Quakes Baseball Academy, located in Lake Forest, CA is a private instructional facility. We have been in business now for more than 25 years. While we are not open to the public, we do train more than 100 baseball players at our facility, and on the field. Baseball is our only sport. From functional strength and core conditioning to hitting, pitching and catching, all of our instructors are highly skilled and hold multiple certifications. No other facility in Orange County is as committed as we are to providing quality instruction. Our instructors are held to the highest standards and must have the proper training and credentials. Teaching is a skill and not everyone can be an effective instructor, even if they had a successful baseball career. Unlike other facilities, we don’t just hire anyone. Our goal is to help every athlete improve through hard work and proper mechanics. Just knowing how to do something is not enough; knowing how to teach it is a bigger part of the equation.
Have you ever considered the idea that if someone has a set weekly lesson, and is repeatedly going back to that instructor that maybe something isn’t working? A successful instructor does not have “regulars”, just people who need work when their mechanics break down. Initially, it will take some time with the instructor, but then the student should be able to apply what is learned and come back periodically for tune ups.
In the winter, from November to February, there are 10-15 MLB pro baseball players that come to our facility for conditioning and training. They will work side-by-side with the youth and high school players. It is a great opportunity for the players to see the pros train, hit, throw bull pens and learn from their experience. Throughout the summer and fall we also train college age athletes from many of the Orange County schools, as well as colleges nationwide. Most of these athletes have trained and played with the Quakes program for many years. This gives our younger kids a great environment in which to learn. We are extremely committed to our clientele, and the only way we can maintain that commitment is to only accept serious athletes who want to play at the next level.
Quakes’ Philosophy
The Quakes’ philosophy is to teach the fundamentals of baseball while instilling in each player the benefits of hard work, goal setting, self-control, self-confidence, and positive thinking. We try to improve as a group by working on each individual player getting better. Game and tournament wins are not the focus. Banners with “WE WON” are not important. Effort is the primary focus. As an organization, Quakes is focused on the athletes getting better, not adding wins to our name or having multiple teams in an age group. Our coaching staff, primarily Coach Elliott, prefers to focus on a smaller number of players and get them where they want to go. He runs a tight ship and Quakes is not for everyone, but those who play for John realize that his only goal is for them to get better at every level. That is why those that have played for John as youth and high school players, continue to work with him in college and if they are fortunate enough to get drafted, they continue to work with him at all levels of their pro career. Quakes also has many Alumni that have gone on to coach baseball, at the high school and college levels.
Be accountable for what you do, work hard and everything else will fall into place. NO EXCUSES! Quakes is not an easy program, but it does work. For those who are willing to put in the work, they will succeed!
Quakes’ Sportsmanship
The Quakes Baseball programs are based on effort and accountability. Each player is responsible for what they are capable of and this is different for every player.
We have one simple rule: No parent involvement. This isn’t daddy ball. This is a highly instructional program designed help the players physically and mentally excel at every level. We have top coaches and instructors and they are capable of doing exactly what is needed to get the players to the next level. How the parents can sit back and cheer them on!
Top-Prospects Baseball Camps
Top Prospects Baseball Camps are the summer’s best baseball camps. We host both an academic camp, with all eight Ivy League schools as well as other East Coast academic schools represented. 2019 will be the eleventh year we have run our camps in this format. We are very fortunate to have good relationships with the coaches from these schools. When they say they will be at our camp, they are truly there. We also host the West Coast Schools camp. This camp features the top West Coast College coaches and this camp is also a great one to attend. We consider our camps to be of the “boutique” nature. We don’t try to stuff 400 kids into one camp. We prefer to stay small and allow every coach to see every player. We are told year after year that you sure get what you pay for with our camps.
We believe in giving the players the best opportunity to showcase their talents in front of the most prestigious college coaches in the nation. We offer “one stop” camps where each athlete can work with, talk to and be seen by ALL of the coaches. This gives them the opportunity to interface with many colleges in one venue. We have found that many of our past camp attendees have been recruited directly from camp. We receive a lot of feedback from the parents and attendees as to how much time and money our camps have saved them. They can then concentrate their college tour efforts on the colleges that they have a true interest in, as well as those that may have an interest in them.