Chad Wilson
December 4, 2024
When it comes to man coverage—and press coverage in particular—there’s an order to things. Far too often, defensive backs put the cart before the horse in their press technique, and by that, I mean it becomes hands first. I hate to break it to you, my friends, but just like when you’re with a woman, the hands come last. Allow me to explain.
As I say in my book 101 DB Tips, the hands are the icing on the cake. Before the hands, the eyes must be in the right place. Before the hands, the feet have to put you in the proper position. Only then can we involve our hands in this press-man party.
Far too often, the moment the wide receiver moves, defensive backs activate their hands—and do so at the exclusion of the other two main ingredients. Get ready to put an ugly cake on the table. And I’m pretty sure it’s not going to taste very good either.
Now that we’ve established that the hands are last in the pecking order of the press-man assembly line, let’s talk about how you can get things lined up right.
It Starts with Your Eyes
They say the eyes are the window to the soul, and that applies here. If you’re going to get everything lined up and have a successful press-man rep, you really have to make sure your eyes are right. Find something on the wide receiver to focus on—something on, at, or near his waist. If there’s a logo on his pants, focus on that. If there’s a small spot on his pants or anything else in that area, draw your focus to it. As it moves, keep your eyes locked.
When you practice and train, never begin a rep without doing this. Your eyes start the engine on this press-man car. Don’t attempt to put the car in drive or turn the steering wheel without first starting the engine. Make your eyes the focus. Even when you’re doing drills that don’t involve a partner, imagine that one is there and keep your eyes in the right place.
Marry the Feet to the Eyes
Typically, this happens naturally. When the eyes are right, the feet usually follow—but only when the feet know what to do. So, spend some time learning what the right steps are in press.
For beginners, keep a solid base. Whether you’re using hard press or any number of soft press techniques, it’s important to keep your footwork within your circle. Stepping too far outside your center of gravity will remove both your balance and your power. Your goal should be stepping and replacing, whether you’re in a kick slide or a motor technique. Once you’ve learned this and practiced it enough, your body will do this automatically—if and only if your eyes are in the right place during the rep.
At Last, the Hands
Now that the eyes have made the proper focus and the feet have received the right data to put you on the scene, the hands can be given an all-access pass.
When your eyes aren’t right, they send a distress signal to your feet. The feet panic, get out of balance, and the hands are called upon to save you. There’s typically only one way the hands provide help in this scenario, and that’s with a grab. Now your hands become the enemy.
Because we’re now doing things the right way, our hands not only become our friends—they become the finisher. However, there’s one more hurdle to cross: if we allow our hands to remove our eyes from their focus, the feet will panic, and everything can go haywire. Let’s prevent that from happening.
When you have the receiver lined up and ready to be struck, maintain your eye focus. When you shoot your hands, do so above your eyes. With your eyes still on the receiver’s waist, shoot your hands to his chest. This means your eyes will remain below your hands. You don’t need to see his chest to hit it. If you know where the receiver’s hips are, you know where his chest is. We haven’t reached the point where receivers can detach their upper bodies from their lower bodies during a rep… stay tuned, though, because AI is here.
Strike the chest, keep your eyes down, and watch how your feet keep you in good position. When you’ve given that girl the right look and your feet have pulled you in closer, your hands are now a welcomed addition to the mix. Don’t just grab the girl out of the blue—that tends to draw a flag from people in uniforms. Keep things in order, and win.
I cover this topic and many more in greater detail in my best-selling book 101 DB Tips. It’s the ultimate reference guide to playing defensive back at a high level. Click here to get your copy!
Chad Wilson is the owner of All Eyes DB Camp and author of "101 DB Tips". He played college football at the University of Miami and briefly in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks. Over his 15 year high school football coaching career, he tutored over a dozen Division I defensive backs and as a trainer has worked with NFL All Pros, first round draft picks, college football All Americans and Top 10 ranked high school football prospects.
