Bunting at REC level

I remember reading somewhere at MLB level, bunting practice was used sometimes to help a player in hitting slump just like pulling out the hitting tee. It said they practice bunted to help him with tracking the ball. I take that as hand-eye training minus swing mechanics. As someone already said their better hitters where good bunted also.

I agree with all about the importance of bunting and the short game.
At 10U rec several years back I had a couple TB players who were anxious to
learn bunting. We worked on it, but, due to the lack of good catching at the 10U
rec, bunts were always a single. I stopped using it regularly to keep competitive
balance in the league. However, once we came to the city championship, we were
facing a very good pitcher so I pulled out the stops and bunted my way to the trophy.
The opposing coach to this day still does not speak to me. lol

Must be sour grapes over his lost undefeated season.

Now that DD is in college, her coach relies on the short game as runs are hard to come by in
many instances. Coach compliments my DD on her bunting prowess.

Teach them early. I had to teach a 12/14U team and it wasn't pretty when we first started. Didn't help that our program is was/still young. Once it clicked we were able to get a few hit and run going. Surprised the heck out of the other teams in the area. Of course then there was the issue of looking for the "sign" from me.

I think the earlier you start them learning fundamentals and yes even bunting the better. it is your job at 10u rec level to get them prepared to play at the next level. it was never about winning for me. Who is going to remember if you won some rec league championship or something. Let the girls play, learn fundamentals, the rules and how to play the game and to have fun. Winning is meaningless if your girls don't improve their skills over the season. Help them to Love the game and they won't let you down. Coach M.

mickeyedwards74 said:

I think the earlier you start them learning fundamentals and yes even bunting the better. it is your job at 10u rec level to get them prepared to play at the next level. it was never about winning for me. Who is going to remember if you won some rec league championship or something. Let the girls play, learn fundamentals, the rules and how to play the game and to have fun. Winning is meaningless if your girls don't improve their skills over the season. Help them to Love the game and they won't let you down. Coach M.

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The girls will remember.

Yes they will remember. However, I never forsake development at a young age for winning. if you are a coach worth your salt between their development and your leadership they will win anyway and be better players and people for it. We had a coach at the rec league level 9 to 11 that never practiced once all season but had a great pitcher and catcher and won all but one of their games and the championship. Yes the remainder of the girls will remember the championship but they have lost a season of development. He stated why practice when you have the best pitcher. My meaning is that it isn't about you, the coach,but rather the girls. Winning is meaningless if your girls don't improve their skills over the season no matter how often they remember.

mickeyedwards74 said:

Yes they will remember. However, I never forsake development at a young age for winning. if you are a coach worth your salt between their development and your leadership they will win anyway and be better players and people for it. We had a coach at the rec league level 9 to 11 that never practiced once all season but had a great pitcher and catcher and won all but one of their games and the championship. Yes the remainder of the girls will remember the championship but they have lost a season of development. He stated why practice when you have the best pitcher. My meaning is that it isn't about you, the coach,but rather the girls. Winning is meaningless if your girls don't improve their skills over the season no matter how often they remember.

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I have never advocated winning before development. My primary guiding principles for coaching rec were: 1) Have fun. 2) Get better. If the girls were doing both, I was doing my job. If either one wasn't happening, I wasn't. That said, I think it's also okay to teach about competitive drive and a desire to win in addition to the technical skills. Not win at all costs, but play hard with the goal of winning. It turns out that girls that are having fun, and learning good skills, also tend to win a lot.

Who is going to remember a rec league championship? If you're doing it right, it should be very memorable - for the kids, for the parents, and for the coaches.

Our rec league has a coach whose teams have won the league championship every year. Usually in dominant fashion. Yes, his DD is a good pitcher, which certainly helps. He also teaches good skills, and creates a fun environment on the team. My DD was on his team a year ago, in her last season of 10U. I was also a coach for the team, and I got a close-up view to why his teams are successful. He teaches kids how to play the game, how to love the game...and how to win.

Of course, there are coaches who aren't doing it right. However, just because a rec coach is winning a lot doesn't automatically mean they're focused on winning at the expense of development.

I agree with your aforementioned statement. I think competitive drive, skill development, fun etc. are the most important things you can do as a coach. if you teach your kids the correct way to play and have fun while doing that you can easily be the best team out there and be doing it right at the same time. I love to see it and encourage it. my goals as a coach are to have them be better at softball then when they arrived on my team and to still love the game.

mickeyedwards74 said:

I agree with your aforementioned statement. I think competitive drive, skill development, fun etc. are the most important things you can do as a coach. if you teach your kids the correct way to play and have fun while doing that you can easily be the best team out there and be doing it right at the same time. I love to see it and encourage it. my goals as a coach are to have them be better at softball then when they arrived on my team and to still love the game.

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IMO, you're doing it right!

I have a very young inexperienced 10u rec team. Only three of my players had any kid pitch experience before this season. We've been working on bunting some during batting practice. We're going to try it tonight in a game. We're playing a team with an inexperienced catcher, and the other two teams have catchers who also play TB. So, we're going for it. We have a perfect record of 0-9, so what do we have to lose .

None of the other teams bunt. I've seen one other player attempt it. It's crazy because I know the players who play TB know how to bunt. I've seen them. I consider bunting a very basic softball skill, and I'm all about teaching skills.