I'd also stay away from guys who spend most of their time chatting or trying to teach life lessons.
Suppose you find a good coach but he wants the parents to sign a one year contract? Is that reasonable?
too.tall posted:Suppose you find a good coach but he wants the parents to sign a one year contract? Is that reasonable?
My opinion, No. Never heard of it.
Maybe if he is flying in to your private island or something like that.
I would not sign a 1 year contract. Too many things can happen/change. I might stay 1 month advanced if I could get enough references to trust the coach.
Good luck.
My only conditions for a pitching coach where I live in a very rural part of SE:
1. Is he less than a 3-hour drive?
2. Does he still have a pulse?
Perhaps the biggest reason son is looking forward to playing college baseball is to have 24/7/365 access to a pitching coach.
Finding a pitching coach that son can get to consistently has been the #1 issue for him in his development, or non-development. Not blaming, just stating.
too.tall posted:Suppose you find a good coach but he wants the parents to sign a one year contract? Is that reasonable?
Maybe for billing purposes and with a credit card being used, there is an "understanding" that for this "year" they will be charging your credit card on a monthly basis for a year? Makes things easier for some of these now "big time" pitching gym/facilities to budget, and provide a more reliable service for their customers. Found one baseball gym last summer near son's boarding school, and we hoped he'd be able to get there by Metro (75-mins one-way) during the school year. Guys running it have young families and a pretty good monthly nut they are responsible for (rent on industrial warehouse facility, indoor turf field area, serious gym equipment, weights, whole 9-Yards, etc) so I understood when they requested we E-sign a credit card charging agreement. My card was charged each month, and would be charged until like June 1, 2017.
By October it was apparent son could not be making the 2.5 hour round trips by Metro to get there. He was not using the gym nor the pitching coaches. Money down the drain. I notified them that we'd no longer be doing it, they had no problem.
Perhaps the "contract" you are referencing might be more of an "agreement" for credit card charges? We cancelled. They had no issue. Also, credit card company said that if they had an issue? To just cancel the card they were charging and get a new one. Just my experience.
One quick, final story. A few years ago a young baseball coach, mid-20s, rolled into town and took our Little League world by storm. Kids loved him. Charismatic. NOT FROM OUR AREA (red flag). Knew baseball though. Had all the TJ scars and accompanying stories of his climb up the baseball ladder and fall from it. After my own vetting (which I'll admit was more of a "sniff test"), and in an effort to help the young man out I purchased 10-lessons in advance from him at maybe $400? Two lessons in he was arrested for Trafficking in Opium. Gone. And so was my $320.
My son bounced around a bit until he found a guy who he really developed a rapport with and who really helped him. Just let the coach know you are looking to start with a couple sessions and see if they are a mutual fit. Ultimately you are the customer.
too.tall posted:Suppose you find a good coach but he wants the parents to sign a one year contract? Is that reasonable?
I would never sign a one year contract with an instructor. Kids are temperamental by nature and pitching coaches are human. There is no guarantee the two will click long term. I have seen a pitching coach be great for beginner things and then poof when it got more advances the kid and the coach couldn't understand each other.
From my experience finding a good instructor isn't just about their history, or their skill, it is finding an instructor that absolutely clicks with the kid in question. This could mean it is a former MLB guy or even a guy who played in high school only but has studied the game.
1. Ask yourself why are you really getting an instructor?
a. to be a friend to your kid?
b. to tell your friends that you know a former MLB player?
c. to help him win games this season?
d. teach him the grips and general approach to pitching?
e. improve his velocity?
2. Find an instructor that answers #1
I know lots of kids that went with 1b. and their kids never threw 80mph in HS. But their Dads were happy.
Many opt for 1a.
1d. might be best for young ages if you don't know much about pitching.
1e. would be best for HS age kid. And only then if the instructor uses a radar gun to measure improvement. (But be aware that speeds can improve 8-10 mph annually without any training prior to HS)
too.tall posted:Suppose you find a good coach but he wants the parents to sign a one year contract? Is that reasonable?
Not a chance. You start slow with a few lessons to find out if there's a mutual fit. After a few lessons maybe you buy a 6 or 10 pack of lessons. What sort of off season program does the instructor have access to at his facility? What tools does he like to use? Bands, weighted balls, velopro harness, velocity belts??? So many tools out there... There are specific protocols to follow for each of these; the player must be mature enough to understand what he's required to do so he has reasonable gains and prevents injuries.
Before you commit to a pack of lessons, how accessible is the instructor?
Gov posted:too.tall posted:Suppose you find a good coach but he wants the parents to sign a one year contract? Is that reasonable?
Before you commit to a pack of lessons, how accessible is the instructor?
Yeah, like will he be in prison in 4-weeks?
"One quick, final story. A few years ago a young baseball coach, mid-20s, rolled into town and took our Little League world by storm. Kids loved him. Charismatic. NOT FROM OUR AREA (red flag). Knew baseball though. Had all the TJ scars and accompanying stories of his climb up the baseball ladder and fall from it. After my own vetting (which I'll admit was more of a "sniff test"), and in an effort to help the young man out I purchased 10-lessons in advance from him at maybe $400? Two lessons in he was arrested for "Trafficking in Opiates. " Heroin, actually. Gone. And so was my $320."