When Do You Bunt??

[InSider]

I would like to see some discussion on when to and when not to bunt. I know everyone has their philosophy about this.

In my opinion, you use the bunt sparingly. If you are in a close game and need to move a runner, I can see sacrificing an out, if you have no outs. Maybe even with 1 out. I see no value in using the bunt every inning or every time you have a base runner. If you are playing a team that has proven to you that they can't defend a bunt, by all means, bunt away. If they keep throwing your runners out, you might want to rethink that strategy. If you have a girl that is blazing fast and every bunt is a single, then bunt her all day every day if you want to. If you have a slower girl who hasn't been hitting well, work on her hitting in practice. Do not bunt her. Bunting a struggling hitter is not going to build their confidence in their ability to hit the ball. It will only make them feel like they can't hit, so all you do is bunt them. If you are nearing the end of the game and are down several runs, do not bunt. You aren't going to win by moving runners station to station at that point.

Also, whenever you do use the bunt, make sure your batter knows the situation. If you are trying to move a runner and the 3rd baseman is playing up, consider using a push bunt between 3rd and SS. Most likely the SS is moving toward 2nd base, 3rd is charging, and it's unlikely a RHP is going to successfully field that ball in time to throw either runner out.

Make certain you are teaching your batters how to break from the box while bunting. Standing still, laying down the bunt, then taking off running will greatly reduce your chances of success. Teach them to bunt on the move.

What are your opinions and teachings on bunting? I would love to see some discussion. It could be helpful to others.

 

[Cankles]

I'll let the video do my talking.

http://youtu.be/ctFf91EUUTw

 

[Louuuuu]

InSider, it sounds like you're already well-versed in bunting do's & don'ts. That's more than a lot of people already know.

I'll add that bunts should always be close to the baselines. You don't want anything near the pitcher because 1.) she's closest to the ball already, and 2.) you have fewer infielders frantically trying to get the ball/cover all the bases.

 

[wow]

I like the 2 strike bunt.. Don't see it a lot and when you get it down it takes most by surprise. Soft hands. The bunts which dies quickly seems to get the most out of. I also think its great to use the bunt on slower pitching as to not disrupt timing. I have seen teams bunt the entire line up. Gotta read the defense. Push, drag, or tap bunt its about speed and moving runners.

I disagree with bunting a kid who is struggling, sometimes putting the bat on the ball lets them see more pitches and develop better timing. Plus the confidence of hitting.

 

[FastBat]

I think bunting is an advanced skill! I don't know why coaches/parents think it's easier, it's just not. If a kid is struggling to hit, she will struggle to bunt. IMHO, it's never a good idea to force a struggling hitter to bunt, very discouraging.

A trick I found with bunting is...the better a bunter can see the ball, the more successful the bunt will be. It is wise to get their face (eyes) as close to the bat as they can, within reason, then watch the ball hit the bat. So the bat needs to be slightly below and in front of their face, using legs to bend to get the low strikes (not moving bat tip lower), and maintaining strong arms. I see terrible form in games, it's sad!

IMHO, every well rounded softball player should be an excellent bunter. To me, nothing is more disappointing than seeing an awesome hitter, then watch her bunt and she can't. Bunting is about wanting to do whatever it takes to help your team in any way you can, practicing, and staying committed to it.

 

[FastBat]

Teach them to bunt on the move.

It's hard to be in motion and make contact with the ball for many players. I think this is an even more advanced skill.

 

[alborules]

I have a 9u team that has seen pitchers from 30 mph to 50+ mph. We still struggle swinging away sometimes with the 45-50 mph, so that's when I like to bunt. All it takes is a mishandled bunt to get the opponents coach to raise his voice and shake up his team. I have seen this happen many times at all ages when a top team with fast pitching faces a "lesser" team that can bunt. If we can keep putting the bunt down, someone will make a mistake at 10u.

Allan Abel

 

[tjsmize3]

It's hard to be in motion and make contact with the ball for many players. I think this is an even more advanced skill.

I agree with Jen here. if I have a girl on 2nd who represents the winning/go ahead run and we have zero outs, there is a good chance I may bunt. The last thing I want my hitter doing then is adding an extra degree of difficulty by moving in the box while she is trying to execute a sacrifice bunt. In fact, we usually ask just the opposite and tell her to get out early and get set with plenty of time to see the ball. No tricky footwork here, just get it down! While I don't necessarily think a sacrifice bunt is an advanced skill, I do agree that a sneaky bunt, drag bunt, soft slap... all require advanced skill as Jen mentions. If a particular player can drag to get on with a very high percentage or if the defense is just giving it to you, the sky is the limit to when and how often you can make this work.

 

[poden-smoden]

You bunt on the very next at bat after hitting a dinger!

 

[coachjwb]

Bunting is an important skill for players to learn to do correctly, and it is and always be an important strategy in the game. But as you've implied, some coaches overuse it, and there are many factors to consider before using it ... the speed of the hitter, score and inning of the game, number of outs, ability of the defense, skill of the bunter, etc. are all important considerations. But it can be a great weapon and, unfortunately, way too many players never learn to do it properly partially because they don't want to do it. But I'm pretty sure college coaches want most of their players to be able to do it when it's needed, and if they can't do it in a camp or showcase, they're going to look awful silly and put some questions in the coach's mind about coachability and/or being a team player. As for how often I would expect to see a team attempt a bunt on the average in a 7 inning game ... maybe 3-4 times?

I agree 100% with Jen about the importance of bending the knees and getting the eyes at bat/ball level ... that is the absolute key.

 

[ValleyStorm]

We are typically built around rediculous speed which means lots of options. A great short game sets up the soft slap, hard slap, etc.

I am a huge fan of base hit bunt attempts if nothing else to keep the infield guessing and therefore honest which opens up more options for us. A short game pressure offense is difficult to defend, fun to watch, and in my opinion not used enough.

 

[Hilliarddad3]

InSider, it sounds like you're already well-versed in bunting do's & don'ts. That's more than a lot of people already know.

I'll add that bunts should always be close to the baselines. You don't want anything near the pitcher because 1.) she's closest to the ball already, and 2.) you have fewer infielders frantically trying to get the ball/cover all the bases.

Why? 90% of pitchers can't throw to first.......

 

[bucketime]

When they least expect it

 

[CARDS]

Bunting is an art...
Your best hitters are typically your best bunters because they see the ball very well.

I do know of two ladies that bunted 75% of the time during their HS playing days and were leaders in their conference (The GMC) from 2010- 2013 vs. a lot of D1 committed pitching. One right handed Morgan Hoehn the other a lefty Devan Colbank...

http://gmcsports.com/bsStats.aspx?satc=249&v=a&stat=hit&sort=8&div=1&year=2012

These ladies could flat out fly. They never really slapped but would push, drag bunt or, drive the ball at charging infielders.
Not many have this ability but these two ladies went on to play at the lower college level with this approach.

As a coach I was blessed to have some very good speed on my teams. If one of these ladies was on third a bunt scores them every time...I would trade a run for an out.

 

[WalkOffHR]

There are 21 outs in a game and the object of the game is to do everything possible to preserve those 21 outs. Bunting is not a high percentage play. It should be reserved for late game situations in order to tie or win a game.

 

[FastBat]

We had a game recently and the other team just kept bunting and they didn't stop! At one point I yelled out, "why do they keep bunting?"

 

[cz fastpitch fan]

In my opinion, the best hit in this game does not go over the fence....it goes about 12-15'.
The bunt is particularly devastating because if your team has any decent speed, you can apply a lot of pressure on the defense, which forces them to act quickly. This often times leads to mistakes which, to the undisciplined defensive players, can lead to additional mistakes on subsequent plays.
I think the bunt is an incredibly important part of this game, and when used correctly can be a very effective part of any team's offensive strategy.

 

[JoeA1010]

When do you sac bunt?
When you think it makes sense to slightly increase your chances to score one run and you are willing to greatly decrease your chances to score two or more runs. If you are at 12-U or lower-level 14-U and maybe 16-U, maybe just putting the ball in play is a better percentage play than swinging away, but I am talking about higher level travel ball or college ball with my answers. The lower-scoring you think the game will be, the more sense it makes to sac bunt and play for one. If it's going to be a 6-5 game, do not give away one of your 21 outs to move a runner 60 feet.

When do you bunt for a hit?
When you think your chances of reaching base are better than by swinging away, but also accounting for the fact that you are eliminating the chances of an extra-base hit. Further, you might bunt for a hit with nobody on or a runner just on first base, or a runner on second with no outs, but it's not a good play with any runners on second and/or third with one or two outs. It is a terrible play with a runner on second and two outs, as even if one is successful, you still need another hit to score a run.

When do you squeeze?
The best time is with a runner on third and one out (and naturally with speed on third and a good bunter at the plate). With two outs, a squeeze bunt is basically a bunt for a hit, with the batter needing to be safe at first for it to work. And the runner on third needs to know the batter is bunting. With no outs and a runner at third, it makes little sense to squeeze most of the time because a failed squeeze is likely to result in an out at the plate. Why not let that hitter swing away to try to drive in the run, and if she fails you can always have the same chance of scoring the run by squeezing with one out? Put another way, let's say we played with ten outs in an inning. Would you squeeze with no outs? Of course not, because that runner on third will score at some point in the inning. The same principle applies with no outs vs. one out; squeeze when you're down to your last shot for the high-risk play.

 

[BulldawgsDirector]

Bunt down the lines only??? So give it a 50% chance of rolling harmlessly foul? How about bunting where the fielders converge? That's what we teach

 

[coachjwb]

WalkOff ... with all due respect, I have to disagree slightly. The object of the game is to out score the other team. Preserving outs is one of the most important enablers of doing this, but there are times early in games where slightly increasing the odds of making an out are worth it in order to score a run and put pressure on the defense. Again, there are many factors to consider and JoeA has summarized my philosophy very well, but to remove the bunt out of one's arsenal early in games would be a big mistake in my opinion.