Teaching bunting

[coach boots]

Hello, Its my 1st time coaching fastpitch softball. Coaching 4th-6th grade 8 of 12 never played before it's a cyo league. What is the the best techniique at this age to teach to square and bunt or piviot and bunt. I will take any suggestions drills what ever you got. Thanks in advance. (right now we are indoors)

 

[amanda_cake]

When I saw square and bunt, my insides shuddered. That's a baseball thing. Pivot and turn. 10U girls are capable of pivoting and bunting, they can certainly handle it.

There are the usual drills, soft toss, hitting off tees, etc. Google is certainly an excellent resource for the newbie coach.

 

[Sean Hall]

Coach Boots,

Here is how I teach the sac bunt. I like to start players with their right knee on the ground. This helps them see how low they should be.

Sacrifice Bunt (For a Right Handed Batter)
The object of a sacrifice bunt is to advance a base runner. It may be from 1st to 2nd or from 2nd to 3rd or maybe even both. If the batter is safe that is great but that is not the primary objective. Players square around early even if everyone knows they are bunting.
The left foot should be in front. The right toe should be about 1 foot from the left heel. The left hand should be towards the top of the bat grip. The right hand should be about where the bat starts to get thicker. The player should pinch the bat with the right thumb on top and the rest of the bat is resting on a fist. LIKE THE FONZ! The bat should be level with a very slight angle. The right thumb should be about 6 inches from their nose. The bat should start at the top of the strike zone and the players should only move their knees to get to the low pitch. The eyes should be looking right over the top of the bat. To bunt down the 3rd base line the player can pull their left hand slightly which will move their right hand slightly forward. To bunt it down the 1st base line push left hand slightly forward and pull right hand slightly back.

Good Luck!
Sean Hall
Home

 

[Mike]

"I like to start players with their right knee on the ground. "

I like that, might take away the lunge too.

"The right toe should be about 1 foot from the left heel.
The right thumb should be about 6 inches from their nose." Sean Hall

Can you explain these please, seems a little close. We use a wider more stable stance and stretch the arms almost all the way out. Reason is, like catching a ball the farther out in front the more they are able to react and cushion the ball.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[sluggers]

We get this bunting question quite a bit.

IMHO, there is no "best bunting technique". I've seen excellently bunters who pivot, square up, move the hands up the bat, hold the bat at an angle, hold the bat level, etc.

There are a few of things that good bunters consistently do.

(A) When they square or pivot to bunt, they start the bat at the top of the strike zone, so that the bat is always moving down to the ball.
(B) They bend their knees when they bunt.
(C) They catch the ball with the bat.

As long as a batter does (A), (B) and (C) consistently, they will be good bunters. As a coach of a bunch of kids, you can't teach ten different bunting techniques. So, you should pick out a bunting technique that you that you find easy to teach.

For me personally:

(1) I prefer the batter to pivot. There is one very well respected travel ball coach who swears that a batter should completely square up to the batter.
(2) I prefer a slightly angled bat
(3) I don't like batters to put their hands near the top of the bat. Young kids are afraid of getting hurt, so I don't even attempt it.

As far as practicing bunting, I think bunting is simply one part of teaching hitting. I use bunting all the time to help kids with their hitting. So, bunting is done every practice as part of hitting practice. Bunting practice is an excellent way of teaching kids how to track the ball to the bat. It is a great way to get kids ready to hit.

My favorite drill for teaching bunting:

Line 50% of the kids up at 3B. Line 50% up at home plate. Put a kid down to pla 1B. You get a bunch of balls. You pitch the ball, a kid bunts the ball. One of the kids at 3B charges, fields the bunt and tries to throw the runner out at 1B. Kid at 3B goes in to bat. Kid who ran to 1B goes to end of line at 3B. Rinse and repeat. Every once in a while, you change the kid playing 1B. Do this quickly, so that you are throwing the ball as soon as the fielder is in position at 1B. If you keep it moving, the kids love it.

 

[SBFAMILY]

At some well known colleges that teach bunting skills they use a glove. They have girls that are right handed put on a glove on the right hand and practice catching the ball as it comes out of the pitching machine. I have also seen them use a lacross stick, cut off to a bat length. They soft toss to them and they practice catching the ball in the net. All most all of them teach the cross over bunt-slap style as slugger posted. The problem with those that are not softball coaches, teaching bunting. Softball is a speed game and bunting is more of a weapon in softball that we use a bunch with the 60 foot bases. I have been using both of these methods when I teach kids to bunt. I also teach slapping and why would you ever have a girl that runs to first in less than 2.8 seconds square?

 

[Hitter]

At some well known colleges that teach bunting skills they use a glove. They have girls that are right handed put on a glove on the right hand and practice catching the ball as it comes out of the pitching machine. I have also seen them use a lacross stick, cut off to a bat length. They soft toss to them and they practice catching the ball in the net. All most all of them teach the cross over bunt-slap style as slugger posted. The problem with those that are not softball coaches, teaching bunting. Softball is a speed game and bunting is more of a weapon in softball that we use a bunch with the 60 foot bases. I have been using both of these methods when I teach kids to bunt. I also teach slapping and why would you ever have a girl that runs to first in less than 2.8 seconds square?

Dan has used a bat I made that has a net built into it. I took a wood bat and cut it at the sweet part of the bat and then put two blocks of wood and it actually is from a wooden crutch as it is hard wood and built a cage to catch golf ball whiffle balls with it.

Laura Berg used it and caught every ball throw to her at her first attempt!

Then the next bat is for on field that we use and it is a regular bat that has a 1991 Toyota in take valve mounted in the sweet part of the bat. Who says Toyota is not good for something!

I find the sweet spot using a hammer and then drill through the bat. Next I put a spring on the under side of the valve and put it through and measure it and then thread the valve and put a self locking nut on it and cut it to length!

When the bunter/ slapper hits the valve, which is about one inch in diameter, it clacks loudly and you at least know you hit the sweet part of the bat!

By the way Dan's daughter is one of our 21 freshman that has made starting varsity this year!

Thanks Howard

 

[Amy in AZ.]

One of the biggest flaws (imo) with bunting is the position of the right hand. At IL. State, I was taught to move my inside hand up the barrel until you get to the "pop bottle". My thumb and pointer finger form a C and the bat slides in that. The rest of my fingers and the wrist are tucked up behind the bat. They are protected, there. You can then take the hand that is on the handle of the bat completely off and the bat will balance.

Time after time, I see even MLB players wrap their hand around the barrel of the bat and then they howl, when their hand gets broken.

I don't know how to post a picture of this or I would try to show it.

I am going to try. Here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/newtson/sets/72157623679958170/

 

[SBFAMILY]

Amy that is a good picture of how we teach them to hold the bat. The dd is a very good bunter/slapper. . She enjoyed asking Laura Berg questions at one of Howard's clinics. Howard just has more toys than I have.

 

[lhowser]

Here is how we teach it. 9U player from this week. 1 pullback. 1 bunt.

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