Thread: How to throw a football like a pro

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119707054348217657.html

[size=12pt]Former NFL QB Phil Simms on the secret mechanics of hurling a football[/size]

Current NFL quarterbacks aren't always the best passing role models. Among the league's 32 starters, there are 20 different ways of throwing the ball, Mr. Simms says, few of which approach anything close to perfection.

Mr. Simms says he first started to rethink his own passing technique when Jim Fassel came to the Giants as an assistant coach in 1991. Under his tutelage, Mr. Simms says he started clasping the ball with two hands, which reduced fumbles. He held the ball low at his chest instead of up near his shoulder, which improved his release time. By keeping his arm and body relaxed, his throws became more accurate. After retiring, he took his study further and created drills that reinforce specific aspects of his passing technique.

The first thing he tells students is to take a deep breath and relax. Tension and a too-tight grip on the ball can be the downfall of a passer. Tight muscles inhibit movement at the joints, he says, causing the arm to work as one object, like a catapult. When it's limp and the joints move, the arm acts as a whip.

Ball grip is a matter of preference, he says. Holding it over the laces helps add spin, but holding it without using the laces is OK, too. One grip has the middle and ring fingers over the laces and the index finger just behind them. But someone with smaller hands can grab the ball closer to the point, where the circumference is shorter.

A fairly long article but some neat new "toys" to hewlp you throw the football better and teach your kids (or yourself).

Very nice my friend.
Thanks.

Very nice...liked the video too. 3 observations:

- No way that kid is a lineman...too skinny.
- Ironic how Phil Simms learned to throw correctly years after he won a Super Bowl.
- That's some nice house (and property) he owns.