Columbus Day Baseball Camps Oct 12 | Vernon Hills, IL | Gorilla Baseball Academy
Gorilla Baseball Academy

Off day camps

Two hours on days off from school — and often two camps in a day, so kids can stay for four. All-skills, hitting, pitching and catching. They almost always sell out, so book early.

Next up

Columbus Day and Thanksgiving week

No school, and we are open. Each camp is two hours on one thing. These fill up every year, usually well before the date.

Monday, October 12
Ages 8 and up  ·  Explosive Hitting is sold out  ·  Flamethrowers is open
9:30–11:30am
Explosive HittingTwo hours on hitting the ball harder. We work the swing components that actually produce power — how a player moves into the ball, where the barrel goes, and how to transfer everything he has into contact. Players get on HitTrax, so you see exit velocity numbers at the start and at the end.
$85
12:15–2:15pm
FlamethrowersTwo hours on throwing the ball harder. Arm care, arm path, and the mechanics that let a player throw with more than just his arm. We measure velocity at the start and at the end, so there is a number on it, not a guess.
$85
Register

Staying for both? The break between sessions is supervised — just send a lunch. Gorilla Baseball Academy, 958 Corporate Woods Parkway, Vernon Hills.

Monday, November 23
Ages 8 and up  ·  Thanksgiving week
9:30–11:30am
Explosive HittingTwo hours on hitting the ball harder. We work the swing components that actually produce power — how a player moves into the ball, where the barrel goes, and how to transfer everything he has into contact. Players get on HitTrax, so you see exit velocity numbers at the start and at the end.
$85
Register
12:15–2:15pm
FlamethrowersTwo hours on throwing the ball harder. Arm care, arm path, and the mechanics that let a player throw with more than just his arm. We measure velocity at the start and at the end, so there is a number on it, not a guess.
$85
Register

Staying for both? The break between sessions is supervised — just send a lunch. Gorilla Baseball Academy, 958 Corporate Woods Parkway, Vernon Hills.

Tuesday, November 24
Ages 8 and up  ·  Thanksgiving week
9:30–11:30am
Hitting ApproachTwo hours of hitting reps and games built around attitude, approach and situational hitting. How to work a count, what to look for in each situation, and how to step in the box with a plan.
$85
Register
12:15–2:15pm
Pitch DevelopmentTwo hours on pitch types. Gripping and throwing a true 4-seam fastball and a 2-seam fastball, then an introduction to offspeed: the changeup and breaking balls.
$85
Register

Staying for both? The break between sessions is supervised — just send a lunch. Gorilla Baseball Academy, 958 Corporate Woods Parkway, Vernon Hills.

Wednesday, November 25
Ages 10 and up  ·  Capped at 8 players
9:00–11:00am
Advanced InfieldTwo hours for infielders ready for more. Infield fundamentals, double play feeds, backhands, forehands, slow rollers, and the mindset to want the ball hit to you. Only eight players, so everyone gets real reps and real coaching.
$115
Register
Registration open · starts Saturday, Nov 14
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What runs

Four kinds of camp

Two hours, indoors, on the days school is closed. Institute days, teacher conferences, the long weekends where nobody knows what to do with a nine-year-old who wants to be moving.

We often run two camps back to back on the same day, on different subjects. Book both and your player gets four hours — hitting in the morning, catching after lunch, or whatever the pairing happens to be.

All-skills

The whole game in two hours — throwing, hitting, defense and baserunning. The right one if you are not sure which to pick.

Hitting

Two focused hours on the swing — path, direction and contact quality, at a rep count you cannot get anywhere else.

Pitching

Mechanics, arm care and a delivery they can repeat, scaled to age and where they are now.

Catching

Receiving, blocking, footwork and throwing. The position with the most to learn and the fewest places to learn it.

New this year

Camps built around Pelotero

New for this season, we are adding camps built specifically around our Pelotero AI system. Not part of every camp — these are their own thing, and they come in two forms.

Pelotero hitting camp

Swings analyzed by the system rather than assessed by eye. Players leave with a read on what their swing is actually doing and one specific thing to work on.

URS combine

A full run through Pelotero’s Universal Rating System. A number you can track against yourself over time, and a straight answer about where a player stands right now.

See upcoming camps
Being straight with you

Two hours is a start

Your player will walk out better than they walked in. That part we are confident about — two focused hours with a coach and a lot of reps does real work.

But the value is not in the two hours. It is in what they do with them afterwards. A kid who takes one thing home from a camp and works on it for three weeks gets more out of it than a kid who does six camps and never picks up a bat in between.

Ask before you leave

Grab the coach on your way out and ask what your player should be working on. You will get one specific thing rather than a list, in language you can both remember on a Tuesday night in the driveway.

Twenty minutes a day is enough. It is not about volume, it is about the reps happening at all.

Questions

What parents ask

How long are camps?

Two hours. Long enough for real work, short enough that a young player is still engaged at the end.

Can they do more than one camp in a day?

Often, yes. We regularly run two camps on the same off day covering different subjects, so a player can book both and be with us for four hours. Check the booking page for what is paired on a given date.

How far ahead should we book?

As early as you can. Off day camps almost always sell out, and the popular dates go first.

Do they need experience?

Not for the all-skills camps. The position camps assume a player already plays that position or wants to start.

Do we have to be on a Gorilla team?

No. Camps are open to everyone.

What should we bring?

A glove, a bat and helmet if they have them, gym shoes or turfs, and a water bottle. Catchers should bring their gear.

Do you run holiday camps too?

Yes. Thanksgiving week and winter break camps run in the same two-hour format. Dates go up on the booking page as they are set.

What about summer camps?

Summer is a different animal — all day, across a full week, rather than two hours on a day off. Same coaches, a lot more time. Dates and details go up in the spring.

See dates and register
Get in touch

Not sure which camp?

Tell us their age and what they play and we will point you at the right one. If a camp is full, ask — sometimes there is movement.

(866) 850-8356 Email us

Gorilla Baseball Academy
958 Corporate Woods Pkwy, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
Mon–Thu 4:00–10:00pm · Fri 4:00–7:00pm · Sat & Sun 10:00am–5:00pm

Columbus Day camps — Oct 12