Hard Press vs. Soft Press

The world of coaching defensive back play can be a funny one.  Go ask four different DB coaches their thoughts on a particular technique and you are likely to get four different opinions.  Those opinions many times will be strong.  If anyone has seen the bicycle step vs. the T-step debate you realize that emotions can run high in these discussions.

Another area of emotion when it comes to DB technique has to do with press man.  There are two schools of thought.  One school says disrupt the route at the line of scrimmage and get your hands on the WR.  The other school of thought says that you want to mirror the wide receiver as much as you can and stay in front of him.  With that we have the soft press vs. hard press debate.

For starters,  in the video below,  I explain the difference between hard press and soft press.  For that reason,  I am not going to go into great detail about both in this article.  If you need to,  you can stop reading now and watch the video to get an understanding of both techniques before I talk about their use.  If you have a fairly good understanding of both techniques then you can continue reading.

Generally hard press is how it sounds.  You are trying to be physical with the wide receiver at the line of scrimmage to throw off timing and spacing.  In soft press you are trying to mirror the wide receiver’s release in an attempt to stay over the top and or near him for as long as possible to be in position to make a play on the ball if and when it is thrown.

So here’s the question I get all of the time.  Which one is better?  My answer to that depends on who you are.  Great defenses play to their strength and that is the same for the individual athlete.  Before I go more in depth into that,  let me say this,  as the player you are better off being able to learn multiple techniques.  It’s similar to a coach being able to call more that one defense on game day.  I had five defensive back coaches in college and all had their different techniques.  I learned them all.  It allowed me to switch things up on my opponent.  It also made me a better coach and now trainer.

With that said,  you have to have a home base.   You have to have a main weapon.  My recommendation for smaller cornerbacks with quick feet is soft press.  The reason I say that is because  your advantage is your quickness and ability to change direction.  The essence of soft press is quickness and change of direction.  It avoids you,  a smaller corner,  having to engage in physical battles at the line of scrimmage vs. guys that have an advantage over you there.

If you are a bigger 6′ + cornerback with long arms then hard press is likely the way you should go.  What good is being long if you are not using it.  Get your hands on wide receivers by using the hard press and disrupting routes.  The bigger you are the less likely you are to be quick.  Why employ a technique requiring great quickness when there’s another technique better suited for your strengths.

If you are able to put in the work and learn both techniques then you can now switch up techniques based on the type of wide receiver you are facing,  the coverage you are playing and the situation.  I will go into that in a separate article at a later date.  For now,  enjoy the video below that discusses both techniques in a little more detail.   If you have questions,  you can email me at: cwilson@alleyesdbcamp.com

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alleyesdbcamp

Owner at All Eyes DB Camp

Chad Wilson is the founder of All Eyes DB Camp and a former standout defensive back for the Miami Hurricanes. After an elite collegiate career, Wilson spent a season with the Seattle Seahawks before transitioning into coaching. A 3-time Florida state champion defensive coordinator, he has spent over 20 years developing the "All Eyes" blueprint that has produced NFL All-Pros and stars like Xavien Howard, Patrick Surtain II, Tyson Campbell, Minkah Fitzpatrick and more. His coaching system is proven at the highest levels—his own sons, Quincy and Marco Wilson, both excelled as starters in the SEC before being drafted into the NFL.

Chad is the author of "101 DB Tips"—The Ultimate DB Reference Guide. You can find more information on the manual and how to order your copy in the sidebar and footer of this page.

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