Which correction is used for pressing early in a push press?

• A. Take the athlete back in the teaching progression to perform two dip-drives before adding the press.
• B. Place your hand at the top of the athlete's head when fully standing; keep it at that height and then ask the athlete to hit your hand during the drive before pressing.
• C. Cue "Jump higher."
• D. Have the athlete squeeze the glutes before pressing.

Answer: (A)

In a push press, timing is everything—the press should come after the dip and drive, not during them. Taking the athlete back to a teaching progression that uses two dip-drives before adding the press teaches the correct sequence: the first dip sets up the drive, the second reinforces the hip and knee extension, and only after that should the athlete press overhead. This separation makes the bar path more stable and ensures you’re leveraging leg drive to create momentum, not rushing the press from the bottom of the dip.

Other cues don’t directly address that timing. Placing a hand on the head and having the athlete hit it during the drive is awkward and can disrupt balance and neck alignment. Telling the athlete to jump higher is a vague power cue that doesn’t fix when the press starts. Squeezing the glutes helps with hip stability, but it doesn’t train the necessary sequencing between drive and press. The progression with two dip-drives is the most effective way to ingrain the correct order of movements.