Valentine's Day Special

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you have a wonderful day today. I've got a few scrimmages to go to, but it'll be fun. Anyway, just wanted to make sure you knew about the Valentine's Day Special I made for you.

You can get:

• A spot in the Goal Setting Acceleration Bootcamp (reg. price $25)
• Coaching Unplugged (reg price $7)
• Access to the Online College Recruiting System ($15/year)

...that's $47 worth of softball stuff all at the deeply discounted price of $20. Yowza - that's a savings of 57%!

That's slightly crazy, but it's only because I love ya! Get all 3 of those very popular resources for just $20. This Valentine's Day Special is only good for today and tomorrow. Don't miss it!

Give me the Valentine's Day Special!

How to Enjoy Practice More and Improve Your Game

One of the things that always baffles me is that people try to set goals without ever thinking about their vision. In other words, they do goal setting, but the never think about what they ultimately want, what their dream is.

It's very difficult to achieve that BIG thing and set goals to help you get there when you have no idea what it is.

So, right now I'm going to share an example of how you can set more effective goals and improve your game.

Let's not think about a huge thing right now, let's just focus on ONE practice day.

How often do you think about what you want out of practice? You probably attend practice with the hopes of improving your game or getting better right? But what would you ultimately like practice to be like?

Think about that for a second.

Maybe one of the things you want is to improve your game at least a little each day?

Maybe you want to enjoy yourself and have some fun?

Whatever it is, ask yourself if those things are happening on a daily basis.

If not, why not?

Maybe your always rushing to practice so you're already starting of full of anxiety instead of starting practice off in a positive way.

Maybe you don't really see yourself improving as much as you'd like.

The idea is to:

1. Think about what you really want out of practice
2. Figure out some reasons why that's not happening regularly
3. Then listing a few things you could do to make it happen

Maybe you really enjoy socializing with your teammates, but your always getting to practice in the nick of time, so you don't really get that opportunity.

One thing you can decide to do is: make sure you get ready for practice early and make it a point to arrive at the field at least 15 minutes before start time. That way you can take your time. You don't need to rush. You don't need to feel pressured right off the bat. You can relax, find a great spot to put your bag in, and chit chat with your friends for a bit before you have to get to your training.

Wouldn't that make your practice experience better? Wouldn't you enjoy it more than always having to rush in, run to the dugout with your equipment bag, throw it in any remaining available spot, hurry to get your shoes on, scramble to find your glove, and hustle out to the field because everyone else is already ready to go?

Which way would you rather start practice? Which way do you usually start practice?

Is this a change you can make?

Another scenario: Maybe one of the reasons you go to practice is to get better, but somehow you're not sure if it's working. Try make it a point to learn one new thing each day.

• Listen closely each day to what your coaches have to say (instead of chatting with your friends on the field)
• Observe your teammates to see if you can learn from them (instead of chatting in the back of the line when it's not your turn)
• At the end of the practice review and see if you learned anything new

If you look back and can name something you learned, you will see that you did accomplish something during practice and will feel better about your practice session. You'll also be more motivated to get out there again the next day and take another step. Since you're making it a point to learn something new, you'll probably get more out of practice because you're paying more attention and looking for ways to get better rather than just relying on your coaches to make you better. You will start to see that you are improving and raising your game by attending practice each day.

Coaches!

Have you thought of what you'd like out of practice or what you'd like your practice to be like?

Give it a try.

• Think about what you'd ultimately want your practices to be like
• Identify a few reasons why it's not like that
• Then decide on a few things you can do differently to make it better

Try it today and let me know how it goes.

These are the types of exercises you'll go through in the Goal Setting Acceleration Bootcamp - just on a larger scale and with a bit more detail.

Take the challenge of answering soul searching questions to get down to the meat of practical, action steps you can take to pump up your performance.

Sound like fun? You know I'm all about fun and I think you'll enjoy the process of going through to activities in the goal setting bootcamp. Enjoy the game more and make bigger gains.

Start today. Try the stuff in this blog post, then go over to the GSA page and sign up to get Part 1 of the Bootcamp for FREE.

Why I'm Putting Pressure On You

Find out how pressure is going to help you focus, make you more productive, increase the quality of your work or training, and help you reach your goals.


Are you up for the challenge???

Goal Setting Acceleration Bootcamp: For players and coaches want to catapult their game to a higher level

Goal Setting Acceleration - An Inside Look

As I work on the Goal Setting Acceleration Bootcamp I'm getting more and more excited about opening it up to players and coaches.

Some people think that goal setting isn't necessary or that you can just keep your goals in your head. But here are a couple of thoughts from GoalsGuy.com - words from a goal setting expert.

Goal setting is not that important.
The GoalsGuy says: Success Requires Goals - End of Story! A life of meaning needs goals and specific plans to achieve them. Success does not happen by accident.

Goal Setting is Difficult and Takes Too Much Time.
The GoalGuy says: Performance is accelerated by time invested in strategy. The game of life is won behind the scenes, in time spent on preparation.

Some of the biggest reasons people fail are because:

• They take action without planning
• They plan and never take action
• Their "Why" is not clear
• They lack focus
• They are afraid to fail
• They try to do it alone

The upcoming Goal Setting Acceleration Bootcamp addresses many of these issues. If you'd like a sneak peak at the inside of the Bootcamp, I have a screen shot HERE. Of course, it doesn't capture everything, but I like the way it looks and just felt like sharing it with you. :D

Click to enlarge

Goal Achieving Attitude

I'm sure you'd agree that your own attitude and mind set play a part in whether or not you actually achieve the goals you lay out for yourself. Obviously a person who has the attitude and mindset of a "winner" is more likely to achieve their goals than someone who doesn't.

So what kinds of qualities are part of a winning attitude?

• Determination
• Enthusiasm
• Motivated
• Confidence
• Optimism
• Patience

The more you live with a winning attitude, the more likely you are to achieve your goals.

However, it's possible that there are days when you don't feel as confident or optimistic or even enthusiastic about what you're doing. I don't know about you, but I don't wake up every day feeling motivated. With that in mind, here are 3 Mini-Motivators than can help boost your mood:

• Get your blood flowing: go for a walk or run to clear your head and energize your body
• Try using a reward: promise yourself a certain reward or treat when you reach a certain goal
• Read something inspirational: just google inspirational quotes or motivational quotes or success quotes and you'll have lots of inspirational reading material

Try using these Mini-Motivators to boost your mood and get back on track with that "winning attitude" you need to achieve your goals.

For more help with setting goals you'll stick with, a tip for "instant motivation," and a method for shifting your mindset effectively, quickly, and painless from negative to positive, sign up for the upcoming Goal Setting Acceleration Bootcamp Priority List. Spaces for this session are limited so fill out the form if you want a jump start on the rest of the coaches and players who'll be looking to take part in the program.

TMI = Lack of Action

One of the most common obstacles to achieving your goals is Too Much Information (aka TMI). I'm sure you've probably experienced this before. Sometimes when you're trying to improve your game you do all kinds of research, read all kinds of books, talk to all kinds of people, and that's great....except that you ended up with information overload and feel so overwhelmed by all the ideas and advice that you have no idea where to start.

What happens next? Nothing. You don't use any of the information, ideas, tips, or advice that you got because there was just so much to do, you didn't know where to start. Either than or you felt so overwhelmed at the idea of having to do so much that you felt it was practically impossible so you gave up before you even started. So basically, you're in the same spot you were in before you decided to try to improve your game.

How do you combat this TMI obstacle?

Choose ONE area and focus on improving that area ONLY.

Choose something that:

1. you know you can do if you just put your mind to it
2. will have a significant impact (in others words will allow you to see results sooner rather than later)

For example, say you have one goal of improving your batting average from .150 to .500 and another of becoming competant with a back hand. While improving your batting average may take a while and be a bit more invovled, you can probably make significant progress with your backhand in just a week's time if you made it a focus and worked on it. Therefore, in this situation, in order to overcome the TMI obstacle, I would go with working the backhand first. While you may not reach full competency right away, you'd make decent progress and probably improve your overall confidence as a defender in a relatively short period of time.

So if TMI is stopping you from achieving your goals (after all if you're not taking action, there's no way you're getting any closer to reaching your goals), then stop, take a deep breath, choose ONE area to focus on and do it! Then allow that success to lead you to another, and another, and another...also known as, the "Snowball Effect." :D

For additional help with setting (and achieving) your goals for 2009...
Put your name on the Priority List for my upcoming Goal Setting Acceleration Bootcamp. Spaces for this session are limited to less than 100 coaches and players. So far this month, 757.75 people visit this site on a daily basis. If you want to be at the front of the line when I open the doors for this program (I'm talking a full 24 hours ahead of everyone else), fill in your name and e-mail address below and I'll keep you posted.

Last Day for 2008 - Bootcamp

Hey - just a quick reminder. Today is the LAST DAY you can pick up the Home Study version of the Fastpitch Insider Bootcamp for 2008. Yes, I'll have it available in 2009 also, but you'll save yourself some money if you pick it up today.

If you haven't picked up your Bootcamp Home Study package yet, CLICK HERE.

Have no clue what I'm talking about?

Get the details HERE before it's too late.

What Do I Get in the Home Study

I've been getting a few questions about the home study:

What do I get?

How is it different from the regular bootcamp?

How much does it cost?

I'll save the first question for last because it has the longest answer.

First: How is the home study bootcamp different from the regular bootcamp?

The home study is in a fully downloadable format. You get ONE long report with all the "regular bootcamp" content in it. Then you also get all the printables, handouts, and audios that are in the "regular bootcamp." It's different because you can get everything all at once and the material is not broken down week by week for you so you can really go at your own pace. Also, you don't have any of the discussion or live even options that the regular bootcampers do. But you're also getting the Home Study Package for a discounted price which brings me to the next question.

Second: How much does it cost?

Right now the bootcamp is being offered at a Special 2008 New Release price. This price will ONLY be good this year and I'm seriously thinking about taking the whole thing down by Tuesday December 23rd so that we can all have time to concentrate on spending the holidays with our families. No more buying bootcamps online after the 23rd because then you'll have the whole day Christmas Eve and beyond to focus on your family and on the holiday season. During this short time, the bootcamp homestudy is being offered at $27 which is 46% off the original Fastpitch Insider Bootcamp price. When 2009 rolls around and the holidays are over, this homestudy will be priced at $35 (which is still a 30% discount from the original bootcamp price). But take action now and save yourself some money - get the homestudy package for just $27 instead of $35. Plus you'll get a head start on prepping for the 2009 season!

Last, but not least: What do I get?
Here's a sample taken from the sign up page...

Table of Contents Sample

Take a look at a few of the topics in this 47-page home study:

• What does it take?
• Preparation and Success
• Coaching Logistics
• The Decision to Coach
• Key Ingredient to Your Coaching Philosophy
• Vision Basics
• Developing Your Vision
• Time Management Tips for Coaches
• Why Multi-Tasking is Bad
• 21 Ways to Relieve Stress

Plus get:

• Sample Parent Meeting Letter
• Equipment List
• Bucket Essentials
• Tryout Handout
• Tryout Matrix and Rubric
  
• Worksheets to help you apply the concepts covered in the report

AND of course, Conversations with the Experts:

• Tryout Audio with Marc Dagenais
• Pre-Game Mistakes Conversation with Dr. Patrick Cohn
• Coaching the Mental Game with Dr. Tom Hanson
• Pitching Conversation with Bill Hillhouse

Are You Prepared for 2009?

Have you ever had that season? You know the one where you're just so overwhelmed that coaching is more stress than fun? Even though the season doesn't really start until next year, I'm already thinking about, planning, and getting ready for the upcoming season. Of course, the holidays are upon us and I'm sure you're just as busy as I am. In fact, our team isn't even allowed to handle the ball yet, but I know there are a lot of things I could prepare for prior to being given the okay to hit the field. I believe that preparation plays a big part in your level of success. The more you have taken care of prior to the season starting, the less you'll have to deal with in-season.

While it's true that you can still be successful even without thorough preparation, I don't think that's the "ideal" scenario. You have enough to deal with during the season without having to deal with a bunch of odds and end issues that could have been taken care of prior to the season even starting. You'll probably never think of everything, but if you begin preparing early and start laying out the groundwork for your season, you're season will go more smoothly than if you don't. After all, you'll be able to readily address the unexpected issues and challenges that pop up during the season because you're not busy still trying to take care of things that could have been done before the season started. All that is taken care of, so now you have the means by which to deal with the new "fires" that come up.

If your season begins in the spring like mine, now is a great time to begin thinking about 2009. I know it's a busy time of year with Christmas right around the corner (I really love this time of year), but if you don't have time now, I'm pretty sure you won't have time once the season rolls around. You know how hectic your schedule gets during the first few months of the year. I understand that your "softball brain" may not be firing on all cylinders right now if you're not in season, BUT I've been doing a lot of brainstorming and thinking about '09...AND I'm willing to share my preparation plans with you! Everything will be included in the Bootcamp Home Study package I'm getting ready to release tomorrow.

The coaches in our Fastpitch Insider Bootcamp are already taking the steps necessary to have more success and less stress in 2009. Tomorrow, you'll have an opportunity to do the same with the Home Study version of the 2008 Bootcamp! For now, go ahead and check out my free Pre-Season Paving report if you haven't already picked up your copy.

Want to learn a little more about the Bootcamp Home Study course and find out how to make sure you can grab it at 2008 New Release Special Pricing? Click HERE

Bootcamp Lite Progress

For those of you waiting on the downloadable version of the Fastpitch Insider Bootcamp, it's well on it's way to being finished. I pounded out 35 pages so far and that doesn't even include some of the handouts and printables that are also included in the course. I have a few finishing touches I need to take care of, plus I need to make sure I have the page where you can get all the downloads ready.

If you want to know as soon as it's ready to go, please make sure you put your name at e-mail address in the form at this post and I will keep you updated!

For those of you who sign up to be notified, I will offer the bootcamp to you at a special discounted 2008 rate. Once 2009 comes around and the season is seriously right around the corner, the special will be over and the downloadable bootcamp will only be available at "regular" price. Start early, make sure you're on the list to get notified as soon as the bootcamp is ready so you can save money. Click here to put your name on the notification list.

Remember, in this coaches bootcamp, you'll:

• Reduce your in-season coaching stress by making sure you've taken care of all the little logistical and "administrative" issues you can before the season even gets rolling

• Find out how to effectively run tryouts and evaluate players to you can build the best team possible

• Develop a solid coaching philosophy that will guide you through the toughest coaching decisions you face and set the right tone for the year

• Create a vision your team can believe in for a more successful season

• Find out how to avoid a common strategic mistake many coaches make in the pre-season

• Learn how to more effectively manage your time to get the most out of your day and out of your practices

• Get well prepared for that all important parent meeting so that you can nip potential problems in the bud and have less stress during the season

• Find out what common pre-game mistakes your players may make that could hurt their performance

• Learn why multitasking is bad for you and your players
  

• Get great tips on coaching the mental game so you can start planning how to help your players with this important aspect of the game

• Hear why you shouldn't try be all and know all as a coach

• Find out how to give your players more even when you know less

• See what drills, guidelines, and tips other coaches are using to run effective tryouts

• Learn why it's okay if you have coaching weaknesses and why it may actually help your team
  

• Find out what #1 tool Tom Hanson uses to help players is

• Learn how to lower your stress level so you can be a more calm, confident, and effective coach
• and more!

Click here to enter your name and e-mail address an ensure you get access to this course at 2008 pricing.

Downloadable Bootcamp

I've had some people e-mail me saying that they are interested in the bootcamp, but prefer a downloadable report format rather than an online lesson course format. Instead of having things broken down week by week into smaller chunks and having to login to a member area, they just want all the information in one place and available via instant download.

So, what I'm going to do is put together a Bootcamp Lite version of the information shared in the bootcamp. All the bootcamp basics will be there in one report - sort of like a "home study." Just to let you know, it'll be kind of long, so if you're not into going over long, drawn out e-books on your own, the Fastpitch Insider Online Bootcamp is probably more your style.

Now I'm not quite sure when I'll have this ready. After all, I'll have to transform 8 weeks of content into one report. But if you'd rather have everything all in one place and be able to hear the conversations with the experts too, enter your name and e-mail address below and I'll let you know when it's ready.

Where are those expert conversations?

I've had a number of questions about where to get those conversations with experts I was doing as well as what exactly is in the Fastpitch Insider Bootcamp (week by week).

So, I'm going to answer those questions for you right here.

Expert Conversations

A while back I mentioned that every now and then I read articles or newsletters and end up having all kinds of questions pop into my head. Then I figured I'd try to actually contact the experts who I had questions for and see if they'd be willing to talk story with me and answer those questions. Of course, I was excited to find out that some of them were more than willing to have a chat with me. I ended up being able to talk with 4 different experts. Now originally, I was just going to put those conversations together to create a mini seminar series and that was it. Then I decided that I could give you more and that's when the Fastpitch Insider 2008 session went from being a "seminar series" to becoming a full blown "bootcamp." In addition to putting the conversations together, I added in a bunch of resources to help you get ready for the 2009 season. With good preparation you can greatly reduce your coaching stress during the season, avoid many obstacles, and increase your chance at success. So that's basically what the bootcamp is all about and although doors will be closing soon, there's still time for you to get in at www.allaboutfastpitch.com/bootcamp.html

HOWEVER, if you're not interested in all that and you just want the conversations, ONLY the experts conversations, and want to forego all the resources to help you reduce your coaching stress while increasing your chance of success for '09, then keep an eye on the blog next week because I will give you a chance to grab the "conversations only" package.

For those that had questions on just what the bootcamp covers over the course of the 8 weeks, read on.

The bootcamp week by week
Here's your "table of contents" so to speak...

Week 1: Pick up your 3 bootcamp bonuses, introduction, and logistics to think about

Week 2: What does it take to be a great coach, an exercise to get you thinking about specific improvements for '09, a good hard look at YOU.

Week 3: Coaching Philosophy - definition, how it will help you as a coach, why you should be addressing it now, the key ingredient and how to get clear on it, and an exercise to help you develop a solid and effective coaching philosophy

Week 4: Vision, definition, how it's different from philosophy, vision basics, what a good vision is like, and exercise to get clear on your vision for your team/program

Week 5: Tryouts! Conversation with Marc Dagenais and how he got a team full of dedicated, hard working players, how to effectively evaluate your players to build the best team possible, plus tips from other coaches, and 2 printable forms you can use for player evaluation

Week 6: The all important parent meeting, what to cover, sample letter and agenda, leadership, time management, and stress relief so you can be the MOST effective coach possible.

Week 7: Coaching the mental game, conversations with both Dr. Patrick Cohn, and Dr. Tom Hanson. Pre-game mistakes you and your players may be making, how to start implementing mental game training in your practices, plus Dr. Hanson's #1 tool for helping athletes and why you should start thinking about coaching the mental game now.

Week 8: Special lesson, recap, and conversation with Bill Hillhouse about pitching, mistakes, how to evaluate instructors, when to teach pitch calling, rules of thumb for attacking batters, how to go after batter's your not familiar with, and more.

In addition, all bootcamp members get free access to the Online College Recruiting Educational System and will be able to access it to be able to help their players through the college recruiting process and also can access the softball training workouts included in that online system.

Gosh, that seems like a lot, and I know how busy you are so I'm not going to ask you to listen to hour long seminars or read super long reports. I know I don't have time for that right now with it being the holiday season and all and I figured you probably don't either. So each week is broken down into bite-sized, easy to manage parts so that even if you just have 15-20 minutes 3-4 times a week, you should be able to get through all the content without falling behind.

So, if you to check out the expert conversations and get ready for the season, there's still time to get into the bootcamp at www.allaboutfastpitch.com/bootcamp.html

If you aren't interested in all the information mentioned above, I'll be in touch next week with a "conversation only" option.

Well, that's about it. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

P.S. - Lots of questions have also been coming in about the mental game and earlier this week I gave out a link to a free program Dr. Tom Hanson has for helping players consistently play at their best. Well since then a flood of coaches and parents have been going over to check it out. I know because Tom's been keeping me posted on sign-ups and it's just crazy! Apparently, lots of people really want this information and I thought you might too. If you haven't picked up your free copy of the program yet, CLICK HERE and get the information you need to help your players consistently play their best.

This is What Happens When You Don't Start Early

Recently a few members in my private coaching group asked me to share a schedule with them. We were discussing the great book Heads Up Baseball. I told them that I has printed out a schedule for players to follow as far as what they should read and what exercises they should do.

When I found the schedule to share with them, I realized that I had bunched all 10 chapters of the book into 4 weeks. Why? Because we didn't start on it until after our season started. In theory it was a great idea to have the players go through this book. Everyone is always asking about tips for the mental game, and this book can really help with that. However, since we didn't start early, we were basically on a race to finish the book and go through it before the season ended. This, of course, was less than ideal. Did the players still get something out of it? Sure. Was it the experience as effective as it could have been? Definitely not.

Now had I taken some time to plan before the season started, I could have made it a much more useful and effective experience for my players. After all, I had known about the book for some time. Visitors and members here at AAF were always telling me about how great the book was for their team. For some reason, I just didn't prepare like I should have. The result, a less effective impact on players, but you can bet I won't be making that same mistake twice. That's why I'm starting to plan for 2009 now. There are so many things to think about and consider and lay out a plan for. Go through the planning process with me in this year's Fastpitch Insider Bootcamp: Plan for More Success and Less Stress in 2009.

2008 Bootcamp Now Open

More Success & Less Stress for 2009

The first Fastpitch Insider Bootcamp 2008 (Reduce Your Coaching Stress) is NOW open for Fastpitch World members only. All Fastpitch World members can join today at 40% off.

How to Claim The Fastpitch World Special

• Login to Fastpitch World
• Click on GROUPS
• Go to the *Members Only* Group to get the special discount link

The special is good for Monday, November 17th ONLY.

After that, the doors to the bootcamp will open up to everyone else at the regular price. Space is not limited, but the timeframe during which you can sign up is. The doors will not be open on an ongoing basis. If you want a spot in this bootcamp, now is the time.

If you're not a Fastpitch World member, it's free to sign up, you can still join today to get the discount. Otherwise, be ready to get in to the bootcamp tomorrow, November 18th. Lay the groundwork for your season now so you can have less stress and more success in 2009.

See you inside!

Are You Sure You Want This Coaching Job?

Coaches face a number of challenges during the season, some of which can be greatly reduced by taking care of business before the season even gets rolling. In this video I talk about how making a few bad choices in the beginning of the season can give you more headaches than you bargained for.

Plus - stay with me until the end of the video and I'll let you in on a special deal.

AAF Live - Friday - Right Here on the Blog

Hey - I just had to give you a quick heads up. I know it's last minute again, but I'm going to be running an AAF Live session right here on the blog on Friday, November 14th at 7pm Eastern, 2pm Hawaii Time.

In this live session, we'll discuss:

• The freebies that have come out recently (3 Tips for Reducing Parent Conflict, PreSeason Paving, and the Free Tryout Tool)
• AAF Live participant tips or ideas for reducing parent conflict
• AAF Live participant tips or ideas for making tryouts easier
• AAF Live participant tips or ideas for getting ready for the upcoming season
• The experts I've been talking with and what our conversations have been about
  
• Plus you'll be able to ask me questions about the bootcamp that I'll be opening up soon (Fastpitch Insider 2008: Reduce Your Coaching Stress Bootcamp)

So join us right here on Friday, November 14th for 1 hour as we discuss, in real time, the topics mentioned above.



Hey - if you're enjoying (or enjoyed) this event, please leave me a comment and tell me what you thought about this AAF Live! session. I'd love to hear from you.

Pre-Season Thoughts, Tryout Tips Wanted

Have you ever had that season? You know the one where you're just so overwhelmed that coaching is more stress than fun? I'm getting ready to go to our first player sign-up for the 2009 this afternoon. This, of course, has me thinking about, planning, and getting ready for the upcoming season. Of course, I have the holidays and a number of family birthdays to get through before the "real" on-the-field season starts. But I just started thinking of all the things I could prepare for prior to being given the okay to hit the field. I believe that preparation plays a big part in your level of success. The more I have taken care of prior to the season starting, the less I'll have to deal with in-season.

While it's true that you can still be successful even without thorough preparation, I don't think that's the "ideal" scenario. You have enough to deal with during the season without having to deal with a bunch of odds and end issues that could have been taken care of prior to the season even starting. You'll probably never think of everything, but if you begin preparing early and start laying out the groundwork for your season, you're season will go more smoothly than if you don't. After all, you'll be able to readily address the unexpected issues and challenges that pop up during the season because you're not busy still trying to take care of things that could have been done before the season started. All that is taken care of, so now you have the means by which to deal with the new "fires" that come up.

If your season begins in the spring like mine, now is a great time to begin thinking about 2009. I know it's a busy time of year with the holidays coming up and all (I really love this time of year), but if you don't have time now, I'm pretty sure you won't have time once the season rolls around. You know how hectic your schedule gets during the first few months of the year. I understand that your "softball brain" may not be firing on all cylinders right now if you're not in season, BUT I've been doing a lot of brainstorming and thinking about '09...AND I'm willing to my preparation plans with you! Keep your eyes on your e-mail for my new "Pre-Season Paving" Report. I'm hoping to have it ready for you by November. 12th. I'll keep you posted.

Oh, if you have any tryout tips you'd like to share, post them here. Anyone who submits tryout tips will get a free copy of Build the Best Team: A Coach's Look at Getting the Most Out of Tryouts.