Slap Hitting Rules

Hello everyone! I was wondering if someone could please explain the proper Slap Hitting rule to me. (Strike 3 foul ball is not a bunt, but a slap hit.) And could they please provide a copy/link stating the correct rules. I have some 12U girls who have been working on slap hitting.

Last year during some games we had some other coaches/parents really criticizing the slap hit. They would say things like, "their hands separated that's not slapping, they are just bunting the ball." My understanding, the hands don't matter and as long as they are moving their feet in the batter's box they can foul off as many pitches as they want? Or are the feet moving irrelevant? I guess I just want to make sure I understand correctly so if the situation arises again, I have my facts right.

It's amazing how one team can be so supportive and really rooting for the success of those girls and their slap hitting and the next team can just really take the fun away for the girls trying to learn something new.

Thanks, I appreciate all the help!

ASA rule 1 Bunt- a pitched ball intentionally tapped w the bat slowly with in the infield.
Rule supplement 10 check swing/bunt strike
1. Did the batter roll their wrists
2. Did the batter swing through the ball
3. Was the bat out in front of the body
4. Did the batter attempt to hit the pitch.

Feet have nothing to do w if it was a bunt or swing/slap. Running w the bat out in a drag bunt style is a bunt.

Batters feet and hand position have absolutely nothing to do with if it was a bunt attempt or a swing. Feet moving mean nothing more than the batter is moving in the box. Hand position also means nothing other than where the batter positions the hands on the bat. As already stated, the definition of a bunt is an attempt to tap the ball slowly. If a slapper is moving forward in the box and does nothing but stick the bat out at the ball, that is a bunt, commonly referred to as a drag bunt.

Its all going to come down to umpire judgement, was it an attempt by the batter to hit the ball, or was it an attempt to tap the ball.

inde53546 said:

ASA rule 1 Bunt- a pitched ball intentionally tapped w the bat slowly with in the infield.
Rule supplement 10 check swing/bunt strike
1. Did the batter roll their wrists
2. Did the batter swing through the ball
3. Was the bat out in front of the body
4. Did the batter attempt to hit the pitch.

Feet have nothing to do w if it was a bunt or swing/slap. Running w the bat out in a drag bunt style is a bunt.

Click to expand...

Just keep in mind that the items listed under the "rule supplement" are not RULES, they are GUIDELINES that an umpire may or may not use, at his discretion, to help form his judgment of a swing or a bunt.

The definition of "bunt" from rule 1 is the only actual rule that addresses if something is a swing or a bunt.

Nothing actually to do with the rules, but my experiences with a slapper DD and slappers in general. DD began slapping as an 11yr old, so 1st year 12u. I've never actually had any "rules" issues. Some of the umps werent exactly use to seeing much slapping at that age. The girls are young, and working on their skill. They dont always execute cleanly/smoothly. At that age, my DD was wrung up quite a few times on 3rd strike "bunts" that went foul...always on the soft slap. Even though they may be soft slapping, its not always smooth enough to look like a slap. This is where you will run into issues. The umps are usually clear on what is and isnt a slap, but when the execution is somewhat sloppy and looks like the batter is kinda "poking" at the ball...you're going to lose the argument. Just keep working, it goes away as they become more experienced and smooth out their execution. DD is now 16....i don't think shes been called for it since 1st year 14u. The 1st year is tough for sure though. Best of luck!