A comparative study of the forward pass of college quarterbacks, with and without protective equipment

Abstract

The preparatory and action phases of the forward pass in football were analyzed for U.W. - La Crosse quarterbacks (N=6) under two conditions, with and without protective equipment. Cinematography was used with the speed of the film run at 200 fps. The Ss all threw at the same filming session for both conditions. Random selection with replacement was used to determine the condition the Ss threw under first. Data was collected through the use of a Numonics 1224 Digitizer and processed through the FILMDAT program. This data was then analyzed using a dependant "t" test. There were no significant differences in the angle of the upper arm at the beginning of the preparatory phase, the time interval for the preparatory and action phases, the angle of the elbow at release, and the height of release. There was a significant difference in the angle of maximum layback at the .05 level.