As a football coach, you know that turnovers absolutely cripple a team. Making sure your ball handlers know how to successfully hand off the ball is critical for a successful running game. If a running play is called, the quarterback must turn and get the ball into the running back’s hands. To successfully execute a hand off, the quarterback must take care of the following:
1. The quarterback must move in the direction of the play. If the running play is called to run to the right, the quarterback’s first move is a step backwards and then to the right. The exchange will happen in the backfield to give the running back some time to read the defending line to look for open holes.
2. The quarterback must now hold the hand securely with both hands and extend his arms so that his body is not in the way of the running back. It is important for the quarterback to extend his arms so that the running back has room to cut to the right or left and so that he can see the blocking in front of him.
3. The quarterback must hold the ball above the running back’s belt and firmly placing it in his stomach while watching it to make sure the ball is secure in the running back’s arms.
Since running backs have many different characteristics such as their speed of approach and size, it is important for the exchange to be practiced and learned by the quarterback.