Baseball drill
Beginner bunting cone line
Young players stand at their own cones and rehearse the bunting pivot, grip and bat angle together on the coach's calls, then take turns bunting soft tosses. Everyone learns the safe way to hold the bat before any ball is thrown.
At a glance
- Sport
- Baseball and Softball
- Skill
- Bunting
- Ages
- 6U to 12U
- Players
- 6 to 12, one per cone, and a coach
- Time
- About 15 minutes
- Level
- Beginner
- Equipment
- Bats and batting helmets, One cone per player, Soft or safety balls, A bucket
- Indoors
- Yes
The first bunting lesson is mostly about safety: where the top hand goes, so a pitch does not hit the fingers, and how to hold the bat so the ball goes down. Teaching that one child at a time takes all practice. Lining the team up at cones lets every player learn it together, the way a dance class learns a step.
Once the dry reps look right, players come up one at a time to bunt soft tosses while the rest keep practicing the position at their cones. Use it early in the season, or for any group that has never bunted.
Setup
- Set a row of cones a few big steps apart along a foul line or across a gym. Each player stands at a cone with a helmet and bat, in a batting stance with the cone as home plate.
- Leave room between players so bats cannot reach each other.
- The coach stands out front with a bucket of soft balls, about 15 to 20 feet from the hitting spot.
How to run it
- On the first call, players pivot on the back foot to face the coach, knees bent.
- On the second call, they slide the top hand up the bat to the barrel and pinch it from behind, fingers tucked back.
- On the third call, they set the bat out in front at the top of the zone with the barrel a little higher than the hands. Check every player.
- Return to the batting stance and repeat the calls until the whole line does it smoothly.
- Then players come up one at a time to bunt three soft tosses while the rest keep practicing at their cones.
Coaching points
- Pinch, do not wrap. The top hand holds the bat from behind with the fingers out of the way.
- Bend the knees to get down to a low pitch, and keep the bat angle the same.
- The bat catches the ball. Players do not push or swing at it.
- Out in front of the plate, where the player can see the ball hit the bat.
Common mistakes
- Fingers wrapped around the front of the barrel, where the ball can hit them.
- The bat head dropped below the hands, which pops the ball up.
- Bending at the waist with straight legs instead of bending the knees.
- Moving to live tosses before the dry position is right for everyone.
Printable drill card
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By age
Coach pitch
Use foam or tennis balls and gentle tosses, and spend most of the time on the dry calls and finger safety. A ball that hits the bat and drops is a good bunt.
10U and 12U
Move through the dry calls quickly, then use the foul lines as targets and praise bunts that stop softly in fair ground.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you teach a young player to hold the bat for a bunt?
Slide the top hand up to the barrel and pinch it from behind with the thumb and fingers, fingers tucked back so a pitch cannot hit them. Keep the barrel a little higher than the hands, and bend the knees to reach low pitches.
What age should kids start bunting?
Many leagues allow bunting from the coach-pitch years on. Teach the safe grip and stance as soon as players start bunting in games, with soft balls at first.
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