The Art Of Bunting

• Hammerin'Hank

  Okay baseball gurus, in the art of bunting, do you teach just turning the hips to square up or do you teach moving the feet to square up?
• darbypitcher22

  

  We teach the square around method.
  
  Keep in mind.... you want to slide your hands at the same time, so one hand is controlling the handle and one hand is controlling the barrel. When you look at the bat, it should be divided into 3 equal parts.
  
  Start at the top of the strike zone. This is for two reasons. one its much easier to move down with a pitch, and two, if the pitch is above your eyes, don't offer, because its a ball. WE ONLY BUNT STRIKES!
  
  Move a step towards the plate and a step or two up in the box toward the pitcher. Allow for as much plate coverage and fair territory to bunt the ball in as possible.
• BlueDevil11

  

  square the hips.
• Hammerin'Hank

  I understand squaring the hips, but you can do that whether you move your feet or keep them still.
  I myself would teach moving the feet in a sacrifice situation and not moving the feet if bunting for a hit. Thoughts?
• lhs2ndbase

  you never want to pick your feet up and physically move them. you run the risk of moving them out of the box, you leave your whole body at risk of getting hit by the pitch and IMO it is a lot easier to bunt the ball when you just pivot your feet.
• catchr22

  lhs--certainly you have a right to your opinion. However the word NEVER would fly in the face of some very knowledgable baseball people!!!
• darbypitcher22

  

  catchr22 wrote: lhs--certainly you have a right to your opinion. However the word NEVER would fly in the face of some very knowledgable baseball people!!!

  This.
• hasbeen

  

  I just can't do the square up method. Never have been. I don't like having "happy feet" and I feel you can't cover as much of the plate. When I pivot, I feel I have more control.
• dont_belong

  

  I teach square the hips, pivot the feet.
• dubnine

  square the hips, get the bunt down!!!!
• darbypitcher22

  

  not only get it down but get it down a line!
• Wooball

  

  darbypitcher22 wrote: not only get it down but get it down a line!

  
  Exactly, eliminate the pitcher or we may as well not bunt.
  Basically want Darby said, start at the top of the strike zone, get the bat in front of the plate into fair territory and don't drop the barrel, and bunt strikes.
• baseballstud24

  When I played, I moved my feet around so that I was completely squared up to the pitcher. I felt it was easier for me to direct where I wanted the ball to go. Of course this was for a sac. bunt. If I were bunting for a hit, I just dropped my back foot so that I was in a running position and tried to get it down the third base line.
  
  Now that I coach, I teach the pivot method...of course if a kid comes in comfortable with moving his feet around to get the bunt down (and can do it successfully) I won't change it. Never change what's not broken (Rule #1 for a coach that seems like it gets ignored far too often)
• thePITman

  

  We teach to pivot on both feet and face the pitcher but not lifting up your feet. We also teach to move up and in within the batter's box. Start at the top of the strike zone and work down.