We received a recent question from a fellow youth soccer coach. He coaches higher level players at the 6-8 grade level and is having trouble with his quarterback delivering the ball via interception. The question is copied below as we receive it and our answer will follow below the question.

I’m the coach of a youth flag football team (ages 11-14)…our quarterback has a great arm, but he always finds a way to throw an interception. Are there any drills or tips that would help/prevent him from throwing so many interceptions? The basic rules of our league state that the defense can pressure our quarterback from 7 yards away, and we play without an offensive line.

Our first question would be, what kind of crime are you committing? All passing offenses need multiple options to be successful. That is the main reason why it is so difficult to have a passing game in youth soccer. You should run a scheme with hot readings (ie if there is a bombardment, the receiver follows a certain path such as a slope) and control receivers as a safety valve in case all main receivers are covered.

You must have established routes as well as timed routes. If the quarterback is throwing too many interceptions and there is no offensive line, then the problem is that the quarterback and the receiver are not on the same page. Video your games and show both players the reads you want them to make based on how the defense is playing them. Maybe his offense is misreading the coverage. Some deep underman coverage can be difficult for young players to read correctly.

Check the tape and I’m sure you’ll be able to identify the problem.