Which cue involves placing the coach's hand at the top of the athlete's head to guide the drive before pressing?

• A. Cue the athlete to press up and pull back on the bar as it travels overhead.
• B. Stand in front of athlete to prevent chest from coming forward.
• C. Take the athlete back in the teaching progression to perform two dip-drives before adding the press.
• D. 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.

Answer: (D)

Placing a hand at the top of the head gives a tactile target that guides the drive and the timing before pressing. With the athlete fully upright, the coach’s hand creates a fixed point the athlete must push into with the legs and hips, promoting a strong, vertical bar path and keeping the head and spine alignment stable. This cue helps the athlete generate drive first and then transfer that momentum into the press, rather than pressing prematurely or losing position. The physical contact also provides immediate feedback, so the athlete learns to hit the hand with the drive and then proceed to press, reinforcing proper sequencing.

Other cues may address posture or the press movement in isolation, but they don’t offer the same integrated, kinaesthetic guide to the drive-then-press sequence or the head-position cue in this setup.