Push through back leg.

Feedback Cue:

• Focus really planting your back foot after the stride step to encourage the push from the back foot.

Figure 4: Highlights an athlete planting his foot in preperation for the push of the back leg. Adapted from: http://getbetterfaster.tv/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/RennerThrowSequence.png

To begin the rotation of the hips and to generate momentum forward a Quarterback pushes through their back foot towards the intended target (Figure 4).  As the athlete pushes down on the ground Newton’s law of opposite and equal reaction becomes apparent; the flexion of the foot against the ground, will result in the reaction force applied to the ground transferring to rotational energy as well as momentum being directed towards the target. (Blazevich, 2013, p. 46)The energy generated by this change in momentum and angular velocity is then transferred to the ball through the movement and allows greater transfer of energy to the ball increasing its velocity and likely its range. By not pushing off the ground through their back leg athletes have to compensate for the lesser inertia and velocity by over compensating with increased effort through the upper body. (Heppe, 1992) The majority of injuries for quarterbacks come from poor throwing mechanics, so by not utilising the rotation of the whole body to generate force athletes place extra stress on the muscles and joints of their upper boy.