Which College Camps would you Recommend for Instruction & a Positive Experience?

Coastal Carolina has a good format for their camp.  Morning of first day is typical showcase workout- afternoon and  next day are games, good level of talent.  Entire coastal staff is engaged along with coaches from other schools.  Was a positive experience.  Honestly not a lot of instruction- although there was a lot of interaction.  My son attended a total of 3 camps- Pitt, Penn State, and Coastal  from the time he was in 8th grade through 10th grade.  I didn't see any real instruction at any of these camps. 

Guessing what you are looking for then would be the youth instructional camps, not prospect/showcase camps?

DesertDuck posted:

Guessing what you are looking for then would be the youth instructional camps, not prospect/showcase camps?

Certainly open to all sorts of suggestions.   We're looking for the 2018 summer/fall mostly when my son will be a rising Sophomore

pabaseballdad posted:

Coastal Carolina has a good format for their camp.  Morning of first day is typical showcase workout- afternoon and  next day are games, good level of talent.  Entire coastal staff is engaged along with coaches from other schools.  Was a positive experience.  Honestly not a lot of instruction- although there was a lot of interaction.  My son attended a total of 3 camps- Pitt, Penn State, and Coastal  from the time he was in 8th grade through 10th grade.  I didn't see any real instruction at any of these camps. 

How were the Pitt and Penn State camps?

My 2019 went to a DBU camp a few weeks back. They did things a little different than any of the other camps we've gone to. Coaches broke up kids into groups 1st day and put them through a pro style workout. They were shown the hitting process and drills their players go thru in the cages. Next day they, ran the OF thru drills, the IF thru drills, C the same, and P also. Then they played games. Son said he enjoyed the hitting drills because it was some he hasn't ever done. The fielding drills were pretty basic though.

My son (rising Junior) has been to several college camps in the Midwest and East and by far Duke camps were the best experiences.  He attended weekend summer Prospect camps in August two years in a row as a rising Freshman and Sophomore and a hitting camp in December.  The experience was invaluable.  All of the Duke staff/coaches -- including Chris Pollard -- were very involved and providing real and constructive feedback to the players.  There were sessions on the recruiting process (including how to talk to coaches), nutrition and strength training.  Those camps helped my son better prepare for other camps and showcases, including HeadFirst a couple of weeks ago, where he was well prepared to interact.  While it looks like they have a verbal commitment from another 2019 player at his position, my son is very happy he went to those camps and my husband and I don't regret a penny. 

3and2Fastball posted:

DesertDuck posted:

Guessing what you are looking for then would be the youth instructional camps, not prospect/showcase camps?

Certainly open to all sorts of suggestions.   We're looking for the 2018 summer/fall mostly when my son will be a rising Sophomore

3and2, this is from my post in your other camp thread...

"... How much can you get from a one or two day camp with a large group format that typically stretches across ages and ability levels?  Well, I think it is typical to pick up one or two tips that can be gems but I think it is safe to say that one would get far more bang for the buck by putting that money toward private or small group focused instruction.  

I think these camps can be good for younger players (roughly pre-15) for the excitement factor - experiencing the school facilities, getting a bit of instruction from the college players and taking in those few gems but once a player has reached the point where it's time for a recruiting plan, look elsewhere.  ... "

 You could take the money that you would spend at the camp and spread it across several private instruction sessions with a college player similar to the ones that would be instructing at that camp.  Getting instruction one time at a camp, no matter how good, rarely sticks with a player.  Significant improvement comes from proper instruction followed by repeated monitored drills over time to reinforce the mechanics and/or approach learned.  College players are typically available for private lessons during summer and early fall before returning to school.  This can apply to any aspect of the game that your son is not currently getting good instruction for... hitting, pitching, fielding, speed and agility, etc.

You said you were open to all sorts of suggestions 

If distance isn't an issue, you might want to check Univ of Okla. Skip Johnson is the new head coach. Norman is a typical college town & the field is beautiful! His website is still under construction, but you can call Sooner Athletics to speak with someone...Although he's best known as a pitching coach (10 yrs under Augie Garrido @ UT), he's made quite an impact at U of Okla. the last few yrs. He worked with son many moons ago. I'm sure he runs great camps. (though I have no recent personal exp.) 

U of Okla was son's first experience on a college field @ 14 yrs...The guys on the team were all agog! 

http://www.soonersports.com/Sp...&DB_OEM_ID=31000

btw, I do agree with cabbagedad 100%

Cabbagedad has a point on the privates, but the experience of a college camp early on -- seeing really talented kids competing with you in that format, interacting with college coaches, understanding how camps and showcases work, really prepares you for what you're going to experience later and allows you to get past the initial nerves/panic/unknown.

Initech posted:

pabaseballdad posted:

Coastal Carolina has a good format for their camp.  Morning of first day is typical showcase workout- afternoon and  next day are games, good level of talent.  Entire coastal staff is engaged along with coaches from other schools.  Was a positive experience.  Honestly not a lot of instruction- although there was a lot of interaction.  My son attended a total of 3 camps- Pitt, Penn State, and Coastal  from the time he was in 8th grade through 10th grade.  I didn't see any real instruction at any of these camps. 

How were the Pitt and Penn State camps?

They were both one day camps, indoors in the winter, so to be fair, there was only so much they could do.  both were pretty much the same, worked by players, and assistant coaches from d2 and d3 schools.    no games, station to station drills.  they were OK from a baseball perspective, but good for a young player to go through.  Good from the standpoint of hearing the coaches speak about recruiting and what they are looking for in a player, and good to get a little exposure to college baseball and see the campus. 

I am more familiar with east coast power 5 camps. CLEMSON, FSU, UF all offer great instruction in their camps. 

Camps offer a different perspective than spending money one could use for other purposes. Both can work.

My son went to one camp, I won't offer who it was, but son didn't even want to go back the next day, so I am not big on camps for older HS players.  They even knew that they were recruiting him. They had their favorite players that's for sure. 

Glad to see you started this topic!

Go to Sonoma State camp, improve your reaction time. Learn to hit .400 and throw strikes.i

Bob

We went to one that I will not name but SEC school.  They sent word through a summer coach that they wanted son to come.  We drove 3+hours to get there.  Son struck out all except one player he faced in two innings including two players they had already signed.  They only spoke to him for 30 seconds and said impressed with location work on getting speed up.

This summer when they were recruiting him they wanted him to come to campus and it took all I could not to call them and say we were there and you showed no interest.  I think they are for two purposes.  Them to raise money for volunteer coaches and to talk to young players that they cannot talk to without them being on campus.  Been to many over the years in various forms.  Very little instruction. 

I have told my son who is a college coach that if you are going to do camps/clinics then invest in the kids and make sure you interact with all the players.  The parents are paying the money.  Make it worth their time. 

My sons did college specific camps at a younger age.  I'm with TPM that a college camp is probably not the best use of time and money for most older HS players.  The schools that offered my sons saw them at multi-college showcases (e.g., PG, Headfirst) or multi-college "camps" (e.g., Stanford, Harvard) where we knew schools on my sons' vetted lists would be.

We used the single college camps primarily for sons to get exposure to and comfort with the showcase format early in their high school years.  Sons learned a few baseball things at the camps too, competed with and against some really good players, and they got ready for their first or second high school seasons as we did them in the winter.  We only chose college camps if the price was low and timing was optimal for us. 

For camp instruction, my youngest camped at Doyle in Lakeland, FL for 2 1/2 weeks one Summer.  Can't say enough good things about Denny and the staff there.  Excellent instruction and good, moral men.  It's not a college camp.  But it is optimized for instruction.

I think a high-level LOCAL college, if any are available, is a good thing for a rising Sophomore (maybe), but definitely a rising Junior to attend, even if just to experience the facilities, coaches, and what it is like. My son did and thought it was a good experience.

After that "intro camp", I'd say only target college camps for schools that your son has legitimate interest and potential to GO and PLAY. And that includes the academic and financial components. If you have plenty of time and money, then you don't have to be as discriminating. But most folks are limited in BOTH areas, and going to a lot of college camps, especially if travel and hotels are needed, adds up fast.

For recruiting, Stanford Camp hands down. The gold standard for baseball college recruitment camps.

For instructional, I'm a one on one guy. Hitting , Pitching, Fielding. Camps really aren't set up to teach such things. Weekly reps w/ private coach = real change, improvement.

For example, if your son is a SS,  a camp can provide a few tips but a good private coach will grind the transfer, footwork hard. Weekly. Is the throw on an arch? can't change that at camp. Private coach works arm strength/conditioning, bands, long toss. etc

Just my opinion

Consultant posted:

Go to Sonoma State camp, improve your reaction time. Learn to hit .400 and throw strikes.i

Bob

all in 2 days?

I wouldn't go to a college prospect camp for instruction.   They are not really about instruction. I took my son when he was a rising 8th grader to a D3 camp just because it was where I went to school and I wanted him to get experience in what a college camp is all about.  The next year he went to Ft. Myers for the 13U Series Classic and PG put him through the same hoops that the D3 did.  So I was glad he had seen the routine.  This summer, as a rising sophomore, we went to a nearby D1 camp and took an official campus tour.  I wanted to see if a D1 camp was any different than the D3.  Answer, no.  Here are some notes I took from the D1 camp's HC:

1) "I'm not recruiting 2020's (rising sophomores). I'm recruiting 2019's and 2018's, but I'm not recruiting anyone who doesn't have a driver's license."

2) I didn't hear the question, but his response was that he felt PBR & PG evaluations were legit.

3) He said in some cases travel ball has become a business. Therefore they will try to sell you on a player who has no business being in college. He explained that one travel ball coach spoke highly of a kid and he later found out the kid had a 2.5 GPA. "Why waste my time with a 2.5 GPA? Now that coach has lost all his credibility with me." He would rather hear from a high school coach that doesn't have any money on the line.

4) He was talking about not being able to be in more than one place at a time to recruit players. He said he was down at the WWBA tournament in GA. "It’s the biggest tournament in the country and I had to be at it."

After hearing that he isn't recruiting rising sophomores,  I felt like I wasted my money until my son got a single, triple and a walk and had one stolen base in the scrimmage game.  The coaches also pulled him aside after he took batting practice on the field and talked to him.  So I felt like it was worth the drive anyway.

Old School;

the student needs to ask the instructors questions. "no texting".

Bob

cabbagedad posted:

3and2Fastball posted:

DesertDuck posted:

Guessing what you are looking for then would be the youth instructional camps, not prospect/showcase camps?

Certainly open to all sorts of suggestions.   We're looking for the 2018 summer/fall mostly when my son will be a rising Sophomore

3and2, this is from my post in your other camp thread...

"... How much can you get from a one or two day camp with a large group format that typically stretches across ages and ability levels?  Well, I think it is typical to pick up one or two tips that can be gems but I think it is safe to say that one would get far more bang for the buck by putting that money toward private or small group focused instruction.  

I think these camps can be good for younger players (roughly pre-15) for the excitement factor - experiencing the school facilities, getting a bit of instruction from the college players and taking in those few gems but once a player has reached the point where it's time for a recruiting plan, look elsewhere.  ... "

 You could take the money that you would spend at the camp and spread it across several private instruction sessions with a college player similar to the ones that would be instructing at that camp.  Getting instruction one time at a camp, no matter how good, rarely sticks with a player.  Significant improvement comes from proper instruction followed by repeated monitored drills over time to reinforce the mechanics and/or approach learned.  College players are typically available for private lessons during summer and early fall before returning to school.  This can apply to any aspect of the game that your son is not currently getting good instruction for... hitting, pitching, fielding, speed and agility, etc.

You said you were open to all sorts of suggestions 

Bingo Cabbage.  Was just going to say the larger format instruction camps are too diluted to gain any real knowledge.  If you think about the total cost of camp plus travel, it can add up, you can even afford it, BUT...people are gun shy about paying a top instructor $100 per hour for his time.

I'm big on the former college players teaching.  I've found a number of them through the local baseball facilities and coaching.  Former top D1 SS's who did two years professionally (sounds like jail), and now they're back home looking for a real job...  I get these guys to teach privately for $40-50 per hour on one of our local fields.  We arrange multiple sessions a week for a few weeks...you'll start seeing results quickly.  Your son's confidence will grow immensely. 

As your son's skills grow, along with his physical size, you can be more selective with which camp to attend and when.

Duke Camp was my son's favorite!  Pollard is a quality guy... Son played well defensively at the camp, but was just too small to produce that big bat.  Would have been an ideal camp as a sophomore...