I have been wondering this since watching KJ at MO. Can passing accuracy be improved in QBs? I am sure they have worked with him for 2 yrs. now. His delivery looks a little off to me but what do I know? I noticed it when he was recruited. What can be done and how do you do it?
The second seems to me to be more difficult. We need to improve overall size, strength, and speed (and quickness). I get the first two in the wt. room done properly (no problem with adding wt. I do that all the time, but it is not good wt.). Speed and quickness seems to be more difficult. Can it really be done at a meaningful degree.
I know practice helps but it must be good practice. In my teaching skiing I see it all the time. I hear I am going to practice. That is great, but if you practice the wrong thing and many to most do, all you do is get better at the wrong thing and soon plateau out. I think we saw what that gets you in football these past few years!
As to speed, improving technique can help, as can the proper workouts, but I really don’t think there is much improvement in football players, as compared to our track guys. Working out and cramming in the calories with put on the weight, I know that in previous staffs the guys who were to gain weight had to come by a pick up protein shakes, 2 or 3 times a day.
I fully understand your lessons and practicing what you learned. I skied for 30+ years and never could learn to attack the moguls like I should have, even after my refresher lessons every year. As I got older, I found it much easier to just cruise and point them downhill on the groomed slopes!
I find myself now sliding past mogul runs that I would never use to pass up. I am a much better mogul skier technically now than when younger, but the old bones just don’t react like they did and get tired a whole lot faster. Cruising down nice groomed slopes has a lot more appeal these days.
I can see some drills that might improve quickness and that first step (both very important), but speed seems to be more God given. Perhaps a little can be gained with proper technique, but that seems to be track stuff. Perhaps I am wrong. Happens often.
I have always believed speed comes with strength. You can get bigger and faster. At certain positions bulk and strength maybe more important than speed. Offensive guard would be one. Obviously speed is still important but not as much.
Quarterback accuracy and overall arm strength can be improved.
If you asked Clint Stoernor if his accuracy AND arm strength improved between his sophomore and Junior season and again in the offseason between his junior and senior season, I bet he’d tell you “by a lot.” He hurt his shoulder against ULM as a senior and was never the same. Until then, his arm and accuracy was always improving.
Jack Lindsey is another that I saw improve in strength and accuracy every year.
Training properly can add speed but it takes a LONG time to train the quick twitch muscles required for explosive movement. And, they are tougher to train - can’t just sit at a bench press or leg squat machine.
I think for college age kids “quickness” and “speed” is marginal improvement at best through training and that the biggest improvement comes more from the fact that, for some of them, their bodies are still maturing. I know for me I gained a good step and half between between my freshman and sophomore years of college and it was nearly all because of natural maturation of my body.
I agree. Size can be increased with training and chemicals but speed is a natural part of a human body and other than training properly there is no magic wand for either speed or quickness, two different things actually.
Interestingly enough, yesterday morning I read a detailed discussion of this as related to Josh Allen of the Bills. In college and early in his pro career he was not very accurate, but this year he’s jumped from 58% to 69% completion percentage. The article suggested that he benefitted from the pandemic in a weird way; he had time to focus completely on his throwing mechanics and clean up some flaws with the assistance of QB coach Jordan Palmer (Carson’s little bro). Completion percentage can be a little misleading, because it is skewed by drops or the lack of them, but his on-target passing percentage this year is pushing 80%.
I’m looking for that article but can’t find it now.
KJ’s first year under Chad had little development, and though the staff had a poor coaching reputation, it also came down to having several older players ahead of him. That coupled with the staff desperation to win, left little room for third string QB focus. KJ’s mechanics certainly need refinement, but it’s obvious a lot will be riding on that development next fall and we should see a leap forward. He has displayed talent and when refined, there’s a lot of promise.