Screenwriters aren’t the only ones who have to deal with a director stealing their thunder. Sometimes that theft comes from an actor. Movies are a collaborative process, after all. But there’s something about this kind of swiping that seems especially egregious, as if someone broke into your house and absconded with some cherished personal belongings.
In the case of some movies, the object — or more accurately, person/people — that’s been filched can be a real showstopper. Whenever you hear someone say “the book was better,” it’s this sort of thing they’re talking about. These are all cases where directors were clearly jealous of their source material…
Use your whole body to generate power – from your feet to your shoulders.
Throw the ball as far back over your shoulder as you can.Try to generate more force by stepping into it. It’s not always easy to do this while you’re holding on to the football, but if you practice with a friend or sibling, have them toss it at you when you’ve lined up in your stance for a pass .
Throw over-the-top.
Don’t worry about standing up to deliver a pass. It’s okay to bend your knees and crouch into the throw. You’ll generate more power that way. Also, you don’t always have to stand perfectly upright before throwing, as if you’re at attention during the National Anthem. Again, this comes into play when you’re throwing with someone else, so have them lob the ball in your direction after the snap.
If you’re not sure how far back to throw, just remember that it’s always better to err on the side of too far than not enough. You can always stop mid-play if it turns out you didn’t.
Give yourself a wide range of motion to make a catch.
It’s always better to use momentum from the defense to your advantage instead of fighting it head-on. If you’ve ever been punched in real life, imagine how much more power somebody gets if they let their fist swing through its natural arc rather than stopping at 90 degrees and trying to muscle their way through the impact.
If a defensive line is closing in on you, cut away from them and use their momentum against them, rather than trying to plow straight through them by stopping short. Of course, this comes with the caveat that you shouldn’t sacrifice your body just to avoid getting tackled if there’s no chance of turning a negative play into a positive one.
Throw as hard as you can every time to give your receivers the best chance of making a catch.
It’s not always necessary to throw with perfect form, but it should be your goal whenever possible. A football is much easier to catch when thrown smoothly and accurately. And that makes life a lot easier for the person who has to catch it.
If anything, you should err in one direction if you’re not sure which: Always throw harder than your receivers appear to expect. Even when they come out of their breaks with plenty of time to get ready for a pass, you might be surprised at how much faster the ball actually gets there when you give it everything you’ve got.
Give your receivers a chance to adjust their routes if they’re not open right away.
Don’t force them to stay in place while watching the ball fly over their heads after taking off at full speed. That’s no fun for anybody, and it will increase the chances of pulling up short while trying to avoid a hit or turning around to complain about the pass you just threw.
