Certainly, things have changed in youth baseball and high schools over the past 25 years. When I started coaching baseball in high school, none of our players hired outside of batting or pitching instruction. Today it seems like everyone has an instructor and starts in little league. In fact, most cities now have baseball / softball facilities that offer instruction. It has certainly changed the way things work, but does it help?

It is not unusual to receive multiple calls over a week asking if I offer paid instruction or requesting a good referral from someone who can offer lessons. Good instruction is not cheap. The best instructors offer 30-45 minute lessons ranging from $ 35- $ 65. Many on-site instructors require monthly contracts to be signed and payment made in advance.

For the last several years I have been studying this trend of paid instruction and find it interesting. In my research I have found both the good and the bad. I realize that our players need instruction and if parents are willing to pay for instruction, I would encourage it, especially in the offseason. The offseason is the best time to work on skill development when hitters / pitchers can be free from the daily worries of competing for position or excelling in a game. I don’t mind the instruction during the season for the younger players, but for the older college players I would prefer that they work hard in practice and then work individually on their own time during the season. There can be a distraction when players hear the terminology every day in practice and go to an instructor in the evening or on the weekend who may use different teaching terms. It can be confusing for players. Hitting is a reaction, and good hitters must be free from thoughts of mechanics when they are in a game. For pitchers, we need to know their pitching load during the week to protect their arms, and outside training during the season for a varsity player increases the wear on the pitching arm. Also, after a 2½ to 3 hour practice, another hour of instruction in the evening would overload the player. It would be best for them to hit for 15-20 minutes on their own without distractions after practice. Hitting at home from a tee or doing throwing exercises can go a long way. During the week, players must come home to eat, do their homework, and rest.

I remember a story one of my former players told me several years ago. He was in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and had a great AA year in San Antonio hitting .296 with 18 HRs. In spring training next year, he was hoping to make the major league team, but he was trying too hard and the results weren’t good. The Dodgers’ hitting instructor at the time, former Major League Baseball slugger Reggie Smith, suggested that he work with him after cage practice. He thought Reggie was going to change something he was doing, but instead loaded the automatic pitching machine with about 100 balls and told him to hit everyone hard down the middle. For the next 45 minutes he and those 100 balls were in the cage. (Reggie actually left and came back) The next day he went 4-5 with two doubles. He had practiced many swings every day, but what he really needed was to be alone for about 45 minutes and clear his head of distractions.

One of the trends I find today is that parents feel like they have to pay someone before their child to get better. That can be true or false. I’m amazed to see someone spend $ 45 on a weekly lesson and wait until next week to attend the next lesson, without spending any amount of time between lessons working on their skills. It would be better if the player spent 30-45 minutes 4-5 days a week working on their skills without paid instruction. If a player does not have the desire to work to improve, especially at the high school level, he is not going to improve. Young players today don’t grow up playing sand games in the summer or competing every afternoon with neighborhood kids. Paid instruction is taking the place of pickup games and many are getting bored with instruction. Good instruction 2-3 times a month is sufficient during the season and 4-5 times a month during the off-season is fine. Spend the rest of the time practicing to improve. Nothing replaces a hundred rolls or a hundred hits, if done correctly.

So what does a parent look for if they want to pay an instructor? First, find someone who will give you your money’s worth. Talking for 30 minutes and not doing repetitive exercises is a waste of time. With a good hitting instructor, the student should hit a lot. That is the only way to improve. Really, you are paying for that person to be a coach and supervise the practice time. No changes are needed in every lesson. Some instructors feel the need to give clients “something for their money” and encourage them to keep coming back each week. These types of instructors are a waste of time and money.

Also, batting instruction shouldn’t be wasted on style, but on improving swing mechanics. Styles should only be changed when they interfere with swing mechanics. Make sure you hire someone who really knows the mechanics of the baseball swing.

A good pitching instructor will spend time working on the basic pitching motion before working on pitching mechanics, especially with younger players. Regardless of the player’s position, proper pitching mechanics are important and young players cannot improve as pitchers without good easy pitching motions. The most important thing for pitchers is control and speed. Control is learning to repeat a good mechanic on each throw. This takes time and practice regardless of who you pay for the instruction. The mechanics often change as young players go through periods of growth, especially young, tall pitchers who may be growing through stages that do not allow for full body control.

Developing speed also takes time, there is no magic formula and some of it is pure genetics. As players get older, they can be taught a proper off-season long shot program to improve their arm strength and begin to learn good arm and shoulder exercise programs in addition to a general strength and training program. Conditioning. This should wait until the player is mentally and physically ready to handle an exercise program. Young players can start with fun conditioning drills in practice or a couple of shoulder / arm drills using their glove as a weight. Make it fun and a learning time.

Youth league players need to spend time practicing (and throwing) fastball to develop good arm strength. When control of the fastball has been achieved, they can learn a good change. The curve ball should not be taught until they are at least 14-15 years old, depending on their physical development.

With today’s video technology, more parents need to take advantage of video. Players need to see themselves to develop a mental picture of what they are doing during the activity. Record videos during the lesson and also during some games. Then take some time to watch the videos and make comparisons. It is also good to use the DVR to record videos of some good professional or college gamers on TV. Slow down the video to study your movements and then compare them. This is a great way to learn and improve.