Sports Product Review

It is ironic that we found this product. We typically write reviews of products that are a little off the beaten path, many of which have gone on to become household names. We really like, you might even say specialize in, training aids that young athletes can use to improve their games. And specifically we like products that allow a motivated youngster to practice alone, unsupervised, so that anytime, anywhere he or she can work on getting better even if no one else is around. If the process is even fun to boot, instead of drudgery; all the better.

The fact that we came across the Passback Football, (www.passbackfootball.com) is ironic because a couple weeks ago I was working with my sons on the baseball field, sitting on a bucket, throwing short hops so that they could work on their fielding skills. It occurred to me that when I was a kid, I didn’t rely on my dad to throw practice grounders, but instead, I took a tennis ball and chucked it against the wall in the garage. I can remember doing this for hours, with and without a glove, just to enjoy the challenge of having a ball coming my way.

So I considered writing a review of a tennis ball, with the angle being that sometimes the most basic activities can be as good as, if not better than, more complex training.

Now, one would inherently understand that throwing a round ball against a wall will produce consistent and effective results. But no one would even consider trying the same thing with a football, which underscores the brilliance of the Passback. The inventors of the Passback thought, “Why can’t a kid practice throwing and/or catching alone by throwing a football against a wall?”

I had to see it to believe it, but it not only works, it works great. The ball has a flattened end that causes it to boomerang back toward the thrower. The better the pass, the better the return. Quarterbacks learn to hit their spots, increase arm strength and throw tighter spirals. Receivers can get 20 repetitions per minute, dramatically ramping up their improvement. Even long-snappers can use the Passback for training. There is a plethora of drills available on the Passback website, which provide variation and improve the tool’s effectiveness.

I have two sons currently playing receiver on their football teams. When the Passback and Passback Junior arrived, they instantly inflated them and went out to the garage to try them out. Since then, I don’t think a day has gone by that I haven’t heard the thump, thump of repetitious practice. It’s not just fun, but serious training.

As a dad, I’m always looking for things my young athletes can do to improve in their free time, without my having to be there to lead and provide structure. When they want to work on their baseball game, I’ll throw them both a new tennis ball and maybe even write a review. But now that football is here, there is nothing better than hearing the ball against the wall, and knowing that each catch in the garage makes it just a little more likely they’ll hang on for real on the field.

Source: Passback Football