Playing Quarterback

Question
Dear Andrew,
I'm going into high school next year. I have been a quarterback in middle school. I'm a good scrambler and have decent accuracy. I really need help on two things. I have been getting help by the high school coach on setting my feet. I still cant throw as far as i want to. I can throw a 45 yards but i need at least 55. Also, I am under sized I'm 5'8 and 113lb how can i get bigger.
                                              Thanks,
                                              Clay Harris  

Answer
Arm strength is the key, but contrary to popular thought, it's not weightlifting that you need.

You actually need to work on arm & muscle movements that properly stretch all your tendons & ligaments over a 6-10 month period of time.

Begin now & slowly work the proper muscles.  Check out http://www.geocities.com/colosseum/9242/QB.htm

1)  Try having a very light grip, as gripping too hard will cause decreased ball control and can affect the release. Grip the football on the under belly with your index finger on the ball seam making a sort of "L" shape with your index finger and thumb
2)  Hold the ball up near your right ear, if you're right-handed, or left ear if you're left-handed. You will have a much quicker release, which will give a defender less time to react to your throw, hence increasing your completion percentage.
3)  Keep your eyes on the target, your shoulders close to parallel to the intended target and your pivot/plant foot pointing nearly at the target you intend to throw to. (Your pivot foot is the opposite side of your throwing arm.)
4)  Make the throwing motion circular, albeit a half circle from top to finish; think of centripetal effect, with the release being at the top of the arc. The longer the radius of the circle, the faster you will be able to throw the ball (i.e. the further you extend your arm from your shoulder, the more velocity you can achieve with less arm speed).
5)  Shift your weight nearly evenly at release. About 60% of your weight will be on your front foot at release. As you get more comfortable slinging it around, you will be able to step into your throws. A good QB will need to step into his throw to complete a 20 yd sideline pass.
6)  Use the rotation of your shoulders timed well with the throwing motion of your arm to generate the torque needed to achieve maximum velocity on your throws.
7)  Find your release point. Footballs tend to sail through the air quite well when a decent amount of spin has been imparted on it. A certain release point will generally be good enough to cover 5-15 yds, a slightly higher release will rocket the ball 15-25 yds and so on and so forth.
8)  A three quarter release is generally a very easy way to throw.
Remember to follow through with your arm fully to the hip opposite of your throwing arm. If released properly the ball will drill through the air.
9)  To throw a deep ball, just change the launch angle. A perfectly thrown deep ball will nose dive beautifully at its peak.
Practice throwing with 50% or less effort - the release is very important. Next, with very low effort, get the timing of your shoulder rotation in tune with your arm's throwing motion to generate maximum velocity without maximum effort. Also it will be harder to throw the ball with pads on.

If this helped rate me positively, if not then contact me back,.....GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!

Andy