Tom Brady gave viewers a masterclass on how to hold and throw a football correctly during the Wild Card game between the 49ers and the Eagles. The 48-year-old NFL legend played as a quarterback in the NFL for 23 seasons. Brady is regarded as the greatest quarterback of all time.
Tom Brady teaches fans ball-throwing during NFL game
Tom Brady educated fans about the correct technique of holding and throwing a football during Fox’s broadcast of the Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers Wild Card game. The NFL shared a video with the caption, “Professor Tom Brady teaching how to throw the ball in the wind.”
Brady’s teaching moment came midway through the third quarter of the January 11 game. The wind was in full force at 36 mph during the 49ers-Eagles game. The steady wind was causing issues for quarterbacks Brock Purdy and Jalen Hurts, who were struggling on the field. (via USA Today).
Brady explained in the studio how a quarterback can throw the ball when the weather conditions are against them. Host Kevin Burkhardt asked, “How to throw in the wind with Tom Brady?” The 48-year-old smiled and replied, “What do I do with this?” as he playfully juggled the ball in his palms.
The ex-NFL quarterback elucidated, “What you see, and I talk about the point of the ball a lot, you see it from; I’ll show it to you from this angle.” He held the ball pointed upward, emphasizing its size and angle.
Continuing further, he elaborated, “This is kind of like a neutral plane. This is when the point’s slightly down. When you’re throwing it into the wind, it has to be neutral. If the point of the ball is up, any wind friction’s gonna push that ball up over the top.”
Brady used his 23 years of experience to demonstrate how a quarterback must hold the ball for desirable results in windy conditions. He held the ball at eye level, then slightly higher up in the air to explain the difference as well.
Diving deeper into the logistics of the game, Brady outlined the difference between the “U” and “C” technique. He shared, “So, as a quarterback, you don’t really like that “U” throw underneath, because naturally, that’s going to point the tip of the ball up.”
Continuing further, he added, “You like more of a “C”or an inverse, a reverse “C”. That’s how you kind of control the point of the ball. Then you can kind of just snap it off as you throw it.”
