Private lessons in baseball have exploded in popularity. Drive through any town on a weeknight and you will find cages packed with kids working with instructors—hitting, pitching, fielding, catching, you name it. The intent appears noble: develop players, reinforce proper mechanics, and accelerate individual growth outside of team settings. But as with much in the modern youth baseball landscape, we must ask an important question: is it about development or is it about optics? Is the player truly growing, or is this just another transaction in a pay-to-play industry? Are parents doing their due diligence, or are they chasing shiny objects on social media? And perhaps more importantly, are the instructors staying in their lane?
Let’s dig in.
What Are Players Really Getting Out of Private Lessons?
At their best, private lessons provide players with individualized instruction, focused attention, and a pace of learning that can be tailored to the athlete’s current skill set. A good instructor can help a player unlock something their team coach might not have the time or expertise to address in a large group setting. A private instructor, with the right background and the right motives, can be a game-changer for a young athlete’s confidence, performance, and long-term success. But let’s not kid ourselves, many lessons aren’t structured, productive, or even relevant to what the player needs. You’ll find plenty of sessions that are nothing more than glorified babysitting: lots of reps, minimal feedback, and no long-term plan. The player shows up, gets fed balls, is told “good job,” and leaves no better than when they arrived. The transaction is completed. The parents are satisfied because they saw “work.” The instructor pockets the money. Everyone feels good, for now. But did development actually happen?
Is This About Development or Status?
Here’s the hard truth: private lessons have become a status symbol in many baseball circles. They are something parents brag about at the fields, a box to check off that says, “We’re taking this seriously.” But the quantity of lessons doesn’t necessarily equate to the quality of instruction, or progress. It’s becoming increasingly common to see kids bounce around from one popular instructor to the next, not because of skill alignment or developmental needs, but because “Coach So-and-So” is trendy online. They see him reposting swing clips of high schoolers who hit 400-foot bombs and assume, “That’s who we need.” The algorithm becomes the guiding force, not actual player fit. Lessons are being booked not based on what the athlete needs but based on who has the biggest online presence. This is the reality of modern player development. Social media sells. Flash wins. But is it building better players?
Club Ball vs. Private Instructors: Is There Alignment?
Another overlooked aspect of private lessons is how, or whether they align with the athlete’s club or school team philosophy. Ask yourself: is this lesson reinforcing what the athlete’s team coach is trying to instill? Or is it conflicting entirely? Too often, players are caught in the middle of a developmental tug-of-war. Club coach teaches one approach. Instructor teaches another. High school coach throws a third ideology into the mix. Now the kid is confused, questioning everything, and feels paralyzed at the plate or on the mound. Mechanics break down. Confidence erodes. Trust disappears. Private instruction should not exist in a silo. If a player is training outside the team environment, that training should support, not compete with, what their primary coach is teaching. Otherwise, everyone’s wasting time. Smart coaches and instructors communicate. They collaborate. They stay in sync to benefit the player. But that only happens when parents ask the right questions and seek out instructors who value cooperation over ego.
Is the Instructor Qualified – or Just Popular?
This is where we get into dangerous territory. There is a growing crop of “instructors” building brands on social media without any legitimate playing background or coaching experience. Some are former players, but not in the position they now teach. Others have never coached at a competitive level but know how to edit a slick video and talk a good game. Let’s be blunt: If your kid is a catcher, find a catching coach. If they’re a pitcher, go to someone who understands the nuances of pitching, not just someone who threw 15 innings in high school and now sells lessons out of a garage. There are too many people trying to coach outside their lane. It’s one thing to be a generalist or help with fundamentals at the youth level. It’s another thing entirely to claim expertise in a position you never played or coached at a high level. You wouldn’t go to a foot doctor for heart surgery. Why are we okay with infielders teaching catching or outfielders instructing pitching mechanics? Credentials matter.
What Parents Need to Start Asking
Before booking a lesson, here’s a list of critical questions every parent should ask:
• What is your playing or coaching background at this position?
• What age and level do you typically work with?
• Do you communicate with team coaches to stay aligned?
• Do you follow a long-term development plan or focus on short-term fixes?
• What metrics or benchmarks do you use to track progress?
If you’re not getting thoughtful, confident answers, keep looking. You are not just buying reps, you’re buying expertise. And expertise should come with a résumé and a philosophy, not just an Instagram following.
The Cost of Blind Loyalty
There’s a cost to all of this. When parents blindly trust instructors based on flash rather than substance, kids suffer. They may develop bad habits, rely on gimmicks, or worse burn out from the overload of conflicting advice. They’re doing drills with no relevance to their game situations, chasing mechanics they’re not physically ready for, or trying to copy movements of elite college athletes they see on Instagram when they’re 12 years old. Worse, they begin to value feedback based on views and likes, not actual performance. Development becomes a popularity contest. And the game loses something pure. Parents must remember that the goal of private lessons is not to make your kid look good on a phone screen. It’s to help them build foundational skills that carry into game performance. It’s to instill confidence and work ethic, not confusion and burnout.
Red Flags in a Lesson Environment
Not all lessons are bad—but many are red flags in disguise. Here’s what to look out for:
1. No clear structure or progression.
If the instructor doesn’t have a plan for your athlete, and every session feels like a random collection of drills, that’s a problem. Development requires progression and purpose.
2. No communication with team coaches.
If the instructor refuses to work with or talk to your athlete’s club or school coach, that’s an ego issue. Run.
3. Too much tech, not enough teaching.
Data is great—but if it’s used as a crutch to look smart rather than a tool to teach, your athlete won’t grow.
4. All style, no substance.
Does the instructor spend more time filming and editing videos than actually teaching? You’re paying for development, not a highlight reel.
5. One-size-fits-all approach.
Every player is different. If your kid is being taught the same swing or throwing motion as everyone else, something is wrong.
The Power of the Right Instructor
There are phenomenal instructors out there. People who care, who have played or coached at high levels, who stay in their lane, and who customize instruction to the individual player. These coaches are not usually the loudest on social media. They’re not always the most viral. But they are consistent, qualified, and trusted by those who know the game. A great instructor will:
• Ask questions before teaching
• Break skills down into digestible steps
• Build confidence before complexity
• Understand the demands of the position they’re coaching
• Be honest when something is outside their lane
• Focus on the long game, not just weekend success
If you find someone like that, stick with them. Let them build something meaningful with your athlete. It’s rare, but it’s powerful.
Let’s Bring Integrity Back to Private Instruction
The goal here is not to bash private lessons as a whole. There is value in them. But that value depends on who’s doing the teaching and why the lessons are happening in the first place. If we want to develop better players, we need to take a hard look at the way private instruction is being used:
• Are the right people doing the teaching?
• Are players going for the right reasons?
• Are parents doing their homework?
This is not just about mechanics. This is about development, integrity, and respect for the game. Private instruction should not be a hustle. It should be a craft. If we get back to that, if we return to prioritizing qualified coaches, customized plans, and athlete-first instruction, then private lessons will serve their true purpose. Until then, ask the hard questions. Stay skeptical. And always remember that flashy doesn’t mean effective.
Final Thoughts
Private instruction can be a difference-maker but only if it’s built on substance, not just style. In a world driven by content and clout, parents and players must become better consumers of development. Ask more. Expect more. Research more. And when in doubt, find the coach who cares more about your kid’s progress than their own brand. That’s where the real development happens.
Behind The Diamond 