Would you pay $300 for a pre-hs camp?

A local private, and sometimes USA Today Top 25, ran a pre high school hitting and base running clinic my son attended. The difference is it was ten weeks long for two hours a week with five different D1 coaches coming in for lessons. The sessions were $175 total. Was it recruiting? The attendees were a Who's Who of 13U USSSA travel players.

At $300 for a one time pop I'm curious to know where the school is going for their spring trip. You're helping with the fundraising.

No.

A baseball camp by the local HS team is indeed a great thing to attend, and local HS have been doing it for a long time in my area. RBHS Baseball Camp

I guess there is the law of supply and demand... But depending on the amount of instruction IMHO $300 is about double the costs in my area.

(Note: College Camps are more than that.... upwards to $500-$600)

But the value will be in the Local HS coaches seeing your son. The value of a D1 College coach... other than perhaps motivational speach.... will be minimal IMHO.

What is the Cliche.. Take one game at a time...
8th graders'... focus should be on making the HS team. (proablaby Freshman team). Then after the sophmore year, or playing a year of Varsity, you can start thinking College....

Ditto iheartbb...NO.

If you want to attend the Private H.S. and play on their team, the cost of the camp is probably a drop in the bucket compared to the annual tuition. You may need to attend the camp to make the team unless you are a true stand-out. That said if you are not planning on attending the school there is no reason to attend. The exposure to a D-1 coach is not very meaningful. (I agree with SBDD).

In some cases if you have the money they will take it. Now having some talent? Well

ARE YOU KIDDING, $300.00 NO WAY

I never sent any of my kids to pre highschool baseball camps. I know tons of peaple that do it, but I never did. I couldn't see the benefit vs cost.

I've never paid $300, but I sure have sent my kid to off season catching camps prior to high school. He learned quite a bit from them, and developed a long-term relationship with a terrific catching coach with whom he still trains.

In my opinion, it's far too much money for the age and the fact that it will be in a group situation.

You would get more bang for the buck with individual instruction.

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I have seen the board where it is being discussed.

I find some things interesting. D1 recruiting coaches off campus during a quiet period. Being ranked on an MLB score. A high price to charge if affordable only for those who could afford the school's tuition. Private school recruiting?

What exactly was the motive for the camp?

No is also my answer.

This is a wonderful idea and price!....for those running the camp.

No.

We have done off season clinics at Acadamies, but never the high school sponsered ones.

I have seen a lot of pre high school 2 day camps held at colleges for 250 or less. These are usually in December. Some one day camps for 75.00-125.00
Know lots of peaple that have gone to those also.

I suppose I'm in the minority. $300 is a drop in the bucket compared to what all of us have spent over a life time of baseball. If your kid is interested in the program and you can come away simply learning one thing new, then in my eyes, it's worth it ! It's a family decision that must be decided. In regards to recruiting? well? What do you think? I say yes and yes !

We run an off season strength and conditioning program with baseball skills and development instruction from August to the first HS practice in Feb. Each day after school we go from 3:30 to 6:00. We can only have 8 HS players doing baseball specific things a day so we do it like this. Monday 8 guys work on hitting. Tuesday 8 guys work on infield skills. Weds 8 guys - pitchers and catchers instruction. Thursday Outfield play. Friday Baserunning / Hitting. Each day we allow anyone that wants to attend to be a part of our core work , agility work , speed training and strength training. We have 6th 7th and 8th graders ride the bus to our school and then work out with the HS players. The parents pick them up after the work outs. I guess we are missing out on some paychecks from these parents. We do not charge anyone anything. We feel we are helping the kids but in turn we will help our program in the long run. Our seniors have won three straight conference championships. They are the first group that has been a part of this program their entire HS career. The gains in speed, agility and core strength have been amazing. Our pitchers gains in velocity and our power numbers our amazing as well. It truly is great to see these guys make the strides that come from working so hard in the off season. We do give our guys that play on the weekends off on Fridays. It can not be mandantory. We do not require anyone to attend because we can't. But they all come and they really enjoy seeing the progress. As far as this thread would you pay 300.00 for a pre hs camp? No. I would spend the money going to a college winter camp at a local college and get some top notch instruction that could help me improve my game if I was going to spend 300.00.

Coach May, very impressive indeed. It's a shame that more schools don't take your same approach. My player's school uses the money to off set spring break trips and coaches salaries during the spring. However, we do have a similar program in place but ours runs from November thru February, having no impact on fall ball at all and the fee is very affordable. It's less than the $300 being discussed on this thread !

Coach May, are you accepting transfers from New Jersey. I have a slightly used Sr. pitcher and a 7th grader coming up that could do a lot worse that playing in your program.

Kudos to you and your program on what you are offering to your kids!

Hey JD since your son is headed this way in a few months for college why not go ahead and send him on down. Im sure we could find some innings for him!!! Sorry we wont get to see you guys this coming weekend. I think Jeff has decided to take his official visit during basketball season so he wont miss any of his baseball tournements. By the way if your 7th grader is anywhere near the player Q is you can go ahead and send him as well!

It's not the money that is the criteria for the reason to extend the extra effort of this kind, but is about exposure of your son to the "right" influences in his personal experience in baseball.

The sooner he is exposed to the expectation level associated with the requirements for excellence in his techniques and skills the better he becomes as a player.

IMHO get your son "exposed" to serious professional level training techniques and jargon and he will begin to display a completely diffferent attitude about his own game. JMO

quote:

Originally posted by TripleDad:
I never sent any of my kids to pre highschool baseball camps. I know tons of people that do it, but I never did. I couldn't see the benefit vs cost.

I sent my son for two reasons. One was it was a chance to get a couple of hours of instruction in a field house as opposed to our garage from just after New Years into March. My son got a good workout and learned something from listening to all these knowledgeable coaches. Dad knows what he's talking about.

Ten weeks of hitting and baserunning: $175
Your son telling you the only thing he learned is dad knows his stuff: priceless

Second, the school was on a short list of possible privates we looked at until the high school cleaned up their baseball program.

quote:

and learned something from listening to all these knowledgeable coaches. Dad knows what he's talking about.

Can you expand on this?

Our hs coaches are also football coaches for the time being. We have open cages two days a week and as soon as the football season ends we will do 8 man rotations.

NC coaches don't get paid for all the work they do!!!

We did participate in a MS one day workout. In reality it was a fund raiser for the league, but it worked out well. Son was sick as a dog (fever 103) the entire tryout week. (stretched to week due to the plague going through the school) So at least the coach - who was new - knew what son could do when he was not throwing up down the side of my car. That whole thing was a mess. literally.

Kinda funny watching the parents from other private schools call foul! Even though they hold their own camps.

http://norcalpreps.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=445&mid=1...id=102402480&style=1

quote:

Originally posted by Rob Kremer:

quote:

and learned something from listening to all these knowledgeable coaches. Dad knows what he's talking about.

Can you expand on this?

I had already taught him the things the coaches were teaching in the sessions. He did get ten weeks of reps in a fieldhouse rather than a garage including live pitching.