G. J. Kinne: Perspective has helped this great young man take off

A lot of what is needed to succeed in sports, or really anything, is perspective. When you realize what you have and what you are doing means ... really means, in the grand scheme of things ... then performance becomes more natural and less of a chore.

"Having to" is a much different feeling than "having an opportunity."

And when you, or some one you care about, gets a whole new lease on life, well, things get put in perspective in literally a heartbeat.

Check out the story of G. J. Kinne HERE.

How do you think our efforts might be affected if we lived and played in light of all our blessings ... both here and in eternity? Let that soak in. And live thankfully and purposefully today.

See you on the field ...

What Will be Necessary to Hear that Stampede Coming?

What will it take to get where we want to go?

It's funny, but every year I hear different opinions on this subject. We all have an idea, whether stated or not. People's expectations start to take root.

Last year, some people thought that simply having 7 seniors would be enough. This year, some think that having few seniors will mean we lack what we need. Some think getting a year older is all that is required ... just do the same stuff, you know, "get your reps." You know me enough to know that I want to do more than simply "get our reps." Repeating something only has value to the extent that the thing being repeated is valuable.

I think that deliberately practicing those things ... with passion, persistence, and purpose ... that we each need to improve is what is required. I would suggest that this approach is needed more than ever before. We are going to have to get after it.

So, what do we need to improve? We've talked about some of those things as a team. But what about each coach and player taking individual ownership of what he needs to do? What about you? That is what the great teams do. Because of a sense of brotherhood and accountability, they do the hard work as individuals necessary to get where the team wants to go. They do it for themselves, but ultimately, they are doing it for each other, as well.

And where does ... or can ... this team go? That is up to each of you. Two years ago, we had no (as in zero) seniors and folks expected a tough rebuilding year; instead, we ended up finishing higher at the HWS than ever before. Last year, with a team loaded with seniors and experience (with 5 of those players now playing in college), we set a lot of new marks and records but still finished behind the 2010 team ... the one with no seniors.

As homeschoolers, we know better than most how artificial characterizations about who we are or what we can do are just that -- artificial. Rather, our experiences and performance are defined by what we do with the time and God-given opportunities we have.

So, what do you need to work on? What is your weakness, or weaknesses that you want to eradicate or turn into a strength?

If you have any questions in this regard, ask me. Email ... text ... call ... whatever. Talk to your team captains. Find out where to be working, and then start chipping away. Do a little bit at a time, and then pretty soon you are a long way down the road.

Let's make a pledge to be as good as we can possibly be in 2012. I promise you that if we all do this -- commit to deliberately work on our weaknesses and lessen them as much as we can during the coming year -- that we will have a very special year around here.

It's a dangerous trap to think that success is the eventual result of simply hanging around or showing up. At some point, each of us has to step up to the plate and compete.

My challenge to you is to start facing those things you know you need to address to fulfill your part of the bargain. That's what I will be doing.

So, be part of the stampede. A stampede starts with one Mustang running as hard as he can ... and then another ... and then another. When they are all running in unison, you can see, hear, and feel the power. It's exciting. And then the energy starts to spread amongst the group. And the running becomes more determined, yet easier.

Let's go.

See you on the field ...

Great Stuff from the World of College Football

Check out the mental game training that Coach Nick Saban is doing at Alabama ...

Here it is: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/andy_staples/11/03/alabama-mental-conditioning-coach/

By the way, they've been working on this since '07 and have a national championship over some team from Austin, I believe, to show for it. Pretty interesting.

I was impressed with the emphasis on communicating clearly and using eye contact. Also, I am reminded that working through distractions is something that can be developed. In other words, we can practice concentration.

See you on the field ...

Time to Break Out the New Bats

As we have been discussing with our players and also with a number of Mustang parents, this season, all high school aluminum or composite bats will be required to be Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution or "BBCOR" certified bats.

Typically, our junior high team will also play per high school (NFHS) rules, so I would advise all of you JH players to be getting BBCOR bats. As a general rule, I think it's a good idea for a JH player to be swinging a drop 3 high school bat sooner rather than later, in any event.

Here is a link that sets out the new bat rule:

http://azbca.org/nfhs-rules/rule-1-3-2-through-5 .

Paragraph (e), which sets out that all bats as of 1/1/12 must be BBCOR certified. That is, the "BBCOR" stamp will be on all approved bats.

The long and short of this change is that the BBCOR bats perform similar to wooden bats, but without breaking, of course.

There was some discussion that this rule was changed for safety reasons. In actuality, it was apparently driven largely by scouts who want to see how guys hit in high school without souped-up aluminum bats. Pretty interesting, huh?

We have adjusted some of our practices and training this fall to be ready. We will be ready when 2/11/12 gets here and we open vs. Northeast Christian. Semper Gumby.

See you on the field ...