Private coaches can take young players to the next level

Gaining a competitive edge in youth sports is possible, but it comes with a price.

Private lessons in every sport imaginable are available throughout the suburbs. The benefits are obvious.

“The majority of young athletes will achieve better results more rapidly with private lessons in an environment without distractions, over a large group clinic or camp setting,” said Tony Feo, founder and president of Go Hardball Training Academy in Lake Zurich.

Feo and his staff of instructors at Go Hardball specialize in baseball and softball development. Most aspiring players are in the 7- to 14-year-old age group, but plenty of high school players find their way to Go Hardball to prepare for varsity tryouts.

No matter the age, private lessons allow instructors to intensely focus on the individual.

“In addition to focus and attention, many young athletes lack confidence and self-esteem among their peers, and it can really affect their performance on the field,” Feo said. “Often, young players are afraid to swing, or even attempt to aggressively go after a ball, because they feel uncomfortable with their skills and are fearful of failing in front of their family, friends and coaches.

“Through private lessons, an instructor can help a young player build confidence with an individualized lesson plan focused on positive reinforcement, education and fun.”

Private lessons at Go Hardball range from $55 for a 30-minute session to $125 for 75 minutes of instruction. Package plans bring down the cost of individual sessions.

After graduating from Schaumburg High School and Northern Illinois University, Feo opened Go Hardball in 2007.

Another popular training academy, Sky High Volleyball in Crystal Lake, has club teams that have won national championships in each of the last three years.

Chas Kennedy, who has been on Sky High's staff for 17 years, says the individual attention makes private lessons worth the cost.

“For the kids, the main things I see are the reps and the attention they're getting in private lessons,” Kennedy said. “Learning skills and what they want to work on.”

Kennedy said the majority of his students range in age from 10 to 15. When they come to Sky High for lessons, the kids have a big say in their development.

“All I ask them is what they want to work on,” Kennedy said. “A lot of the time, they want to do a lot of different reps in a lot of different situations. The amount of touches they get, the hits they get and then the feedback they're getting, it's all one-on-one.”

Private lessons at Sky High run $65 for one hour. Semi-private lessons are $45.

Kennedy has been giving individual lessons for a dozen years, and he operates with a give-and-take philosophy.

“It doesn't matter what I'm doing; it's what you're doing,” Kennedy said. “If you want to become a better player, you have to focus on your technique. I'm here to remind you every moment, but it's just a one-hour lesson. What are you going to do outside of here? Are you going to remember these things; are you going to focus on them?

“I try to put the focus on the lessons about them, what they're doing and their movement and less about the ball. I tell my players all the time: ‘The ball's a distraction.' If we take the ball away and I ask them to do these techniques, they do them almost perfect. Add a ball to the situation and you're all about the ball and forget your technique. That's why I tell them to focus on their technique and movement.”

Kennedy and Feo are skilled, experienced instructors, and they are comfortable dealing with parents that can be overly pushy.

“We see a lot of variety of parents and personalities,” Feo said. “Some parents give you a hard time or do things a very specific way and sometimes that can work against some of the principles we use to teach.

“You try to work your way through that and educate the parents as much as you can about what you do and why the way you teach is important. For the most part, most of our clients get through that part, understand what we're doing and see the results.”