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Quarterback Drop Back Drill: 3, 5 and 7 Step Drops

Updated · Fact checked

The drop is the quarterback's clock. A 3 step drop pairs with quick routes, a 5 step drop with intermediate routes and a 7 step drop with deep concepts, so a drop that lands late or too deep throws off the whole play before the ball is out.

This drill grooves each depth until the last step lands on the balls of the feet, the ball stays high at the chest and you are in position to throw on time.

Peyton Manning Teaches the Three-Step DropSOTLTraining

How to do it

  1. Set the stance

    Start under center or in the gun with the ball at the chest, weight on the balls of the feet.

  2. Clear and drop

    Push off the front foot and take 3, 5 or 7 steps to depth, staying on the balls of the feet with the ball high.

  3. Plant and hitch

    Plant the last step on the ball of the back foot. On 5 and 7 step drops, hitch up one short step; on a quick 3 step drop under center, throw off the plant.

  4. Throw or reset

    Throw to a target on time, or hold and reset the feet. Walk back and repeat.

Sets and reps
3 sets of 5 drops each side, 30 seconds rest. As speed work: 4 reps of drop and sprint 15 yards.
Equipment
Football, Cones or a yard line to mark depth
Muscles and skills
Hips, Calves
Used in these 440 plans
Quarterback

Coaching cues and common mistakes

Coaching cues

  • Push off the front foot, stay on the balls of the feet
  • Ball high at the chest
  • Hitch up on the last step, ready to throw

Common mistakes

  • Drifting too deep
  • Ball dropping to the waist
  • Heels landing on the last step

Under center vs shotgun

Under center, the first step is a push off the front foot to clear the center, then crossover steps to depth. From the gun you start deeper, so the same timing takes fewer steps: a 3 step drop under center is roughly a 1 step drop from the gun, and a 5 step drop roughly a 3 step. Rep both if your offense uses both.

Count the steps out loud for the first sets. When the count matches the landing every time, stop counting and start throwing: off the last step on a quick 3 step drop under center, off the hitch on 5 and 7 step drops.

Turn it into speed work

440 also uses the drop as a change of direction sprint for quarterbacks: a clean 5 step drop, then tuck the ball and escape at full speed for 15 yards. Escaping the pocket is a sprint start from a drop, so this trains the exact acceleration a quarterback uses on scrambles. See how it fits the full plan on the quarterback training page.

FAQ

How deep is a 5 step drop?

Under center, a 5 step drop usually lands about 7 to 8 yards behind the line of scrimmage, a 3 step about 4 to 6 yards and a 7 step 9 yards or more. Exact depth varies by offense and by the quarterback's stride, so match the depth to your route timing.

What is the hitch in a quarterback drop?

The hitch is a short step forward after the last drop step. It syncs the throw with the route and moves the weight forward into the throw. It is used on 5 and 7 step drops and on 3 step drops from the gun; on a quick 3 step drop under center you throw off the last step.

More quarterback drills

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Sources

  1. QBs in Focus: Drop-back Depth (Steve Palazzolo, 2014-06-07), PFF
  2. The Quarterback's Stance, Drop Back, and Hand Off (Football For Dummies excerpt), Dummies (Wiley)
  3. ITP Glossary: Hitch Step (Dan Hatman, Feb 11, 2016), The Scouting Academy / Inside The Pylon
  4. How To Coach a 3 Step Drop & 5 Step Drop (QB Coach Guide), vIQtory Sports

Program numbers (benchmarks, sets, reps, loads, protein targets) are 440 Football's own prescriptions. For athletes 13 and older; check with a physician or a registered dietitian before major training or diet changes.