football speed

Question
Dear coach Louis,
 How can i get faster over the summer. I am 5'6" and i weigh about 150 pounds. I want to play quarterback for my JV football team. What can i do to help out with speed and other tips for being a quarterback.

Answer
Dear Ryan:
Let's start by getting you in shape.

REMEMBER ONLY A DOCTOR CAN TELL YOU IF THE PROGRAM YOU ARE STARTING IS TOO MUCH FOR YOU. You need to get your PARENTS, your COACH, and your DOCTOR involved.

1. GET YOUR PARENTS PERMISSION AND ASK FOR THEIR ADVICE. THEY CAN BE OF GREAT HELP TO YOU.

2. TALK TO YOUR COACH HE IS THERE TO HELP YOU. HE WANTS YOU TO SUCCEED. HE CAN GET YOU STARTED ON THE RIGHT PROGRAM.

3. BEFORE YOU START ANY PROGRAM MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR PARENTS PERMISSION AND YOUR DOCTORS OKAY.

REMEMBER ONLY A DOCTOR CAN TELL YOU IF THE PROGRAM YOU ARE STARTING IS TOO MUCH FOR YOU. IT IS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN TO BE SORRY!!!!!!!!!!

You want to be quicker than everybody else. Try basketball it is a great sport and it will help you get into football shape. It will teach you how to run back, forth, and side to side without thinking about it. Basketball will also help your coordination, quickness, conditioning, and improve your foot work. This type of workout is especially good if you want to play quarterback, defensive end, and or defensive back.

You also might want to add handball to your workout schedule. Just like in basketball, handball forces you to run back, forth, and side to side without having to think about it. You just react to the ball much like in football. Handball can be of great help, to a football player, for all the same reasons as basketball.

Try playing these two sports, on regular bases, and you will get into fantastic football shape. You will also improve your coordination and reaction time. If you do not want to play basketball or handball try some running.

You want to be fresh in the fourth quarter when everybody else is exhausted. Start by running a 1/2 lap around the football field everyday. Be sure to sprint the last 100-yards of your run. This way you work on your wind sprints and long distance running at the same time.

After a week or so, when you feel up to it, add a half a lap to your workout. Keep adding a half a lap, every week or so, until you reach 3 or four miles per workout. Only workout once a day, you do not want to over do it. You want to build your body up not use it up. Be sure to drink lots of water, you will need it. And do not do all three work outs together. Just pick one and do it.

By the time you start football camp, you will be in the best shape of your life. TAKE IT SLOW. Do not push too hard and make sure that you get checked by a Doctor first.


How to read the defense.
Being able to read a defense is not hard. All you have to do is, do your homework. A quarterback must know what type of coverage his opponent is going to run against him. How many zones? What type of man coverage? What type of blitz?

To do this, you must watch game films and ask yourself, what does your opponent like to run on first down?, second down?, third down?, do they play run on the first two downs?..... And so on?br>
Corner backs are the quarterback's best friends, when it comes to giving the most tips to the coverage. Here are a few simple reads for the quarterback; Study the corner back, look to see if he his eyeing the receiver or quarterback.

If he is eyeing the receiver he is in some type of man coverage.

If he is eyeing the quarterback he is in zone coverage.

If he is line-up outside the receiver he is in zone coverage.

If he is line-up inside the receiver he is in man coverage.

If he is line-up in a low focus position he is in man coverage.

If he is standing tall he is in zone coverage.

IF HE IS LINE-UP INSIDE AND LOOKING INTO THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE HE IS COMING ON SOME KIND OF STUNT. Make sure you have someone pick him up or he is going to hand you, your head.

One of the best books on the market today, which covers reading the defense, is:

"Winning Football with the Air Option Passing Game"
By Homer Rice & Steve Moore.

A lot of the tips about reading the corner-backs come from this book.


Your friend, Coach Louis