By A.Siegal

Photo courtesy of www.berecruited.com

BOWLING GREEN, KY

Jeff Witthuhn of Greenwood High School has spent his off seasons working on perfecting his skills and working with the National Football Academies to do so.  He has taken to heart the skills they have taught him and they are clearly paying off.  The Gators started off the season with a 4-0 record setting a first ever school record.  Even the rain and mud couldn’t stop QB Witthuhn as he had 199 rushing yards, more than the entire offense of their opponent.

Witthuhn, a junior, has commanded his offense this year with 21 for 33 with 354 yards, 8 passing TDs and only 2 picks in the first 4 games.  Not only has he shown great presence in his passing game, he has also become a dual threat on the ground by running for 333 yards in 31 carries and 2 TD’s. 

Photo courtesy of www.bgdailynews.com

The NFA/QBA camps have really helped Witthuhn maximize his potential, “your camps have really taught me the things I need to know to be the best QB I can be” says Jeff.  Witthuhn will have all next offseason to continue to master his skills. 

“See you next summer!”

NFA and the Quarterback Academy wishes Jeff the best of luck throughout the remaining season.

Bio on Shane

While reading the article, The Pursuit of the Perfect Throwing Motion by David Flemming http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=fleming/100421 I was intrigued by some of the things he learned from his study.  In particular, he discovered throwing the football is the most complex motor skill in all of sports.  With most exercise scientists and kinesiologists agreeing, more people are finding out what most coaches have known for quite some time.  Changing a quarterbacks throwing motion is challenging and can be flat out intimidating.

Once most people come to this conclusion there tends to be two schools of thought as it relates to changing quarterback throwing mechanics.

1. It’s all about the footwork (the feet are what throw the ball)

2. You can’t change a quarterbacks mechanics (he can either throw or he can’t)

This is the dilemma I found myself in as a coach five years ago after getting upset in the first round of the playoffs.   Having to watch a very talented sophomore quarterback struggle with his mechanics that season pushed me to a path of pursuit on how to teach the perfect throwing motion.  As I began my research through clinics, DVD’s, books, college visits, and local guru’s, I had compiled a list of coaching points like, “Stand tall, step small”; “Flick the booger of the finger”;  “Pick the dollar out of the left pocket”;  “Turn the key”; “Answer the phone with ball”; “Crush pebbles with your feet” ; “Slap the wall”; “ watch how Brady, Montana, or Elway throw” and the list goes on and on.  At the end of it all I was left with a myriad of different philosophies and techniques and the same conclusions that Flemming had in his article.  As a result, I had almost submitted my belief on throwing mechanics to one of the two prevailing schools of thought.  It wasn’t until I came across a 3 DVD set on Passing Mechanics by Darin Slack that I knew that I had finally found someone who had cracked the code on how to teach and train the most complex motor skill in all of sports.   He was explaining the “Why” behind every motion and drill.  He was backing every movement up with science and biomechanics.  I felt like I had just discovered gold.  I no longer had to submit to the two schools of thought on mechanics and what I didn’t believe to be true.  After 5 years of coaching quarterbacks at Jenks High School and working for the Darin Slack Quarterback Academy here is what I have learned as it relates to the two prevailing schools of thought:

1. It’s all about the footwork (the feet are what throw the ball)

It seemed when I first started my pursuit of learning how to throw the football that everywhere I turned most coaches only focused on the feet.  Most of the material I came into contact with stated that the feet are what throw the ball.  My struggle with this concept stemmed from two pictures in my mind…a picture of a man with no arms and another picture of a man with no legs.  If the feet are what throw the ball then how does a man without legs throw?  At the NFL combine, Tim Tebow clocked a 4.7 forty time, 4.17 pro agility time, and a 38.5 inch vertical.  If I submit to the school of thought that footwork is the key to consistent power, accuracy, and velocity then Tebow should be the best pure passer coming out of the draft.   Yet he is the most scrutinized, Why?  In Flemming’s  article he states,  “Throwing the football well is not about doing one or two big things great. Instead, it’s about perfecting a thousand different parts of an intricate, complicated kinetic chain that starts in the toes and ends at the finger tips.” Through Flemmings article I am finding that people are starting to discover what I found through a set of 3 DVD’s 5 years ago.   Throwing a football is more than mastering footwork; it’s about mastering the sequential movements in the kinetic chain through the entire throw.    If I only focus on footwork I am only focusing on half of the kinetic chain. What about the other half?  I go back to the picture with the man with no legs.  What does he use to throw the football?  It is his arm.  If the arm is the mechanism that throws the ball then wouldn’t it be important to understand how this mechanism controls proper ball flight?  To overcome the arm issue a quarterback must understand the 4 key positions of the arm motion in the kinetic chain.  (To demonstrate we will use Peyton Manning on the left and Jenks QB Sawyer Kollmorgen on the right)

1.  Pre Pass Triangle-the kinetic chain in the arm starts in the Pre Pass Triangle position.   With the elbows level at the base and a loaded wrist in the “cocked” position off the back shoulder,  the triangle shape provides for a powerful position to launch the football.  If the body was going to throw a punch it would load the arm instinctually in the same position.  The Pre Pass Triangle position reduces tendency to internally rotate (wind up) on the throw, aligns arm in a power position, and reduces wasted motion for faster a faster release.

2.  “L” Transistion-is the next position in the kinetic chain during the throw.  The move to this position is done by using the 4 rotator cuff muscles that surround the scapula.  The infrasprinatus and teres minor externally rotate the arm back into the “L” position.  When the arm is in the “L” position it elongates the suprasprinatus and subscapularis which allow the muscles to accelerate the elbow to the lead position.

3. Elevate to “Zero”-is the lead position the elbow has to be in to support the wrist. You may have heard coaches say “get the elbow up”.  The elbow only needs to go high enough to get over and ahead of the shoulder on the throw.   The smoothness and efficiency of this move is the key to consistent power and accuracy on a throw.  With the loading of the suprasprinatus and subscapularis muscles in the “L” position the elbow can now elevate and move ahead of the shoulder aided by the deltoid to get to “Zero”.  “Zero” is orthopedic term given to the elbow in the lead position because the rotator cuff muscles are neutral with no strain on them.  The “Zero” position places the elbow 6 inches ahead of the shoulder 45 degrees up and out and loads the tricep in a position to fire the ball down the target hallway.

4. Extension- is the kinetic chain of power that occurs as the tricep fires energy up through arm and out through the wrist/fingers into the ball.  If the wrist fires early before the tricep the kinetic chain is out of order and the ball will sail or wobble.  A quarterback that pulls down on the football does not extend and therefore is not getting the full benefit of the tricep.   When trying to understand the power of extension on a throw, think of the difference between a pistol and a sniper rifle. Which one is more accurate and can shoot the bullet further?  The sniper rifle.   Why?  It has a longer barrel that allows the force and spin to act longer on the bullet which in turn puts more accuracy and velocity in the bullet as it comes out of the barrel.

When a coach and a quarterback get on the same page and understand the (How’s and Why’s) behind the most complex motion in all of sports it provides for a drastic advantage on the playing field.  However, getting your quarterback to understand the concepts of throwing mechanics will not support a change on its own, which leads us to the second school of thought.

2. You can’t change a quarterbacks mechanics (he can either throw or he can’t)

There are many coaches who know way more than I do about football  that have said you can’t change or quarterbacks throwing motion.  I have even heard some say to stay away from the quarterbacks arm entirely.  I have always struggled with this.  If I am in the weight room and I see a kid with 315 pounds on the squat rack and he has he is leaning over at the waist with his chest down and a curved lower back am I going to not try to fix him?  The argument could be made that teaching a proper squat is easier than teaching the most complex motion in all of sports.  But just because teaching a proper throw is more difficult does it mean that I am pardoned of having to teach it at all?  Maybe it just means that I need to put more effort into knowing my craft.   The key to changing any motion (especially the most difficult) is knowing how a quarterback learns to throw.  Most quarterbacks learn to throw by picking up a football at a young age and just chunking it.  This is called implicit learning.  Implicit learning is learning in the absence of proper instruction.  While learning to throw implicitly allows for a fluid motion it tends to produce bad mechanics.  The other type of learning is called explicit learning.  This is learning with proper instruction.  This type of learning focuses on the non-negotiables or rules of the task.  While learning to throw explicitly allows a quarterback to know all the( how’s and why’s) of throwing a football it tends to produce a mechanical and choppy motion.  This is the point where a coach becomes frustrated and gives up submitting to the second school of thought… you can’t change mechanics.  The secret to changing mechanics is in the power of a process and the formula is the hinge pin of The Quarterback Academy by Darin Slack.

In order to produce lasting change you have to take a quarterback and teach

him the non-nogotiables (how’s and why’s).  Next, you build a battery of drills that isolate each mechanic and then build each drill sequentially on the previous mechanics (process).  Then you rep the movements  over and over until you are feeling the move instead of thinking about it.  Instead of muscle memory we call it the power of informed feel.  When a quarterback learns the (how’s and why’s) combined with the feel he now has the ability to Self-Correct, not Self-Destruct….advantage Offense.  To learn more about throwing mechanics and quarterback play come to a camp or visit www. quarterbackacademy.com.

Who says you have to listen to your critics?  Well Kyle Miller of St. Francis High School certainly didn’t when all through his years of football he was told he would never play as a quarterback in Division 1 due to his height.  Miller stands just 6’0” and 200 lbs and on his way to play QB for the University of San Diego Toreros this fall.

As Captain and starting QB of the Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Game in the Silicon Valley this past month, Miller carries with him an impressive resume as he prepares for his next challenge.   Breaking school records of passing yards with 2,156, a 41 year old record; surpassing the touchdown record by 8 with 25 TD’s, Kyle also had 6 rushing TD’s, only 7 interceptions in 196 attempts and maintains a 61.7% completion percentage which is also a new school record.  He has been honored as the Daily News Offensive Player of the Year, WCAL Quarterback of the Year and Under Armour Bay Area All-Star just to name a few and this is just his Senior Year accomplishments.

Needless to say Kyle Miller has proven his critics wrong that 6 foot isn’t tall enough to be a successful quarterback.  Kyle has been training with the QBA team since he was in the 8th grade with the statistics and awards not being the only thing that he took from those experiences.

He became a man.

“One of the best things I liked was not only the fundamental part of it, but the actual message about leadership and becoming a man”, says Miller about his participation at the camps.

Kyle has been to numerous camps, combines and competitions over his years, 17 just his Junior & Senior years.  “I feel like that is something they offer that no other camp does” Miller added.  Kyle believes that QBA had a large part in helping him attain so many of his accolades by not only perfecting his skills but teaching him to prepare mentally.

These skills allowed him to be a great leader on and off the field, “the camps gave me an advantage, making me want to work harder than I ever had before because I finally realized it was not about me, and now I live by that motto”.

This summer Kyle Miller got the opportunity to join the QBA team as a college mentor, and help guide the next generation of quarterbacks to be prepared for greatness.  Feeling like he became a better quarterback himself in this process this will give him a true advantage on his voyage to the college game.  The coaching staff with QBA couldn’t agree more.

Coach and Director of Player Development, Will Hewlett commented on what Kyle brought to the camps and on his future, “he showed that he is going to be a gifted coach, communicating well with all age groups and parents. He has an advanced understanding of the mechanics as well as a special ability to correct all aspects of the QB game”.

Miller started the University of San Diego training camp August 1^st and he will be joined by one of his favorite targets on the field, Chris Barrett tight-end who also played at St. Francis.   This combined with USD also using a west coast offense as he did in high school and the knowledge that QBA provided him, Kyle and his coaches are confident he has all the tools he needs to be great.

“I know he is a more confident quarterback going into this season because of the experience of coaching and being around coaches”, stated Coach Hewlett.

Kyle has a very bright future as he plans to continue mentoring with QBA in between college seasons, passing along the life lessons to the next generation to always prepare themselves for greatness.

At the only full contact camp in the nation, Sloan Drummonds Jr. was just awarded the MVP Quarterback Award.  This is a great honor to win in the setting of his peers at the age of 13, but Sloan Jr. took it above and beyond that honor and won the MVP award while playing for the seniors group.

The rising 8^th grader didn’t stop there; he also won the superbowl game held the last day of camp throwing 3 touch downs including the final pass with seconds left on the clock to win it for the East.  Playing against All Americans that are rising Juniors and Seniors from across the nation, never in the 42 year history of the camp has a 13 year old ever accomplished so much.

On New Year’s Day 2010, Drummonds Jr. will compete in the Offensive-Defensive All American Bowl held in Myrtle Beach, S.C. where he will play for the East Team which is to be aired on Fox Sports Network.  When Sloan Drummonds Sr. was approached by the camp director about where his son had received training, Drummonds Sr. informed that his son “is a pupil of the QBA Quarterback Academy by Darin Slack”.

Even though Sloan Sr. had received a full football scholarship and played linebacker at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; he knew that he couldn’t teach Sloan Jr. anymore about the QB position past the age of 10.

When asked about when he knew his son was special Sloan Sr. says “I knew he was special when he launched a football at a competition 45 yards, at the age of 10!”  It was then that he realized he needed to take him to the next level.  After much research, he heard about Darin Slack’s work in Orlando, Fl.  Sloan Jr. attended his first DSQA Camp over two years ago.  After leaving that camp his dad states “Sloan Jr. came away from that camp with more knowledge of the QB position than I could teach him since he was 4 years old”.

As any father would be, Sloan Sr. is extremely proud of his son’s accomplishments.  He is also thankful for the “life giving skills” that Coach Slack has provided his son during these camps.  “Sloan Jr. has excelled in his classes and is maintaining his honor roll status”.

“My hat is off to Coach Slack and his staff”, said Sloan Drummonds Sr.

Image Courtesy of NUCfootball.com

Monroe, Louisiana—   Steven Fitzhugh, head coach at Ouacita Christian School, adopted QBA’s C4 mechanics last year, and the quarterbacks in his system are producing eye-catching numbers and victories as a result.

As an experienced head coach (12 years at Ouachita Christian) and former college player (linebacker at Harding University), Fitzhugh knows football.  His experience allowed him to see value in Darin Slack’s 2009 clinic presentation in Houston, Texas.

Fitzhugh returned to Louisiana and promptly committed all the QB’s in his program to C4 mechanics.  “We took six kids ranging from age 11 to 17 and they all came away from the camp
with a greater understanding of the mechanics of throwing the football as well as a better understanding of the game.  I was extremely pleased” Fitzhugh said.

Last year, the quarterbacks at Ouachita Christian validated Fitzhugh’s perspective:

Junior Paul Michael Garner earned 1st team All State honors, throwing for over 2,200 yards and 27 TD’s.

Freshman Braden Bristo produced over 120 yards of total offense and 2 TD’s per game, guiding Ouachita Christian to their first undefeated JV season in over a decade.

8th grader Quinn Graves led his team to a 9-1 record, throwing for 1,349 yards and 18 TD’s.  His outstanding play resulted in an invitation to the FBU 8^th Grade Youth All-American game in San Antonio.

7th grader John Randall Bennett set records for passing yards and touchdowns.  He threw for 1,710 yards and 17 TD’s in 10 games leading his team to an 8-2 record.

5th grader Grant Fitzhugh’s team went undefeated and lost in Super Bowl.

These gaudy numbers have helped other team members receive recognition:

Sophomore wide receiver Mark Laird earned 1^st team All-State honors.  His 54 receptions resulted in 1,117 yards and 14 TD’s.

Fitzhugh believes in the value of QBA’s system.  “[The] self-correction tips diffuse the frustration between QB’s and their coaches and allow them to talk about the correction and make proper adjustments” he said.  “We plan on being involved with QBA for years to come”.

Photo courtesy of tbo.com

CJ Bennett, a 6-year DSQA veteran, quarterbacked Alonso (Florida) to a 42-6 win over Gaither to clinch one of 5A District 5′s playoff spots.

Bennett (16-of-20, 143 yards, 2 pass TD, 1 rush TD), put Alonso in the lead for good with an 11-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Alonso opens the playoffs Nov. 20 against Newsome.

Bennett, one of the high school players featured on the FSN show “The Ride”, has accepted a D-1 scholarship to play for Wyoming.

Get next level. Get-2-0!

–CD