Off-side mechanics are just as important for velocity and accuracy as your throwing side. The goal of your off-side is to serve as the braking mechanism. If you combine a steady off-side with a forceful and quick acceleration then you get a “pop” or “whip” off of the hand.
We are going to talk about four key pieces that make up a large % of off-side mechanics
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The front foot/ankle is one of the most important parts of the quarterback throw. When striding, this plays a pivotal role in both acceleration and deceleration. With acceleration, the stride step must be short and quick. The goal is to get your front foot in the ground before you finish your pull. This allows for a proper sequence of back-hip rotation. You cannot rotate your back hip until your front foot is in the ground. The goal is to have your hips be rotated by the time you reach maximum external rotation meaning your stride step needs to get in the ground before you finish your pull. In addition, a long stride step often results in a “lunge”. This lunge shifts the weight heavily onto the front leg resulting in linear force production and not rotational force production. The angle of the toes on your stride step should not open more than 60 degrees. Opening up your toes fully results in premature external rotation of your front hip, leading to over-rotation and loss of accuracy/velocity.
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The front knee should maintain flexion throughout the entire throw. “Locking” out the front knee results in a loss of accuracy and velocity and places the quarterback in a vulnerable position for injury. Accuracy is lost because a locked-out front knee often results in spinal flexion and pulling down the slot/shoulders. Velocity is lost because hips and torso rotation speed often slow down when the front knee becomes locked.
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The front arm/hand is the primary braking mechanism for torso rotation. The goal is to keep the front hand/arm steady to stop torso rotation and get the ball to “pop” off your hand into your extension. Initially, the front hand should slightly work backward to create “hip/shoulder” separation. As the QB accelerates through, the front hand should not pull past the center of the sternum to prevent over-rotation of the torso. In addition, a tighter front-side hand will help speed up torso rotation through the conservation of angular momentum. Check out this blog for a more in-depth discussion of that.
Steady up your off-side to improve your accuracy and velocity. Join the lab and get access to important off-side metrics in addition to over 20 different vital metrics and scores for quarterbacks.
