By Jim Bain
The utilization of the "Bunt" as an offensive weapon is not a new strategy, thus the rule which declares an automatic third strike call on a batter, who has two strikes and bunts the ball foul. The rule was created in order to prevent a player from being able to continue attempting to bunt until he finally got it right.
With the implementation of the rule the ability to successfully lay a bunt down in no more than two attempts, creating a two strike count on the batter, became more important than ever.
There are two distinct contrary philosophies in baseball pertaining to using the sacrifice bunt as a weapon.
1. Earl Weaver, famous manager of the Baltimore Orioles, eloquently expressed one point of view by stating " I only have 27 outs in a game, why would I give one away?" The idea of trading an out for advancing a runner into scoring position, with the hope he can be driven in, did not set well in that day and age.
2. The second thought process is, trading an out for the increased percentage of being able to score a run by advancing the runner, is no different than increasing your odds by bringing in a left handed pitcher to face a left handed batter.
Differences of philosophy not withstanding, one issue on which there is no disagreement on is Giving up an out without accomplishing the intended goal, is totally unacceptable. In other words, if you're going to bunt to move a runner into scoring position, you'd better be successful.
The key to a successful bunt is the ability to place the baseball in a particular area of the field which prevents the defense from throwing out the lead runner, and that ability is created by having complete control of the bat.
Let's exam a few of the skills required in order to become a proficient bunter.
1. Knowing how to hold the bat, which sounds simple enough, is totally different than your normal batting grip. The bat, instead of being firmly gripped with both hands, is cradled loosely allowing for the bat to move in your hands.
A. Your right hand (right handed hitters) will slide up the barrel of the bat, loosely held with the finger tips, never wrap your fingers around the barrel of the bat placing your fingers in the hitting zone. By holding the bat in this manner you allow the bat to recoil in your hand as the ball strikes the bat, which absorbs the ball's energy, which in turn reduces the travel distance off the bat.
B. Your left hand will firmly grip the handle of the bat, because this hand will control the angle the bat is moved in, which controls the direction the ball will be bunted in. Push your left hand out away from your body and you pull the bat barrel backwards, which will push the ball to the right side of the infield. Pull the bat handle in towards the body and the produced bat angle will push the ball to the left side of the infield.
It's the command of knowing how far to angle the bat, and how firmly to grip the bat head, which will dictate the exact placing, direction wise, and distance wise, which is the key to successful bunting.
Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player, who since retiring has dedicated his life to teaching baseball to youth, shares his advice on running baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Bain
Showing posts with label sacrifice bunt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sacrifice bunt. Show all posts
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
How to Bunt in Baseball
By Thomas E Wilson
Most baseball players enjoy hitting. Baseball players absolutely love being the one up there at the plate smacking line drives along with the occasional long ball. These players enjoy hitting so much that they may do a huge selection of baseball workouts and hitting drills to improve their game. Unfortunately, simply because we all love batting so much, sometimes understanding the way to bunt correctly is disregarded. Many times, players (mainly younger ones) think that bunting is for players who aren't very good at hitting. That is just not accurate by any means! Bunting is a hugely important skill in the game of baseball, that can make the difference between your team winning and your team losing. It definitely isn't the most glorious thing to do, but it's necessary that you learn how to bunt and when to bunt.
When you bunt, you're hoping to achieve 1 of 2 things. You either want to advance a baserunner to the next base or you want to get a base hit. Occasionally if you're lucky you're able to do both!
Sacrifice Bunting: The objective of sacrifice bunting is to move a baserunner to the next base. When sacrifice bunting, you want to start in your standard batting stance. Before the ball is released from the pitcher's hand you want to square your whole body so it is facing the pitcher. Squaring early on makes it a lot easier for you to see the incoming pitch. Be sure that your weight is on the balls of your feet and you are in an athletic position with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. Hold the baseball bat out over the plate with one hand one third up the baseball bat from the knob, and the other hand two thirds up the bat from the knob, pinching the barrel of the bat with your right hand.
It is extremely crucial to hold the bat parallel to the ground or the barrel end of the baseball bat higher than the knob end of the baseball bat while sacrifice bunting. You should bend your knees if you are intending to bunt a low strike instead of lowering the barrel of the bat with your hands. If the barrel of the bat is closer to the ground than the knob, it's probable that you will pop up the bunt.
Bunting for a Hit: When bunting for a hit, you should use the same exact technique as sacrifice bunting except for a couple of things. The first is you want to surprise the opposing team and reveal the bunt as late as possible. Wait until the pitcher is at least releasing the ball to show the bunt. The later the better. The second difference is your stance. As an alternative to squaring your body towards the pitcher, you should stay in your batting stance and pivot both your feet so your toes are pointing at the pitcher. This allows you to be ready to bunt quicker so you're more likely to surprise the opposing team. Basically, everything else is the same as the sacrifice bunt.
Are you interested in improving your game and being the best baseball player you can be? If so, check out http://www.BestBaseballWorkouts.com to find more helpful information as well as baseball workouts and hitting drills that will take your game to the next level!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_E_Wilson
Most baseball players enjoy hitting. Baseball players absolutely love being the one up there at the plate smacking line drives along with the occasional long ball. These players enjoy hitting so much that they may do a huge selection of baseball workouts and hitting drills to improve their game. Unfortunately, simply because we all love batting so much, sometimes understanding the way to bunt correctly is disregarded. Many times, players (mainly younger ones) think that bunting is for players who aren't very good at hitting. That is just not accurate by any means! Bunting is a hugely important skill in the game of baseball, that can make the difference between your team winning and your team losing. It definitely isn't the most glorious thing to do, but it's necessary that you learn how to bunt and when to bunt.
When you bunt, you're hoping to achieve 1 of 2 things. You either want to advance a baserunner to the next base or you want to get a base hit. Occasionally if you're lucky you're able to do both!
Sacrifice Bunting: The objective of sacrifice bunting is to move a baserunner to the next base. When sacrifice bunting, you want to start in your standard batting stance. Before the ball is released from the pitcher's hand you want to square your whole body so it is facing the pitcher. Squaring early on makes it a lot easier for you to see the incoming pitch. Be sure that your weight is on the balls of your feet and you are in an athletic position with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. Hold the baseball bat out over the plate with one hand one third up the baseball bat from the knob, and the other hand two thirds up the bat from the knob, pinching the barrel of the bat with your right hand.
It is extremely crucial to hold the bat parallel to the ground or the barrel end of the baseball bat higher than the knob end of the baseball bat while sacrifice bunting. You should bend your knees if you are intending to bunt a low strike instead of lowering the barrel of the bat with your hands. If the barrel of the bat is closer to the ground than the knob, it's probable that you will pop up the bunt.
Bunting for a Hit: When bunting for a hit, you should use the same exact technique as sacrifice bunting except for a couple of things. The first is you want to surprise the opposing team and reveal the bunt as late as possible. Wait until the pitcher is at least releasing the ball to show the bunt. The later the better. The second difference is your stance. As an alternative to squaring your body towards the pitcher, you should stay in your batting stance and pivot both your feet so your toes are pointing at the pitcher. This allows you to be ready to bunt quicker so you're more likely to surprise the opposing team. Basically, everything else is the same as the sacrifice bunt.
Are you interested in improving your game and being the best baseball player you can be? If so, check out http://www.BestBaseballWorkouts.com to find more helpful information as well as baseball workouts and hitting drills that will take your game to the next level!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_E_Wilson
Friday, October 9, 2009
Coaching Baseball - Bunting - How to Execute the Sacrifice Bunt
By 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.
12 coaching points of teaching players how to execute a sacrifice bunt:
The pitch must be a strike. Do not bunt pitches that are not in the strike zone. Coaches must make sure that the base runner knows that he must "see the ball down" on the ground before he breaks for 2B.
The bunted ball should be bunted away from the pitcher. The pitcher must have to move at least 10 feet to field the ball. The bunter should bunt the ball too close to the foul line because the ball may roll foul. The best sacrifice bunt is in a zone 2 to 4 feet off the foul line.
The ball should be bunted far enough that the catcher can not pop out and field the ball. The offense does not want the catcher to be able to field the ball. The catcher is the one fielder with the best angle to execute a perfect throw to first or second base.
The batter should move up in the batters box. Moving up allows the batter more fair territory in which to bunt the ball.
The batter should bunt the ball before it reached the plate.
The ball must be bunted downward. A ball bunted into the air could result in an easy double play. Plus, the runner must hold to see if the ball is caught. The defense may field the ball and make the play at second base to get the out and prevent the sacrifice. The batter must bunt the top half of the baseball.
The hands should be moved to the bunt position as the feet move. The top hand slides up the barrel to a location about 10 to 12 inches from the barrel. The bottom hand grips the knob and is the hand that controls the bat angle. Many coaches prefer the bat angle to be at 45 degrees and many coaches teach the player to keep the bat angle almost flat. Either way the knees should be flexed and the bat should be slightly lower than eye level.
The height of the bat should be changed by bending the knees. If a batter tries to change the level of the bat by lowering the bat with the hands, the ball is often popped up.
The arms of relaxed and the ball is "mushed", not "pushed" off the bat. This means that the arms have a lot of give in them to deaden the bat impact on the ball. Both elbows should be pointed downward.
The batter should leave the box after the ball is bunted. Two of the main causes of sacrifice bunting failure are 1) A batter trying to run before the ball is bunted. This bunt is a sacrifice bunt. The key word is sacrifice. If you get out, so be it. The main thing is to get your job done and get the bunt down in the right spot. 2) The bunter starts his bunting motion too late. Chances are good that the other team expects a bunt in this situation. The batter should get around early enough to make sure that the hands and feet get to their correct positions. As I said earlier, I would prefer a batter show a sacrifice bunt too early than to be too late to get the job done.
I hope these coaching points are useful to you. Make sure to visit the Baseball Coaches Digest Blog and the Youth Baseball Clinic Blog for daily posts and articles on every aspect of coaching baseball.
Good luck till next time, Coach Nick.
Players develop incredible bat speed and confidence when they regularly use the Quick Swing Trainer. See it at QuickSwingTrainer.com. See the world's most advanced batting tee at AdvancedSkillsTee.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=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.
12 coaching points of teaching players how to execute a sacrifice bunt:
The pitch must be a strike. Do not bunt pitches that are not in the strike zone. Coaches must make sure that the base runner knows that he must "see the ball down" on the ground before he breaks for 2B.
The bunted ball should be bunted away from the pitcher. The pitcher must have to move at least 10 feet to field the ball. The bunter should bunt the ball too close to the foul line because the ball may roll foul. The best sacrifice bunt is in a zone 2 to 4 feet off the foul line.
The ball should be bunted far enough that the catcher can not pop out and field the ball. The offense does not want the catcher to be able to field the ball. The catcher is the one fielder with the best angle to execute a perfect throw to first or second base.
The batter should move up in the batters box. Moving up allows the batter more fair territory in which to bunt the ball.
The batter should bunt the ball before it reached the plate.
The ball must be bunted downward. A ball bunted into the air could result in an easy double play. Plus, the runner must hold to see if the ball is caught. The defense may field the ball and make the play at second base to get the out and prevent the sacrifice. The batter must bunt the top half of the baseball.
The hands should be moved to the bunt position as the feet move. The top hand slides up the barrel to a location about 10 to 12 inches from the barrel. The bottom hand grips the knob and is the hand that controls the bat angle. Many coaches prefer the bat angle to be at 45 degrees and many coaches teach the player to keep the bat angle almost flat. Either way the knees should be flexed and the bat should be slightly lower than eye level.
The height of the bat should be changed by bending the knees. If a batter tries to change the level of the bat by lowering the bat with the hands, the ball is often popped up.
The arms of relaxed and the ball is "mushed", not "pushed" off the bat. This means that the arms have a lot of give in them to deaden the bat impact on the ball. Both elbows should be pointed downward.
The batter should leave the box after the ball is bunted. Two of the main causes of sacrifice bunting failure are 1) A batter trying to run before the ball is bunted. This bunt is a sacrifice bunt. The key word is sacrifice. If you get out, so be it. The main thing is to get your job done and get the bunt down in the right spot. 2) The bunter starts his bunting motion too late. Chances are good that the other team expects a bunt in this situation. The batter should get around early enough to make sure that the hands and feet get to their correct positions. As I said earlier, I would prefer a batter show a sacrifice bunt too early than to be too late to get the job done.
I hope these coaching points are useful to you. Make sure to visit the Baseball Coaches Digest Blog and the Youth Baseball Clinic Blog for daily posts and articles on every aspect of coaching baseball.
Good luck till next time, Coach Nick.
Players develop incredible bat speed and confidence when they regularly use the Quick Swing Trainer. See it at QuickSwingTrainer.com. See the world's most advanced batting tee at AdvancedSkillsTee.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon
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