DB Drills | 3 Releases Press Man Drill (video)

Press man is what every cornerback wants to be good at.  IN this video I talk about one of if not my favorite press man drills called 3 releases.

There are a lot of great things about this drill.  One of the great things about it is that you don’t need equipment,  not even a ball and it can be done virtually anywhere.  It also only requires you and another person (preferably another DB or a WR) with some athletic ability.

Basically,  one person is the DB and the other acts as the WR.  The defensive back aligns in a press stance against the WR.  The WR comes off the line explosively for 3 to 4 steps and the defensive back reacts to the release.

This drill works for perfecting both hard and soft press but admittedly it is better for developing good hard press habits.  What I teach here (with hard press technique) is that when a WR enters into the space between the two of you (which I call the lobby),  the DB should “greet” him.  Greeting him means with a solid and stern two hand jam to the chest.  The DB is to deliver that two hand jam to the chest while eyeing the hips.  You do not need to see the chest to hit the chest.  Wherever the WRs hips are,  the chest is just above it so work hard to keep the eyes down.  Raising your eyes up to see the chest will result in you getting fooled by the quicker moves of the shoulder.

By hitting the WR hard in the chest,  it discourages him from entering that space,  stepping on your toes and then exiting left or right even with you and then quickly stacking you.  It’s similar to letting a boxer get in close to you to work your body or uppercut you.  Keep the WR out of that space.

Should the WR exit left or right immediately,  the DB should kick slide in that direction and execute an “off hand jam”.  Off hand meaning the hand away from the side you are kick sliding to.  The off hand jam allows the hips to be free to open up and get up the field should they need to.

Once the WR is a full man outside of your frame (meaning your body),  the DB should then stick his away foot in the ground,  abruptly open up the hips and get vertically up the field to main the over the top relationship.  The only time he would not do this in a game situation is when a WR is running a slant.  In that case,  the DB would ride the hip,  try to flatten out the slant release and negate it’s effectiveness.

The WR in this drill,  comes off hard for 3 to 4 steps,  the DB reacts and then both players quickly reset to do it again.  Repeat three times and then the two players switch if they are both DBs trying to sharpen their press technique.  You can do this drill for an entire session and you will leave better for having done it.

I used to have my players do it for 100 yards after practice.  In time you will become excellent at neutralizing at WRs effectiveness off the line in press man.

For more questions and / or feedback on this video,  send me an email to 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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