Application for Elite Private Lessons
Hardball Academy
For the past several years, we have been limiting the students we accept for personal instruction. Over 15 years of training baseball/softball players we discovered that the type of high level training we conduct is not for everyone. We understand
that our program is not for everyone. We are not your average or “conventional” baseball/softball academy. Our program is not a “quick fix” program where a player can come in and get a quick tune up before the beginning of the season. Our
instructors are highly trained and have backgrounds in many important areas required to be a successful “teacher”. While we are positive and encouraging we do not do “feel good” lessons. We do not do traditional rep based instruction (lessons where students come in and practice by doing repetition) we actually teach to give the student the ability to assimilate information and be responsible for their own learning. This will allow for students to self adjust. We have completed over 120,000 lessons in the past 15 years and have worked with professional, college, league players, and everything in between.
Because of our limited time we wish to identify those individuals we wish to work with. Because of limited time we are only going to take on the following type of individuals. These individuals need to have the following unique characteristics: This application will outline the expectations for our students as well as give the student/parent an idea of what to expect from our training.
Attitude- The student must be willing to learn, listen, experiment and be open to new ideas. Arrogant, hard-headed students
are not wanted. We want students to question and are a part of each training session.
Aptitude-The student must have a love of baseball/softball and of practice
Work Ethic/Dedication– The student must be willing to do homework on a regular basis
Commitment-The student must be persistent and resilient to temporary plateaus, challenges, and setbacks. Students must have the attitude “I am going to make this happen”
Goals- The student must have a desire to be better than he currently is and will push himself and set goals to reach the next level (which we will help them with our goal setting plan)
Parents who are supportive but not intrusive-The student parents must be helpful but not attempting to live their life through the athletic careers of their child or attempt to save their kids from “failure”, by manipulation, coercion, or influence. Those parents
that constantly have to remind everyone how good their kid is and tell their child how good they are not desirable. Parents must view their child as a capable, responsible, trustworthy young person who is accountable for his own failures and successes.
Things that have no bearing on if we accept a student or not:
He is the best/not one of the best players in his league
He was an all star/he has never made all stars
He plays “Elite” Select baseball/He plays league ball
He throws harder than anybody around/He does not throw with any velocity
He hit 15 home runs last season/he struck out almost every time at bat
Do these following statements describe you or your athlete? If so you may wish to reconsider applying for training.
-Parents want success more than their kid does
-The Athlete is extremely resistant to try new things or hear new information
-Looking for a quick fix…..a few quick tips -Wanting a different look…..wanting to try something else
-Looking for a “Conventional” pitching/hitting instructor. We are anything but “conventional”
-Wanting a tune up
-Looking for a new pitch
-Looking for an assessment…… (We will do some basic evaluations)
Here is what Hardball Academy is looking for:
-The athlete’s dream is to play high school, college, and or professional baseball
-They love to hit/pitch/train more than anything else
-They would mark the date of their first lesson and count down the days
-They would be sitting in the driveway ready to go to their lesson
-They have been in search of a competent, high quality professional mentor to help them reach their goals.
-The athlete has a burning desire to get better, open to new ideas, and challenges themselves to be the best they can be
Other Important Items to Consider
-12 hour notice of cancellation- If notice is not given within 12 hours a student will lose that lesson. It needs to be made clear that other than an immediate family emergency, there are no considerations if you do not notify with a full 12 hours notice (24 hour by e-mail) of a missed appointment. It is important for everyone to realize that our lesson slots are very precious and we expect you to view them similarly. It is important that you know that we will diligently hold fast to this policy.
-Returning Phone calls-We are not on 24 hour call! We cannot return phone messages within 15 min. Typically we are in training sessions or classes for most of the evening. We will do our best to return phone calls within 48 hours. Many times text and e-mails work best for basic communication.
-Schedule Changes-We cannot constantly change our schedule to accommodate your changing schedule. We do understand that from time to time we will have adjust our schedule due to holidays and occasional conflicts that you may have. We will do everything we can to work with your schedule but we do have other students as well.
-Student Dress- Students should dress the part. Turf shoes, baseball pants, athletic shorts, tennis shoes are all acceptable. Jeans, cut offs, sleeveless shirts, are not acceptable.
Common Questions:
1. How much is training
Private lessons range between $87.50 and $100 per hour or $50-$60 per half hour. Class sessions (only open to those who have completed private training) range between $25 and $35 per hour. Classes will be explained more in detail at a later time.
2. How often do we come? Typically students come 1 or 2 times a week for private or small group training. Classes can meet up to 3 times per week. Typically there are 4 training sessions a month. Lessons are billed on a monthly basis.
3. How long do we come for? It is recommended that a student come at least over a 3 month period. Many students wish to train year round. For older players this can be advantageous. However, we encourage all players to have at least 4 weeks of down time with no training at some point during the year. Younger players should have a shorter duration of training.
4. What will we do in the first lesson? The first lesson will be an evaluation and training lesson. Students will be evaluated on skills, strength, flexibility, range of motion, athleticism, and more. Students will learn the basic principles of movement for the particular skill they are working on. Likewise, the student will learn the basic routine of the lesson. We do many activities in each lesson and we want a routine so the lesson can flow and more can be done in our time frame.
5. What will additional training be like? Additional training will include measurements in skill, strength, speed, agility, athleticism, range of motion, body control, and more. Students (most) will take part in a video analysis around the 4th or 5th lesson. Students will participate in functional fitness exercises, drills designed to encourage athleticism, body control, and promote body awareness
Liability Waiver
I understand that there is an inherent risk associated with baseball/softball. I agree that I have medical insurance to cover any cost (including deductibles) due to any injuries suffered by my son/daughter, while participating in any activity with Hardball Academy. This includes any injury or accident. I agree that I will not hold Hardball Academy, their employees, or any organizations in association with Hardball liable for any injuries or accidents.
Remember there is a 12 hour cancellation policy. We will hold fast to this policy. If you cancel inside of 12 hours before your lesson that lesson will be forfeited
Hardball Dickinson/League City 281-559-3906
Hardball Pearland/Friendswood 281-BASEBALL (227-3225)
E-mail: Info@hardballacademy.com (need more than 24 hours notice to cancel by e-mail)
Mailing Address: 728 Marbrook Saddle Lane, League City, TX 77573
All Monthly membership plans will have 1 month (unless specified by a Hardball Administrator) to complete make up lessons after a student has stopped taking lessons (due to illness and injury exceptions will be made). All lessons will be forfeited after this time.