Fake Bunt

[rdbass]

Let's be honest......there was no mistaking that this hitter was even thinking of bunting. Hitter starts pulling back as pitcher is starting her wind up. Oregon knew it. The 3b baseman knew it. A younger player, un-scouting team would have no clue that this hitter was swinging away.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Imagine that ball lined at a 12 year old girl 15 feet away.. congrats you won the national title.. yet seriously injured a girl! I know which choice I'm making. The game is what we make it... and this shouldn't be a part of it. It's up to us to teach our young ladies respect

Just saying that I've been to several national qualifiers and experienced first-hand the game played ***MUCH*** more hard core than this.

This is part of the game ... whether you wish it to be part of the game or not. It may not be part of the game that you coach ... but it is part of the game coached by those I play against and on teams that I work with.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Let's be honest......there was no mistaking that this hitter was even thinking of bunting. Hitter starts pulling back as pitcher is starting her wind up. Oregon knew it. The 3b baseman knew it. A younger player, un-scouting team would have no clue that this hitter was swinging away.

I would be surprised if a defensive team at this level made the mistake of prematurely charging. As was stated earlier in this thread, the mechanic is used for other purposes.

 

[julray]

Just saying that I've been to several national qualifiers and experienced first-hand the game played ***MUCH*** more hard core than this.

This is part of the game ... whether you wish it to be part of the game or not. It may not be part of the game that you coach ... but it is part of the game coached by those I play against and on teams that I work with.

Can you please explain what would be more hardcore than a rocket off a bat with the 3rd baseman charging 10 feet from home plate? I can't think of a more dangerous/vulnerable play in the game. The player has 0 opportunity to defend them self in that scenario. Maybe you haven't played the game before, I can't think of a more dangerous situation. The potential outcome of that kind of play is tragic.

 

[obbay]

.This is part of the game ... whether you wish it to be part of the game or not. It may not be part of the game that you coach ... but it is part of the game coached by those I play against and on teams that I work with.

Im a big proponent of sportsmanship, fairplay, teamwork, etc, but i have always taken this as part of the game.i have seen improperly coached 3B get hurt when coach had them playing in too close (no fake bunt involved). I can see how an injury is very possible, i just havent seen it happen. Im also an advocate of fielding masks for this reason, although that wont protect the throat or sternum which would be vulnerable.

Starting the swing with the bat held out like Bailey Castro does in the clip, isnt selling a bunt but it helps some to create a more fluid swing without stopping in between the load/coil and the forward movement.
The fake bunt/hit away(slash) that i teach involves a split grip and is all about punching the ball thru a hole. Yes, deceive the IF and catchthem off balance is the goal, injury of another player is not.

 

[FP26]

Im a big proponent of sportsmanship, fairplay, teamwork, etc, but i have always taken this as part of the game.i have seen improperly coached 3B get hurt when coach had them playing in too close (no fake bunt involved). I can see how an injury is very possible, i just havent seen it happen. Im also an advocate of fielding masks for this reason, although that wont protect the throat or sternum which would be vulnerable.

Starting the swing with the bat held out like Bailey Castro does in the clip, isnt selling a bunt but it helps some to create a more fluid swing without stopping in between the load/coil and the forward movement.
The fake bunt/hit away(slash) that i teach involves a split grip and is all about punching the ball thru a hole. Yes, deceive the IF and catchthem off balance is the goal, injury of another player is not.

I am very competitive and want to win as much as anyone else. We have a girl on our team who will occasionally do what the hitter from Florida is demonstrating. During one tournament, the opposing team moved their third basemen up much too tight in my opinion. I called time and told their coach that our player was not bunting. This player routinely hits the ball VERY hard, and tends to pull. The situation could have ended very badly. We were already up in the game, and I felt confident that we were going to win this particular game. In my opinion, it was not worth risking injury to this poor girl.

 

[Fastpitch_Dad]

It sounds like you all are comparing apples to oranges with the levels of play.

We did the fake bunt and slash at 10U which is a good time to learn. I say that because most of the time they didn’t get a good pitch to even swing, they were not barreling the ball (definitely not pulling it), and the 3B was exposed to learn to CORRECTLY recognize a bunt. You don’t stand 10ft away and robot run in because they show bunt before the pitch!!!
If the other team coach was an idiot and had the 3B too close then we would fake the slash only.
The point wasn’t to get a hit, it was to keep the defense at bay on a true bunt attempt and not be 5 ft away. That is why the contact of the slash was not really important until they are older and everyone should be wiser!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[julray]

Fake bunt and slash.... fake bunt and full swing are 2 separate things to me. The lady in the Florida uniform above is not slashing IMO.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Can you please explain what would be more hardcore than a rocket off a bat with the 3rd baseman charging 10 feet from home plate? I can't think of a more dangerous/vulnerable play in the game. The player has 0 opportunity to defend them self in that scenario. Maybe you haven't played the game before, I can't think of a more dangerous situation. The potential outcome of that kind of play is tragic.

I've had players at national qualifiers taken out for the remainder of the season ... an example was a 2Ber covering 1B on a bunt that drew in the 1Ber ... 2Ber had little exposure ... the baserunner made it a point to deck the 2Ber as she ran through the bag ... deliberate ... the other team laughed.

Not uncommon for an opposing team to take their metal cleats and cleat the hand of a baserunner diving back to a base ... ripping the glove and drawing blood ... intent being to inflict enough pain to have the baserunner lift her hand and be tagged out.

More of the same.

Maybe it is my luck ... have run into teams playing at the national level that have a burning desire to win ... they aren't there to roll over ... they have worked all year for an opportunity to win a berth, and they are intent on winning that berth.

 

[julray]

I've had players at national qualifiers taken out for the remainder of the season ... an example was a 2Ber covering 1B on a bunt that drew in the 1Ber ... 2Ber had little exposure ... the baserunner made it a point to deck the 2Ber as she ran through the bag ... deliberate ... the other team laughed.

Not uncommon for an opposing team to take their metal cleats and cleat the hand of a baserunner diving back to a base ... ripping the glove and drawing blood ... intent being to inflict enough pain to have the baserunner lift her hand and be tagged out.

More of the same.

Maybe it is my luck ... have run into teams playing at the national level that have a burning desire to win ... they aren't there to roll over ... they have worked all year for an opportunity to win a berth, and they are intent on winning that berth.

Not even close to being as hardcore as the 3rd basemen being lined in the head without the ability to defend them self. Consider the outcomes of what you consider hardcore compared to the play I am referring to.. not even close. I can ask any girl on our team what they would prefer ..National berth or preventing somebody from a serious injury. I know what they would choose every time and believe me none of these girls are ready to roll over.