There are a number of ways to play the short game. Here we’ll take a look at three different types of bunts that players can use to play the short game. We’ll also take a look at how base running can greatly aid the short game.

Base Running

When using the short game strategies, base running is essential. Without proper base running, absolutely no short game strategies will work.

The base runners have to know what they’re doing and they also need to be helped out by the 1st and 3rd base coaches.

Being aggressive on the bases is always best. Every player should always run the bases like they aren’t going to stop until they reach home plate. Then they should only stop when the defense forces them to stop.

When playing the short game, the base runners need to be aware of what play is happening and they need to react accordingly.  It’s usually best for the base runner to run hard as soon as the ball is pitched.

Whenever your players are conditioning, part of the conditioning program should always include them running the bases. This will get them used to running on the base pads as well as getting them into shape.

Bunting

The types of bunts we’re going to look at are the sacrifice bunt, the squeeze bunt, the right-handed slap bunt, the push bunt, and the drag bunt.

Sacrifice Bunt

The sacrifice bunt if the most basic type of bunt and it’s also the most basic aspect of the short game. It involves the batter basically giving herself up in order to move-up a runner on base. Since the batter is giving herself up, this bunt should only be called when there are less than two outs.

For this bunt the batter needs to square around as soon as the pitcher starts her pitching motion. This will make laying down the bunt the easiest it can be. It will give away the intention of the hitter but that’s not important.

The batter wants to make sure she keeps the bat level and simply meets the ball with the barrel of her bat. The ball should immediately go to the ground in fair territory.

Squeeze Bunt

The squeeze bunt is performed when there is a runner on third and you want to get her home. The batter must make contact with the ball and get it onto the ground. The runner will be leaving 3rd base and sprinting for home as soon the ball leave the pitcher’s hand, so the batter has to make contact and make sure the ball isn’t popped-up to anyone in the infield.

Once again, this can only be performed with less than two outs.

Right-Handed Slap Bunt

The right-handed slap bunt is used in similar situations as the sacrifice bunt. However, the slap bunt is an attempt to allow everyone to be safe on the play.

For this play the batter squares around early. Then when the defense reacts and begins to move on the play, the batter takes the bat back, places her hands in position to slap the ball, and slaps the ball into the infield. The hope is for the ball to be slapped past the moving infielders.

The Push Bunt

The push bunt is another play that works off of the sacrifice bunt. Instead of trying to simply lay down a bunt, the batter will push the ball as she makes contact to try to push it past the moving defenders.

Often the best place to push the ball is to the right of the pitcher toward where the second baseman plays. This is because a pitcher will have a hard time moving to her right to make the play (it’s tough to react that fast) and the second baseman would’ve vacated her spot in order to cover 1st base.

The Drag Bunt

The drag bunt is also known as the “sneaky bunt”. This is because the hitter hides her intention to bunt until the last second and then she deadens the ball with a bunt and tries to beat the throw to first base.

Short Game Softball Drills

These are drills that you can use to help your players get better with all types of bunts.

Bunting Location

What you need for this drill is a bucket of balls, a bat, and either a pitching machine or a live pitcher.

Purpose: The purpose of this drill is to practice bunting to specific locations. Mark out a few locations where you want the ball to stop and assign point totals for each location.

Performance: Divide the players into teams and then let them take turns bunting.

The first team will bunt while the second team will play defense. All the defensive team will do is pick-up the ball when it stops and then return them to the bucket of balls.

The team that finishes with the most points is the winner.

Short Game Mix with a Machine

For this drill the batter will need a bat and a batting helmet. You will need a fast pitch pitching machine and a batting cage or field to hit the balls into.

Purpose: This drill will teach batters how to disguise the bunt and how to perform all the different types of bunts.

Performance: Divide team into two or three teams. Each team will take turns bunting. Each batter will attempt each type of bunt once. As the batter bunts each ball, the other players on defense will call-out what type of bunt they think is being attempted.

Short-Game Competition

You will need to divide the team into two teams. The offensive team will have bats and helmets. The defensive team will take infield positions and, if you have enough players, outfield positions too.

Purpose: With this drill you will be working on all the types of bunts in game situations.

Performance: You should work on all situations except nobody on base and bases loaded.

The coach or the offensive captain can signal to the batter which type of bunt will be laid down. The pitcher should try to throw only strikes.

Once the ball is bunted, the defense will try to get the lead runner while offense will try to advance the runner. If the defense gets the lead runner then they get a point. If the offense advances the lead runner then they get a point.

Around the World

This drill is good for the defense as well. It’s also known as the “Star Drill”. The drill needs to be done in a field with infielders.

Purpose: This drill will teach the players to run around the bases correctly and as quickly as possible.

Performance: Players will take turns being base runners. When the ball is hit, the player will run around the bases as fast as possible. The runner should run in a straight line from base to base and just curve out a little to turn and run through the base when the runner is about 10 feet from the base. This will create the shortest distance to run.

While the player is running the bases the ball will be hit to the second baseman. The ball will then go from the second to third to first to short to home.

The runner has to beat the ball home.

Tag, Steal, Back

This drill teaches a base runner to be ready for anything.

Purpose: This drill teaches base runners to steal, to take two bases or more, and to tag-up.

Performance: The base runner begins on first or second base. In baseball the runner would take his lead. In softball, the runner won’t lead but should come off the base as she would when the ball is pitched.

The coach will then call out for the runner to “steal”, to get “back”, or to “tag”. The runner must react to what’s being called and perform accordingly.

Final Thoughts

In this article you’ve now discovered the basics of the short game.

If a team can perfect the short game, they can score more runs with much more consistency then they otherwise would be able to do. Also, your team will be able to get runners on base and even score runs on pitchers who are dominant.

If you practice the short game and drill your team on it, you will become good enough at it so that your team will score many runs against any type of defense and any type of pitcher. Don’t forget to leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

Fastpitch softball tip:  Reduce strike outs and to teach your players to keep their eye on the ball on contact.

These drills are best for 10-11 yr olds, but you can try it with athletic 9 year olds too. My girls do great with the tee and soft toss, but when it comes to hitting a pitched ball—it often falls apart.

I use the hard plastic baseballs.  First I demonstrate what I want them to do.  I have my bat and get into my stance.

I have a girl pitch a ball to me and I stop the ball from going past me by just bringing my hands to the ball and have my bat make contact with the ball. I am not swinging.  The knob of the bat is near my waist and the barrel of the bat is in contact position and my head is looking at the barrel of the bat.  This is where I show them where my head is on contact.  I’m not swinging at the pitch.  I’m consciously putting  the bat in position to make contact with the ball. It’s sort of a half -swing.

After my girls master this–and this will go quick–I have them do the drill adding a follow through.

Add a follow through (a squish the bug or hip rotation) and now they’re swinging fluidly and don’t realize it.  They just know their smacking the ball and hard.

I call out “connect and follow through” before each pitch.  Warning—Once they see how they can hit every ball pitched to them, they don’t want to stop.

This softball drill makes them keep their head in there and their eyes on the ball.  Naturally, they load on every pitch without reminders.  After they master keeping their eye on the ball—the rest is cake!  When a ball is coming 40 mph—all you have to do is put the bat on it and follow through—its going!

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The softball coach stands in the batters box with a tee and a ball ready to be hit.  The batter holds a boat paddle (or row paddle) with her left hand on the end and the right hand far up the handle.  Both hands should be on top of the paddle, just like you are rowing in a boat.  Hold the paddle at your waist with the wide part of the paddle facing towards the catcher’s position and parallel to the ground.  To swing– rotate the hips, bringing the paddle around and make contact with the ball.

Variation #1:  hold a bat using the same grip as above, closely resembling a bunt grip but with the right hand over the bat instead of under.  Rotate the hips and body to hit the ball off of the tee.

Variation #2a:  hold a bat using a regular hitters grip.  Place bat against the hip bone facing towards the catcher.  Rotate the body around, leaving the bat at the hip position.

Variation #2b:  same as 2a, but place a soccer ball or basketball on the tee to really emphasize rotating the hips and using the legs on the swing.

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This is an old baseball drill that easily transferred to fastpitch softball:

“PERFECT” INNINGS

This softball drill has two teams (split squad) compete against each other: one on defense, one running the bases. The softball coach hits the ball wherever he wants.

A team must make nine consecutive outs. Any mistake pulls the team off the field and the other team goes on defense. Try to simulate all routine situations that come up in a softball game.

I like that it gives you the “competition” practice as well as the mental reinforcement of practicing “perfect” innings.

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Have your team line up in two lines, facing one another approximately 10-15 feet apart with 8 – 10 feet between one another and staggered.

Have the first girl underhand toss the softball to the girl across from her while saying that girl’s name.  The girl catching the ball catches on the back side of her glove, the back of the fingers and uses her throwing hand to hold it to the back of the glove.  If a girl drops a ball they do not pick it up.  The last player drops the ball in the bucket.  Count the number of dropped balls.

Have the girls switch places so they are throw to someone new.  Give incentives for a perfect round, no dropped balls.

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This first one is a softball throwing drill. Tape paper plates to the backstop about 6 feet off the ground.  Have the girls throw from 15 ft, then from 30 ft, then back to 15 ft.  My goal is to get them to throw more accurately and to stop throwing a rainbow.  They ask me every practice to do it.  I find this especially helpful with younger players.

A good softball batting drill is to have the batter stand facing or parallel to the backstop and then to get 1 bat length away from the fence.  Then the batter swings without hitting the fence.  Next turn the batter so that she is perpendicular to the fence. Put her back foot 2-3 inches from the fence.  The batter has to swing without hitting the fence.

The idea of both was to get the hips turned & to take the end of the bat to the softball.  We had been striking out a lot and we were swinging late. This softball drill or instruction helped out a lot since it got the bat to the hitting area a lot quicker.

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Although this is from my fastpitch softball pitching drills, it is a softball tip that can be geared toward pitchers (both young and experienced, fastpitch or slow pitch).  Pitchers have a tendency not to step toward their catcher–to stray so to speak.

For this particular softball pitching drill, I have a 4 by 4 plank, pointing directly at the catcher, that the pitcher stands on. She goes through her regular motion but must stay balanced on the plank after the release (she must start and finish on the plank…balanced).

This softball drill helps pitchers realize the importance of staying balanced and in line upon release of the pitch. It helps secure the idea in their memory and their accuracy improves immediately.

The intent is for pitchers to transfer the importance of that direct step and balance when they pitch from the pitching rubber.

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From Kevin…
“Pop-Up Line”
I do a softball drill near the end of practice to get my kids to work on tracking down fly balls and also get their running in.  I make the team form a line, and each player has a softball.  I take a knee at the head of the line, and the first player in line hands me their ball.  I throw a high pop that she needs to run and catch.  The next player in line hands me a ball and I then throw this one and the player tracks it down and catches it.

I stress to them trying to catch the ball with their gloves in the air, and avoid the pretty looking basket catch.

The “catch” is that with my team if there is ever a moment where there is no player in line ready to hand me a ball, then the whole team does push-ups.  As the softball drill goes on I throw the ball further and further each time, so the player not only has to run a far distance to gather the ball, but then  has to turn around and sprint back to get in line quickly.

It works.  They love the competition, and do not even see it as a running exercise.

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From Warren…
A really cool softball drill that has been working well for our team is the “catcher’s toss”.

I put a softball on home plate or where home plate should be, and tell the girls to focus on the softball on the plate/ground.  Someone kneels down a few feet behind them clearing the bat’s path in the area of the catchers position, then toss tennis balls, softballs or wiffleballs across the strike zone over the softball that is on the plate or ground. When the batter sees ball cross the softball they have to react quickly, then hitting the ball into a hitting net.

This is a fun and challenging softball hitting drill for all age groups and it’s main purpose is increasing bat speed and explosiveness.

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From Julie…
Here is a softball coaching tip I’d like to share:

It’s not so much a “softball drill” as it is a helpful piece of equipment–a tennis ball machine.  If you’re able to purchase one (I got a used one from a local tennis club), you can customize it to work on several different areas.  For example, you can use the machine to “shoot” tennis balls at catchers to work on blocking drills.  It’s a nice way to help catchers work on moving to the ball and blocking several balls in repetition, without having them risk getting hurt by a hard softball, or a real ball shot out of a regular batting machine.  Plus, the catcher can set up the machine in a corner and work on her own (no partner required to feed; the machine shoots balls out automatically).

You can also use the machine to help outfielders track balls, and it’s a great tool for hitting.  One thing I like to use it for is bunting practice.  Since the balls are smaller and can easily bounce off the bat, it helps the team really focus on having “soft hands” and “receving the ball” with the bat (instead of pushing the bat out or trying to “hit” a bunt).  In other words, if you can bunt a tennis ball fair (and not pop it up), chances are you’ll really be prepared when it’s time for the real softball.

Another bonus for the tennis ball machine is for softball coaches/teams who find themselves practicing indoors a lot.  As a coach in the Northeast, I often find that our team is practicing indoors for the majority of our pre-season.  Tennis balls are a lot safer to use indoors, they won’t scuff or damage the floor or walls, and there is no need to set up a net or screen when using them.

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