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Baseball drill

Glove catch bunting drill

The hitter takes a bunting stance with no bat, wears a glove on the top hand, and catches each toss right where the barrel would be. It teaches bunters to let the ball come to them instead of jabbing at it.

A youth baseball player in a helmet squared like a bunter with no bat, glove out front to catch a ball tossed underhand by a kneeling coach
Video by Baseball By The Yard on YouTube. The write-up below is ours.

At a glance

Sport
Baseball and Softball
Skill
Bunting
Ages
6U to 14U
Players
2 (a hitter and a tosser)
Time
About 10 minutes
Level
Beginner
Equipment
A fielding glove, A bucket of balls (soft balls for young players), Home plate or a throw-down plate
Indoors
Yes

Ask a young player to catch a ball and they reach out, watch it in and give with it. Hand them a bat and ask them to bunt, and many of them jab. This drill uses the catch they already know: with a glove on the top hand, held where the barrel would be, the hitter simply catches the pitch from a bunting stance.

It is the first stage of a short progression. Once the catch looks soft and the glove stays out in front, move on to the glove on the bat drill, then to a plain bat. It works in a cage or a gym and needs only a tosser and a bucket of balls.

Setup

  • The hitter puts a glove on the top hand, the hand that slides up the bat to bunt, and stands at the plate with no bat.
  • The tosser kneels or sits about 15 feet in front and tosses underhand.
  • Keep a bucket nearby for the caught balls.

How to run it

  1. The hitter squares to bunt: chest toward the tosser, knees bent, weight balanced.
  2. The glove goes out in front of the plate at the top of the strike zone, where the barrel would be, with the other hand in close where the bottom hand would hold the bat.
  3. The tosser throws a strike. The hitter watches it all the way into the glove and catches it softly, giving a little with the glove.
  4. Drop the ball in the bucket, reset and go again. Ten to fifteen catches, then switch.

Coaching points

  • The glove stays out in front of the plate. If it drifts back toward the chest, the hitter is letting the ball get too deep.
  • Catch and give. A little give at the catch is the same feel as taking the speed off a bunt.
  • Bend the knees to catch a low toss; the glove does not dive down on its own.
  • Eyes on the ball until it is in the glove.

Common mistakes

  • Reaching out and snatching at the ball instead of letting it arrive.
  • Standing tall with straight legs instead of a flexed, athletic stance.
  • Looking up toward the field before the catch.

Printable drill card

Take this drill to the field: the setup, steps, coaching points and equipment on one card, with the video's address to find it again. Free, no account needed.

Print the drill card

Smaller: half page or quarter page (PDF).

By age

Coach pitch

Use soft balls and short, slow tosses. This is a good first bunting drill for a player who is nervous about the ball.

10U and 12U

Mix tosses at the top and bottom of the zone so players learn to move up and down with the knees.

14U

Use it as a quick warm-up for a player whose bunts come off the bat too hard, then go straight to the bat.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which hand wears the glove in the glove bunting drill?

The top hand, the one that slides up toward the barrel when the hitter squares. For a right-handed hitter that is the right hand, so a right-handed thrower will be wearing a glove on the throwing hand.

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