How to Throw the Football

How to throw the football is easy to learn. You start with your grip. How you hold the football determines if you throw nice tight spirals or wobbling ducks. Next is your throwing stance, it affects your accuracy. Your delivery, release and follow through come from your passing stance. Now you are ready to practice how to throw the football.

Your Grip

You want your fingers on the laces of the ball. Be sure there is daylight between the ball and the web of your hand. If there isn't you are chocking the ball. that leads to throwing wobbling ducks.

As you drop back to your stance, you want to protect the ball by securing it with both hands. Remember there are rushers that want to strip you of the ball making them a hero and you the goat. Two hands on the ball as you drop back.

Your Throwing Stance

While you are dropping back to your throwing stance, look down field to find your open man. Now that you have identified your target, don't hesitate, get into passing stance. Have your forward shoulder pointing at your target. Now this is important, the center of the arch of your plant foot should be lined up with your receiver.

Your Delivery

Now that you are in your throwing stance, bring your throwing arm up and back. Use both hands, releasing your non throwing hand about chin high. (Remember those pass rushers that want to separate you from the ball.)

Bring your throwing arm back, elbow bent, and cock your arm. Extend your free arm forward for balance and your hand pointing at the receiver. Your weight will transfer to your plant foot and your ready to make your delivery.

Pushing off your back foot, bring your front foot forward stepping into the throw. Bring your throwing arm forward delivering the ball. You will feel your weight transfer to your forward foot during your throwing motion.

Your Release

Snap your throwing arm forward releasing the ball just above your ear. When you are releasing the ball snap your wrist and fingers for additional velocity.

While you are bringing your arm forward, bring the hip forward, transferring your weight from your plant foot to the forward foot. This helps you put your weight into the throw.

Avoid throwing a wounded duck pass. Bring the heat, snapping your hip into the pass at the point of release puts speed, power and distance into your pass.

Your Follow Through

Now you have released the ball snapping your fingers rolling the ball off the index finger, giving you that nice tight spiral. You want to bring put your shoulder into the pass bring the plant foot forward. Completing your throw, your passing hand will come down to the opposite hip.

Warm Up

Many of you might think ball speed comes from arm strength; arm strength comes from legs and hips. Warm up and loosen those hips.

Stand with your shoulder facing the target, the ball seated on the top of the numbers. Using a short stroke use the front foot step into the throw and toss the ball towards your target following through with the throwing hand coming to the opposite hip, finishing with your weight on the front foot.

Next standing with your hips forward, rotate your throwing arm back, keep the hips facing forward, your other shoulder will be pointing at the target, throw a few balls.

The last on you do to really get the hips loose, stand opposite your throwing motion. Making you really rotate the throwing arm around to get the opposite shoulder facing the target. Throwing the ball using the hip to generate the velocity.

In conclusion do your pre-practice warm ups, practice your grip, delivery, release and follow through because now......you know how to throw the football.