All Access Oklahoma State Wrestling Practice

with John Smith,
Oklahoma State University Head Coach from 1991 to 2024;
5x NCAA Championship coach;
2x NWCA Coach of the Year;
20x Big 12 Conference Champions;
9x Big 12 Coach of the Year;
Member, NCAA 75th Anniversary Team (2005);
2004 U.S. Olympic Committee Titan Award;
2003 FILA Hall of Fame;
1997 National Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee;
1997 Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame;
Named one of the 100 Greatest Olympians of All-Time (1996);
2x Olympic Gold Medalist;
6x World Champion;
2x NCAA Champion;
Amateur Athletic Foundation World Trophy (1992);
1991 FILA Outstanding Wrestler of the Year;
1990 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) James E, Sullivan Award (1st wrestler to win this award);
First-ever American to Earn FILA's Master of Technique Award (Best technical wrestler in the world, 1990);
1990 U.S. Olympic Committee Sportsman of the Year;
1989 USA Wrestling Athlete of the Year;
1988 Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year;
1987 NWCA College Wrestler of the Year

John Smith knows what it takes to build champions. Now, Coach Smith provides unprecedented access to the Oklahoma State practice room during the first three practices of the 2011-12 wrestling season.

Included in this comprehensive video package is instruction on:

• Hip Heist - A key skill that is the foundation for many wrestling techniques.
• Standup - Learn technical points and drills designed to get your wrestlers out from bottom.
• Switches & Rolls - Smith emphasizes that 50% of reversals have the potential to end up putting your opponent on their back. Learn how the Cowboys put the competition on their back.
• Defending - Defend legs rides, claw ride & crab rides - important techniques to keep your wrestlers out of danger.
• The Oklahoma State Drilling Philosophy - Drilling should not be comfortable. Learn John Smith's approach to drilling and help your athletes sustain their intensity through drilling situations.
• Strength Training - Watch the team go through a workout designed to build explosiveness which translates into wins on the mat.

Day 1:
Coach begins practice with a team meeting in which he explains the importance of getting mentally prepared for practice. Smith proceeds to teach the bottom position drills that the team will use on a regular basis to build technique and form the foundation for their wrestling season. The drills focus on specific situations and skill development. In this manner they warm-up with more technique than some teams include in an entire practice. All drills build wrestling specific movements and habits to score from the bottom position. The team proceeds with drilling from their feet. Before releasing the team, coach explains the aspects of what makes a good drill and why it drilling is important.

Day 2:
The team uses many of the Day 1 drills in their warm-up and coach reviews them as needed. They then proceed to warm-up drills from the neutral and top position. After the warm-up drills are finished the team works on scoring from their feet.

Day 3:
Day three features a workout in the OSU weight room as the team is led through a strength workout. Coach Smith and his staff share a plethora of techniques as they work with the wrestlers on takedowns. Later, the team has a workout on the mat in a smaller group setting. This allows the coaching staff to work on the individual needs of the team members. By watching Coach Smith and his assistants, you will learn how to provide feedback to wrestlers, how to target instruction to individuals, and how to match your coaching style to individual wrestlers.

Developing positive habits and a strong state of mind is essential to building a quality wrestling program. The drills demonstrated in this video and John Smith's coaching style has been integral in building the OSU program into one that is always in contention for a championship. Now you can use these same drills and coaching techniques to create champions in your program!

223 minutes (3 full videos). 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 practice can be costly. That's why we created the All Access Practice Series of videos -- to bring the practices to you!