Local minor leaguer gives hitting tips.

[AutographCollector]

A local minor league team's 2b does 1 on 1 hitting instruction with children ages 8-17. For $55 an hour he will teach your child what he can about hitting. He batted .300 last year (or the year before, I forget). Is it a good idea to do this? My son is 7 yrs old right now.
Thanks,
Tony

[Jake Patterson]

A local minor league team's 2b does 1 on 1 hitting instruction with children ages 8-17. For $55 an hour he will teach your child what he can about hitting. He batted .300 last year (or the year before, I forget). Is it a good idea to do this? My son is 7 yrs old right now.
Thanks,
Tony

Tony,
Unfortunately I have not found that many young pros who are good at teaching. They know how to do it, but seldom know why or more important how to teach it. Without seeing him in action it would be difficult to offer a fair opinion.

"The measure of a good coach is not how well he knows the game, it's how well he can teach it."

[AutographCollector]

Here's info from his blog:

Starting in late April and lasting throughout the entire baseball season, I will be giving baseball lessons in the Waldorf/St Charles area. Lessons will be offered to kids ages 8-22. Instruction will focus on the proper mechanics of the professional swing. Instruction can also be given in other areas (defense, pitching, baserunning, bunting) at your request. For the more advanced player, I will go into detail on the finer aspects of the game including training secrets, professional drills, and the proper mental approach to the game.



Personalized instruction is becoming more and more necessary in today's sporting landscape. I have worked with and learned from some of the best hitters and instructors in the game today. No doubt the info I gained allowed me to become the 2005 Northern League batting champion and a career .300 hitter in 6 professional seasons. Now let me pass that knowledge onto you. There will be three different types of lessons: one on one, tandem, and tri-lessons. For the most personalized attention, one on one would be best. Tandem lessons will consist of me working with two players at a time and a tri-lesson would be three players and me. Let's work together to maximize your loved one's potential!



Rate Schedule for Baseball Lessons

1/2 hour $30
1 hour $55
5 1-hour sessions $250 ($25 discount)
10 1-hour sessions $475 ($75 discount)
1 hour Tandem $80 (save $15/player)
1 hour Tri $100 (save almost $22/player)

By the way the player is Chad Ehrnsberger of the Southern Maryland BlueCrabs. Player page: http://www.somdbluecrabs.com/roster.cfm?rosterID=5

[AutographCollector]

Tony,
Unfortunately I have not found that many young pros who are good at teaching. They know how to do it, but seldom know why or more important how to teach it. Without seeing him in action it would be difficult to offer a fair opinion.

"The measure of a good coach is not how well he knows the game, it's how well he can teach it."

I saw him play at a home game about 2 weeks back. From WHAT I SAW he looked decent. But then again any pro player is better than me.

[Jake Patterson]

I saw him play at a home game about 2 weeks back. From WHAT I SAW he looked decent. But then again any pro player is better than me.

I am certain he's a decent player.... "By seeing him in action..." I mean seeing him teach, not play.

[AutographCollector]

I am certain he's a decent player.... "By seeing him in action..." I mean seeing him teach, not play.

Ohhh. I see. Sorry.

[Chris O'Leary]

Tony,
Unfortunately I have not found that many young pros who are good at teaching. They know how to do it, but seldom know why or more important how to teach it. Without seeing him in action it would be difficult to offer a fair opinion.

"The measure of a good coach is not how well he knows the game, it's how well he can teach it."

I agree.

In fact, in many cases the better of a player they are, the worse of a teacher they are.

[TG Coach]

My son is fifteen and struggling with Knowitallitis right now. He won't listen to dad/me who knows how to teach hitting. I recently had him do a hitting session with a college player.

The kid understands hitting and how to teach it. He had been taught how to teach hitting from a long time (former minor leaguer) instructor. I did get a recommendation before sending my son there. I did prep the kid with the issues I saw and how I was trying to fix my son. He said it's exactly what he was going to teach.

It's not so much how much baseball experience an instructor has. It doesn't matter what his age is. What matters is does he know what he's talking about, can he communicate it and does the student relate to the instructor. I've seen instructors with ten years of pro ball who can't see holes in a swing and/or communicate well enough to teach.

[callyjr]

I think more then anything sending your 7yr old to a hitting instructor is really a waste of money. I could do it with my boy at 7, but my boy has also been studying video with me for the last 2 years and also watches every lesson I do. I doubt to many 7yr olds are gonna carry an attention span to justify $55.00 per hour. I personally have not done paid instruction on a kid less then 13 still to this date. just my 2 cents.

Cally

[Jake Patterson]

My son is fifteen and struggling with Knowitallitis right now. He won't listen to dad/me who knows how to teach hitting. I recently had him do a hitting session with a college player.

The kid understands hitting and how to teach it. He had been taught how to teach hitting from a long time (former minor leaguer) instructor. I did get a recommendation before sending my son there. I did prep the kid with the issues I saw and how I was trying to fix my son. He said it's exactly what he was going to teach.

It's not so much how much baseball experience an instructor has. It doesn't matter what his age is. What matters is does he know what he's talking about, can he communicate it and does the student relate to the instructor. I've seen instructors with ten years of pro ball who can't see holes in a swing and/or communicate well enough to teach.

My youngest helped me coach last year. During a hitting class he said...

"Wow dad. That's good stuff! Why didn't you teach me that?"
"I did."

[Jake Patterson]

I think more then anything sending your 7yr old to a hitting instructor is really a waste of money. I could do it with my boy at 7, but my boy has also been studying video with me for the last 2 years and also watches every lesson I do. I doubt to many 7yr olds are gonna carry an attention span to justify $55.00 per hour. I personally have not done paid instruction on a kid less then 13 still to this date. just my 2 cents.

Cally

I would agree...

[LAball]

I think any kid under 12 will forget most of the stuff, especially by next month, unless the dad remembers and teaches it to the kid the next month. I think a LOT of cage work is best at U10. After that the pitching gets a little better and then think about lession. 7 is too young. Buy a DVD, do Tee work (or I like hit-n-stick), soft toss, and spend most of the money on the cages. Our U10 lead off hitter has a terrible swing. but has great coordination, does a lot of cage work and made the all stars.

[AutographCollector]

What matters is does he know what he's talking about, can he communicate it and does the student relate to the instructor.

How will I know if he is a good instructor?

I think more then anything sending your 7yr old to a hitting instructor is really a waste of money. I could do it with my boy at 7, but my boy has also been studying video with me for the last 2 years and also watches every lesson I do. I doubt to many 7yr olds are gonna carry an attention span to justify $55.00 per hour. I personally have not done paid instruction on a kid less then 13 still to this date. just my 2 cents.

Cally

Yeah, you do have a valid point there. My son usually doesn't last after 2 innings of watching a ball game with me.

My youngest helped me coach last year. During a hitting class he said...

"Wow dad. That's good stuff! Why didn't you teach me that?"
"I did."

Ha ha!

[StraightGrain11]

How will I know if he is a good instructor?

Because he will be able to answer any questions you have about "why" he is teaching what he is teaching, and he will be able to explain everything so that it makes sense (regardless of age or experience). If what he is saying doesn't make sense - in either that you can't follow it or it just "doesn't sound right" - then he's not a very good teacher.

This is how a good instructor looks at things: It's not the student's "fault" if he doesn't "get" what the instructor is telling him; it's the instructor's responsibility to find a way to "connect" with his student.

[FiveFrameSwing]

My youngest helped me coach last year. During a hitting class he said...

"Wow dad. That's good stuff! Why didn't you teach me that?"
"I did."

I laughed when I read your post.

Listen to your kid's response again.

Sure, I believe you reviewed the material with your son, but it didn't stick, and hence he didn't learn the material, and hence you didn't "teach" it.