QB with throwing mechanic problems

In forty years of coaching QB's, in my experience, the most common reason for a "Duck"is the QB turns his hand out with the same motion that a pitcher throws a curve ball, instead of releasing the ball with his thumb down and inside. If he is throwing the ball high, he is usually overstriding. If he is throwing the ball in the dirt all the time, he is probably understriding. If he is lowering his elbow below his shoulder, he is "slinging" the ball not throwing it. The coach that mentioned the space between the palm and the ball is absolutely correct. You control a football as a QB, with your finger tips, not your palm, just as a basketball player shooting a foul shot does. In fact, I often use the analogy of the foul shooter, because when the QB has released the ball properly after disecting his target with his front foot and "stepping into the throw" with a proper release point and launching the pass, his throwing hand should look exactly like a foul shooter who has just released the ball. Wrist bent downward, thumb down and inside. The kid who is trying to throw the ball really hard(although I don't know why, accuracy is much more important than being able to throw it through a brick wall) usually is really gripping the ball way to hard. He is flattening his palm against the ball. My suggestion, Coach, is to have him loosen his grip slightly when throwing hard, not gripping it harder. Also, have him move his
throwing hand index finger closer to the point of the ball, it works wonders. Hope this helps. Let me know if he improves (coacheaston@hotmail.com) with all the good suggestions you got from the coaches here, we ought to be able to help him overcome his problem.

Simply put, when the elbow drops below the shoulder line, it forces the wrist to change its position due to the forces acting on it because of the low elbow - the wrist is trying to compensate for being dragged into the release. The harder he pulls the more bent out of the shape the wrist becomes and the ball angle at release remains inconsistent. Drill the goal post, but get your QB first to understand the absolute necessity of the elbow getting ahead of the wrist to lead the throw at 45 degrees and that only being possible above the shoulder line. It is impossible to lead from below. Anything else is guaranteed failure, because the joints cannot properly align, and the muscles that are needed for the throw are not used properly. WE pound this concept in the weight room about proper angles and joint alignment for strength, we must do the same in throwing. Sometimes just explaining why to a kid in this fashion will do the deal. It may be that he hasn't bought into the higher elbow, because he doesn't really grasp the significance of its impact on the wrist and the rest of the throw. There are other issues, but it is a suggested starting point.

Coach, just curious, did he have it down in the palm (no gap between the ball and the palm) or did you move his fingers up or down on the ball? If I had to bet I would bet he had the ball flat in his palm......