Fake Bunt

[FP26]

Well for one like FFS said, corners should be creeping. Most of the time, the batters are showing bunt early, then pulling back as the pitcher starts in her windmill. I instruct our corners to focus on the hands while creeping forward, if they see movement from the hands pulling the bat back they stop immediately. I've seen corners charging so hard when a bunt is shown (I'm talking showing early, not a late showing like a drag) they are like 10 feet from the batter when the pitch arrives. So if your teaching your corners to crash that hard, I'm going to use the counter to that. Why should I give your defense the advantage?

I put this into the category like slappers. You never know if they are going to drag, hit a chopper, or power slap. I've seen plenty of slappers hit a linedrive shot by F5.

Offense -- I am not a fan of 'bunt n slash' and do not utilize it on offense. We use small ball, slapping, and traditional hitting, but not 'bunt n slash'.

Defense -- We have played many teams that do use 'bunt n slash'. So we teach 3b and 1b to creep as CoachKevin has explained. We also do what we can to scout our opponents in an attempt to learn coaching or player tendencies. We can utilize that information for defensive placement.

Note: I personally grew up playing baseball. As others have stated, a hitter attempting a 'bunt n slash' would eventually catch a fastball to the ribs.

 

[CoachKevin]

Offense -- I am not a fan of 'bunt n slash' and do not utilize it on offense. We use small ball, slapping, and traditional hitting, but not 'bunt n slash'.

Defense -- We have played many teams that do use 'bunt n slash'. So we teach 3b and 1b to creep as CoachKevin has explained. We also do what we can to scout our opponents in an attempt to learn coaching or player tendencies. We can utilize that information for defensive placement.

Note: I personally grew up playing baseball. As others have stated, a hitter attempting a 'bunt n slash' would eventually catch a fastball to the ribs.

Ironically, our team doesn't use bunt & slash either (well 1 player will start in the bunt position with 2 strikes, but nobody thinks she is bunting). If we play a team that crashes the corners hard, we attempt a push bunt. I just think Bunt & Slash is part of the game and no more dangerous than being a pitcher. Now I haven't coached the younger ages in many years so maybe that is where I don't think it's "more dangerous" like many do.

I do find it kind of funny that the anti-Bunt & Slash are ok with a pitcher throwing a 90 mph baseball at the batter.... hmmmm

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Ironically, our team doesn't use bunt & slash either (well 1 player will start in the bunt position with 2 strikes, but nobody thinks she is bunting). If we play a team that crashes the corners hard, we attempt a push bunt. I just think Bunt & Slash is part of the game and no more dangerous than being a pitcher. Now I haven't coached the younger ages in many years so maybe that is where I don't think it's "more dangerous" like many do.

I do find it kind of funny that the anti-Bunt & Slash are ok with a pitcher throwing a 90 mph baseball at the batter.... hmmmm

What?????

Don't you know that this will school an opposing team?

You evil person! You may be emotionally damaging the kiddos for the remainder of their life!!

Joking ...

 

[Mudders Brudder]

MB ... the "fake bunt and slash" mechanic is fairly common in softball. You won't find competitive teams taking offense to an opponent executing this mechanic. The mechanic is used by top D1 programs. It's part of the game. What we have here are folks learning about the game ... and in time they will learn that this mechanic is simply part of the game.

Fair enough. I've coached a number of softball players hitting wise, but never coached a softball team so my knowledge/experience in that game is admittedly quite limited to the couple of games I went to to see my students hit, and didn't really focus on the actual games all that much.

But I have to tell you, in at least the youth games I witnessed...the dugout cheers were something completely new to me, and honestly something that I found rather annoying unfortunately. Not saying softball/baseball should be like golf, but the constant rehearsed cheers for every situation was a bit more than I could take, or felt were necessary. But again, that's just from an old dinosaur "baseball guy", so only worth the limited bandwidth I'm using now, and not meant to be at all disrespectful to the girls or critical of what they enjoy doing during their games.

So yep, while similar in some aspects of them, really two different games I see being played out there. But dang, I must say that the couple of HS games we watched when ours were over before heading back to the bus for the ride home with both teams...seeing those girls playing on 60' base paths, and the INFers as close to some very powerful hitters was not only amazing, but impressive with some of the incredible plays they were able to make on balls that were on then like "Rit Now!". Not sure some of my guy INFers could have made the same plays on them at the same distances quite honestly. So kudos to that part of the girls' game for sure.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

These composite light bats are basically high-tech weapons that allow young kiddos with questionable mechanics to sail a pitched ball 200+ ft over the fence. The parents cheer. Home-run!!!

But hey, a pitcher throws a change-up and the batter rifles a shot at the 3Ber, … and folks are okay with this. They figure it is part of the game. They are okay with this danger if it means that their kiddos will have a chance to use a similar high-tech weaponized bat to put one over the fence. They will just let someone else play 3B.

Again … I am all for using wood bats … that would make the game safer … but that would also mean that many folks, that are being subsidized to remain in the line-up with these high-tech bats, would need to learn how to properly swing a bat … or find a different activity.

 

[FP26]

Ironically, our team doesn't use bunt & slash either (well 1 player will start in the bunt position with 2 strikes, but nobody thinks she is bunting). If we play a team that crashes the corners hard, we attempt a push bunt. I just think Bunt & Slash is part of the game and no more dangerous than being a pitcher. Now I haven't coached the younger ages in many years so maybe that is where I don't think it's "more dangerous" like many do.

I do find it kind of funny that the anti-Bunt & Slash are ok with a pitcher throwing a 90 mph baseball at the batter.... hmmmm

Personally never stated I was ok with either. Just that it was a fact during my playing days. During that time I wasn't the pitcher, I was the 3b. So I never threw at anyone. But as the typical 4 or 5 hole hitter on many of the teams I played for, I did wear a pitch or two throughout the years. Amazing how upset pitchers get when you have success against them in previous at bats....

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Fair enough. I've coached a number of softball players hitting wise, but never coached a softball team so my knowledge/experience in that game is admittedly quite limited to the couple of games I went to to see my students hit, and didn't really focus on the actual games all that much.

But I have to tell you, in at least the youth games I witnessed...the dugout cheers were something completely new to me, and honestly something that I found rather annoying unfortunately. Not saying softball/baseball should be like golf, but the constant rehearsed cheers for every situation was a bit more than I could take, or felt were necessary. But again, that's just from an old dinosaur "baseball guy", so only worth the limited bandwidth I'm using now, and not meant to be at all disrespectful to the girls or critical of what they enjoy doing during their games.

So yep, while similar in some aspects of them, really two different games I see being played out there. But dang, I must say that the couple of HS games we watched when ours were over before heading back to the bus for the ride home with both teams...seeing those girls playing on 60' base paths, and the INFers as close to some very powerful hitters was not only amazing, but impressive with some of the incredible plays they were able to make on balls that were on then like "Rit Now!". Not sure some of my guy INFers could have made the same plays on them at the same distances quite honestly. So kudos to that part of the girls' game for sure.

Lol ... it took me two years to get used to the dugout cheers. Love it now ... but it was something that I had to get used to.

Worked with a girl transferring from baseball to softball this past HS season. During the early part of the season the look on her face in the dugout was funny. I told her ... yes, I recall this feeling ... the dugout cheering is quite different ... you'll get used it ... we are very passionate. By the end of the HS season she had gotten used to it ... but it was a reminder of the difference between baseball and softball.

Regarding the 60' base paths ... yes! I'll watch baseball games with the ladies and they often comment that baseball is a slower game ... they shake their head in disgust as the SS knocks the ball down and double pumps before making a throw to 1B ... there just isn't that time in softball for all that.

 

[Mudders Brudder]

Ironically, our team doesn't use bunt & slash either (well 1 player will start in the bunt position with 2 strikes, but nobody thinks she is bunting). If we play a team that crashes the corners hard, we attempt a push bunt. I just think Bunt & Slash is part of the game and no more dangerous than being a pitcher. Now I haven't coached the younger ages in many years so maybe that is where I don't think it's "more dangerous" like many do.

Don't disagree with the bold, and do find it rather unnerving watching a HS softball pitcher so close to the hitter after she's strode forward as far as some of them do, and definitely wouldn't want my DD (if I had one) ever out on the mound. Although I know someone has to be out there, and respect those who are courageous enough to do so (their parents as well for sure).

I do find it kind of funny that the anti-Bunt & Slash are ok with a pitcher throwing a 90 mph baseball at the batter.... hmmmm

Yes, agree...but "at the batter", and "near" the batter are two different things, and I'm OK with the latter much more so than the prior (and I wish I had a kid throwing 90, but that's a whole different story/thread on my tales of woe ).

 

[_MIA_]

Personally never stated I was ok with either. Just that it was a fact during my playing days. During that time I wasn't the pitcher, I was the 3b. So I never threw at anyone. But as the typical 4 or 5 hole hitter on many of the teams I played for, I did wear a pitch or two throughout the years. Amazing how upset pitchers get when you have success against them in previous at bats....

I can honestly say I have never seen anybody attempt to bunt and hit/slash in baseball...ever. It is part of the game in softball..I get it. Doesn't mean I have to like it

 

[Tango]

The better baseball schools in our area all will use the slash play. Weird that you don't see it much is fastpitch in our area.

It took me at least a year to get somewhat accustom to cheers. I have been coaching my DD teams for 3 years now. Coached my 9 year old sons team this year and half of the players have older sisters, they started doing softball cheers. That ended fast. LOL.