Tips on Bunting

A video on the basics of Bunting. I like to focus on the first style he talks about - the pivot bunt.

More on Bunting:

A good article from a very successful college coach who uses bunting a lot:

http://www.baseballnews.com/features/smallball.htm

"The fundamentals of bunting are pretty simple. You keep your balance, see the ball and get the bat out in front and watch the ball off the bat. Get your angle early. Most guys who don�t bunt very well don�t get into the proper position prior to the ball getting to them. So they don�t track it very well, and they don�t get the angle because they are rushed. So there is a timing and a rhythm to it that needs to be followed. You need to keep it simple to be consistent."

An example of a MLB Bunt for a base hit.

We don't want our hitters attempting to deaden the ball because that is when hitters pop it up. So I just have them be firm with the bat and try to get the ball on the ground quickly. This allows the bunter to stay on top of the ball and let the ground deaden.

"When you get an early first bounce on a bunt, it helps the runner so he can get a good jump."

"I like to see the top hand up on the bat to a point where the barrel is resting between the thumb and forefinger with those fingers out of the way of the ball striking the barrel. Those fingers are firm on the bat. Then you slide the bottom hand up a little bit as well so you have balance. When you have balance, it is easier for you to control the bat and see the ball.

"Another key teaching point is to keep the barrel of the bat in position so you have the proper angle prior to the ball hitting the bat. Then you can see the ball and the bat come together so that contact zone is out in front of the eyes and slightly off to the side so you don�t foul a ball off into your face."