Coaching Baseball - Bunting - How to Execute the Sacrifice Bunt

Coaching Baseball - Bunting - How to Execute the Sacrifice Bunt
By guest author: Nick Dixon

Bunting is a skill that must be learned and practiced on a regular basis. It is often one of the most neglected aspects of a team's offensive strategy. There are various techniques of bunting and each should be taught and practiced.

Two kinds of sacrifice bunts are common, the square around and the pivot bunts get their names from the footwork used for each. For a square around bunt the batter will square the feet around when the pitcher begins his motion. It is better to square too early than too late. Squaring late often cause the ball to be contacted poorly or popped up. For a pivot bunt both feet pivot and the batter turns his shoulders square to the pitcher without moving stepping his feet. Both feet pivot on the balls of the feet. Using a pivot bunt allows the batter to show bunt a bit later and it allows the bunter to pivot back if the pitch is not a strike or inside. The pivot bunt is becoming the choice sacrifice bunt technique of most teams. Read More.

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Bunt Young, Bunt Often In Little League

Bunt Young, Bunt Often In Little League

By Marty Schupak

Bunting is a very big part of baseball. And, when a bunt is laid down the right way, it is very difficult to defend. I have always been big on bunting, and feel it can be taught at a young age. There are basically two types of bunts: the square bunt and the pivot bunt. My preference is the pivot bunt because the players just pivot on their toes and do not have to lift their feet. Once in a playoff game, I had a player perform a square bunt, and he put down a perfect bunt, and beat it out...we all thought. The only problem was, when he lifted his leg and put it down in a different position, it was right on home plate and he was called out. The best way to teach bunting for the first time is to practice with a soft covered ball or a rag ball, which is described in The 59 Minute Baseball Practice video. With the rag balls or a soft covered ball, there is very little danger of getting hurt, and the players can actually pitch to each other. Once they seem confident, coaches can pitch a hard ball to his team.

There are many bunting strategies that can be used in a game. My favorite is with less than two out and a runner on third. In this situation, the batter can bunt to the third baseman as the base runner bounces toward home. When the third baseman releases the ball to first base, the player on third runs home, and must slide. If it is a good bunt, and the base runner breaks to home when he should, this is almost unstoppable. Remember that youth baseball players can practice bunting at a very young age. Seek out your high school coach to teach the proper technique. Also, make sure your best bunters get a chance to swing away.

http://www.YouthSportsClub.com

http://www.VideosForCoaches.com

Marty Schupak has coached youth baseball for 18 years and is the video creator of "The 59 Minute Baseball Practice", "Backyard Baseball Drills", "Winning Baseball Strategies", "Hitting Drills & Techniques", “Pitching Drills & Techniques”, and author of the popular book, "Youth Baseball Drills". He is a principle with Videos For Coaches and is also President of the Youth Sports Club, a group dedicated to making sports practices and games more enjoyable for kids.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marty_Schupak

Baseball Tips on Hitting - Bunting Can Help You and Your Team Tremendously!

www.BatAction.com - The Original Hitting Machine

By Larry Cicchiello

During every at bat, it costs you absolutely nothing to take a sneaky and very quick glance and see where the first baseman and third baseman are playing. You will occasionally see one of them seven steps behind the bag and you can get a hit that is really "on the house."

Right-handed Batters

In executing a good bunt toward third base, the right-handed batter must angle the bat down the first base line and try to make contact on the bat somewhere between the sweet spot and the end of the bat.

Slide the top right hand down just past the trademark on the bat as soon as the pitcher is releasing the ball, so he and the third baseman are not tipped off too early.

You pinch the bat with the thumb and index fingers, making sure your hand stays behind the bat.

You should put the bat right in the middle of the strike zone so you won't have too far to move the bat no matter where the ball is pitched. Your bottom left hand is the hand that pivots the bat and the right hand guides the bat.

Try to deaden the ball so the surprised third baseman has a long way to come in and field it. Deadening the ball with the bat is referred to as "catching" the ball with the bat.

The ideal bunt should go down the third base line and not between the third baseman and the pitcher.

You do NOT want the pitcher to field the bunt. By bunting and having the ball go very close to the line, it makes the third baseman's throw longer and from a much more difficult angle.

When the right-handed batter wants to bunt for a hit on the right side of the infield, he should try to push the ball just past the pitcher. The batter should not square around, as in a sacrifice situation but should remain mobile and preferably be already moving toward first base as he is actually bunting the ball.

He should be turned more toward first base than toward the pitcher.

You want the much deeper second baseman to field the bunt! The perfect bunt on the right side should just barely be out of the pitcher's reach, which will create chaos between the first and second baseman as to who should field the bunt and very possibly nobody will be covering first base.

Left-handed Batters

The left-handed batter slides his left hand to just past the trademark on the bat.

He should try to be in motion as he bunts the ball, unlike when sacrifice bunting where he would remain stationary. He also uses the thumb and index finger to guide the bat and the bottom right hand pivots the bat.

If bunting on the right side of the infield, once again, you want the second baseman to field the bunt!

Sometimes, if you don't bunt the ball hard enough, you will see both the first baseman and pitcher closing in on the ball. You may very well end up with a hit in this situation because first base is left unguarded because the second baseman is charging in also.

That's great, but in the long run you are still better off bunting so that the second baseman has to field your bunt.

If you are bunting down the third base line, just like with the right-handed batter, you do NOT want the pitcher to field the ball.

Larry Cicchiello is the author of "Excellent Baseball Coaching: 30 Seconds Away." His site offers many FREE baseball tips on hitting, baseball pitching tips, baseball coaching drills, etc. You will be FULLY EQUIPPED!

You can visit his website at http://www.larrybaseball.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_Cicchiello

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