About
Led by Coach Isaac Hess, MADE Baseball is a group of some of the top Baseball Experts and Private Baseball Coaches in the greater Los Angeles area.
We teach our players how to pitch, hit, field, run, and THINK like Champions. We specialize in teaching youth baseball players from the ages of 5-13, but we love working with and can help any player of any age who is serious about improving their game. Many of our players have gone on to play in college as well as professional baseball.
In working with our staff, you have access to our expert group of fun-loving, like-minded, knowledgeable, and positive baseball coaches. There is no other baseball coaching staff in Los Angeles that exists like the MADE Baseball Instructors.
We enjoy everything about being full time baseball coaches and professional youth mentors. Working with youth athletes is our passion and purpose because it gives us the opportunity to make a positive impact in our community through the game that we love. This game has given us so much, and we have been fortunate to be able to teach so many players over the past decade.
The best part about being a youth coach is that we have the opportunity to help young players create a healthy and positive foundation for the physical and mental aspect of their game, on and off the field. Also, the relationships we've had the blessing of being able to create with working with young players and families and seeing them develop over time is incredibly rewarding to each and every one of us.
Specialties
Athletes position(s)
Years experience
Athlete's age
Skills to improve
Photos and videos
Reviews
Dana K.
Molly S.
Alisha W.
Dana R.
Alex O.
Madison A.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
We have two rules:
1) Always Have Fun.
2) Always Do Your Best.
We start with a quick discovery session. Here we will chat for a few minutes to establish the goals of the player along with set our expectations for the session to follow.
As the session begins, we will start with a dynamic warm up that is a mix of dynamic stretching and movement preparation, as well as calisthenics. The specific routine is determined by the age, skill level, and fitness of the player and it is designed to help our players program their ability to move properly, as well as prepare them to maximize performance and minimize the risk of injury.
After our warm up, we will go into a throwing program where the MADE Baseball Coach will test and evaluate the throwing mechanics of the player, or, if a focus on hitting training is desired we will begin with tee work and soft toss drills where we will test and evaluate the mechanics of the player’s swing and determine an appropriate plan of action. From there we will continue to evaluate the player throughout the lesson and give feedback, drills, and suggested homework as we finish the session.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
-Full-time Professional Private Baseball Coach for 11+ years
-7+ year pro lefty pitcher in AAA, Mexico, & Overseas
-Certified Personal Trainer and EXOS Performance Specialist, XPS
-#1 Coach in California and #2 Coach in the USA on CoachUp.com
-Over 15,000 private lessons, classes, camps, and clinics given over the past 13 years to players of all ages, skill levels, and desires to play the game
Coach Isaac pitched professionally for over seven years, all with a total hip replacement. He pitched in five countries, for 12 different teams, and six different leagues. During his 7 year career he won 4 professional championships, two of which were in the Frontier League, one in the Golden Baseball League, and one in the Freedom Professional Baseball League. He also pitched in the American Association and Atlantic Professional Baseball League, making the playoffs in both years as well. He knows how to train and he knows how to win.
Baseball has afforded Coach Isaac some amazing opportunities to travel and play in many different places through out the world. The experience of going through adversity through out his career, along with having so many different managers, trainers, and positive influences in his life from so many different levels of the game has taught him a great deal and has given him a very well-rounded perspective to baseball.
Coach Isaac has learned from amazing baseball, motivational, and very intelligent baseball minds such as:
-Mack Newton – Bo Jackson's private mentor and trainer who helped him come back to play professional baseball after receiving a total hip replacement. Mack is my personal sensei and life coach, motivator, tae kwon doe teacher, renowned speaker, and more or less my standard to live up to.
-Mark Verstegen – Creator of Team EXOS and Athletes Performance Incorporated in Tempe, AZ. He is the author of many life changing, life and health optimization books, including "Core Performance" and "Everyday is Game Day", two books that I considered my bibles and God Sends after receiving my surgery
-Andy Haines – My manager during my rookie season(also his rookie season as a manager in which he won Manager of the Year) for the Windy City Thunderbolts. He is currently the big league hitting coach for the Milwaukee Brewers.
-Robert Larson – Lifetime baseball player and still pitching at the age of 58 years old, my father figure, and champion of life, as well as my off season throwing partner during my pro career.
-Coach Tom Novak – My pitching coach in high school and current pitching coach for Mesa Community College.
-Jon Kazanas – 20+ year scout for the Chicago Whitesox and mentor and personal friend. Jon is the scout who proposed to drafting me in the 10th round of the 2004 draft before I dedided to attend Washington State University on a full ride scholarship for baseball.
-John Huizinga – former opponent, teammate, current pitching coach and owner of Fuel Factory in Phoenix, teacher, and personal friend. "Zinger" has taught me a great deal about pitching, nutrition, and training, including physical, mental, and spiritual training.
High School Varsity Pitching Coach Experience:
-Notre Dame Preparatory High School, Scottsdale, AZ; 2011-12'
-Cortez High School, Phoenix, AZ; 2013-14'
-Moon Valley High School, Phoenix, AZ; 2014-15'
Club Baseball Coaching Experience:
-MADE Baseball, Founder and Manager, 2013-14'(13u and 14u highschool development teams)
-Sherman Oaks Baseball Academy, Summer 2017(9u Club Team)
Isaac loves the opportunity to share what he has learned from the game. He is passionate about what he does, and genuinely enjoys helping young players get better and maximize their potential.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
See our website at www.madebaseball.com to learn about all of our baseball instruction offerings, curriculum, instructors, pricing, and locations. Here you can also learn about the MADE Baseball philosophy as well as find valuable baseball resources to help you improve on your own.
We have expert MADE Certified Baseball Instructors that work with players of all ages, all over the greater Los Angeles area.
How did you get started teaching?
Every instructor on the MADE Baseball Staff has a deep love of baseball and has dedicated the majority of their life to pursuing greatness in the game. We are all baseball men, and will be for life.
We started from young ages and had the blessing of being influenced by amazing mentors and coaches along our path. Each of us has a tremendous amount of value to add to your player, and a unique perspective and set of knowledge to share.
What types of students have you worked with?
Our MADE Baseball Coaching Staff has worked with students from age 5 years old all the way up to professionals, and everywhere in between. From beginners who just want to learn about the game or pursue getting on a men’s league team or even a co-ed softball team, to advanced professionals who are trying to refine their craft and make it to the highest level possible, we’re here to help. We even work with older players that are 50+ that want to prepare for Adult Baseball Fantasy Camp in Arizona and/or Florida.
*If you want to get better, we want to help you improve.
Our ideal student is one who loves coming to practice, does what we ask to the best of their ability at all times, and has a true passion to excel as a player and a person. Also, a student who takes the initiative to use the tools we’ve given them and go above and beyond what we ask them to do. To be honest, you will find that if you are one of these types of students that you will receive a lot more of our attention and care, along with our extra time to help you get to where you want to go with the game.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
We always enjoy our MADE Baseball Camps and look forward to the next one. Visit our website for more details.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
My advice would be to find out where they have played and coached, and also what level of players they have coached. It is much different coaching a 6 year old than it is coaching a 10, 15, or 21 year old. It is important that a coach meets the player at his/her develop and understands how to communicate effectively, appropriately, and professionally.
Experience is often the best measure of knowledge in this game, as with anything in life. Although, just because someone is an experienced player, that does not always translate into an effective coach and communicator. It is important to do a trial session with a coach, and then if the player enjoyed the lesson, to give a coach a chance and go to at least five or more sessions in order to get a good feel for what their coaching style is and to get the most out of the that particular coach’s knowledge that you can.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
Really, the questions they should be asking should be to themselves. The student needs to determine in his/her mind if baseball is something they are willing to commit their time, effort, energy, and ultimately heart into (this is geared to players that are 12 and up). Until the age of 12, for the majority of players, we are simply having fun and learning positive habits and fundamentals of the game. Although, I have had 5 year olds that want to work harder than some of my 15 year olds, it is all relative to the personality, attitude, and desire of the player.
If a player is wants to be there, is coachable and willing to take instruction to the best of their ability, there is almost a guarantee that their experience with any coach they encounter will be a positive one that creates advantages for them in their career and future, on and off the field.