What to look for when choosing a training facility:
When you are choosing a particular facility for you or your kids to train at, there are many factors that you should consider, but they often get overlooked. A lot of people will say that the size of a facility and the look of a facility would be what you look for and how you choose. That goes against something we were all taught when we were yo...ung, “don’t judge a book by its cover!” Some of the most important terms you should consider are a company’s track record, the trainers they have working there, and the alumni they have trained in the past.
History has proven to all of us that most professional athletes in every sport trained at a place that may be considered less than desirable aesthetically! Professional and Olympic athletes from every country have proven that the aesthetic quality of the place you train just doesn’t matter. Simply put, it is substance over symbolism! To further understand this, you can research a facility in Russia called Spartak Academy. This academy is in an old building with one indoor court which has produced more TOP-20 Women’s Tennis players than any of the facilities in the USA combined! What is this place doing differently?
What Spartak is doing different, and one of the important factors you should look for when choosing, is what they teach. Is it a brand? Is it on paper? Does the facility have a consistent teaching message? Does every instructor at that gym or that training facility teach the same methods? Spartak does, Next Level Baseball, an indoor baseball training facility in Tallahassee does! Does your facility have any of these questions answered? One thing that I would look for as a parent is a consistent message. I want to know that my kid is going to hear the same thing from each instructor. I want to know that there is substance behind the brand name that I choose to work with. If each instructor teaches a different method under the same roof, then it is not a TRUE Brand.
Does your company have a track record? When researching a training facility I would want to know who my company has trained. Who are the alumni? Spartak has produced more Top-20 women’s tennis players than any other place in the world. Titus Sports Academy in Tallahassee, for instance has trained hundreds of professional athletes in their tenure. Next Level Baseball has helped produce more than 50 pro baseball players, and hundreds of collegiate players though their camps, lessons, and events. I would ask for references from alumni and parents of players who have gone on to higher levels of success. Has the facility you are looking to choose, proven to be successful over time? Research the facility, research their message, research their brand, research their substance, and research their trainers!
Written by: Arthur McConnehead, Baltimore Orioles Scout
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