Another variation of playing is setting a target (i.e. home plate), and that is the hole for the entire game. For the entire game players go to a different part of the field and try to hit home plate in the fewest strokes.To make the game more interesting players can create certain hazards or obstacles that the players must avoid hitting while making their shot. If a player hits a certain hazard then they may be penalized one stroke, a player can also lose a stroke if he loses their ball while taking a shot.
How the bat is made is what differentiates it from the typical regulation bat used by major league players. In addition to being lighter and thinner, the bat is also much longer compared to the normal bat. It ranges between 35 – 37 inches in terms of length. In terms of weight, the bat weighs between 17 – 22 ounces. Of great importance to note is the fact that the bat features a bigger barrel than the normal ones. Since it’s flatter and features a small diameter, it’s ideal when it comes to hitting ground balls as well as pop flies. This would be necessary during the fielding practice of any team regardless of the level.
As to who created the first ever fungo, baseball fans may never know. The word fungoes and fungo batting have been referenced since the early 1800's, but nobody has been able to pinpoint the original source. Baseball fans and historians both agree that the creator of the first ever fungo is somewhat of a mystery. Here at JustBats, we may not know who created the first ever fungo, but we are sure glad that they did!
If fungoes are a ball tossed into the air by a batter and then struck as it comes down then a fungo bat is a baseball bat used for hitting fungoes. To go into more detail, a fungo bat is a long, lightweight baseball bat used by coaches (or parents) during pregame hitting or practice to help them hit grounders and pop flys with more consistency and less fatigue. To be one of the best in baseball, countless hours of practice are a must and fungo bats are intended for both infield and outfield practice. Plus, they help tremendously with control and accuracy so that coaches and parents can place a ball where they want when they want.
A fungo bat is used by the coach to hit ground balls or fly balls to his team. All throughout high school and college many players use fungo bats to play fungo golf. This is when each person has a fungo bat and a baseball and they pick out targets around their field or complex and basically play it in the same manner as golf. Fungo bats should not be used to hit a pitched baseball because they are much weaker than normal bats and will break much much easier.
The origin of the word "fungo" is unknown and argued upon as there are many possible options as to the origins of this unique word. It is assumed by many to be derived from the Scottish word fung meaning to pitch, toss, or fling. This would make sense, as fungo bats are designed to do just that. Or, the alternative to this origin is that fungo comes from 1937 where David Shulman, writer for the American Speech, said, "My guess is that the word, which is baseball slang, may be explained through the elements of a compound word, fun and go." Lastly, a third belief is that the word fungo comes from an old game, similar to that of baseball, where the players used to chant, "One go, two goes, fun goes."
Before we get started, we have to define the word "fungo" or "fungoes." To summarize, fungo (fungoes for plural) is a ball tossed into the air by the batter and struck as it comes down during practice sessions. If you are a coach, you are more than likely familiar with a fungo bat. Or, if you are a player who has ever worked on ground balls or pop-flys in practice, you should know what a fungo bat is, as well. For the rest of us, a fungo bat might as well be a foreign object. What is that oddly shaped, extra long practice bat? So, let's answer the most common fungo bat questions: