All Access Indoor Softball Practice with John Tschida

with John Tschida,
Saint Mary's University Head Coach;
was first at Saint Mary's from 1995 through 2000 where he won the first of three NCAA Championships;
University of St. Thomas Head Coach from 2000 through 2021;
member of the NFCA Hall of Fame (2016);
Over 990 career wins; highest winning percentage in D-III softball history (.840 winning percentage);
3x national championship coach;
first coach to win national title at two schools;
2x NFCA Division III National Coach of the Year;
12x MIAC Coach of the Year;

John Tschida and his staff welcome you to their indoor practice facility to show you how to get the most out of your practice time, practice space and out of your players - even during inclement weather. In this series you will see how Coach Tschida runs his practices - focusing on proper throwing fundamentals, fielding and position work, hitting, and bunting. Every aspect of the game is covered, and it's all indoors.

Disc 1:
Coach Tschida opens up his practice with a classroom session. See how he gets the team focused, explains the drills that will be used in practice, reviews sacrifice and drag bunts, and instructs his players on the proper techniques and strategies for each.

Once practice begins, the team executes a dynamic warm-up and goes through a throwing progression while working on several different types of throws. The team works on bunt defense, before splitting up into groups for position-specific drills. You'll see how Tschida maximizes the use of the facility through proven drill strategies. Finally, the team comes back together and works on several hitting drills.

Disc 2:
The team is split up into multiple stations where each group will work on a specific aspect of hitting. In the cage, hitters will see specific pitches in a live setting to learn to pick out what type of pitch is coming. Other stations feature tee drills focusing on high pitches, low pitches, slap hitting, and coach-pitch "soft toss." This format provides a lot of cuts, while keeping your players focused and working hard. At the end, Coach Tschida has a post-practice meeting in which he rewards the hard work of deserving players.

Moving onto the next practice, Coach Tschida opens up by talking about sports psychology concepts including visualization, routines, and confidence. In the gym, practice begins with a dynamic warm-up using medicine balls, which will help your athletes get stronger while they loosen up. Tschida's throwing build up gives players a chance to practice the throws they will make in a game. Finally, the team does some position work and fielding drills.

Disc 3:
Practice begins with infielders and outfielders working on different types of fly balls, while adding cuts and relays into the drill. Next, the infield works on defending bases loaded situations.

After a brief meeting, the team breaks up into hitting and pitching groups. The hitters work on dry swings and then the team moves into live batting practice with the pitchers throwing to batters. At various times throughout the live hitting, Coach Tschida will call out 'champion on the floor' and all activity will stop and focus on one player who must execute whatever skill they are working on.

Coach Tschida brings a unique style and attitude to coaching. His practices get the most out of his team, his time, and the practice space. This video provides great indoor practice ideas and drills that will help your team improve even when you can't be on your field.

314 minutes (3 DVDs). 2012.

All Access videos are designed to allow viewers from all over the world to see how successful coaches run their practices in a "live" practice setting. All Access videos allow viewers to see the practices un-edited and in real-time. You will see how top coaches run their drills, interact with their team and staff, how they motivate their team, the cue words they use, the atmosphere of the practice and how practices are structured from day to day. Many coaches visit successful colleges and high schools to watch practice. But if you live out of state or out of the country, visiting another coach's gym can be costly. That's why we created the All Access Practice Series of videos -- to bring the practices to you!