Why Your Child’s Private Lessons Aren’t Working And How To Fix It

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Stop paying for motion when you want progress. We dig into why so many private lessons fail to create real separation on the field and show how to flip the model from selling minutes to producing measurable outcomes. The focus isn’t more reps; it’s the right reps—built on intent, movement quality, and a game-ready mindset that holds up under pressure.

We start by naming the problem: uniform, overpriced sessions that treat a beginner like a travel standout and mistake activity for development. Then we lay out a better path. Tier instruction by age, experience, mechanics, and goals. Set a clear objective for every session and end with a takeaway plus a weekly plan. Teach athletes how to think: self-diagnose after a miss, read pitch rotation, anticipate count leverage, and make in-at-bat adjustments. Movement training becomes a lever for skill—balance, sequencing, rhythm, and strength flow directly into command, bat speed, and adjustability.

Our myth-busting segment tackles stubborn beliefs. More reps don’t equal better results; only quality reps with feedback drive change. Pitching lessons can’t be just throwing—health, control, and performance come from movement patterns and sequencing. Tee work isn’t kiddie stuff; used with purpose, it’s how elite hitters refine positions and ball flight. We challenge facilities and coaches to stop babysitting, invest in education, and mentor athletes toward clear, trackable goals. Parents get the accountability script: ask “What’s the goal today? What’s the long-term plan?” If lessons don’t produce visible improvement over teammates who only attend practice, it’s time to make a switch.

Modeled on what pros do in the offseason—analyze, measure, adjust—this approach builds smarter, stronger, more resilient athletes. When training targets mechanics, movement, mindset, and game IQ, kids don’t just hit in cages; they perform when it counts. If this resonates, subscribe, share with another family, and leave a review so we can grow a community committed to raising athletes the right way.

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Training isn't just about reps.
It's about results, growth, theright type of coaching.
And I'll tell you what, athletictraining across the board for
young athletes needs arevolution.

SPEAKER_01 (00:11):
Raising athletes, the things that causes all dads
to go bald and moms to buyminivans, empowering parents to
help their kids succeed.

SPEAKER_00 (00:20):
To my fellow parents raising athletes, our kids
deserve better.
The results that they are notgetting can happen with the
right environment and the rightapproach.
So we need to come together andto revolutionize this industry
so that all young athletes havethe opportunity to learn, play,

(00:41):
and grow appropriately.

Now I want to be clear (00:42):
this is not an episode to bash
instructors, to bash otherfacilities, but it's simply to
hold them accountable to dobetter because these kids want
to do better and they deserve anopportunity appropriately that
it puts them on the correct pathto success.
I simply want to challenge thestatus quo and call for better

(01:06):
standards in athleticdevelopment.
I've spoken with severalfamilies recently whose children
were part of lessons over thepast couple years and they've
spent thousands of dollars.
And over the course of that spanand that significant investment,
their young athlete has notimproved faster, better than the

(01:27):
athletes in their environment,on their team and in their
league.
That's a problem that needs tobe addressed.
Parents, you need to hold peopleaccountable.
Kids, you deserve better.
And instructors and coaches andfacilities, we can all do a
better job of helping these kidsprogress the correct way.
So here's the problem.

(01:47):
And it's what's happening inmost facilities around the
country.
First, this uniform training forall athletes.
The elite travel player isgetting the same session as an
AU beginner.
It makes no sense.
There's no individualized plansor data-driven instruction.
Two, overpriced, underwhelminglessons.
$80 plus dollars for 30 minutesof t-work or playing catch is

(02:11):
not gonna do it.
You know, BP does not equal bigdevelopment.
And third, these, and this allleads to this the empty reps
culture is out of control.
I, you know, these mindlessrepetition, it's not helping
young athletes.
In fact, I might even take sucha bold position to say that it
might even be hurting thoseyoung athletes.

(02:34):
There's a few things that mustchange in order for us as a
culture to do better.
The first thing, lessons shouldbe tiered.
They should be tiered by age,experience, mechanics, goals.
All of these things shoulddetermine lesson structure.
Also, instructions should bepurposeful.

(02:54):
Teach how to think, not justwhat to do.
Build reps around intent,adjustments, and understanding.
Third, private instruction doesnot equal babysitting.
Facilities need to stop treatingkids like clients and start
treating them like athletes withgoals.

(03:16):
There should be anathlete-centered approach to
lessons, customized developmentplans, define goals, mechanics
focus, weekly plans.
There should be mental training,and that should not be optional.
Teach young athletes resilience,self-diagnosis.
That's a big one.
Performance mindset.

(03:36):
Also, movement training equalsan athletic advantage for young
athletes.
How agility, strength, andmovement drills directly impact
skill performance.
Also, in-game application.
Teach young athletes how toproblem solve.
They can handle that.
What to do when a swing fails inthe game.

(03:59):
A smarter athlete is a moreskilled athlete.
If we educate them to learn howto self-diagnose and understand
situationally what will happen,I'm not just talking about what
happens when the ball is hit toyou.
How about how to handle yourselfwhen you swing and miss, to
understand and analyze apitcher's pitch, a location,

(04:21):
understanding and trying torecognize pitch rotations,
understanding the defense?
There's so many aspects of thegames that we actually don't
teach kids.
We think they're not capable,maybe, of handling the technical
and psychological andintellectual aspects of the
game, but yet we'll use termslike baseball and softball IQ to

(04:42):
them.
How about this?
Why don't you start teachingthem as a coach, as their
instructor, as their trainer, asyou're instructing, why not talk
through why it is that you'reteaching them or why it is that
you're trying to change themechanics?
Teach them all these thingsbecause a smarter athlete will

(05:02):
become a more athletic, skilledathlete on the field in the
game.
It's not about getting them tobe able to blow up a ball in the
cage.
Great, they're a great cagehitter, but does that translate
to the game?
I think we need to change howkids are trained.
And now for everyone's favoritesegment of the episode, myth

(05:24):
busting.
This one is going to be fun.
The first one is more repsequals better results.
Wrong.
It's only if it's the right repsyou get the better results.
Myth number two, pitchinglessons should only be about
throwing.
That is absolutely false.
It should be about balance,sequencing, understanding your

(05:48):
body.
It's so much more than justthrowing.
In fact, I think that thingswhen it comes to pitching
lessons that are just centeredaround throwing is one of the
things that's contributing tomore arm problems, to more
injuries, to lack of control.
There's so much more to pitchingthan just throwing.
We need to start educating boththe parents.
We're raising athletes together,so educating parents, but also

(06:11):
educating on uh educating kidson the proper techniques to
become a better pitcher.
Third, teamwork is boring andonly for little kids.
That is absolutely wrong.
It's how elite hitters refinemechanics.
And our last myth buster fortoday's segment is my kid just
needs to get more swings in.

Here's the thing (06:32):
without proper guidance, that's just muscle
memory for bad habits.
I want to talk directly tofacility owners, coaches,
trainers, and instructors for asecond.
And I want to challenge you allto rethink your lessons.
Stop selling time and startselling results.

(06:54):
Provide real results for youngathletes.
Invest in your trainers'education, make them mentors,
not just bucket fillers.
And here's my message to parentsyou're paying for development,
not just activity.
Ask your instructor, what's thegoal today?
What's the plan long term?
Don't settle for a warm-up or apat on the back.

(07:16):
Demand coaching that teaches,not babysits.
Now, there's a ton of incrediblestories that you as parents can
go online and find fromprofessional athletes and their
approach to training, both nowand when they were younger.
A pro, they don't just takeswings, they analyze, they
measure, they track, and they'reconstantly adjusting mechanics

(07:40):
and mindset.
And it all starts in theoffseason, not the season.
Even MLB players, there's theystill train on movement, on
mental skills, on refiningmechanics.
And if it's good for them, is itnot good for your young athlete
as well?
We can take from theseincredible experiences, tools,

(08:01):
and resources that we have ofthings that are working and
getting tremendous results fromothers.
Your kids deserve that type oftraining.
They deserve a true investmentinto them as a whole to help
them in aspects of all, in allaspects of their game.
Don't settle for just reps.
They deserve more because morethan reps is going to be the

(08:22):
thing, the difference maker inthem progressing to where they
can be versus where they areright now.
Don't be afraid to raise yourexpectations.
Choose facilities, coaches,trainers, and instructors who
train the whole athlete.
Training isn't about makingclients, it's about making
athletes better.

(08:42):
If you made a decision as aparent to invest and thus
sacrifice financially in aprivate lesson for your young
athlete, well then you deservean incredible environment where
that private lesson is going tomake them better than just the
empty reps that your kid can doat home in the backyard.
That environment should be forthem to really progress faster

(09:04):
than everyone else.
Think about it this way, in away that everyone can now
understand.
If your child is on a travelteam, let's say he's on a 13U
baseball travel team, andeveryone is going to the team
practices, and everyone isparticipating in the team games,
but your son is the only one atthat team taking private

(09:25):
lessons.
Shouldn't you expect to see abig difference in your child's
skill and ability on the fieldover time?
Absolutely.
There should be this separationthat happens where your child
starts to progress faster thanall the other kids who are not
getting lessons and they're justdoing what the team's doing

(09:45):
together.
However, if your child is not onthat path to success where they
are now noticeably differentafter taking private lessons,
there's a problem.
And you as a parent need to makea change.
You have to change the facility,you have to change the program,
you have to change theinstructor.
Because that child should beimproving at a different rate

(10:08):
than everyone else around them.
But if your child is not makingthe school ball team, is not
getting better on their travelteam, but maybe they're just
really good cage hitters, that'sa problem for your kid.
If in fact their goal was tomake their school ball team,
their goal was to do better withtheir travel team.
Their goal was maybe even toplay beyond high school.

(10:29):
Your kids deserve better, andthere is better available for
them out there.
Do a little research.
There's incredible places thatdeal with the athlete as a
whole, helping them not justbecome more mechanically sound
as a hitter or a pitcher or afielder, but understands that
baseball and softball IQinvolves a lot of other things,

(10:51):
like understanding the why,being able to read rotation on
the ball, being able to adjustathletically, defensively to a
ball, understanding a hitter'scount.
There's so many intelligentthings that your child can be
taught, and it should beincorporated in every lesson
because a more prepared athlete,a more intelligent athlete is a

(11:15):
more skilled athlete on thefield.
I hope today's episode was ofvalue to you.
If you thought so, do me afavor.
Can you share it with anotherfamily?
Because I would love to growthis community together.
Because you know what?
We are all raising athletestogether.
And it should be a communityproject because I think that's
where we can make real lastingchange.

(11:37):
I'll see you next time onRaising Athletes.