Contacting HS coach with question...

What area?  I would probably ask some of the better 17-18 year olds in the area before the coach.  They would most likely be more knowlegeble, as some HS coaches abhor outside help.  However, what would it hurt to ask? .  

Austin TX area.  Understand about the coach not being all that interested in outside help.  Kids struggling with timing, just looking to get him a little help.  Thanks for your help.

What type of pitching machine are you using?

Bob

deaconspoint- sent you a dialogue 

We are in Dallas but there are great organizations in Austin like the slam that have good instructors.  I would find out from them or parents of those kids.  I would also go to texas forum and ask if people have knowledge of good instructors in your area.  

If you go to the high school coach and he says he can help your son you risk insulting the coach if you then look for outside help. Talk with parents of the best players for references.

I actually had the same question for lessons for my son who catches but I didn't reach out to high school coaches I reached out to our local state and JV colleges. You will find the baseball staff listed on their website. Just send the head coach an email letting him know what you are looking for and they will usually know of a former player/asst coach that can work with your son. 

No machine

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses, very helpful.  Tim

When my son was in HS, I researched reputable instructors myself. 

Read the book "The Science of Hitting" and have Ted Williams as your son's personal hitting instructor.  

Use video to film him while batting. 

You can also research baseball academies in your area.  Next, research the instructors, go to the facility and ask parents about them.  This has helped me find some really great instructors.

My last two years of coaching baseball, I had a lot of parents from incoming freshmen ask where they should go for lessons.  In fact, I had one area hitting instructor buy me lunch and talk about what they teach/do and if I thought that they needed to add stuff.  He wanted me to come and watch his lessons and then, if I like what he was doing, steer players his direction.  Keep in mind, I'm in small town USA.  Prior to that, none of my players went for lessons.  They all got together in a small pole barn and hit on their own.  I gave each of them a sheet of perceived weaknesses for them to work on along with notes on what we did during the year. 

Is it just me or does it bother anyone else that a coach would get offended by another person helping a player get better?

Only if the instructor was teaching something fundamentally counter to the teaching of the coach.  Changing arms slots would be an example.

Junior year my son got off to an incredible start. After a game his high school coach commented on the improvement with his swing. I explained he worked all winter with one of his travel coaches. The high school coach cut the conversation short, walked away and never mentioned hitting again to my son or me. I found out the high school coach and the travel coach had been bitter enemies for years over some incident.

I would contact an assistant coach and ask if they  are looking to make some extra money with weekend instruction.  It will give your son an opportunity to be seen by the coaching staff and they  can start to form a relationship before other prospective team members. 

Some coaches dislike "outside" coaches and even have issues w some in the community. listen and u will hear names discussed by parents. Maybe someone on Summer team sees someone. I would not share info w HS coach unless u know upfront they would have no problem w it. Around here several kids secretly go to hitting coaches  because their HS coaches frown upon what they r doing. Sad but true.

 What? Is this a sarcastic reply-I hope.

 Our coaches r not allowed to give lessons and take money from any players associated w program. How would it look if little Jonny gets to play  after he begins paid lessons w a coach?

In the scenario I think we are talking about, little Johnny is not in high school, perhaps middle school.  Anyway, the example I am of thinking of a 14 year old taking lessons from one of the HS asst. varsity coaches.  Isn't the varsity coach the one who makes the decisions?  I see the merit of your response but I didn't intend for my post to be sarcastic.  In any event, I look forward to more responses since this is an interesting topic. 

JH, I'm sure some do.  However, there are other forces at work.  For example, how you might instruct hitting or pitching and how I might instruct it could be vastly different.  It doesn't mean either of us are wrong.  Still, when a family pays some "professional" the assumption is by the parents that this is an instructor who knows more than the coach.  That might or might not be the case.  The parents have now paid money and so, far be it for a HS coach to attempt to coach.  I let my HS parents know that I don't believe in change for change sake.  However, if I believe a player needs to make changes, I'm going to tell them those changes.  The player had the option to do what I suggest or not. I'm the one who writes the names in the scorebook and so, I will also make a choice.  JMHO!

So a coach feels like he may not be able to coach since a parent pays for hitting lessons? Just because your a HS coach doesnt meAn they all know how to teach hitting! or pitching for that matter. Some are better at managing. Pros have managers, hitting coaches, and pitching coaches. If your Lucky you ll get a HS coach who can teach it all, but many don't have that. 

Ive taken my child for academic tutoring and never had a teacher have a problem with it. 

To make the statement that you might sit a kid because they get lessons over your  objections is childish. 

To the OP: The above exchange is all you really need to know about why talking with your HS coach might not be the best course of action.

No doubt CoachB was a fine baseball coach and willing to bet Playball is a reasonable parent... it's just an ill-advised conversation to get yourself into.  The closer you get to HS ball being a reality for your son, the more clearly this point is likely to become to you.

Soylent G.  you are correct and so, I'll delete my response. 

CoachB - IMO and FWIW, you were not out of line with what you wrote.  I believe that you were just expressing what most coach's honestly feel on this subject.  I believe the buck stops with the HC.  As you pointed out, he's the guy filling out the lineup card so his judgement is all that really matters in the end.  He's the guy who gets judged by the Ws & Ls.  But I also understand what Playball is saying.  And I can relate first hand to watching my kid get caught between two differing hitting philosophies... and two pitching philosophies too.  It's not such a theoretical exrecise for the player... he just wants to get on the field, and doesn't much care how or why.  So at times players end up with one approach for HS season, a new one for the Summer... One delivery for HS season... Another one for Summer.  Maybe it's the guys who are talented enough to overcome some of these occasional tug-of-wars... and who internalize their own ways of producing consistent results due to this (or sometimes maybe in spite of it)... who will tend to move on to the next level.

My point to the OP is that talking with the HS coach is generally not a good idea... Even if both parent and Coach have the best of intentions.

Last thought on this, and it's not intended as a shot at HS Coaches nor at pvt hitting instructors, but I wonder how many from both groups would handle (or did handle) Hunter Pence's swing?  I think he'd have never gotten off the bench for some coaches and most instructors would immediately start overhauling his swing over the Winter... No matter how consistently hard the ball was hitting the back of the cage. JME

Soylent Green, I tend to speak my mind and so, checked myself.  I understand exactly where you are coming from.  I too had a child play for someone else.  I was her "expert."  I do know what I am doing.  So, she had the same issues.

As some of you know for 20+ years I was also a basketball coach.  I am reminded of an incident where a guy I knew but was not friends with was given a basketball position at an area HS.  People were furious as the popular candidate didn't get the job. So a few parents moved their families into a school district I worked in.  I knew this dad for a very long time and had played softball with him.  Right away they wanted to attack the new guy.  I cut my former buddy off and had a few questions for him.  Did he know that this guy was a former All Area player?  Did he know that this guy played in college?  Did he know that this guy was a tremendous athlete?  They commented on how large he was and that he could not be an athlete.  In fact, this guy was a state champion in tennis.  His son was, at that time, a pro athlete.  Long story short, this guy who got the job over the popular candidate was vastly more qualified.  they judged him knowing nothing about him.  If you were to ask the players/parents my credentials when I came to my present school, they could name a few but had no idea of my playing abilities, experience, college ...  I wonder how many parents do know?  They know the "professional" because he is in the business of promoting himself and the ironic thing about that is that some don't match that resume that they present.