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As I look back on my experience within hitting and pitching lessons throughout my career, many things stick out to me. First, having a good, trusted coach that you go to outside of the coach you see everyday at your high school or tournament team is a huge advantage. It gives you a different look, and also gives you more focused drills and objectives for what you want as an athlete. This can be applied in every sport that offers one on one coaching. When I had my hitting coach in high school, things that I could not figure out in my high school practice I could figure out at my hitting lesson. Furthermore, it takes the power out of the parent’s hands with how you develop. In the infographic below, you can see how parents can affect sports in a negative way. Not that my parents did this, but this is prevalent and happening at a higher percentage these days. Wrapping these blogs up, all in all one on one coaching is something that can really help a young athlete develop into what kind of player that they want to be. There are obviously obstacles that I have previously mentioned in other posts, like scamming, or companies taking advantage of parents, but this can be negated with diligence and taking the time to seek out the right fit. One on one coaching personally got me to where I am today and I am grateful to have experienced it.

CoachUp.com (2015) Infographic: Being a good sports parent, ACTIVEkids. Active.com. Available at: https://www.activekids.com/parenting-and-family/articles/infographic-being-a-good-sports-parent (Accessed: February 14, 2023).

In my experience with 1 on 1 coaching, there are many scams that can trip up parents of young athletes. Many social media accounts are taking the opportunity in the expanse of the social network and putting unqualified people in charge of teaching young athletes for money. These companies will target athletes that are below the age of needing lessons. These hitting gurus take advantage of parents that want the golden ticket for their kids to be the best in their class. This is why these companies market to these desperate parents and charge outrageous amounts for 1 on 1 coaching. For me, my parents did not look to 1 on 1 coaching until I was in my freshman year of high school. We went with a trusted individual that my mother knew that played in the big leagues. These lessons ran for fifty dollars an hour. This is on the cheap side for hitting lessons for baseball. Some lessons can run for 100-200 dollars an hour for a high level hitting coach. These numbers seem outrageous but it is the reality of this industry. To advise parents of young athletes, take this excerpt from CompeteAcademy, “So what’s the alternative? Think. Think for yourself. Question these self-proclaimed experts before paying your hard earned money for their “expertise.(CompeteAcademy)” These companies will market to parents until the parents stop paying for the coaching. The best advice is to find someone trusted with many good references within the area of expertise that the parents want to go into. The money that the parents put into the coaching of these young athletes can be saved by doing research and taking the time to make sure that the coaches are trustworthy. Be smart with your money just like any other big purchase you would make. 

Twitter fingers and lesson scams (no date) Compete Academy. Available at: https://competeacademy.com/twitter-fingers-and-lesson-scams/ (Accessed: February 5, 2023). 

January 18, 2023

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Personal coaching can be the best decision that a parent of a young baseball player can make. The decision to link with a trusted expert of hitting or pitching will take a young baseball players talent to the next level. The underlying reality is that youth or high school baseball players do not get the time or focus needed to fully improve on their respective baseball programs, high school or select teams. In my experience, I was an average hitter with no future in the sport when I was a freshman in high school, but after my mother made the decision to pair me with an expert in hitting, my game was taken to the next level. Not only does a separate entity away from your respective team give you a different look than whatever coach you have already, but also it gives you more time to perfect your swing or motion. My hitting coach was not that expensive, and I would only go for about an hour a week. This might sound like a short time, but this short hour a week took me from a below average hitter on my high school team, to one of the best players, and one of three college commits. The goal for most young athletes is to make it to the next level. Popular showcase programs in Texas simply do not focus on development enough for players that are not physically super talented to make it to the next level. It has gotten even worse since I began my college baseball career. Players with solid potential are falling through the cracks due to the changes in the tournament baseball scene. Personally, I am so thankful that my parents invested funds into personal coaching instead of countless showcases, which would have never given me the opportunities that developing my talent did. I encourage parents of young athletes to look into personal coaching, and to find the right coach and price that corresponds to their situation.

My name is Reid Stiefel, and I have an extensive background in baseball. I have been playing the game for 18 years and I am currently in my senior year on the St. Edward’s baseball team. I have played for former MLB stars Lance Berkman and Andy Pettitte, and have had many other coaches that have rounded out my knowledge for the game. I have been around this game and have used 1 on 1 coaching for many years of my career. My knowledge of 1 on 1 coaching is second to none because of this experience. My hope is for these blogs to help parents of young baseball players make the right decision when it comes to personal coaching.