If you want your child to stand out as an athlete in 2020, you probably have done plenty of research about the newest sports equipment and technology available on the market already. And why wouldn’t you? There are thousands of apps, cleats, bats, helmets, and gloves that promise to be the next big thing in the sports industry. They promise to improve your son’s batting average or help your daughter shoot harder. Just to name a few.

In reality, no equipment or technology in the world can compete with the importance of continuous and effective training. If you think that owning the newest bat, training 3 times a week in a sports club, and playing a game on the weekend is all it takes for your child to grow up to become a sports star, you are mistaken.

A private coach is the key to success

The best athletes in the world are those who put in the additional effort outside of their regular team practices. How do they do it? They often hire a private coach that can focus on their individual needs as an athlete, improve their technique and performance, and set them up for success.

While hiring the right private coach is not a guarantee for success and often requires additional time and money, most sports parents will find that it's an extremely worthwhile investment in their child’s athletic career. Depending on the expertise of the coach, the sport, and the location, a typical private lesson will usually cost between $30 to $100 an hour (Source: Internal Sportlo data).

What is a private coach?

A private coach is a coach who offers 1 on 1 or group training sessions for youth or adult athletes who want to receive additional coaching outside of their regular team practices. Private coaches can focus on the individual needs of an athlete and have the unique opportunity to serve as a mentor, not only for athletic development but also for an athlete’s mental and personal growth.

Below, we have listed 4 great reasons why sports parents should hire a private coach for your child:

1. Choosing the coach you want to work with

When you sign up your children for a sports club, you often do not get to choose who coaches them. Whether you get an experienced or newbie coach is not up to you. It could also happen that another child’s parent is the coach of the team and you experience Daddy-ball which leads to your child getting less playing time. With a private coach, you and only you (of course your young athlete might have an opinion, too) get to decide who works with your child. You can pick the gender of the coach, his/her coaching experience and so much more.

2. Training based on your child’s personal needs and problem areas

The needs of each young athlete are completely different. While team practices mainly focus on improving the overall performance of the team, a private coach can structure the training in a way that focuses on your child’s individual needs. An open discussion before the first session with the private coach about existing weaknesses or problem areas (or after an evaluation session) will allow the coach to design practices that will take your child’s game to the next level. Whether you want the coach to focus on shooting, pitching, speed, or agility, anything is possible.

3. Working on your schedule

Another great advantage of using a private coach is the flexibility that comes with it. Your child’s sports club dictates the practice and game times which leaves very little flexibility especially when you have a full-time job. When you’re working with a private coach, you can find a schedule that makes it easy to accommodate all of your obligations as a busy parent. Whether that means adding 3 additional practice sessions with your private coach one week and then only 1 session the next week, you’re in total control of the schedule.

4. Practice makes perfect

While practicing 2-3 times a week sounds like a lot when your child first starts playing a sport, you will soon realize that those who really aim to play at a higher level (high school, college, professional), will put in additional work with a private coach. Even one additional hour of practice each week will make a big difference and help your young athlete. You will notice the improvements in no time.

Now that we’ve found 4 great reasons for you to hire a private coach for your child, the question remains, where and how do you get started?

Finding a Private Coach on Sportlo

The first step in working with a private coach is finding the right individual to work with your child. Sportlo makes it easy for sports parents to connect with background-checked private coaches around the United States. Once you have signed up for a free Sportlo account, you can visit the “Find a Coach” section in your account to find a private coach that best fits your child’s needs in 3 easy steps.

1. Search

When you visit the Find a Coach section in your account, you can choose one of 24 sports offered by private coaches on Sportlo and enter your location to start your coach search.  You will see matching coaches that offer private lessons for the sport and location you selected. You can also use our “Session Price” filter to narrow down your search to coaches whose hourly price fits your budget.

2. View and contact

After narrowing down your search, you can scroll through the search results to find the private coach that you think will work best for your young athlete based on the experience of the coach, # of recommendations the coach has received from other parents, your location, and the price you are willing to spend for an hourly training session. Each coach on Sportlo has passed a background check to ensure the safety of our users.

3. Schedule a training session

After the initial contact with a coach, you can plan the next steps by deciding on a day, time, and location for your first training session. You may exchange phone numbers with the coach or continue your communication through Sportlo if you prefer to do so.

Why should you use Sportlo to find a private coach?

1. Safety

The safety of our users is our #1 priority. All coaches need to pass a background check performed by our trusted partner Sterling Talent Solutions before joining the Sportlo network. Only after a coach has passed the background check, he or she will be added to our coach database and sports parents will be able to find the private coach through the “Find a Coach” search.

While a background check is a great tool for us to protect your personal safety, please always remember to be mindful and careful when communicating online and meeting a coach in person for the first time. Also, please be mindful of the location you agree to meet the coach. We strongly recommend scheduling the first training session during the daytime.

2. No booking fees

While other services charge fees for you to hire a coach, on Sportlo, there are no booking fees or other fees involved for you. The hourly rates for a training session will vary as they are exclusively determined by our coaches. For your convenience, we will display our coaches’ session prices in the search results and their coach profiles. Most coaches charge between $35 and $100 for a training session.

Please note that payments will NOT be facilitated through Sportlo. All payments will be at the discretion of you and the coach. We recommend that you make clear arrangements with the coach before the first training session to prevent any issues at the time of the training. Popular payment options include PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App.

3. Simplicity and Convenience

Sportlo provides the easiest and most convenient way to connect coaches with athletes and parents. We have integrated the “Find a Coach” feature into your Sportlo account. Therefore, it’s easy for you to find a coach that meets the needs of your young athlete. You’ll be able to see all the important information about a coach and you will never have to exchange contact information if you decide not to. All conversations can take place through your Sportlo account.

Ready to find the perfect private coach for your child? Get started here.

If you are interested in joining Sportlo as a private coach, you can sign up here.