60+ Quarterback Drills To Up Your Game Skills

Developing a young QB’s skills is about building a foundation of mechanics, accuracy, and decision-making. Here are some drills to assist the youth:

• Drop and Throw: Stand behind an imaginary center and take three steps back. Keep your eyes downfield and look for your target. When you plant your third foot, release the ball.
• Footwork Drill: Set up cones in a ladder pattern for this drill. Shuffle your feet through multiple cones.

• Tire Toss Drill: Get a tire and stand a few feet away from it. Pick up the tire and toss it as far as you can.

• Ladder Drill: Set up the ladder in a straight line and run through it, stepping over each rung.
• Target Practice Drill: Establish targets of different sizes and distances. Practice throwing the ball at them.

• Cone Drill: Establish cones in a zig-zag pattern and run through them as fast as you can.
• Rope Ladder Drill: Stand in front of the rope ladder and step through the rungs with your feet.
• Around the World: This exercise will help your arm rotation and shoulder movement, enhancing smoother plays during passing plays.

• Pocket Presence Drill: Have a coach/teammate simulate pressure from the blind side. Work on keeping your eyes downfield, stepping up in the pocket, and avoiding sacks.
• One-Step Drop and Throw: Similar to the drop and throw, but here, take only a one-step drop to simulate pressure situations. This drill forces you to make quick decisions.
• Passing on the Run: Establish a receiver downfield and practice throwing on the run. Begin slow and gradually increase your speed.

• Leading the Reciever Drill: Have a WR run a short route, then throw over the WR’s helmet by 2 to 3 steps. This exercise will assist you with better accuracy.

• Target Net: Throw at a net with different-sized holes to enhance your accuracy and ball placement. Begin at a closer distance and gradually increase the distance as you perform.
• Route running drill: Find a receiver and practice throwing different types of passes. You can add cones for added difficulty.
• Pressure drill: Have someone simulate pressure on you while you throw the ball.

• Shadow Throwing: Mimic game situations without a WR by shadow throwing. You can imagine throwing to specific spots on the field.
• Film Study: Watch the game films of yourself and other QBs to identify areas where you can enhance

• Cone footwork drills: Establish 5 cones in a line (1 in the middle) and practice dropping back and stepping up to throw the ball. You can also perform with variations, like throwing on the run or to different targets.
• Footwork Shuffle: Begin in your stance and shuffle your feet back and forth, keeping your knees bent and the center of gravity low.

• Plyometric Drills: Targeting explosiveness, there are many plyometric exercises that you can do, such as squat jumps, box jumps, and lunges.

• One-Foot Balance Drill: Stand on one foot and hold for as long as you can. You can also add variants of this exercise, like closing your eyes or throwing a ball while balancing.
• Carioca Shuffles: Shuffle side-to-side while maintaining your feet low to the ground. Also, do keep a stable core.

• Three-Step Drop: The QB will drop back three steps while keeping their eyes downfield and shoulders square.
• Sprint and Throw Drill: For this drill, begin in your stance and sprint forward for 5-10 yards. Plant your feet and throw a pass to a target.
• High Knees: Run in place with high knees, focusing on quick footwork and maintaining balance.
• Jump Rope: In this exercise, start with basic jumps and progress to more complex footwork patterns.
• Drop and Roll: Make a 3-step drop and then roll out to the side, keeping eye contact downfield and simulating escaping pressure

• Mirror Drill: Find a teammate and stand facing each other. Mimic each other’s movements as you move around the field.
• One Knee facing receiver: Start on one knee, with your dominant knee down and your other foot flat on the ground. Throw the ball to a receiver, with proper hips and arm rotation.
• Wave Drill: The Quarterback will take a 3-step drop, then take single steps in the pocket in the coach’s direction. After 3-4 steps, make a sprint outside the tackle box and throw accurately to the WR.

• 2 on 1 Pitch drill: A QB and two ball carriers will line up side-by-side. They run toward a defender stationed at the far end. The QB reads the defender and pitches it to the open receiver.
• Rapid Toss: Have your teammate stand about 10 yards away from you. When your partner yells “go”, take one step back and throw the ball at them. Your partner should throw it back to you as soon as possible.

• 6 Cone Drill: For this exercise, establish six cones in a line, spaced five yards apart. Then start at the first cone and then gradually slide and drop back to the second and other cones.
• Bootleg Drill: Establish cones as defensive linemen and simulate a bootleg run. Take a 3-step drop and then roll out to the opposite side while looking for open WRs.

• 3-cone drill: Three cones are placed in a linear fashion, spaced 7 yards apart. Players will start from a fixed position behind a starting line, then sprint towards the cone consecutively, touching it with their hand, and turning 180 degrees.

• Broad jump: Athletes take a standing start and launch themselves as far as possible, displaying their leaping ability and potential on the field.
• Vertical jump: This test measures an athlete’s lower-body power and leaping ability, a key factor for success on the football field.

• 40-yard dash: QBs launch themselves from a three-point stance, powering down the field in a blur of motion. Every tick of the clock counts, as tenths of a second can make a big difference.
• Short shuttle: This drill measures lateral quickness and agility. Here, the prospects will run 5 yards right, touch the line, then run 10 yards back, touch the line, and run 5 yards left.

• 7-on-7 drill: This drill pits 7 offensive and defensive players each in a live passing game scenario. A QB can display their accuracy, arm strength, and ability to read defenses under pressure.
• Bench Press: Not often used by the QBs, this exercise will help to measure the upper body strength. However, the injury risk is high with improper form.
• 7-step drop: This drill is often used for deeper routes. On landing in the seventh step, the QB should twist slightly to the left, aligning the shoulders with the target.

• Hill Repeats: Run up the hill as fast as you can, then jog back down. Repeat this exercise for 5-10 reps.

• Box Drill: Establish four agility boxes in a square pattern. Run to the first box, touch it, then run to the next box. Continue this pattern.
• Lateral Shuffles: Begin by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Shuffle to the right for 5 yards, then shuffle back to the left for 5 yards. Repeat this drill for at least 30 seconds.

• Stadium Stairs: Reach a stadium, and start running the stairs. Run as fast as you can, then walk or jog back down. Repeat for 5-10 reps.
• Sprints: Begin by standing tall with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lean forward slightly, take a few short steps, and then gradually sprint.
• Shuttle Run: Space out two cones at a 10-yard distance. Sprint from one cone to the other, then turn and sprint back.

• Box Jumps: Find a box with good height and then jump onto the box as high as you can.

• In and Out Ladder: Step one foot in each rung of the ladder as you move down the ladder. Then step one foot out.
• Crossovers Ladder: A variation of the ladder drill, here, cross your feet over each other as you move down the ladder.
• Multiple Cone Drills: Establish cones in a variety of patterns. Run through the patterns, making sure to turn sharply around the cones.

• Medicine Ball Throws: Improve your arm strength and throwing motion with medicine ball throws.
• Agility Ladder Drills: Set up an agility ladder on the ground, and then perform a variety of footwork drills as you move through the ladder.

• Overhead Press: To do an overhead press, stand with a barbell or dumbbell overhead and then press them straight up in the air.
• Dumbbell Bench Press: Lie on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand and then press them straight up in the air.

• Pull-Ups: Hang from a pull-up bar and then pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar.
• Rows: Sit on a rowing machine and pull the handles towards you until your elbows are bent.
• Short throws: Set up a target and practice throwing the ball accurately at different distances. This will help you improve your accuracy and touch.

• Push-ups: Push-ups are a great way to build upper body strength. You can do regular push-ups, diamond push-ups, or incline push-ups.

• Squats: Squats are a great way to build lower body strength. You can do bodyweight squats, weighted squats, or jump squats.
• Band Work: Strengthen your core and shoulders with resistance bands to improve your throwing mechanics.