Introduction

The Skill I Have Chosen for MASA 2014 is

 A Quarterback Throw

Introduction

National Football League Logo

The NFL (National Football League) is often regarded  as one of the toughest competitions on the planet due to the calibre of athletes involved. The position held in the highest regard is the QB (Quarterback), this is because of the high involvement in the game and the way they influence the game. A QB will touch the ball on  every play, apart from kicking plays. A typical team will score on almost a 3rd of offensive positions (Long, Czarnecki, 2011) this is why there is immense pressure on the QB to be successful.
  
There are a number of aspects involved to complete a successful QB pass, the majority of plays rely on the quality of the throw. However there is number of other contributing factors effecting a throw, such a players skill level, team strategy,  physical and mental pressure also individual match-ups can have an effect on the decision and outcome of the pass. Wile all this is happening the QB has on average 3-4 seconds to make a play before being sacked (Elsayed, 2012) 

 My Background

Roxburgh Area School

Growing up I played a number of different sports, however being  in a small country town in Central Otago they did not have American Football as sport. This meant that I had very little experience in regards to throwing a football or how the game of American football was played, what I did know was from what I saw on t.v. However growing up I participated in a number of throwing sports such as softball, cricket etc and the throwing actions involved with these sports directly relate to throwing an American Football. 

Plan

Green Bay Packers QB Legend Brett Favre

I plan to complete 12 practice sessions, that will improve the skill of a QB pass. They will involve some key aspects, such as 

• The four phases of the pass
• Performing the action under different types stress
• Overall performance and efficiency of the pass 

In doing so I plan to blog what was planned for my sessions, what actually happens. Followed by data and stats plus a review of each session.

"I think to be a great quarterback, you have to have a great leadership, great attention to detail, and a relentless competitive nature. And that's what I try to bring to the table, and I have a long way to go. I'm still learning, and I'm still on a constant quest for knowledge".

Russell Wilson

 A hybrid example of what is required to be an NFL QB

John Brenkus from Sports Science looks at the importance of the Quarterback

A brief video of my first attempt at a QB throw..

 

References
Long, H., & Czarnecki, J. (2011). Football for dummies. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley Pub. Elsayed, K. (2012). Signature Stat Snapshot: Time To Throw. PFF Premium Statistics , 1-3.