Looking for an Edge? Private Coaching, by the Hour – New York Times
Chelsea and Brockton Boretti, ages 11 and 9, of Wellington, Fla., work out one to three times a week with Sean Benevides, a coach and co-owner of Athlete’s Advantage, a 12,000-square-foot workout center in Wellington (athletesadvantageusa.com). There, the children enhance their athletic abilities by throwing medicine balls, running obstacle courses and leaping into sand pits.
Their parents, Robin and Mark Boretti, pay about $75 an hour for the pair to train with Mr. Benevides. Mrs. Boretti said she had seen a remarkable improvement in the children’s fitness and sports team performance over the last year. Chelsea is a softball pitcher and Brockton plays football and baseball.
I’d be interested to hear any else’s thoughts on private coaching for very young athletes. I’d be even more interested in reading any relevant research on its results in the following regards:
- Creating more “elite” level athletes in the long term
- Boosting young athletes’ self-esteem and efficacy
- Affecting the athlete’s actual ability
I can see both sides here. I have worked with high school athletes who have seen some very positive results from individual performance training, but I wonder about its role for the younger athletes (like the 9 and 11 year-olds mentioned above.)
Posted by BBallCoach 
