Bunting: Bat flat or angled?

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What do you teach - Hold the bat flat or barrel above the hands?

 

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Angled so you don't pop it up, arms out front of the face, knees slightly bent, eyes just below the barrel toes to the pitcher.

 

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Angled so you don't pop it up, arms out front of the face, knees slightly bent, eyes just below the barrel toes to the pitcher.

Yes sir, those are the same instructions I give when teaching how to bunt. But I always have them do it both ways and show them how the ball will pop up if you drop the head of the bat.

 

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Barrel above the hands yes sir.....

 

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our FORMER coach spent quite a bit of time 2 weeks ago teaching our girls to bunt one handed.... said Michigan does it all the time . MD

 

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Is that why they have the "former" title?

 

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The ath assoc and the principle would have to answer that question .

 

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.....and the advantage of bunting one-handed is.....????

Len

 

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We had a 1 handed bunt we used every once in a while when I played and I thought it was stupid. There is very little control and it didn't get us out of the box any quicker. I thought it was a waste of time when we could have been using the bunts that work.

I will disagree with the others....I do not like the angled bat bunt, I prefer the bat level with the eyes looking down the barrel of the bat. I also do not teach bunters to pinch the barrel of the bat with the back hand, not enough control and that's just asking for smashed fingers. But that's just the way we do it.

 

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One handed bunts or sneaky bunt is a great weapon if the girls can do it. They look like a slap motion and can drop a quick one when corners aren't expecting it. Girls who are really good, can almost place it at will and will be three steps down the line before the defense even moves to the ball.

 

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My opininion, for what its worth... Its a mindset that you are going to get it done! Technique is important but ive seen it done successfully with different styles, batter needs to be comfortable, balanced and KEEP IT SIMPLE!...I do like slight angle, bat out front , contact middle/top half of the ball, dont let a strike/close strike cross the plate- elbows and knees . slightly bent. When teaching this part of the game ...the strategy and reward of the bunt really needs to be made clear to the batter, trust me it will help! "Just my Opinion".

 

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if you have an experienced player with great hand eye coordination I guess you could attempt it , we had our entire team doing it. Girls that CAN'T hit a ball off a tee dont need work on the one handed bunt. of course thats IMO . MD

 

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I definitely like the bat angled when I bunt. There is less of a chance that you'll pop it up upon contact and I think you have better bat control when it's angled. Your hands are in a more natural position and can move them more freely towards the ball. We mastered the one handed bunt also, but from the left side. We didn't always use this but we used it as a sneak play. You often surprise the corners and have a multi- step advantage down the line.

 

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I think 9/10 coaches teach angle your bat. Not only angled but barrel out in front also. An angled bat gives you more bat surface for contact and if the barrel is above and out in front of the hands it tilts the bat angle slightly toward the ground which helps prevent pop-ups. I don't know what the rational would be to teach a flat bat...

 

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Have always taught flat bat. Before they made facemasks a requirement the bunters with angled bats use to take a lot of foul balls to the face. Still see them smacking off facemasks for those who teach the angled bat.

Flat bat allows for full plate coverage and allows for better ball placement, as the top hand becomes a fulcrum and the bottom hand can be adjusted forward or back to create angles.

With the bat angled up, usually at or above the head, I find it very hard to get that bat head back down to get that low outside pitch without popping the ball up. Have seen very few consistent bunter's that use the angled bat approach.

 

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It is great seeing people reply to this, as many teams do not have this as a part of their arsenal. Amazing to see how many kids can't bunt at higher ages and this should be a minimum like sliding. Our town has and continues to reload every year with at least 5 slappers each season. They may come in as a freshman batting righty, but if they have medium hitting power and have wheels, they are turned over... Been highly successful for probably 20 years here....

 

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I like the angled bat and I wish I could get a player to execute the one-handed sneaky bunt properly. I have players doing the 2-handed, close together bunt. Whatever works....

TEA

 

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I agree Hilliarddad3, it is good to see all the comments of bunting. This "small ball" part of the game is crucial! Weve got a righty on our 12u that is probably one of the fastest kids ive ever seen. Weve got her over on the left side slapping, its exciting to watch young ladies learn new things and apply them in game situations. Damn I do love this sport! And getting to coach it is just a privilege!

 

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Before they made facemasks a requirement the bunters with angled bats use to take a lot of foul balls to the face. Still see them smacking off facemasks for those who teach the angled bat.

This is very true, but I believe that is because the bats are too severely angled. I like the angled bat approach, but I like a slight angle roughly 8 to 15 degrees, not a severe angle. I also like the bottom hand to stay at the knob and sliding the top hand to the middle of the bat taper. It is my opinion that this gives most bunters the best control. And of course, the bat barrel should start at the top of the strike zone and never drop the bat head below the hands.....

Len

 

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Ok I'll admit I didn't read every single post but I'm with most of you. I teach angled bat. I have my girls pivot around instead of step, arms extended in front a little so they dont get smacked with the bat when the ball hits it. Some of my more experienced girls I try to teach them to direct the ball down the 3rd base line by having the bat barrel out in front a little more (right handed) but in a game I'm just happy they laid down a successful bunt.

I do agree... with someone... I forget who.... the angled bat seems more comfortable. Especially if they aren't real strong. PLUS if they tend to drop the barrel when they bunt, the angled bat becomes flat instead of the flat bat becoming a golf club.