Orange County Sports / Prep Wednesday : Players Enroll in Baseball School to Obtain a Little Extra Horsehide Sense

Used to be, if you wanted a little extra baseball practice, it was “Come on, Dad, pitch me a couple.”

Dad would grab a worn-out glove and the two of you would go out to the front yard or maybe even the park. Dad would lob a few pitches, shouting, “Keep your eye on the ball,” while you swung from the heels.

It is a father-and-son ritual. A piece of Americana.

Today, however, Dad’s arm is getting a rest. It’s his checkbook that’s getting the workout.

These days, it’s “Come on, Dad, lend me some money for baseball school.”

Today, the art of hitting a baseball, or pitching one, is meticulously taught by experienced instructors, usually for $15 to $30 a session.

“There are more and more schools now,” Bob Zamora, Capistrano Valley High School baseball coach, said. “It’s profitable. With the population in this area, you can set up a school in the middle of the county and draw from all over. It’s not a problem to drive 20-30 miles to get personal instruction.”

The ages of students vary, but more and more high school players are seeking instruction beyond what their coaches can offer. The rewards are seen as stardom on the high school level, followed by a college scholarship or even a professional contract.

“The kids think, or their parents think, that it’s a way to get an edge on the other kids,” Ray Moore, Loara coach, said. “It’s not a bad thing. If it helps the kid, well, that’s the whole idea.”

Josh Bammer of Edison went looking for that edge after last season.

As a junior in 1987, Bammer was a good hitter. Not great, but good. He wanted to improve.

John Martin, a teammate, told Bammer about Jim Actin, an assistant coach at Sunny Hills, who offered personalized instruction. Actin works with players in one-on-one situations for a half-hour every Sunday.

Bammer contacted Actin, not knowing what to expect. He did know that Martin had improved tremendously between his junior and senior years.

“I figured if it helped him, it could help me,” Bammer said. “I really wanted to have a big senior season.”

Bammer found that Actin’s technique revolved around mental preparation and the philosophy of hitting. The first workouts were done without a bat in hand, as the two discussed seeing the ball and keeping the weight on the back foot.

“The key to hitting is mental,” Bammer said. “Anybody can do it physically, but being a better hitter is all in the head.”

Bammer started the 1988 season by hitting five home runs in the first five games, two more than his entire output of the previous season.

“The big thing with Josh is, he feels better about himself as a hitter,” said Actin, who was a pitcher in the Dodger and Atlanta Brave organizations in the 1960s. “If you feel good at the plate, you’ll hit better.

“I can probably do the same for anybody, as long as they want to improve. They have to accept the changes I suggest. It’s important to be open to different ideas.”

High school coaches, for the most part, are open to the idea of a player getting outside instruction.

With the constraints on when a coach can work with his players and how much time is available for practice, coaches have little time to offer personal instruction.

“To be honest, the more specialized help a kid can get, the better,” Doug Elliott, Sunny Hills coach, said. “A high school coach has 15-20 kids to worry about and maybe three hours of practice a day, plus two games a week. It’s hard sometimes to work one-on-one with a player.”

Yet coaches are concerned that their players may be getting the wrong type of instruction from unqualified people.

The demand for training has brought an increased number of baseball schools, most run by former major league players such as Rod Carew, Clyde Wright and John Verhoeven. The training they offer is of the highest quality.

But coaches are cautious about schools that have lesser-known instructors.

“Whenever you have a demand like there is, you get opportunists who are looking to make a fast buck,” Zamora said.

Said Mike Curran, Esperanza coach: “I would be skeptical of sending my players to Joe Jones off the street. There are so many funny ideas about hitting that, before I send a kid to a hitting school, I scout it out first to find out what they do.”

Even a famous athlete might find himself scrutinized by high school coaches.

Rod Carew may have had 3,000 hits as a major league player, but that alone wasn’t good enough for Curran. He personally went to Carew’s baseball school in Placentia to see what was being taught.

“I wanted to know if Rod was a batting champion on ability alone or if he really knew hitting,” Curran said. “But he’s excellent. He is really impressive. I’m not afraid at having our kids go there.”

Curran did the same for Grand Slam in Anaheim, which is run by Verhoeven, a former Angel pitcher. Once satisfied that Verhoeven was an excellent teacher for young pitchers, Curran gave the OK to his players.

Steve Halweg was one of the first Esperanza pitchers to seek advice from Verhoeven. As a sophomore in 1984, Halweg walked into Grand Slam with the idea that he was already a pretty good pitcher.

“I sure learned fast that to be a success, you had better listen to any advice offered,” said Halweg, now a sophomore at Chapman College. “There is a big difference between junior varsity and varsity. I learned that I probably wasn’t going to get there without some help.”

Verhoeven taught Halweg the intricacies of pitching--how to set up hitters, what weaknesses to look for and other mental strategies.

Halweg made the varsity as a junior. As a senior, he was 13-2 and was offered a scholarship to Chapman.

“Steve is one of my favorite students,” Verhoeven said. “He didn’t have great ability, but he was good. We worked on a few mechanical things, but he just worked real hard at improving. It paid off. He ended getting some financial help for college.”

And ambition is drawing more and more players to baseball schools. Going beyond high school baseball is increasingly on the minds of young players.

The well-publicized salaries of professional baseball players are irresistible to young players. To get there, they feel they need a little extra to make them stand out.

“When you’re in Little League, the ultimate goal is to be a major league player,” said David Guillen, a sophomore on the Capistrano Valley varsity and a student at Carew’s baseball school.

“There is so much competition that everyone is looking for an extra edge. People think that this is the way to do it.”

Said Actin: “Almost all the kids that come to me say they want to be a pro player and make a zillion dollars. Obviously, not all of them will get there, but there are more advantages now than there used to be. Colleges are offering more scholarships, so baseball is a way to get an education.”

With all the advantages to getting personal instruction, many kids are interested. Actin has a waiting list. Carew and Verhoeven are busy year-round.

“A lot of kids wouldn’t do it if there weren’t college scholarships out there,” said Rob Nay, a pitcher at Esperanza. “It can get expensive, but it’s an investment.”