Group instruction?

Im curious where you guys sit on the concept of group instruction?

I ask, because occasionally one of our local travel clubs will organize a clnic where pitcher, catcher skills are taught by coaches/asst coaches/former players from various collegiate-level programs.

My personal stance is that group instruction is not very effective and my dollars are more wisely spent on one-on-one instruction, with someone who will be in contact w my DD over the long haul vs a one time 3-hr clinic.

Also, i would bet the farm that at least some of what my DD is instructed to do skills-wise will be contradicted in a one-time clinic.

I could see that maybe some parents/players use these events as opportunity to gain some level of exposure in front of college coaches? But for a 11U, seems like that wouldnt be so worthwhile.

Anyone have an opinion to share?

From my experience, the one timers are usually fund raisers for the team doing the teaching. The ones I have been to with DD have been very broad and very shallow as the coaches try to cover everything in a short period of time. Useful maybe for parents looking for drills to work on with their kids, but I haven't seen my DD or DS get much out of these, so we do 1 on 1 now. JMO and all that.

When I coached a 12U team, a former college player offered to run a practice for cheap, and I accepted. She wasn't teaching a specific thing, like pitching or hitting or catching. Rather, she just put them through what she called a college practice, how to get the most out of 2 hours. That was helpful for two reasons. One, it was a change of pace for the players, and they were excited to hear from someone else and to be around an ex-college player from a well-known local school. They were very attentive. Two, it gave the coaches ideas on drills and other things about running a practice, like tempo, keeping them focused and moving. Some things we liked and adopted, other things we discarded.

So if it's something like that, I see the value. But if it's a 3-hour clinic on a specific skill, then I'm not sure drive-by instruction is wise. Specifics on how to hit/pitch needs to come from someone who is consistent, either a team coach or private coach.

One on one instruction for pitching even if it's only for 30 minutes a week or even every other week. Group lessons only if you cannot afford one on one lessons.

corlay said:

My personal stance is that group instruction is not very effective and my dollars are more wisely spent on one-on-one instruction, with someone who will be in contact w my DD over the long haul vs a one time 3-hr clinic.

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I agree with you!

Group lessons are great for beginner pitchers. You can get them exposed to the basics in one clinic. It allows you to spot those with natural potential. The other thing that's great when it comes to groups is the parents are more willing to spend a little bit of money to see if their DD even likes pitching. I get a lot of students who wish to continue one-on-one lessons after clinics.

The one thing you have to stress with the parents is you can't teach their DD how to pitch in one clinic. They must understand it takes time. One of the things I always try to do is to bring in an experienced pitcher who is the same age as the group I'm working with. It lets them see that what we're working on can be done.

As for college camps and older girls. Those camps are pretty much an up close tryout with the coach. They can talk to the player while they are on campus and get a better feel for what they can and can not do.

Groups are fine for maintenance, touch ups and inexpensive gym time. I like the camaraderie and listening to what others are working on. With own kids, I've done two at time, which is fine for two comparable kids (and I like to add a little competition if time allows.) For the most part, 1:1 is the best bang for the buck. I do like the idea of the Packaged Deal (or similar clinics or camps) for the experience. On rare occasions, one might need to travel to a remote location and only have time for a group session. In those cases, you're hoping the adults are taking in as much or more as the kids...

I prefer 30-minute private pitching lessons, but we will occasionally do a group lesson to mix things up. Sometimes throwing next to other pitchers can provide a little motivation for pitchers to push themselves. The hardest my DD has ever thrown was when the cage next to us was being used by a 15-year old baseball team.....motivation can come from different sources! LOL

My DD's last 2 years of pitching lessons were with an instructor that ran tandem lessons. Half of his area was divided lengthwise so the pitchers threw side-by-side in the full-width area into their divided half. He sat behind them watching both and switched back and forth with his feedback and instruction. He may have also offset the start times so only 15 minutes overlapped. Experienced pitchers don't need constant feedback and good instructors look for things that are being done repeatedly.

SoCal_Dad said:

My DD's last 2 years of pitching lessons were with an instructor that ran tandem lessons.

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Were the tandem lessons cheaper than a 30-minute private lesson, or was the instructor just trying to squeeze in a couple of extra lessons each day?