Sport is considered as one of the most popular aspects of American social culture. It has become an essential element of American tradition. Among all sports, American Football is the most popular one, also known as Gridiron.  It is a very interesting game played between the two teams. Each team has eleven players and goalposts at both the ends of the fields. The most important position in the field during the game is that of the quarterback.

A quarterback is a member of the attacking team whose job is to throw the football and motivate the rest of the team members. Even though it sounds too easy, but being a quarterback is a tough job and comes with a lot of responsibility. The reason is the peculiar shape of the ball.

The very first thing a quarterback has to do is call the play. The strategy of the game is either decided by the coach or the quarterback. The quarterback tells the rest of the team members what sort of game they are going to play. As soon as the offensive team is lined up and the quarterback can see the defense clearly, he decides whether the existing strategy is a good choice or not contrary to the defensive team. In case if the existing play is not suitable, then he can call an audible. He communicates the new strategy to his team members using some code words that only his co-players can understand.

Among some of the best quarterbacks, also known as a signal, are Joe Namath, Drew Brees, Bart Star, Aaron Rodgers, John Elway, Dan Marino, and Tom Braddy that are very popular. But, in America, when you talk about the quarterback, the very first name that every youngster knows is Patrick Mahomes, son of former Major league baseball pitcher Pat Mahomes. He is famous for his ridiculous fast speed for throwing the ball. He has participated in the Super Bowl, which is the annual championship game of the National Football League.

Not only did he participate but also won the Super Bowl and became the youngest most valuable player in the league. He is an inspiration for many young sportsmen in America.

In this article, you will find some of the qualities that a good quarterback needs to have.

Arm Strength

A good quarterback must have a positive relationship with the velocity of the ball. This means that his arm muscles should be strong enough to throw a ball at high speed and complete the pass. If the quarterback fails to throw the ball at high speed, then most probably, the pass would be intercepted by any member of the defensive team. In order to acquire such arm strength, one has to go through tough training and practice. 

Strong Connection with Receiver

The performance of the quarterback can have a great impact on the performance of the whole team. When throwing the ball towards the receiver, he has to develop a six-scene connection with the receiver. The quarterback must know how to read the body language of the defensive team members. Also, he has to identify the suitable and safe direction in which he can through the ball towards the receiver.

Decision Making

Another important quality of a quarterback is the capability to make proper decisions on time.

The decision making skills of a quarterback matter a lot in either making the team win or lose. A quarterback has to keep himself calm and composed throughout the game, despite the constant pressure.

Vision and Concentration

Good field vision is another important characteristic of a good quarterback. The quarterback must scan the field properly and quickly because, without concentration, he may not be able to make wise decisions. For this, one has to make sure that he has good sight. Luckily, it can be achieved by practice and improved with time. There are energy powders like Marine Phytoplankton that can boost the immune system and have a positive impact on the eyesight.

Intelligence

A professional quarterback tends to have the knowledge of playbooks, especially the ones about running and passing plays. He must pay attention to all the minor details and should be intelligent enough to apply this knowledge practically in the field.

Competitiveness

A quarterback must work hard and practice more than any of his team members. He must acquire all the incorporeal and particular abilities that make him competitive enough.

Quick Feet

Mobility is as important as all the other qualities; a quarterback must have. He needs to move quickly to avoid tackling by defensive players. At times, the quarterback has to move in the reverse position, too, with the same velocity. This is why good and quick quarterbacks are also referred to as “Quick Feet.”

Winning the Game

Last but not the least, he must be optimistic and play only to win. A professional quarterback is determined to win the game through hard work and by all fair means. He knows how to make the most out of all the minor opportunities he gets during the game without wasting any chance.

The acquisition of all these attributes can give any individual a tough time. But here are some tips that can help one become a good quarterback, if followed properly.

Physical Fitness and Health

For a Quarterback, his health and fitness are the most important characteristics. While playing on the field, one must prevent himself from getting injured too. Therefore, it is important to strengthen your immune system. For this reason, the intake of vitamins and supplements is also a good source of strengthening immunity, as well as improving concentration and vision. Vitamin C is really beneficial for strengthening the immune system. Products like Acerola Powder and Marine Phytoplankton are rich in vitamin C and essential fatty acids. You can purchase them online from mrros.com.

Warm-up Exercise

A quarterback has to strain his body tremendously. No matter what shape, size, or height a quarterback has, there are some basic routine exercises that one must do on a daily basis to attain physical strength. Adding some specific arm and feet exercises in your workout program will help keep your body balanced.

Improving Grip

A quarterback needs to develop and improve his grip. There are three types of grip strengths that a quarterback must develop, such as the pinch grip, crushing grip, and supporting grip. There are certain exercises for this, too, which include the Pincher, the Rice Bucket Drill, the Suitcase Exercise, and the Pronation Exercise.

Practice Precision

A quarterback must practice accuracy drills to upgrade his skills to a higher level.  One aspect that negatively affects the accuracy of a quarterback is the amount of pressure that the quarterback is dealing with on the field. Moreover, the time limit also affects the decision of the quarterback. If he gets enough time by the defensive team, he would probably throw an accurate pass.  For attaining accuracy, practicing the one knee drills, two knee drills, circle toss drill, down the line drill, and then sprint out drill would be helpful.

Acquiring More Knowledge

If you are a sportsperson or willing to become one, then you must watch documentaries and movies. You will find a number of good movies online, especially on Netflix. These documentaries will definitely give you more insights and a deeper understanding of what it takes to be a good quarterback!

Conclusion:

Nobody can deny the fact that the toughest position of all to play in American Football is the Quarterback. There are thousands of reasons why being a quarterback is so difficult. Some of them have been mentioned above, but if you still want to know more details than you can watch documentaries and read all the details from playbooks.  Learning, development, and training for these skills require a lot of time, and one has to come out of his/her comfort zone. Besides all these skills, a good quarterback must also pay attention to his personality.

Quarterbacks also have to find the factual equilibrium between being self-confident and humble at the same time. They need to be politically truthful but not mind-numbing.

Quarterbacks do get frustrated when things turn out wrong or bad during the game, but they know how to deal with it. They know how to hide their emotions and the immature or insecure look on their faces. Not only quarterbacks, but almost all the players need to be honest and sincere when they communicate. Being public figures, they’re appraised and often criticized for their statements or performances; it’s because there is always someone somewhere who disagrees with their opinion or decisions.

A quarterback must be physically and emotionally strong enough to handle criticism that, at times, could be very difficult. 

A quarterback’s devotion to his training, intensive cerebral acuity, the advancement of physical expertise, and ability to handle the media are also some reasons which make it the most difficult position to play in the football game. A good quarterback simply means a good leader. The whole team looks forward to the quarterback to stay confident and motivated.

A good quarterback has the potential to set a good example. This is why they get contracts and headlines and are adored by fans from all over the world.