If you are new to baseball or coaching, you may learn many new terms that you have never even heard of before. Like that, Fungo bats are among those you may not be familiar with or know about but would like to learn more about.
Thus we have discussed so many facts about the fungo bat so that you will have a better understanding of the fungo bat. With this article, you will uncover many unknown facts about fungo bats to expand your knowledge of baseball bats.
What Is A Fungo Baseball Bat
The term fungo refers to tossing a ball into the air and hitting it with a bat when it falls.
The bat you use to hit fungoes is a fungo bat. Fungo bats are different from regular baseball bats. It has a lighter, thinner, and more extended design than regular bats. Fungo bats are used mainly by coaches.
A fungo bat between 34 inches and 36 inches is used mainly by couches. Fungo bats weigh between 17 and 24 ounces. Regular baseball bats are heavier than fungo bats. This link will tell you what weight a baseball bat is. The bat is made of birch wood. But metal fungo bats are also available.
History of Fungo Bats
The origin of Fungo is unknown to baseball fans and historians. Nevertheless, the word "fung" means "to toss, or fling" is a Scottish word, and some historians believe that Scottish is the source of the word. Even so, everyone still has a mystery about the creation of Fungo.
Jimmy Reese, who was Babe Ruth's roommate, is an excellent player with the fungo bat. Later, Reese was hired by the Angels team to be their coach. For the Angels, he was an excellent coach with a fungo bat.
What Is The Purpose of A Fungo Bat
It is an essential tool for fielding practices, in particular defence practice. This bat is used before a match or for infielder and outfielder practice hitting grounder and pop-fly balls. Coaches primarily use fungo bats. Shorter fungo bats are for infielders; longer fungo bats are for outfielders to hit grounders and pop flies.
The lightweight of this bat allows couches to throw the ball into the air and then hit it with their other hand when it comes down. The fielding experience with fungo bats is less tiring and far less fatiguing for both the couch and the fielder. coaches can hit the ball with fungo bat wherever they want at whatever speed they want. Thus, the fungo bat has become popular with couch users.
Fungo bats are more extensive and lighter than regular baseball bats. Players can hit the ball quickly, which may conflict with MLB rules. Furthermore, fungo bats will break easily if they are used in an actual game. This is why fungo bats are not allowed in the main baseball game.
The Fungo Bat Is Incredibly long, So Why?
Fungo bats are designed specifically for baseball fielding practices for couches. To be more specific, make the infield-outfield preparation easier. An infielder or outfielder needs to practice fielding a lot. During that time, coaches are likely to hit hundreds of balls to fielders.
Regular bats hurt and tire the couches because of their shorter length and heavyweight; if they swing, that's the amount of ball. Furthermore, coaches are unlikely to hit such an amount of balls with a regular baseball bat.
Fungo bats are lightweight and more prolonged than regular bats. By hitting fungo bats, the ball will travel in the same manner as by hitting regular bats. In addition, the lightweight of the fungo bats helps couches generate the power to hit the ball for travelling that distance.
How Can A Fungo Bat Help A Baseball Coach?
The reason why fungo bats are popular is their lightweight and ease of use. Then what kind of help is the baseball couch getting from fungo bats? Here they are:
- A baseball coach has to hold a practice session for a lot of players at once. Having six players on a line to practice, he must provide a sufficient number of reps for them, a minimum of 20 each. This means he needs to swing 120 times. It's more than a casual couch practice session.
When a coach uses a regular baseball bat, he will get soreness on his shoulder and forearm after swinging this much ball. With this soreness, he will be unable to provide his service as usual for the next practice session. That's why a lightweight fungo bat is more helpful to hit a massive amount of ball.
- Since fungo bats are lightweight, couches can control the speed and the accuracy of the bat. It allows him to hit fly balls, grounders, and backoffs. Swinging is much easier with this fungo bat. With the lightweight of the bat, couches can hit the ball anywhere he wants at any speed. Read this article to find out how to hold a bat for a stronger swing.
- From the knob to the barrel, this part of the fungo bat is skinnier. The barrel of the bat is much thicker than the rest of the body. The couch is then able to hit the ball with only one hand, swinging harder. Even if the fielder is in the infield, they still have to step back to catch those ground balls. Outfielders have to do a lot of work when couches hit fly balls with these fungo bats.
- As a result of weight distribution in the bat, couches can use one hand to hit the ball. To be good at hitting, your head must move slowly when you hit. Therefore, you must toss the ball high to see the ball when you hit it and get both hands on the bat.
At that moment, you may miss some whiffs on drill swings. That's what happens when you use a heavier bat. However, with fungo bats, you don't have to throw the ball higher. It's easy to throw and strike the ball with one hand. Fungo bats allow much more accurate hitting than regular baseball bats due to their lighter weight.
That's the reason for using fungo bats by the baseball coach while practising. Compared to regular bats, it gives them more benefits. Thus, they use this before a match or practice session. With this bat, they can take a fielding practice session at once with lots of players.
What Is The Purpose Of Putting Athletic Tape On Couches' Fungo Bats?
Since fungo bats are skinnier and lighter, they have a higher breakage rate at the practice. Fungo bats go through a lot of ball hitting practice. This is why couches tape the bat three layers of athletic tape to increase its life. The tape pulled up the wood grain of the bat and made it more durable. The main reason to use athletic tape on a bat is to lengthen its life. To learn why a baseball bat breaks, check out this article.
Wood vs Metal, Which One Is Better?
Wood Fungo Bat
The wooden fungo bat is the most popular and traditional bat used by couches. The reasons they use wood bats are,
- The wood fungo bat gives the couch control over speed and direction. As a result, they feel comfortable with wood bats.
- Wooden fungo bats are customizable.
- Wooden fungo bats do not produce any annoying sounds.
Aluminium Fungo Bat
Even though wood fungo bats are the most popular bats, metal/aluminium bats are preferred by couches who do not like to care for bats in the off-season. This article gives you some ideas on storing baseball bats. Furthermore, if the league requires metal bats, then practising with metal fungo bats will be more beneficial than practising with wood fungo bats. The benefits of aluminium fungo bats:
- Metal fungo bats have a lower breakage rate than wood fungo bats.
- Metal fungo bats can be store anywhere since the environment won't affect them. So, metal bats are more durable than wood fungo bats.
Not only fungo bats, but also metal/aluminum bats are not allowed in MLB games. There are a number of reasons to ban those bats. Here is why MLB does not permit aluminum bats.
Fungo Bats: What Are The Checks?
If you would like to purchase a fungo bat, always look for a brand that manufactures quality products with trust. However, you must check the weight of the fungo bats. (-12) is the recommended drop weight for fungo bats. This means that the bat is the shortest at 34 inches and the heaviest at 22 ounces. Consider the durability and materials you want to use as well.
The Cost of Fungo Bats
The price of homemade fungo bats will be less than that of customizable, printed and quality fungo bats. However, it depends on your needs. How much you wish to practice with fungo bats. To get a durable fungo bat, choose a suitable metal fungo bat that is less than 70$. It's a good investment for your practice session.
Conclusion
I hope you now understand what fungo bats are. A fungo bat is strictly prohibited for all players. In practice sessions, it can only be uses by couches and parents. You will get to know about the construction of the bat, its history, its purpose, and factors to consider before you buy a fungo bat. I hope this helps you a lot.
This video show you how to hit a ball with fungo bat
I was just telling my friend about that.