Thread the needle
Why it works
Accuracy drills usually reward hitting a target, and a target does not have arms. Putting a body in the gap makes accuracy mean something specific: not near him, past him, on the far shoulder. That is the throw that gets completed in a game and the throw that gets picked off when it is a yard off.
Run it
8 MINFive throws each, then move the receivers a yard closer together. Eight minutes.
Say this
“Far shoulder, every time.”
The far shoulder is the part of the receiver furthest from the defender's reach.
“Flatter and firmer.”
Air time is what lets a defender get to it.
“Defender, arms up and still.”
He is a problem to be solved, not a competitor.
Good looks like
- The ball passes clearly outside the defender's reach, not just past him.
- Receivers catch it away from their body on the outside hand.
- No touched balls in a round of five.
- The quarterback's release gets quicker as the round goes on, not slower.
The mistakes
Throwing at the chest, which is the middle, which is where the hands are.
Say: “Far shoulder, every time.”
Lofting it to be safe, which is the least safe thing available.
Say: “Flatter and firmer.”
Jumping around, which makes the rep random instead of hard.
Say: “Defender, arms up and still.”
Widen it to eight yards and have the defender keep his arms down. Get the outside shoulder idea first, then make it tight.
Let the defender move one step in either direction after the throw leaves.