At what age to get a personal coach?

For both kids it was when they entered high school. I figured post puberty it was time to optimize their abilities.  Caveat: I played college ball and coached travel ball. My knowledge base and ability to teach was higher than the typical dad. But by high school they needed instruction they wouldn't tune out.

My son has had a batting coach since he was 9.  But he would only see him when he needed him.  At the younger ages, we would buy sets of 5 lessons once or twice a year.  

Now in high school, he goes to the same coach about 20 times during the year.  he also had a pitching coach when he was about 10.  Just to be sure he was throwing correctly.  he has never had what I would call a personal coach.

Dad of a 17 - that is what I meant, I did not mean a "personal" coach, I meant a one on one type of coach, versus some of these programs that just try and churn out numbers and are more concerned about money then the kids.

Never could afford one/any  hopefully he will get top notch coaching once he gets to college.

My son has had some sort of one on one  hitting instructor since he was 11 or 12.  When he was younger, I wouldn't say we made constant use of him, but we did make fairly regular use of him.  And he definitely helped.

 

Eventually, we got hooked up with a guy many regard as the top hitting instructor in our area, a guy with many elite and highly successful clients from all over the area. The Instruction was at an entirely different level. He is definitely the kid's goto guy on all things hitting related.   The kid tries  to (politely and with a smile) tune out every other voice when it comes to hitting. 

 

After the kid's freshman year, he also started seeing a strength and conditioning coach, (who was also a defensive skills specialist),  He remains a bulk challenged dude, but this summer he is working his rear off in the weight room with his personal trainer and on his throwing program with his throwing partner.

 

Finally for awhile during his junior year and the summer after he was working with a sprint coach (the head coach of our hs track team) cause although the kid is very game fast, his 60 times did not seem to reflect his true abilities.   Sprint coach taught him a lot and tried to recruit him for both his club track team and the high school track team. (Told the kid he had the potential to become an elite sprinter.) 

 

In general,  I think once they get truly serious about the game and are in a position to benefit from and listen to high level instruction, that's the time to do it.   

       
       
What in the world do you think these instructors are interested in???  Money.  But they will slap you on the back smile and tell you how great your kid is and how he is just this close...  there is one in our area who is honest and will tell people up front if they are wasting their money.  Half of those keep coming anyway!!  Repetitions and video are the best teachers.  I have no intention of getting my son an instructor anytime soon and probably never.  Would I maybe ask someone for a second opinion every once in a while?  Of course but pay for instruction no way.  One exception is strength and fitness.  I think this is an area for experts.

2016 is really lucky in the fitness part.Soph. year the boys can take weightlifting as a class.The girls can take whats called fit for life.It a core training class.After some discussions talked 2016 into taking the core class.I am 100% convinced this class has done more for 2016 baseball/sports than anything.And they give him a credit for it along with being the only male in class how do you top that?

If you know very little about baseball, repetitions and video won't help.  He needs to learn the proper techniques first, then repetitions will reinforce and video will help him keep things on track.  I know a lot of people say wait till puberty hits, but think it's important to step on to the big field with the proper fundamentals.  The switch to the bigger field, BBCOR bats and playing with bigger kids can be daunting for a kid who doesn't have the tools to compete, doesn't know how to get better, and feels behind the 8-ball.  It may seem like wasting money to get ahead of this curve and for some I'm sure it is, but for many kids if they are psyched out and don't feel like they can compete it's tough to recover from.  I started my kid with a hitting coach at 11/12 years old and really glad I did. It helped him understand his swing and he understood what it took to drive the ball into the gaps.  When he stepped onto the 60/90 field he was ready to compete.

       
       
By video of course I mean side by side comparison with mlb player of choice.  Even if you have limited baseball knowledge you can see what your son is doing compared to the pro.  Half these former pro ballplayers teach things they never did.  Many have no idea how they hit the ball they are just really good at it.  I would like to think the 'dumb jock' is an unfair stereotype.  But assuming cause a guy played minor league ball for a few years he is a hitting or pitching expert is also an unfair stereotype.  It all depends how much of a student of the game they are.  And anyone can become a student of the game if they choose to.  No need for instructors.

You're a coach and you have the skills to do this, so your fortunate that you don't need to hire a coach.  I agree there are good coaches and bad coaches, but I'd say the worst are those that have zero experience and know next to nothing about baseball - ie, the OP (per his own comment).  Unless the OP has a half dozen sons and is willing to do on-the-job training with the first couple until he figures it out, I stand by my recommendation.

Smart boy. 

Would you send your kid to a piano instructor?  Many do at young ages.  Or how about a math tutor? 

 

And then there is the efficiency in it.  Some can make more money working their job than sitting looking at MLB player videos and trying to compare to a kid.  Sometimes knowledge and experience are worth paying for. 

       
       
No golf I would not send my kids for piano lessons or to a math tutor.  Never have never will.  They need to steer their own ship with whatever help we as parents can give them.  I plead guilty to not being wealthy.  And all the expendable income we have is spent on our kids sports.  2k travel team fees.  Another 1.5k min. In travel - hotels food etc.  AAU basketball 1k plus.  Swimmers I don't even want to go there.  Easily 12 - 15k a year on our kids sports.  Got to draw the line somewhere.

That's not because you are in principle opposed to piano teachers and math tutors.  I presume if money were not an object and your kid wanted to learn to play the piano or needed help with algebra you would do it at least as eagerly as you are willing to pay the freight for all the sports stuff.

Don't want to add to that growing box slugger...  my philosophy is they pick one or two things they want to do and we allocate funds accordingly.  So for example if one of the kids wanted to give up a sport and go full fledged into playing the violin then yes we would support that.  But life is full of choices you can't have it all. Can't support both.   We have had our kids stay at school late or come early to get help from a teacher - thats what they get paid for so no algebra tutors for us.  My son actually prefers to take instruction from me.  But if he were to come to me and say he wanted to play on a much less expensive team and take lessons with the extra money...  I would advise him against it but not sure what I would ultimately do.  If he said he wanted to play on a cheaper team and workout with his strength and fitness guy - a cressey disciple who I really respect I would be much more inclined to say yes.  Bottom line there are so many dollars to allocate.  Sports instructors are probably the least valuable investment in my opinion.

OK, some more things to consider.  His "travel" team is just a local travel team, all localities around Pittsburgh have them.  We pay $150 for him to be on the team.  We don't travel anywhere but to local venues, no overnight costs.  The coach has never played, he is well meaning and tries to do his best and is a good guy, but can't teach what he doesn't know,  I know some baseball, not a whole lot.  And I am not talking about spending big bucks either.  Just a couple hundred tops, for a few lessons and some guidance.

I say you should wade into the shallow end slowly.  Go ahead and sing him up for some lessons (one at a time if possible) and see how things go.  Having a hitting instructor on speed dial will not make his a better hitter.  Nor will the most recent $400 bat.  Find an instructor that will address major fundamentals and see how he responds (but don't let him convince you the instructor is now a necessity).  don't let the instroctor make major changes and tell you that by the 9th or 10th lesson it will all come together.  Get some lessons, evaluate the results and then walk away for a few months.  As for pitching, find someone (I guess pay if you have to) who will ensure he is not throwing in a manner that he will injure himself.  Learn what this looks like and you monitor him.  Let him grow up for another 2-3 years and then - maybe - get a some lessons.  Pitching below the age of 13 is IMO simply necessary so two teams can play baseball.  Let him develop his arm but do not let him get pegged as a pitcher anytime soon.  Nothing worse than a 10 yo "ace".

 

Good luck.

Ok.  Call me in a few years when your kid is struggling in advanced HS algebra with a so so teacher. 

 

I spent a three day weekend studying with my kid for a test.  What a nightmare.  Never felt so stupid in my life.  Stuff may as well been in Klingon as I had no clue.  Turned out some of the answers on the answer keys where wrong -- which only added to the frustration.  Teacher was all but useless.  Got a tutor after that weekend and it made all the difference to me (and to the kid).  Money well spent.     

It will depend on your ability to teach the skill desired and the players desire to continue to hear from his Dad.

Each kid is different, however at this age the real issue is how interested is the kid in the sport?  You can burn them out with extra practices and lessons that aren't his idea, if he's not asking for lesson's I am not sure I would go there.  Kids are more likely to value the lessons if it was their idea......just like piano/karate/lessons.

 

As a parent you can also buy some hitting books or video's to make sure your kid is technically moving in the right direction,

 

If your son has the ability to play college ball training to look into is SAT tutoring. Grades, SATs and baseball may get a kid into a better school than he might get accepted without baseball.

Can the coach teach you how to "read the bat"? Can he teach you "how to set up the pitcher"?

How to use the mirror?

Bob

a good coach is worth his money a bad one can do more harm than good.  Ask lots of questions.  The best pitching and hitting instructors I know don't feel the need to coach on every swing or pitch.  also the don't have "a system". They treat every kid different.  

I think I'm going to find some videos and let my son learn piano from them.

 

 

My son has had probably 15 paid lessons, starting at 9YO..he's currently 11.5YO. The first half dozen or so were from a former very good HS player and HS AC. Later we moved to a former All American that has been a HS coach. He has a great approach with my son, does an excellent job of relating his philosophy to my son, and costs me less than a meal for me and my wife at the local Applebee's. He is willing to spend as much time with my son as he wants- he usually plans for an hour but has spent 3hrs with him for the same money. He is also very much in favor of teaching me what my son is doing and what he should be doing. He's always open to me sending some video for a few comments. He has done wonders for my son, both hitting and pitching.

I understand having a limited budget to spend/invest in our kids. If your son has aspirations of playing beyond HS you will get more bang for your buck getting him a tutor to help with his grades. It will open up many more doors to play baseball if that is your/his goal. 

Dadof3,

This is a great time of year.  With a little bit of poking around, you can likely find a good HS player or college player home for summer who would be glad to work with your son two or three times for a minimal fee.  At 10, the instruction doesn't have to be (and shouldn't be) too complex or detailed but a good older player like this will spot most significant flaws in swing mechanics and make sure he has a reasonable foundation to move forward with.  Besides, 10 y.o.'s usually think it's pretty cool when someone like this is helping them.   These HS/college kids will usually appreciate a few bucks but really enjoy working with the younger ones and you don't have to worry about them trying to sign you up to long term commitments. And if you decide to go with a more established instructor or facility, that's OK too.  Finding a situation such as what 2022 describes is awesome...  When your son gets a little older and is still playing, you may need to drill down further to match hitting philosophies with your son's style and preference but that's more than you need to worry about now.

 

I agree with the thought that it should be something your son wants to do as opposed to something you have to encourage him to do.  Every situation is different.  If your son loves to play enough, and you don't have the ability to provide sound instruction, it is a good thing to help assure he is going down the right path and that his swings and reps are fundamentally sound enough that he is not reinforcing bad habits.

 

 

Excellent advise.  I would echo the recommendation to find a HS Varsity or College player over the summer for a 10 year old.

Son started w hitting coach around age 11. Would go mostly in off season, and once month during season due to schedule. he would work on things we saw wrong during games. He first shot video of sons swing from various angles. Showed him what he was doing right, and what he needed to work on. Many young kids, esp the bigger ones are successful hitters using upper body and then as they age that doesn't work anymore. 

Just harder imo if u wait until son is 15,16 to see someone because they usu have bad habits/mechanics and now they have to make big changes. Hopefully youth coaches are fixing the big things.

pitching coach-son was age 12/13, again mostly saw him in off season, and once month in season. we love our two guys, and no doubt in my mind son would not be heading to play at D1 level without them. 

This is the key point, IMO.  Also at 15 a kid is competing for HS spots and travel ball teams, and if he's working on his swing while competing he's in a tough spot.  Of course if playing at this level isn't his goal then none of this matters, just enjoy the game and have fun.

Thanks for all the great advice everyone

I've been through the journey with two kids. When a kid was hitting .250 and getting a C in Math I never saw any parents opt for the Math tutor.

We did.  See the post above. 

totally agree with this approach.  My son coached the 10 year old neighbor kid all this past year.  did it for free had a great time doing it and so did the neighbor kid.