Questions on bunting

[SBFAMILY]

We teach what team USA teaches. It is a cross over style that is used by slappers. This gets you out in front of the plate and eliminates foul balls that young kids have issues with. Plus what quincy posted.

 

[CoogansBluff]

W It is a cross over style that is used by slappers.

What is crossover style?

 

[BrianMonk]

What is crossover style?

Take the back foot (right) and step it towards (or to) the front corner of the box (so it crosses in front of your left foot). Not only do you square up the body but you can get some momentum going forward.

Not everyone uses this method but it can be very effective.

 

[softballphreak]

Front of the box, bat angled, barrel farther toward infield than handle, top the ball, keep face as close to barrel as possible.

Rule of thumb: sight the ball over top of the top thumb as it comes from pitcher. Like an artist sighting an object with the thumb.

 

[Sparky Guy]

Not sure if it's the best way, so I'm open to any feedback on my instruction as well.

What I've found with young kids is they don't understand the correct arm position need to sacrifice bunt effectively. What I do is put them in the bunting position making sure their arms are in the correct position. Then lay a bat in the crook of their elbows. The bat should not fall out of their arms when they bunt, unless the ball is very low in the strike zone. It keeps them from reaching out too far with their arms. It also reenforces the concept of catch/block the ball at the front of the plate rather then trying to "hit" the ball.

 

[CoachChuck]

Sparky Guy....that is genius!

 

[02Crush]

Bat head slightly higher over the handle. hit the top to spin it into the dirt and rolling forward. I could elaborate more but many have already hit those points. Particularly Amy about being athletic and ready to run.

 

[JAD]

We like for the batter to square up to the pitcher with the barrel slightly elevated above the knob. When squared the barrel should be at the top of the strike zone. Batter should bend their knees to adjust the bat to the height of the pitch. Batter SHOULD NOT drop the barrel of the bat below the knob, as this will lead to pop ups. Batter needs to remember to pull the bat back if the pitch is a ball.

 

[wichita]

We teach what team USA teaches. It is a cross over style that is used by slappers. This gets you out in front of the plate and eliminates foul balls that young kids have issues with. Plus what quincy posted.

Both of my DD's use this style of bunting and it works really well .... the only problem is every coach we have ever played for has tried to change them to a different style because they have never seen this style before so I have to explain it to them ....some would understand ....some would not... but we never changed....

 

[go4um]

As a slap instructor, I estimate I've seen about 250,000 bunts over several years. I've found that level vs slight angle (barrel less than 2 inches higher than hands) is an individual preference which doesn't significantly impact results. A greater angle will hurt consistency because the player has to make larger adjustments to either lower the hands to keep the barrel up or to lower the barrel down near the hands...either way, the required large adjustment hurts consistency. Also, it is much easier to control direction with a near level bat than a sharply angled bat.

I agree that if you start near the top of strike zone and adjust with hand height...not by rotating the barrel down much....then aiming at the center of ball is best and gets the ball on the ground because of approach angle and the ball dropping as it nears the plate.

I also agree that making contact at the last 2-3 inches is important for controlling distance as are soft hands and elbows to move the bat backward...away from the ball...right at the time of contact.

Great, consistent bunts are not easy...takes a lot of practice.