Article by Todd Durkin, MA, CSCS

 I often hear young quarterbacks talk about their desire to be great. I love this mindset and the commitment, hard-work, and desire to be the best certainly must be part of the overall formula for success on the gridiron.  But I often find a few things grossly missing or wrong in many young quarterbacks training arsenal.

 As a performance coach and trainer for over 15 years and having the opportunity to work with many current NFL quarterbacks and athletes, as well as youth and high school athletes, it is important that quarterbacks conditioning programs "make sense."  And here is what I often find wrong with the youth and high school quarterbacks training:

•  Too much of an emphasis on just the big lifts and not enough attention on the small, stabilizing muscles of the shoulders and the foot/ankle/knee/hip complex.  This is something I call "joint integrity."  Hey, there is nothing wrong with squats, cleans, and bench press.  As a matter of fact, they should be the staple of any good program.  But if that's all the young quarterback is doing, this will not allow one to ultimately reach his full potential.
•  Not enough emphasis on core training.  Man, I love working my quarterback's core.  By the core, I am talking the hips, glutes, legs, abdominals, lower back, obliques, and back.  Many times I work with guys initially (even the pros!) and there core is their weak link.  And you truly are as strong as your weakest link. 
•  Not enough work on movement training, quickness, and mobility.  By this, I am talking about speed and quickness and elusiveness.  It is the ability to have fast feet, move around in the pocket, avoid a big hit, and to scramble down field to pick up precious yards.

 So it's time to take your training up to MVP status.  Let's dive into some of these important components and learn some of the essentials in each of these 3 areas.  I will start with the basics that are often missing in young quarterback's programs for the purpose of today's article.

 When it comes to building joint integrity, we must start with the quarterback's shoulders.  In Part I of this article, I will emphasize just the shoulder joint integrity program (lower body joint integrity will follow in Part II).  Here are a few of my favorite upper body joint integrity exercises that require just bodyweight and a sport cord:

 

JOINT INTEGRITY (Shoulders)

1.  Bodyweight Plank to Pushups.          1 set of 10 per side.

Description:  Start to get into a pushup position on the floor, but bend your elbows and rest your weight on your forearms instead of on your hands.  Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.  Brace your core by contracting your abs as if you were about to be punched in the gut. 

Movement:  With your right arm, lift you right hand and elbow into a pushup position.   Then lift your left hand and elbow until you are in pushup position with your hands under your shoulders.  Hold for one second and then slowly lower back into start position.

2.  Sport Cord External Rotations.        1-2 sets of 15 per side.

Secure a Sport Cord around a stable object and hold one handle in each hand.  Stand perpendicular to the anchor point with your left shoulder about 2-3 feet away from the anchor point.  Bend your right elbow 90 degrees, and tuck it against the torso.  Without changing the bend in your elbow, open and close your arm as far as it will go for desired reps.  Switch arms and repeat.

3.  Sport Cord Hitchhiker.                      1-2 sets of 15 per side.

Secure a Sport Cord around a stable object and hold a handle in each handle.  Stand perpendicular to the anchor point with you left shoulder about 2-3 feet away from the anchor point.  Bring your right arm down and across your body so that your right thumb is reaching toward your left hip.  Then extend your right arm, hand, and thumb up and away above your right shoulder.  Repeat back & forth.  Then switch arms and repeat.

4.  Sport Cord Double-Arm Scarecrow.  1-2 sets of 10-15 per side.

Secure a Sport Cord around a stable object and hold a handle in each hand while facing the anchor point.  Step back so you feel tension in the cords, bend both arms 90 degrees, then raise your arms so your palms are facing down and your forearms are parallel to the floor.  Keeping your shoulder blades pinched and without changing the position of your upper arms, pull your forearms up and back as far as you can.  Pinch the blades, hold, and then return to starting position.

 

CORE TRAINING 

1.  Bicycle & Rotate.                                     1 set x 30-60 seconds.

Lie face-up with your hips and knees bent 90 degrees so that your lower legs are parallel to the floor.  Place your fingers on the sides of your head.  Lift your shoulders off the floor and hold them there.  Pull your left knee in as you twist your upper body and touch your right elbow to the left knee.  Then switch and pull your right knee in and touch your left elbow to your right knee.  Continue for desired time.

2.  Hip Bridges.                                              1 set x 15 reps.

Lie face-up with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.  Lift your hips off the floor so your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.  Drive your heels into the ground.  Hold for 1 second, then return to the starting position.  Repeat.

 3.  Hip-ups.                                                     1 set x 20 per side.

Lie on your left side with your knees straight.  Prop your upper body up on your left elbow and forearm.  Raise your hips so that your torso is higher than parallel to the floor.  Pause and squeeze, and then lower yourself back to the starting position. Repeat for desired reps and then switch sides.

 4.  Supermans.                                                1 set x 15 reps.

Lie facedown on the floor with your legs and your arms overhead, palms down.  Contracts your glutes and the muscles of your lower back, and raise your head, chest, arms, and legs off the floor. At this point, your hips should be the only parts of your body touching the floor.  Return to starting position and repeat for desired reps.

 

MOVEMENT TRAINING

 1.   Jump Rope.                                              2-3 rounds x 60 seconds each.

Grab at least a 7-9 foot rope and perform as many jumps as possible in desired time.  Stay on the balls of your feet, relax your shoulders, and be sure to turn the rope with your wrists.

 2.  Single-Leg Reactive Box Hop.                2 x 20 Total.

Stand facing a bench or step that's about knee height and place your left foot firmly on the step.  Using your arms to propel you, explosively jump up in the air so that both legs go up in the air.  Switch your legs in mid air and land with your right foot on the box.  Quickly explode back up again and repeat back and forth.

3.  Box Drill.                                                   3 "boxes".

Place 4 cones in a square each separated by approximately 5 yards.  Start behind the lower right cone.  Run explosively straight out as fast you can until you reach the 1^st cone.  Decelerate and then slide left over to the 2^nd cone 5 yards away.  Upon reaching that cone, backpedal 5 yards until you reach the 3^rd cone.  Shuffle right until you reach the 4^th cone.  As soon as you reach the 4^th cone, immediately change directions by shuffling left, exploding forward, shuffling right, and then back pedaling through the last cone.  That is one repetition!  Stay low and work on changing directions quickly.  Hold football throughout drill.

4.  6 Cone Drill                                               3 sets of approximately 20 seconds.

Place 6 cones down to demark a square of about 7 yards wide and about 7 yards long.  2 cones are in the back, 2 cones are in the front, and 2 cones are half-way in between.  The "athlete" stands in the middle of the square; the "coach" stands in the front of the square. 

Upon command, the coach will point to one of the cones.  The quarterback, as if in the pocket, will shuffle to the correct cone and then immediately return to the middle cone.  The coach will mix up the signals to make the athlete slide forwards, backwards, and sideways in a non-sequential pattern.  Drill lasts approximately 20 seconds and then repeat for desired sets.  Hold football throughout drill and keep eyes scanning down field.

There are many different drills to work on speed, quickness, agility, and elusiveness.  The four drills here require no fancy equipment and you get a ton of bang-for-your buck. 

 All of these drills in the entire article are safe and effective for kids starting at age 7.  Complete each of these exercises and drills 2-3 times per week and they will undoubtedly take your quarterbacking skills to the next level.

 When it comes to the art of quarterbacking, there is no doubt many tangible and intangible factors that correlate to success.  One of the things that you can control is not only how hard you work out, but how smart you train.  By incorporating these movements in your training regiment, you now have some more tools to build your foundation and work towards perfecting the "art of quarterbacking."   

 Coupled with solid nutritional habits, adequate rest, and a proper flexibility program, you can optimize your physical potential and put your team in the best position to win.  It's time to get in the trenches and get after it. 

             See you in the endzone!

Todd Durkin, MA, CSCS, is an internationally-recognized performance coach, personal trainer, and sports massage therapist who educates and inspires people worldwide. Founder of Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, CA, named one of the Top 10 Gyms in the US by Men's Health, Durkin trains professional, college, and high school athletes as well as "regular Joes and Janes" who seek optimal personal performance and overall well-being.  He has trained the past 2 Super Bowl MVP and Champion quarterbacks Drew Brees (2010) and Aaron Rodgers (2011).  Additionally, he has trained 2 Heisman Trophy Winners, 1 NFL MVP, 1 World Series MVP, 2 Olympic Gold Medalists, and 2 X-Games Gold Medalists.

Durkin has twice been honored as Personal Trainer of the Year (IDEA and ACE), has received numerous other industry accolades, is the Head of the Under Armour Performance Training Council and is a consultant to Gatorade. He has appeared on 60 Minutes, ESPN, the NFL Network and has been featured in Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, The NY Times, Men's Health, ESPN the Magazine, and countless other media outlets.

Todd has authored 35 DVDs on strength and conditioning and functional fitness and his book, The IMPACT! Body Plan, is a 10 Week program designed to create world-class fitness and life performance. 

To find out more information on any of Todd's programs, please visit www.ToddDurkin.com.