Balldiddly
New Member
Looking for drills to improve bunting skills? what have you tried that has worked? Also, thoughts on a "modified slap" for a right handed batter and drills? Thank you!
Hitting and Hitters Discussion Looking for drills to improve Bunting /Slapping drills
- Thread starter Balldiddly
- Start date
FastBat
Well-Known Member
I would like to know this, too. I have just been doing reps with slapping and bunting off my machine in my garage with the foam balls in the machine?? But, I would think drills would break it up, kind of boring!
Jack Jenkins
Moderator
One drill I use that is effective is what I call "target practice"...I set three objects in the 5-6 hole from foul line in, all unique in some way (usually color) I call out one of them and then pitch the ball. The hitter tries to hit the object with the ball. It's fun, challenging and gets your mind working just before the pitch about where you want to place it. Just like when you scan the defense to find the holes.
I have made a couple different bats to support eye hand coordination and tracking the ball. I have had the privilege of working with Laura Berg at clinics and at our house using the bats over the years.
We started by using a wooden bat and modifying it. We cut out a two inch area of the sweet spot and then used a 3/4 inch by 1/2 inch piece of oak that is 4 inches long and bridged the gap of the removed sweet spot. I drilled holes in the oak so I could thread the area like a net to catch the balls. We use the golf ball size whiffle balls and front toss the whiffle ball using a full arm circle and the hitter attempts to catch the ball with the modified area removed from the bat which is now the net area. Laura caught 10 in a row on her first attempt.
The other bat we use is any old bat as in aluminium or composite bat. Find the sweet spot and drill a hole through it. We use an intake valve and I just happen to have some from a 91 Honda. I thread the end of the valve and place a spring between the underside of the valve and and bat and put it through the bat. Then I use a nylon lock nut and attach it. When they bunt successfully you will hear a clank verses a thud and they know they have hit the sweet part of the bat.
When I was in China we started the slapping process by first bouncing tennis balls and the hitter catching the the ball with their hand. This allowed them to perfect their footwork first and eye hand coordination by watching the proverbially bouncing ball.
Next we gave them a right handed glove and they did the same thing off a pitching machine. Then we gave them a bat. Catching the ball with the glove intimidated them at first however it improved their confidence.
In the garage we set the plate up away from the net about 9 feet. I draw out with chalk the inside portion of the batters box and we draw around their foot so they try and hit the same spot every time. When we did a clinic in Middle Town a few years ago Natasha Whately was kind enough to show us that she tried to hit the ball down three feet in front of the plate to create s sharp angle downward. I sit to the side and the hitters sees my arm move down and back and they start their footwork and I release the ball in front of them. We draw a circle on the floor with chalk where we want them to hit the ball. When done correctly the ball will bounce up about 8.5 feet.
Natasha pointed out that before a game she bounces balls off the ground by throwing them into the ground as hard as she can to get an idea of how it was prepared as to soft, hard or loose.
About every 10 softballs I use a TCB ball and it really seems to add that solid contact we are looking for and they can feel it. The net is marked so we can power slap over the short stops head and third base man's head every once in while and then we mix in a hit and it should have some elevation to it and we can tell by where it hits our net.
Having the slapper find a place to measure off from EVERY TIME from the plate whether hitting or slapping is key so the defense does not know what is happening until the hitter makes up her mind what she is going to do.
Howard
We started by using a wooden bat and modifying it. We cut out a two inch area of the sweet spot and then used a 3/4 inch by 1/2 inch piece of oak that is 4 inches long and bridged the gap of the removed sweet spot. I drilled holes in the oak so I could thread the area like a net to catch the balls. We use the golf ball size whiffle balls and front toss the whiffle ball using a full arm circle and the hitter attempts to catch the ball with the modified area removed from the bat which is now the net area. Laura caught 10 in a row on her first attempt.
The other bat we use is any old bat as in aluminium or composite bat. Find the sweet spot and drill a hole through it. We use an intake valve and I just happen to have some from a 91 Honda. I thread the end of the valve and place a spring between the underside of the valve and and bat and put it through the bat. Then I use a nylon lock nut and attach it. When they bunt successfully you will hear a clank verses a thud and they know they have hit the sweet part of the bat.
When I was in China we started the slapping process by first bouncing tennis balls and the hitter catching the the ball with their hand. This allowed them to perfect their footwork first and eye hand coordination by watching the proverbially bouncing ball.
Next we gave them a right handed glove and they did the same thing off a pitching machine. Then we gave them a bat. Catching the ball with the glove intimidated them at first however it improved their confidence.
In the garage we set the plate up away from the net about 9 feet. I draw out with chalk the inside portion of the batters box and we draw around their foot so they try and hit the same spot every time. When we did a clinic in Middle Town a few years ago Natasha Whately was kind enough to show us that she tried to hit the ball down three feet in front of the plate to create s sharp angle downward. I sit to the side and the hitters sees my arm move down and back and they start their footwork and I release the ball in front of them. We draw a circle on the floor with chalk where we want them to hit the ball. When done correctly the ball will bounce up about 8.5 feet.
Natasha pointed out that before a game she bounces balls off the ground by throwing them into the ground as hard as she can to get an idea of how it was prepared as to soft, hard or loose.
About every 10 softballs I use a TCB ball and it really seems to add that solid contact we are looking for and they can feel it. The net is marked so we can power slap over the short stops head and third base man's head every once in while and then we mix in a hit and it should have some elevation to it and we can tell by where it hits our net.
Having the slapper find a place to measure off from EVERY TIME from the plate whether hitting or slapping is key so the defense does not know what is happening until the hitter makes up her mind what she is going to do.
Howard
ApogeeDemon
In the Penalty Box
wow, so amazing! Was it an accord or a civic?
