All-Skills Baseball for ages 4 to 10 on Sundays and Thursdays, plus weeknight infield training for 8 to 14. Our most popular program since we opened in 2019, and the way most families meet us.
Every class covers the whole game rather than one piece of it. Kids rotate through stations, get a lot of reps, and go home having thrown, hit and run. The 4 to 6 group runs 45 minutes. Everyone older runs a full hour, and gets on HitTrax so there is a real number on how hard they are hitting the ball.
Grouped so the coaching, the equipment and the pace actually fit the kid in front of us.
Catching a ball, swinging a bat, running the right direction. Mostly about making the building feel like fun. 45 minutes.
Real throwing mechanics, a repeatable swing, and the beginnings of what to do when the ball is hit to you.
Fundamentals under pressure, game situations, and the athleticism that decides who makes a team at eleven.
For players who have already been through a Gorilla class
Same skills, higher standard, faster pace. This is the hour for the kid who has done a block with us, picked things up quickly, and is ready to be pushed harder than his age group is going right now.
New to us? Start in the 8 to 10 group. If he is ready to move up, we will tell you.
Sunday afternoons, plus a Thursday evening option in Block 1. Pick a class and pay for the block at once.
The 4 to 6 class starts in Block 2. We hold off on the youngest group for the first few weeks of fall so the older bands get settled first.
No class November 22. Five classes either way, spread across six calendar weeks instead of five.
No refunds or makeup sessions. Spots are capped, so once you are in, that seat is held for you. If we ever have to cancel a class on our end, we make it up or credit it.
Six weeks of nothing but infield. Footwork, glove work, first-step reads, transfers and throws. This is the position work older players never get enough of, and it is the fastest way to separate yourself at tryouts.
We train everyone like a shortstop. Whatever position a player ends up at, the actions are the same and the standard is the same.
The base class. Ready position, first step, fielding actions, footwork through the ball, transfer and throw. Built for players who want their glove to stop being the thing that holds them back.
Same actions, higher speed. Backhands, in-between hops, double play feeds and turns, throwing on the run, and reads under game pressure. If a player already handles the routine ball cleanly, this is the next step.
Both classes are capped at 16 and meet 6:30 to 7:30pm. Players can take both — Tuesdays and Thursdays run the same six weeks and cover different ground. No refunds or makeup sessions.
That sounds like a compromise and it usually is. It isn’t here, because we scale the challenge to each kid rather than running one drill at one difficulty for the whole group.
The kid who has never worn a glove and the kid who is already the best player in their rec league both leave having worked at the edge of what they can do. That is the only setting where anyone actually improves.
The Advanced class is not a replacement for that. It is an extra hour for kids who have already been through a block and want to keep going.
Plenty of our class kids have gone on to make Gorilla travel teams. Plenty of others have made travel teams in their own communities. Neither one is the goal of the class — but it is a decent sign that the reps are doing something.
No. A good share of the kids in the 4 to 6 group have never played anything organized. That is what the class is for.
We have had plenty of girls come through these classes, and they always have a great time. Same class, same coaches, same fun — everyone is welcome.
A glove, gym shoes and a water bottle. We have bats and helmets if they do not have their own yet.
We scale the challenge inside the class rather than sorting kids into levels. An advanced player gets harder reps, not the same reps. If he has been through a block with us already, the Advanced hour is the next step.
No. Classes are open to everyone and most participants do not play for Gorilla. If a travel team ends up being the right next step we will tell you, and if it is not we will tell you that too.
Block 2, starting October 11. We hold off on the youngest group for the first few weeks of fall so the older bands can get settled first.
An extra hour, 3:00 to 4:00, for players 7 to 10 who have already completed a Gorilla class. Same skills, higher standard, faster pace. If your player is new to us, start in the 8 to 10 group and we will tell you when he is ready to move up.
Yes. Block 1 also runs Thursdays from 5:00 to 6:00pm for ages 6 to 10, starting September 17. Same class, different night.
Sixteen at most, with a coach for every eight. When a class hits sixteen we close it, so registering early is the only way to be sure of a spot.
Yes. The weeknight infield classes run six weeks starting the first week of October — Infield Fundamentals on Tuesdays for ages 8 to 14, and Advanced Infield on Thursdays for ages 10 to 14. Players can take both.
There are no refunds and no makeup sessions. Spots are capped, so your seat is held for the whole block whether or not you make every Sunday. If we have to cancel a class on our end, we make it up or credit it.
Talk to us. It depends on how many classes are left, but we can usually work something out.
Online. Pick a block and an age group above, and pay for the whole block at once.
Blocks run on Sundays right through the winter. Tell us who you have and we will email you before the next one opens, ahead of everyone else.
Tell us their age and what they have played before and we will point you at the right band. Come watch a class first if you would rather.
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
