Ian Kinsler, Daniel Norris Train, Reflect With Former Navy Seal [VIDEO]
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
Ian Kinsler, Daniel Norris and former Tiger Bryan Holaday took a recent trip to Clear Creek Ranch in Texas to go through a gun range stress test with former Navy Seal Stephen Holley, as part of the ballplayers' partnership with the bat company Warstic.
The video that emerged is more than worth watching.
Some highlights:
- Holley asks Kinsler if he ever elevates his heart rate before taking practice to simulate a stressful situation at the plate.
- "That's a hell of an idea," Kinsler says. "I'm probably going to put that to use in Spring Training and see what happens.
- Norris talks about his biggest challenge as a pitcher.
- A lot of time I'll tense up and try to throw a strike and more often than not you end up balking yourself and cutting it off...In your head you're just like, 'Throw a strike, throw a strike.' That's the hardest thing for me, is just relaxing and being able to do that."
- Holaday recalls how Kinsler helped him find perspective after Holaday struck out in the 2014 ALDS and felt like he cost the Tigers the series.
- "I remember that conversation," Kinsler says. "I said, 'You've got a newly-born son at home, you've got a wife. The season's over, man, there's nothing you can do about it. You've got a beautiful child at home, a beautiful wife. Go enjoy life, man.'"
- Norris recounts a revelational moment from last season.
- "I was literally on the steps about to (take the field) and start the game. A teammate came up to me, grabbed me by the shoulders, looked me in the eye and said, 'Just have fun.' I went out there and from that point on I threw the ball better than I've ever thrown it," he says. "It was like night and day.
- And, of course, the three athletes have a good time shooting some guns.
In other news, does anyone do cooler stuff in the offseason than Daniel Norris?
