Youth Football Quarterback Drills

To become an effective youth football quarterback takes hours of practice time. Learning passing fundamentals and practicing football drills on a daily basis will help the aspiring leader to take command on the youth football gridiron. Simulating football game situations when performing quarterback drills will assist the player in "thinking on their feet" when game time arrives. A quality quarterback will have a solid stance, good balance, confidence, and ball handling skills. In addition to the below examples, you can find more free youth football drills online at websites like Weplay.com.

Youth Quarterback Passing Drills

Knee Drill
The objective of these quarterback drills is to develop a proper wrist snap while releasing the football. A young quarterback must learn to throw with the body and the knee drill takes the legs out of the equation.

• Position two quarterbacks on their knees about 5 yards apart.
• The first QB grasps the football with the correct grip supporting it with the opposite hand.
• The football is passed to the second QB and repeated.
• Extend the distance to 10 yards and repeat.

The quarterback coach should ensure that the players are following proper quarterback fundamentals such as grip, "cocking the arm" with the ball near the ear, release, and follow-through. The players should also focus on turning their hips through the pass to build core muscle strength.

Youth Quarterback "Clock Drill"
The objective of the "Clock Drill" for quarterbacks is to develop the proper stance, to practice drop-back maneuvers and to become comfortable working in all areas of the pocket.

• Position the quarterback at the line of scrimmage.
• While a center snapping the ball isn't necessary, it's a good idea to practice the snap at the same time.
• As the QB drops back, the coach calls out directions to move by calling out "3 o'clock", "6 o'clock", or "12 o'clock".
• At the end of each movement, the youth QB performs a pump fake to simulate passing.

An effective quarterback must play with confidence. To gain confidence, a quarterback must practice the fundamentals three to four days a week at minimum. Break the quarterback fundamentals down into a few related categories such as footwork, ball handling, and passing. You can then practice each category one day each week. Learning quarterback fundamentals and perfecting them is only part of the equation. Participating in football conditioning drills is an important component in producing successful youth quarterbacks as well.