Bush or not?

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Dec 15, 2018
809
93
CT
Apologies if it’s been discussed before, heading into our travel season, interested to hear thoughts...

Bush or not bush? (And does it depend on level/age)? For reference, we’re a second year 10u B local team. First the scenarios, then my answers:

1. 3-0 bunt wave take
2. Fake bunt - swing
3. Stealing after up x runs
4. Taking base on past ball after up x runs
5. Alerting batter to pitch
6. Stealing signs

1. We have a sign for this, and do use it
2. Illegal in most tournaments we play for 10u
3. We stop running after 10 runs, but will turn it back up if it gets closer
4. It seems more insulting not to take the base, but we don’t take home
5. If it’s obvious a change up is coming, we have a call
6. Everyone in a two hour radius knows our signs, but at 10u it doesn’t seem to be much of an advantage

Interested to hear other perspectives and if it changes as they age. We’ve had opponents take issue with 1 and 5.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
Good post, like you also expressed your opinion.

#2 I hate at younger ages. DD is old enough now coaches/players can do what they want and it does not bother me.

I had a handful of 3rd basepeole, someone might get hurt.

Do not steL signs either, I think it is universality known belt means bunt.
 
Last edited:
Sep 29, 2010
1,082
83
Knoxville, TN
Nothing is Bush League in 10U, haha! All games are timed so, as every other team, you are working to get better and learn the game. It’s your job to score and the other teams job to stop you. The rules you mentioned don’t not apply to travel in TN. DD’s 10 & 12U coach used to tell us there are things you can do in 10U that you can’t do in 12U and things you can do in 12U that you can’t do that in 14U. If you’re playing travel expect to receive a full on assault by your competition.
 
Mar 4, 2018
126
28
1- Not bush league.
2- Not bush league. I would prefer my players to learn how to defend the fake bunt and swing at the 10u level when the girls don't have as much power than to learn this technique at 12u or 14u. If the corners are paying attention they should know or learn the timing of when to crash on a bunt.
3- We do stop stealing when we are up 10 runs. Generally I will just tell the runners on base to leave early. I will inform the umpire of what we are doing also.
4- I coach the girls to take the extra base on passed balls. I don't want the girls to break that habit. If it gets that bad we will just start leaving bases early to get the inning over.
5- When I coach 3rd base I do not tell the batter when a changeup is coming. What I will do is tell the players when they are in the dugout or on deck to really pay attention to what the pitcher is doing. If the kids can pick the pitch on their own that is certainly part of the game at 10u.
6- Not a fan of stealing signs at 10u.
 
Dec 15, 2012
102
18
1. 3-0 bunt wave take - OK
2. Fake bunt - swing -OK
3. Stealing after up x runs - Not OK. Poor sportsmanship at this age it’s not helpful to either team. Better for your team to bat runners in.
4. Taking base on past ball after up x runs - OK Girls need to be trained to go on every passed ball to next base otherwise your team develops bad habits.
5. Alerting batter to pitch - Not OK. Of course adults can pick 10U players. Let girls play. Teaching them to pick is ok but also teach them how to discretely relay pitches. At higher levels you don’t want the other team to know that they have been picked. (Your batter may also pay the price...)”
6. Stealing signs - Not OK see above

Thought process should always be is this making my players better then it’s OK. If it is simply a way to win a plastic trophy then it’s Not OK as you are short changing your players long term development.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
Coming from a baseball background 1 and 2 are hardly ever done, 3 and 4 are frowned upon and 5 and 6 are done all the time but probably not until they are in HS. That said I realize 1 and 2 are part of softball however at 10U, if I felt the coach's on the other team improperly taught the girls how to handle a fake bunt and swing (e.g. 1st/3rd come crashing in at full speed), I wouldn't do it after the first time. 3 and 4 I wouldn't do and 5 and 6 I would treat the same as what I said is done in baseball.
 
Last edited:
Feb 17, 2014
551
28
Finished It: A Team's Journey to Winning It All is a book written by Cassie Reilly-Boccia. The book is about Alabama's 2012 season where they won the National Title. Cassie was the 1B on that team. One of the stories she tells in the book is about a player that gets injured every year she's at Alabama and misses every season. I can't remember this player's name, but Cassie talks about her role on that 2012 team. Her job was to steal the signs of the other teams and they never would've won the title had she not done such a good job stealing signs.

Picking pitches and stealing signs is part of the game. Teach your players how to do it.
 
Nov 16, 2015
184
18
i dont like #1 at any level. I think its a wasted pitch from a batter perspective. Every pitch you see helps with timing and visualizing pitches.

Like mentioned before, not much is bush league in 10u.
 
Dec 11, 2010
4,713
113
I think I have more questions than answers about this. I remember all this stuff but really wonder why anyone did it. I think a better question isn’t whether it’s “bush league” but why teach stuff at this age that won’t help a player later on?

1. 3-0 bunt wave take. Nope. I would never teach this, if it’s a take it is a straight hard take. Later in life hitters have green light to hit.
2. Fake bunt - swing. Nope. Might spend time working on push bunting or bunt for a hit if everything else is going so well I have time.
3. Stealing after up x runs. No straight steals for sure
4. Taking base on past ball after up x runs. This is the tough one. Coaches spend so much time making this an automatic read/react.
5. Alerting batter to pitch. Nope. Never at any age. Just hit.
6. Stealing signs. Not the coaches. But... I hope players catch on to the idea of knowing situation and looking for tells that a certain play is coming. If a coach teaches them to do this and picking signs by players is the result, that is a good deal.

As soon as my youngest is out of hs, I’m going to coach a young team. My plan has always been to start with 10u. Sheesh, I forgot all this stuff. Not looking forward to that.
 
Last edited:
Oct 4, 2018
4,611
113
My personal opinions:

1. 3-0 bunt wave take -- FINE


2. Fake bunt - swing -- FINE, not illegal in our 10U tourneys

3. Stealing after up x runs -- WE DO LESS OF IT WHEN WE'RE UP 8+ RUNS OR SO

4. Taking base on past ball after up x runs -- WE STILL TAKE BASES ON PAST BALLS -- SEEMS ALMOST INSULTING NOT TO

5. Alerting batter to pitch -- NEVER

6. Stealing signs -- NEVER
 

Latest posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,468
Members
21,443
Latest member
sstop28
Top