
1. Grip (Pre-pass)
2. Wrist (Pre-pass)
3. Elbow
4. Follow-thru
5. Lower Body

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Your grip on the ball will vary according to your
hand size but every finger has a purpose and a
positioning on the ball.

Finger side with laces on Pre-Pass:

Pinky behind laces by sliding in between one digit
of laces.
Ring finger along laces.
Middle finger off laces towards back of ball or
against laces if you have big hands.
Index finger needs to be towards back of ball with
first knuckle on index finger along stitching that
aligns with laces. Ensures nice even bend off index
finger to create nice tight spiral.
Grip Note: make sure all four fingers are in
complete contact with the ball.

Thumb side:
Location of thumb is vital. Pocket is formed by
location of thumb during grip. If you slide thumb
down you create nice palm pocket. If you slide
thumb up you lose pocket. Thumb should be
aligned with middle finger.
Thumb Note: When you hold ball, nose should be in
slightly upward position.

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The positioning of your wrist on pre-pass is a vital
component to a consistent throw. A curled wrist
position weakens the finger grip and drops the nose of
the ball. It also causes slashing. What gives the strength
and power to fingertips is the location of the wrist. That
location is called the “wrinkle in the wrist” because
essentially that’s what we want to create, a wrinkle in the
wrist on pre-pass.

The following points are cause to have a cocked wrist on

pre-pass.
 A cocked wrist position strengthens the finger grip.
 A cocked wrist position lengthens the wrist snap and
increases the spin.
 A cocked wrist reduces ball movement and loads the
ball for strong release out to the target.
 A cocked wrist brings the nose of the ball up to the
proper release point.

Wrist Note: Make sure the front of the ball stays lower
than the back of the ball when cocking wrist on pre-pass
as well as ensuring the ball is positioned on the back
shoulder.
The wrist is the key ingredient that promotes accuracy on
the throw. After the elbow extends, the wrist snaps and
provides direction to the throw.
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The positioning of your elbow during the throw is
another vital component ensuring that the ball is released
on a vertical flight as opposed to a horizontal flight.
A vertical release helps the ball go out on a straight
line and provides for a consistent throw. With all of this
said, it is vital that our lead elbow evaluates above the
shoulder on the throw.

The following points are cause to have an elevated lead

elbow on the throw.
 The lead elbow on pre-pass should be off the body
slightly below the shoulder so you can elevate to the
lead position. This helps the wrist create greater
torque.
 The lead elbow must be above the shoulder line to
lead the throw and ball must be off body to create
better torque of elbow.
 The lead elbow should lead the throw.

Elbow Note: Lead elbow should break imaginary pane

of glass after elevation of elbow and upon coming down.
Wrist will curl if elbow isn’t in lead position. The non-
throwing elbow will also break pane of glass as well on
torque of trunk on release of throw.

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A consistent throw also has its roots in the
follow-thru. The positioning of the
Quarterbacks throwing hand after the pass
is as important as pre-pass. The finish
point of the throwing hand should be
outside lead leg below waist. Some say to
“pick a dollar out of your left pocket” if
you’re a right handed passer. I say
emphasize finishing just slightly outside of
lead leg. This allows your hand to finish in
the same place This gives us
consistency on follow-thru and a defined
place to finish that won’t lead to slashing.

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As important as it is to have a consistent grip, a cocked
wrist, and an elevated elbow, it is essential to let the
thoroughbred legs you were gifted with power your
throw.

The following components are essential to every QB:

 Balls of feet: Unless your on the sideline talking to your

coach, from the time you’re under center to the snap of the
ball to the time it leaves your hand, you must stay on the
balls of your feet.
 Slight bend in knees: Slight bend in knees helps QB
transition weight from foot to foot and stimulate explosion
from lower body on throw. The old saying of being tall in
pocket applies to the waist up. Standing tall simply means
your eyes need to be downfield.
 Transitioning weight: When a QB throws and drops on the
balls of his feet and he maintains a slight bend in his knees,
he creates the ability to transfer weight from his final step in
his drop to his lead foot (front foot) that points to the target
area. Much like a speed skater transitions back and forth, a
QB is looking to do the same.
 Balance: Maintaining balance as a QB is a by product of the
first 3 bullet items. When you can stay on the balls of your
feet, maintain a bend in your knees, and transition your
weight, you should have the ability to maintain balance in
your throw. A balanced QB will eliminate the tendency to
throw off his heel on his plant foot.

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“The Clock” for a QB is the time he takes to dissect the play
and execute it to success. “The Clock” is the mental
ingredient that takes a QB to the next level because of the
following skills:
• The offense: Understanding the offense thoroughly and
the philosophy of it allows the QB to process information
more efficiently on the field.
• The play: Understanding the play thoroughly and
everyone’s assignment allows the QB’s “Clock” to process
faster and efficiently on the field.
• The down & distance: Understanding the down &
distance through the duration of the game keeps the QB
aware of all the options and the chains moving.
• The defense: Understanding the opponent is another vital
ingredient for the maturation of a QB.
• The audible: Understanding the options an offense has
comes from a QB’s study of the defense and thoroughly
knowing his audible system.
• The great anticipator: Understanding from snap to throw
how much time a QB really has as well as identify where to
go with the ball is known as his anticipation skills.

Note: A QB’s “Clock” is critical to his development and a

key ingredient to defining his success. A QB with a great
“Clock” never holds the ball too long.
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End of Part I

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