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Press Jam Technique for Cornerbacks: Patience, Strike, Ride

Updated · Fact checked

In press coverage, a corner lines up right on the receiver and tries to wreck the release. A good jam knocks the route off its path and throws off the quarterback's timing. A bad one, where you lunge and miss, hands the receiver a free run with no cushion to save you.

This page covers the press jam technique 440 uses for defensive backs and the jam and mirror drill that trains it. It is short, intense work: 15 second reps where you stay in front of a partner who is trying to get past you.

How to Jam The Receiver (Marcus Trufant)David

How to do it

  1. Line up in press

    Align about a yard off your partner, feet about armpit width, knees bent, hands up and ready, eyes on the receiver's hips.

  2. Be patient

    On the go, the receiver uses a release move. Stay square with short, quiet steps and let the receiver commit to a side.

  3. Strike

    When the release declares, punch the chest with the thumbs up without lunging.

  4. Mirror and ride

    Stay on the receiver's hip for the rest of the 15 seconds, steering the release, then switch roles.

Sets and reps
4 reps of 15 seconds, 45 seconds rest.
Equipment
A partner as the receiver, A yard line or cones to mark the line of scrimmage
Muscles and skills
Hands, Hips
Used in these 440 plans
Defensive Back

Coaching cues and common mistakes

Coaching cues

  • Patient feet, stay square
  • Strike the chest with the thumbs up
  • Mirror and ride the receiver

Common mistakes

  • Lunging and missing
  • Opening the gate too early

Patience first

A USA Football coaching article calls patience the hardest thing to teach young defensive backs in press. You want to be physical, so you jump at the receiver at the snap, and that is exactly what a release move is built to beat. Stay square with quiet, patient feet and let the receiver commit to an inside or outside release. A receiver who dances at the line is burning the quarterback's time, not yours.

Keep your eyes on the receiver's hips or the bottom of the numbers, not the head. Heads and shoulders fake. Hips go where the body goes.

The strike and the ride

Once the release declares, strike. 440's cue is to punch the chest with the thumbs up, then mirror and ride the receiver, staying on the hip so you steer the release instead of chasing it. Coaches differ on hands: some teach a two hand jam, others prefer a one hand, off hand jam because young corners overextend with two hands and lose position. Learn the version your coach teaches, but the feet come first in both.

Opening your hips too early, called opening the gate, puts you straight into a trail position, chasing the receiver. Stay square until the receiver commits. More on press, off-man and zone for corners and safeties is on the defensive back training page, and the backpedal drill covers the off coverage side.

FAQ

When should a cornerback jam the receiver?

After the receiver declares a release, not at the snap. Stay square and patient, let the receiver commit inside or outside, then strike and ride. Jumping early is how corners get beaten off the line.

One hand or two hand jam?

Both are taught. Some coaches use a two hand punch with the thumbs up; others teach a one hand, off hand jam so a young corner doesn't overextend. 440's cue uses the thumbs up strike to the chest; follow your coach's system on game day.

More defensive back drills

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Sources

  1. ITP Glossary: Press Man Technique, The Scouting Academy / Inside The Pylon
  2. Training the eyes of a defensive back in press coverage (Mike Kuchar), USA Football
  3. Press Coverage Drills That Disrupt Passing Attacks (Kenneth Gilstrap), Glazier Clinics
  4. Wallace vs. Shields: press-coverage breakdown (Matt Bowen, former NFL safety; published Feb 13, 2011), National Football Post

Program numbers (benchmarks, sets, reps, loads, protein targets) are 440 Football's own prescriptions. For athletes 13 and older; check with a physician or a registered dietitian before major training or diet changes.