When to Use Certain Press Techniques

I have had several discussions in my times training about various techniques to use when in press man coverage. Ultimately,  whatever technique is used, it boils down to two things. Either the technique is considered hard press or it is soft press.

What makes a Technique considered hard press?  Hard-press is basically when you are making a real effort to redirect the wide receiver at the line of scrimmage. It is an aggressive style of play. The major focus is on getting hands on the wide receiver to redirect his path as quickly as possible.

Soft press involves trying to mirror the movement of the wide receiver off of the line of scrimmage as you retreat. Some techniques have you moving back slowly à la inch technique while others have you getting out a little faster like motor mirror technique. Either way the idea is to try and stay in front of the Wide Reciever for as long as possible and be at or near his hip by the time the ball arrives. 

While my preference is for hard press, I do feel that is important as a defensive back to be proficient in both. Of course, one of these techniques will agree with you more than the other. However, like a coordinator having several coverages at his disposal from which to call during a game, it is always good when you can vary your techniques to diminish a receiver’s effectiveness. In fact, certain techniques are better used in certain situations and that’s what I’m going to discuss here.

When To Use Hard Press

Hard press is going to be most effective in short yardage situations and goal line situations when space is at a premium.  Being able to be aggressive with a wide receiver in those situations gives you an advantage because there isn’t much space for the receiver to use if you make a mistake at the line of scrimmage. Hard press can also be a good tool on first downs when you think the offense is just trying to get a quick completion and positive yards to set up favorable down and distances later on. Being able to hard press also comes in handy when the receivers line up in bunch and stack formations. In these situations, one or more of the defensive backs are going to need to be aggressive in order to combat the route combinations.  If no one knows how to play hard press then there is more of a chance of the offense being able to be successful when they run that formation.

When To Use Soft Press

Soft press comes in handy when there is more space available for the wide receiver to maneuver. This would be when the offense is deep in their own territory or around midfield. In these situations, there is a great deal of amount of space beyond the defensive back at the line of scrimmage and thus a defensive back that is proficient in soft press can use his feet to attempt to delay the receiver attacking that space.  Soft press also comes in handy in certain zone situations.  The biggest one that comes to mind is Cover 4 or Quarters coverage.  In those coverages, there is a chance that the corner lined up in press could end up in a zero coverage situation. Being able to soft press and motor out in this coverage allows the defensive back to stay over the top of the routes and protect himself against the deep routes since this is his primary responsibility in that coverage.  This would also be true for any coverage where there is a MOD situation. MOD stands for man on distance. This means that the defender may not end up in man on the receiver that’s in front of him.  If the receiver runs a shorter route, the defensive back would not have man-to-man in that situation. However, if the receiver were to run deep,  the defense of back would have that player man-to-man.  Being able to execute soft press technique in the situation, allows the defensive back to have success when this occurs.

In a nutshell,  that is a breakdown of when the two techniques would likely work best.  There may be other situations that you can think of but the idea is when the line to gain is near,  hard press is optimal.  When space is readily available,  the line to gain is further and protecting against the deep ball is the objective then soft press could be a better option.

For some quick examples of both hard and soft press,  check out the video below:

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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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