Hitting and Hitters Discussion Bat Waggling - Appropriate?

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I'm of the opinion that a batter in a bunt stance, waggling the bat at the pitcher is "bush league". I've never instructed my players to do it and, if I see them doing it on their own, I put a stop to it. I thought this was a common opinion amoung coaches so was very surprised to see it from a team we played recently. It's making me wonder if this opinion is less common than I thought. Please let me know how you feel about it.

 

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Bush. Like huddling the girls before an inning to stretch out the time so you can hold on to that 1 run lead.

 

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I'm not a fan of it. It really doesn't affect most pitchers. I usually see a pitcher throw inside when a player waggles her bat. Waggling the bat just makes it a little more challenging to hit an inside pitch.

 

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I see nothing "Bush" about it. A pitcher's job is to throw a pitch to get the batter out (PO, SO, etc) and a batter's job is to get on base. If either of the two can gain a legal advantage, more power to them.

I suppose you think that a slapper is "Bush" as well because their feet are moving before they contact the ball?! I personally like to see batter's do the wiggle thing, they are ripe for a screwball right on the hands. JMHO

 

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I suppose you think that a slapper is "Bush" as well because their feet are moving before they contact the ball?!

Depends... Is the slapper moving her feet to intentionally distract the pitcher? Come on, that's a silly supposition. Thanks for letting me know that you see nothing "Bush" about it.

 

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Funny that is NOT what I thought this thread was going to be about.

We don't teach it but I don't get upset if one of our kids or another team's does it either. Just trying to create a distraction - could be for the pitcher, could be for the catcher to protect the runner stealing. It usually results in the pitcher throwing a perfect strike.

I get more bothered by Bush League (or what I call "Rec-Ball Amatuers") cheering that is designed to taunt opposing teams. That we do not allow from our kids.

 

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...I get more bothered by Bush League (or what I call "Rec-Ball Amatuers") cheering that is designed to taunt opposing teams. That we do not allow from our kids.

Were you at the game I'm referring to? LOL. They did that too! :lmao:

 

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Funny that is NOT what I thought this thread was going to be about.

We don't teach it but I don't get upset if one of our kids or another team's does it either. Just trying to create a distraction - could be for the pitcher, could be for the catcher to protect the runner stealing. It usually results in the pitcher throwing a perfect strike.

I get more bothered by Bush League (or what I call "Rec-Ball Amatuers") cheering that is designed to taunt opposing teams. That we do not allow from our kids.

I agree. Like the "Huddle Huddle we caused trouble cheer when you are beating a team 15-0. That's a bit much. Or any of the make fun of the pitcher when she is struggling cheers.

 

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Were you at the game I'm referring to? LOL. They did that too! :lmao:

Maybe? Was it a 10u game in Lancaster?

 

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I agree. Like the "Huddle Huddle we caused trouble cheer when you are beating a team 15-0. That's a bit much. Or any of the make fun of the pitcher when she is struggling cheers.

or the "we stole on you with ketchup and mustard......" I tell my kids to act like it wasn't the first time they ever stole a base.

 

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I don't mind the bat waggle or even the cheering if its a good game but If the game is one sided then none of that is appropriate.

 

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yep

 

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Agree 100% with Mad Hornet ... it never bothered my DD as a pitcher and I think she threw about 90% strikes when she got that target ... I sometimes think some umps actually give a bigger strike zone when batters do it! I may be missing something but I just don't get the point of why some would see it as "bush", though again I wouldn't personally teach it or do it myself ... just seems pointless and silly. And yeah, any taunting of other teams batters or pitcher is bush to me, and I will never allow that in a team that I have any involvement in coaching.

 

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I can't say it's more bush then bad coaching. I see a lot of things at the lower levels 10u - 12u that are designed to trick and gain a competitive advantage that I don't agree with. Goal of these levels are to win of course but teaching them habits that get shut down at the next level is pointless. IMO the objective of a coach is to get players ready to play at the next level. Being a super stud player or coach at 10u-12u does not matter in the long run. I'm sure everyone here can remember that one kid in Little League that dominated and by the time they were HS they either didn't play or sat the bench. Coaches that live through trophies on the mantle need to realize your coaching 10-13 yr olds. What you do in a tournament is less important as to what you are teaching the players on and off the field. Teaching fundamentals should take precedent over win at all costs. Every player develops at different ages the one thing that sticks is fundamentals taught. I personally disdain the cheers but girls like them for some reason. Chants such has we made trouble and too high don't have a place in sports period. Can you imagine busting out we made trouble in a staff meeting when someone makes a mistake? They aren't learning real life and sportsmanship.

 

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don't think it's bush or effective. I was surprised to see a mild bat waggle in the WCWS last week, though.....didn't work then either.

 

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it never bothered my DD as a pitcher and I think she threw about 90% strikes when she got that target ... I sometimes think some umps actually give a bigger strike zone when batters do it! I may be missing something but I just don't get the point of why some would see it as "bush", though again I wouldn't personally teach it or do it myself ... just seems pointless and silly.

We tell our pitchers to treat it as a target. And I agree that we seem to have more strike-outs against the batter that does the waggle thing. (We might also have more hit batters, something we strongly discourage given that a waggler who gets hit derives the significant advantage of gaining first base).

I am intrigued by your statement that the waggle "seems pointless and silly" but that you don't consider it bush. Clearly the batter is doing it for some reason. It is highly unlikely that the waggle is an effective timing mechanism (unlike a smooth "show bunt then go into your normal swing" approach, which for some batters can help with timing; waggles just add too much motion to help with timing, IMHO), so it is probably done to distract the pitcher. On the other hand, some of the pitcher motions that we see these days are probably done to mess up and distract the hitter. So I guess I see it as having a point, one that I don't like and one that I think can backfire, but I agree it is not bush. Just, as you suggest, annoying.

 

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My youngest daughter's team had an opposing coach have his batters do this right after our pitcher hit two of their batters in a row.

 

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Carol ... I suppose it originated to try to distract pitchers, and perhaps it does a few inexperienced ones, so I guess I can remotely see the "bush" argument. I just don't think that I've ever coached a pitcher who it actually did distract, so in that respect it has been pointless and, as you say, can "backfire" in the sense that actually a higher percentage of strikes may be getting called. I am kind of glad a thread originated on it because I think there are 1 or 2 girls on our current team who may have been taught to do it at some point in the past and, now that I have this perspective, I will make sure they quit doing it.

 

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Talked about this just this past weekend in Shreve with some friends between games. Heard from numerous umpires that they see that (on a 3-0 count) if the pitch is close they will call it a strike. Dont shoot the messanger just telling ya what they told me personally the past couple of years.

 

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Sounds like a good name for a team...."Boonsville Bat Wagglers"