Bunting at REC level

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Aug 26, 2015
590
16
I'm still at 10U here, but I noticed that even the 12U didn't really work on bunting or implement in any games. I was talking with another coach and told him that in our batting cage practice, we're going to start working on bunts (for the girls who have the body awareness and courage to try). You would've thought I grew a 5th arm or something. At what age do you all see bunting at the REC level?
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
My DD and teammates were effectively bunting in 8U rec All-Stars. In our league, we saw bunts used at the 10U level by more than half of the teams. It's definitely a skill worth teaching at 10U.
 
Aug 29, 2011
2,581
83
NorCal
I had about a third to half of my 10U rec team able to bunt the last 2 years. We worked on it with all of them, it is part of the game. But some get it, some don't.
 
Oct 7, 2015
72
8
When I did 10U rec we worked on bunting in practice but not in the game. In the game I wasn't concerned about trying to win so much.. I just wanted the girls to hit. I'd rather have a girl try to get a hit even if it might be a good bunt situation.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
When I did 10U rec we worked on bunting in practice but not in the game. In the game I wasn't concerned about trying to win so much.. I just wanted the girls to hit. I'd rather have a girl try to get a hit even if it might be a good bunt situation.

IMO...In 10U rec, bunting isn't only about trying to win. Bunting is a skill that needs to be developed just like any other. Executing a good bunt in the pressure of a game situation is a valuable experience for developing that skill. Lessons about good base-running are involved, too.
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
We use bunting as part of learning to hit, so we started learning it in 8U and using it as soon as we went to kid-pitch in 10U.
 
Aug 29, 2011
2,581
83
NorCal
When I did 10U rec we worked on bunting in practice but not in the game. In the game I wasn't concerned about trying to win so much.. I just wanted the girls to hit. I'd rather have a girl try to get a hit even if it might be a good bunt situation.

Most of the girls who bunted were our better hitters anyway. They did it mostly for fun, not really in true sacrifice situations. Heck at 10U Rec most of the time a straight steal was a surer thing then laying down a bunt, but then we didn't have Eric F's daughter in our league.

Occasionally I'd have a girl who was struggling try to bunt to get her going. Nothing like that 15 ft base hit to bring a smile to a 10 year old's face.

As Eric said, we taught it more because it was part of the game and a useful skill for girls to have.
 
Jan 22, 2011
1,610
113
I teach it and usually have girls try to bunt 3 pitches in warm-ups. I call for a bunt about once a game and its only been seen once. Runner on third, beautiful bunt, run scores, batter-runner wound on up on 2nd.
 
Feb 7, 2013
3,188
48
As soon as the rules allow you to bunt (8u here), teach them how to bunt. It's an essential skill in softball, just like throwing, catching, fielding, and hitting. We always had a bunt station set up during practice and before pregame warmups.
 
Feb 4, 2015
641
28
Massachusetts
In 10U Rec championship game, on my DD's last at bat of the season, I told her she could try a slap. It was the first year she had switched over to lefty and she had been working on it all season, but never in a game. When she attempted a slap on the first pitch, the opposing coach went nuts. He said nobody has slapped in the league and it was unfair, even though it was in the rules allowing it. My daughter was mortified by his reaction and refused to try it the remainder of the game.

As others have said, some make it more about winning than letting girls develop their skills.
 

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