Bunting

Coach start with teaching them the fundementals of bunting. And that starts with the standard sac bunt. Then once they have learned the fundementals of the basic sac bunt you can advance to teaching them how to drag. Kids that can drag , push bunt can sac bunt. Kids that can not sac will never be capable of taking it to the next level.

Also when I start working on the drag bunt I start with just telling them to sac bunt. One of the basic principles of the sac is to see it down before you run just like a baserunner sees it down before he runs. Most kids who fail at the sac bunt are actually trying to drag. They are so intent on getting out of the box on contact to reach they fail to just get the bunt down and move the runner.

So when working on the drag all I do is say ok get a few sacs down and make sure you see it down and focus on getting it down before you start running. Then I say ok now I want you to show late and run on contact. Once they get the feel of showing late I tell them to get a feel for how late they can show and still get it down.

Its something that kids have to work on and work on alot. It all starts with the basic fundementals of the bunting - sac bunting. And then you just take it from there.

'see it down' is very good advice. Too many kids hurry.
I remember seeing an old, very old, tape with Joe Morgan and Pete Rose talking about how the Reds would fine anybody who left the box on a sac bunt before the ball hit the ground $5 in kangaroo court.
My other main teaching point is 'bend your knees'

(in fact I tell my kids; "Hey you want a bunting lesson? Bend your knees, 5 dollars please."

they don't get it but I think it's funny.

skipper would you agree that most kids who fail in the attempt to bunt do so because they change the bat angle instead of bend the knees and keep the proper bat angle?

Or maybe I should change that to most kids fail in the attempt to bunt because not enough time is spent on bunting and working at it properly and then they are asked to do it in a game situation and are not properly prepared?

If I may add my two cents----

To me the answer is simple--the players are not taught to bunt at an early age and most HS coaches have no idea regading how to play small ball so bunting never comes into the picture

I agree with all the above.

One of my pet peeves is when the eye level isn't close to the bat level. They have the bat about a foot below their eye level and all of this is caused by the fact they are standing straight up and down.

It's almost impossible to track a pitch and see it down when the head / eyes aren't on the same level as the ball.

A couple of drills I do to help teach bunting

1. One knee drill - get on one knee and that forces them to get on the same plane with eyes and ball.

2. Top hand only - use only the top hand to hold the bat and bunt. Accomplishes being soft on contact and moving the hips / knees to get on level.

What do you guys do to teach bunting?

Here is the funny thing these guys are good sac bunters and maybe they just rush themselves in these situations. I love the 1 knee bunt drill idea. Another thing we do is set up a pitching machine at a lower speed and they have to catch the ball with their top hand.

Bend the knees , reach out with the bat and keep it at eye level. Adjust the bat by bending the knees not by lowering or raising the bat. Keep the 45degree angle. Get up in the box take away foul territory and create more fair territory. See it down first. If the pitch is above the bat its a ball let it go. If its in line with the bat, good , if its below the bat bend the knees to adjust maintaining your proper bat angle. Focus , Focus , Focus - Be determined to get the job done. Bunt strikes. A walk will get the job done as well.

We use the one knee drill. We sac off live arm pitching so we can learn what to bunt and what not to bunt. Also this teaches them how to react to pitches up and in by turning back towards the catcher. We start with a runner on first and you have an ab to sac him over. Then we sac him to third. Then we squeeze or safety squeeze. Then with the bases loaded we drag. Thats four opportunities to earn points. You get one point for every successful attempt. At the end of the bunt scrimmage we add up the points. The players start with 25 points. For every point you get that takes away from your 25 points. At the end of the scrimmage you run a pole for every point you have left.

So you could have 25 poles to run in addition to any other conditioning we have after practice. Or you could have 0 points and no poles. The players enjoy it and it helps keep them focused.
We also have a game where we line up bats from the foul lines towards the mound. Bunts put between the foul lines and the bats are counted as good. Bunts fouled or put between the bats and the mound are bad. We use a point system here as well. The point being we want to get the sac down but not hard back to the pitcher.

Most of the guys I work with that are bad bunters "stab" at the ball. They'll hear me say, "Hey OJ, don't stab at it."

I have not used the one knee drill; i will try it. lots of good ideas here guys thanks.

note: I've coached girls and they were very good at following bunting instructions; far superior to the guys I've worked with on the whole.

I agree skipper. I like to use the phrase "catch the ball with the bat."

quote:

Originally posted by Coach_May:
skipper would you agree that most kids who fail in the attempt to bunt do so because they change the bat angle instead of bend the knees and keep the proper bat angle?

Or maybe I should change that to most kids fail in the attempt to bunt because not enough time is spent on bunting and working at it properly and then they are asked to do it in a game situation and are not properly prepared?

yes and yes....

We have a winner. These are the 2 reasons.

Coach May's advice about using the legs is too often overlooked, and like he says always emphasize top down. The hands should never go up, unless of course it's do or die- squeeze or self preservation.

Once they master the sac bunt, one technique for teaching the drag is to have lefties wear a glove and catch the ball as they try to accelerate up the line. This is great for getting the initial timing down, and it prompts them to keep their shoulders squared and their head on the ball as they rotate the hips towards first. When they follow this drill with a bat they're less likely to stab. This can work with righties too, but I would slow down the pitch for sure.

Trojan-skipper, you're absolutely right about girls. One can learn a lot of short game technique from a fast pitch coach.

Just to clarify, for lefties the glove of course needs to be a right handed throw.