By BK, Athletic Hitting Development
Complete Hitters Are Built… It’s Earned!
Key takeaways
- Online hitting lessons are worth it for hitters who can film, practice alone and follow a plan.
- They’re a poor fit for very young beginners who need hands-on feel, and for kids who won’t film.
- What makes online work: a plan, good video, a feedback loop and accountability.
- The biggest red flag is a drill library with no plan — that’s collecting drills, not development.
Yes — online hitting lessons are worth it when there’s a plan, good video and a real feedback loop, and your hitter will actually do the work. They’re not worth it for very young beginners who need hands-on feel, or for kids who won’t film themselves.
I’ve coached hitters face to face for decades, and I coach hitters all over the country online now. Both work. Both fail. The format isn’t what decides it.
What decides it is the plan behind the lessons and the kid in front of the camera. Let’s be honest about both.
1. Who are online hitting lessons good for?
Online coaching fits a certain kind of hitter and family. If this sounds like yours, it can be the best money you spend.
- Hitters about 10 and up who can follow a cue and practice for 10–20 minutes without being pushed every rep.
- Families without a trusted coach nearby — or with one but whose schedule doesn’t work.
- Hitters who need a plan, not more reps. Plenty of kids already practice. They just practice the wrong thing.
- Older hitters chasing a specific goal — high school, a showcase, a college look.
- Parents who will hold the phone. Filming is the whole engine.
Online also takes geography out of it. Your hitter can work with the coach you want, not just the one closest to you.
There’s one more advantage parents don’t expect: the video record. When every session is filmed from the same angles, you can line up week 1 next to week 8 and SEE the change. That’s hard to do with memory and a weekly cage visit.
ONLINE WORKS WHEN
PLAN. VIDEO.FEEDBACK.
- One priority first
- Same camera angles every time
- Clips reviewed by a coach
- A retest every few weeks
THE FORMAT ISN’T THE PROBLEM
2. Who should NOT do online hitting lessons?
I’ll say it straight, even though I sell online programs: online is not for every kid.
Very young beginners. A 6- or 7-year-old who’s just learning to hold a bat needs someone in the room. They need hands on the shoulders, a ball tossed to them and a lot of play. Cues on a screen don’t land yet.
Kids who won’t film. If your hitter fights the camera or won’t practice without a coach standing there, online stalls. No video, no feedback. No feedback, no progress.
Families who want someone else to own it. Online needs a little parent involvement — setting up the phone, sending clips, keeping the schedule. If that’s not realistic right now, in-person is the better buy. If you’re near Scottsdale, we do private hitting lessons in Scottsdale too.
3. What makes online hitting lessons actually work?
Four things. Miss one and the whole thing leaks.
- A planThe hitter knows what to work on, in what order, for how many days — not just a menu of videos.
- Good videoSide and behind, chest high, landscape, slow motion, same angles every time.
- A feedback loopSomeone who knows what they’re looking at reviews the clips and tells the hitter what changed and what’s next.
- AccountabilityA schedule, check-ins and a retest so the work actually gets done and proven.
Filming right matters more than parents think. Our online swing analysis page has the full filming checklist: 120 or 240 fps slow motion, whole body and bat through the finish, 5 tee swings plus 5 live or front-toss swings.
Video without feedback is just a highlight reel.
Here’s what a good online week looks like for a 12-year-old. Monday, Wednesday and Friday: one 10–20 minute lesson on the current priority. Tuesday and Thursday: a few minutes of timing and pitch recognition work. Saturday: film 5 tee and 5 front-toss swings from the same two angles and send them in.
Then the coach answers with one thing: keep going, adjust this, or you’re ready for the next step. That rhythm is what in-person lessons often miss — the work between visits. Online, the work between visits IS the lesson.
4. What are the red flags with online hitting programs?
Most online hitting content isn’t bad. It’s just disconnected. Watch for these.
- A drill library with no plan. Hundreds of drills, no order, no priority. That’s collecting drills.
- No evaluation. If nobody figures out your hitter’s top priority first, every drill is a guess.
- One swing model for everybody. Hitters should learn principles, not copy one swing.
- Swing-only content. Hitting is four pillars — the swing, strength & explosiveness, the hitting processor and the mental approach.
- No retest. If progress is never measured the same way twice, you’re trusting feelings.
Want to vet any coach, online or in person? Read There’s No Secret Sauce: How to Vet a Hitting Coach.
5. How does AHD do online hitting lessons?
We start with a diagnosis, not a drill. The SwingChecker™ hitting evaluation is free and takes about 3 minutes. It ranks your hitter’s top priority across the four pillars and gives cues, drills and matching free lessons.
From there, families pick the level that fits:
- Online courses. One-time price, one year of access, no subscription, and Lessons 1–3 free in every course. Most lessons are 10–20 minutes. You need a bat, a tee, balls and a phone. The Complete Hitter Masterclass online hitting program covers all four pillars in 24 lessons for a $250 founding price.
- 90-Day Private Hitter Development. Online hitting instruction with me — a starting evaluation, a personal 90-day plan, all 7 courses, ongoing swing and game at-bat video analysis, progress reviews and direct text access. $1,995, limited to 12 athletes.
- Softball families. Same system, built for fastpitch: online softball hitting coaching.
The honest test costs nothing: do the three free lessons. If your hitter does them, films them and asks for the next one, online will work. If not, you’ve learned that for free.
THELESSON.
- Try 3 free lessons
- Film every session
- Watch who asks for more
- Then decide
Complete Hitters Are Built…Earned.
Want to go deeper? Read What 90-Day Remote Hitting Coaching Actually Looks Like and There’s No Secret Sauce: How to Vet a Hitting Coach.
Quick answers
Do online hitting lessons really work?
They work when there’s a plan, good video, real feedback from a coach and a hitter who does the work. Without those, they turn into a drill library that rarely changes games.
What age is right for online hitting lessons?
In my experience, around 10 and up is where most kids can follow cues and practice on their own. Younger beginners usually do better with hands-on coaching and lots of play.
What do I need for online hitting lessons?
A bat, a tee, balls and a phone that films slow motion. A net and a parent who can hold the camera make it much easier.
Are online hitting lessons better than in-person lessons?
Neither is automatically better. In-person wins for young beginners and hands-on feel, while online wins on access to the coach you want and on a structured plan you can follow at home.
Don’t collect drills. Build a complete hitter.
Complete Hitters Are Built… It’s Earned!
