SOFTBALL

History of Softball

 Softball was invented inside the

Farragut Boat Club on a blustery,
winter day in November, 1887 in
Chicago, Illinois.

2 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 History of Softball

 George Hancock
 A reporter for the Chicago Board of Trade
 Suggested a game of indoor baseball

3 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 History of Softball

 George Hancock
• He tied together the laces of the boxing glove for a ball and
using a piece of chalk, he marked off a home plate, bases
and a pitcher’s box inside the Farragut Boat Club gym, with
the two groups divided into teams.
• The final score of the game was 41-40, but what was
significant was that Hancock and his friends had invented a
sport that would continue to grow in popularity to where today
more than 40 million people enjoy playing it in summer,
making the Softball the No.1 team participant sport in the
United States.
• Hancock’s invention eventually caught on in Chicago with the
game outdoors and played it on fields not large enough for
baseball.

4 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 History of Softball
 Mid-Winter Indoor Baseball League
of Chicago
 Adopted the 19 special rules appended
by Hancock to adapt the outdoor game to
the indoor game in 1889.

5 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 History of Softball
 Lewis Robber
 A Minneapolis Fire Department lieutenant
 Robber laid out bases with pitching distance
of 35 feet in order to keep his firemen fit
during their idle time.
 He used a small sized medicine ball with the
bat with 2 inches diameter.
 In 1895, Robber organized a team with
another fire company which is call the
Kittens.
6 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
 History of Softball
 George Kehoe
 Captain of Truck Company No. 1, named
Robber’s version of softball as “Kitten
League Ball” in the summer of 1990.
 “Kitten League Ball” was later
shortened to “Kitten ball”

7 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 History of Softball
 In 1993,
 Softball became a national sport and was
called as softball.

8 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 What is Softball?
 Requires 9 players on a team.
 Each team assigns a player to a certain
defensive position.
• Pitcher •Left Fielder
• Catcher • Center Fielder
•Right Fielder
• First baseman
• Second baseman
• Third baseman
• shortstop
9 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
 What is Softball?
 Requires 9 players on a team.
 Each team assigns a player to a certain
defensive position.
• Pitcher •Left Fielder
•Center Fielder
• Catcher
•Right Fielder
• First baseman
• Second baseman
• Third baseman
• Shortstop
10 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
 What is Softball?
 The players are stationed on a playing field
which has a clear and unobstructed area
within a radius of 200 feet from home
plate and tries to hit a ball which delivered
by the pitcher.
 If the batter succeeds, he tries to reach first
base and eventually advance around the
diamond until he returns to home plate.

11 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 What is Softball?

 The players in the field try to prevent

runners from scoring.
 Each time a runner crosses home plate a
run is scored.
 The team with the most runs after seven
innings of play is the winner.

12 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 What is Softball?

 A team sport for two teams in which

the object is to score runs by
advancing around a circuit of four
bases.
 Direct descendant of baseball
(sometimes referred to as “hardball”
to differentiate the two)
13 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
 Chief 3 Differences of
Baseball and Softball

 The ball is always pitched (thrown to

the batter) underarm – that is, it is
released when the hand is below the
hip and no further from the body than
the elbow – while in baseball, the ball
may be released in any position and is
usually thrown over arm or sidearm.
14 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
 Chief 3 Differences of
Baseball and Softball

 The ball is larger, softer, and less

dense than a baseball.
 The playing field is normally
smaller.

15 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 What is Softball?

 Most popular participant sport in the

United States. An estimated 56
million Americans will play at least
one game of softball during a year.
 It is played by both genders socially as
well as competitively, and is an
Olympic sport for women.
16 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
 What is Softball?

 The International Softball

Federation holds world
championships in several categories.
 the championships are held every
four years but in different years for
each category.

17 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 The Playing Field

 Diagram of a softball: diamond.

 The playing field is divided into fair
territory and foul territory.
• Fair territory – further divided into:
• Infield
• Outfield
• Territory beyond the outfield fence.
18 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
 The Playing Field

19 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 The Playing Field

20 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 The Playing Field

 The field is similar to a baseball field, but

smaller.
 It is defined by 2 baselines or foul lines
which meet at a right angle at home plate.
 The minimum length of the baselines
ranges from 220 to 300 feet (67 to 91 m),
depending on the classification of play.

21 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 The Playing Field

 A fence running between the baselines

defines the limits of the field;
 This fence is equidistant from home
plate at all points, unlike the outfield
fence in baseball, which is usually
farther from home plate in center field,
and which may be at different distances
from home plate at the right and left field
foul lines.
22 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
 The Playing Field

 Home plate
→ Made of rubber.
→ Five-sided figure, (a combination of a
rectangle and triangle) 17 inches (43
cm) wide.
→ Sides are 8.5 in (22 cm) long
→ The triangle fits into the right angle
formed by the baselines.
23 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
 The Playing Field

 Home plate is 1 corner of a 60 feet square

(sometimes 65 feet) or diamond with bases at
each corner.
 The bases other than home plate are 15 in (38
cm) square, of canvas or a similar material,
and not more than 5 in (13 cm) thick.
 The bases are securely fastened in position.
 The bases are numbered counterclockwise as
first base, second base, and third base.
24 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
 The Playing Field

 Outside first base (that is, in foul territory) is

a safety base; to prevent collisions between
the first baseman and the runner.
 The runner runs for the safety base after
hitting the ball while the fielding team tries to
throw the ball to the regular first base before
the runner reaches the safety base.
 However, not all softball diamonds have
these safety bases.
25 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
 The Playing Field

 The infield consists of the diamond and the

adjacent space in which the infielders
normally play.
 The outfield is the remaining space
between the baselines and between the
outfield fence and the infield.
 The infield is usually skinned (dirt), while
the outfield has grass in regulation
competitions.
26 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
 Players

 In fast pitch softball, the fielding team fields

nine players:
• The left, center and right fielder play
in the outfield,
• The pitcher, catcher, first baseman,
second baseman, third baseman and
shortstop play in the infield.

27 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 Players

 The basemen play in the vicinity of their

bases, while the shortstop plays between
the second and third baseman (normally
the second baseman plays on the first base
side of second base and the shortstop on
the second base side.)

28 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 Players
 The pitcher stands at the pitching point in
the center of the diamond;
• For men – pitching point: 46 ft (14 m)
from home plate.
• For women – pitching point: 40 ft (12 m)
from home plate.
 There is no pitcher’s mound as in baseball.
 The catcher plays behind home plate,
squatting to receive the pitch.
29 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
 Players

 A slow pitch softball team fields an

additional outfielder; the centre fielder is
replaced by a left centre fielder and a right
centre fielder.
 Another form of softball instead adds a
rover who plays between the centre fielder
and second base.

30 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 Players

 The batting team sends one batter at a

time to home plate to try to hit a ball thrown
by the pitcher forward into fair territory.
Once of the ball is hit into fair territory the
runner may try to advance to first base or
beyond. Once on base the batter becomes
a base runner.

31 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

Equipment

Ball

 The size of the ball varies according to the

classification of play.
 The permitted circumferences in international play are
12 in (30cm) and 11 in (28cm).
 The ball is most often covered in white leather in two
pieces roughly the shape of a figure 8 and sewn
together with red thread, although other coverings are
permitted.
 The core of the ball maybe made of long fiber kapok
or a mixture of cork and rubber or a polyurethane
mixture or another approved material.
32 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
33 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
Equipment

Fielding gloves and mitts

 All players may wear fielding gloves made

of leather or similar material, but only the
catcher and first baseman may wear mitts;
 Gloves have fingers, while mitts do not.
 Gloves have webbings between the thumb
and forefinger.

34 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

The Catcher and First Baseman’s
Mitts

35 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

Equipment

Fielding Gloves

36 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

Equipment

Softball Bat

 The bat used by the batter is made of

hardwood metal or any of several other
approved materials.
 It may be no more than 34 in (86 cm) long,
2.25 in (6 cm) in diameter or 38 oz (1kg)
in weight.

37 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

Equipment

Softball Bat

38 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

Equipment

Distinctive Uniforms

 Each team wears distinctive uniforms.

 The uniform varies more than baseball
uniforms, in that short pants are allowed
as well as britches.
 It includes a peaked cap, a shirt, an
undershirt and pants, these are the
components for which standards are set.

39 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

Equipment

Distinctive Uniforms

40 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

Equipment

Shoes

 The players shoes may have cleats or

spikes.
 Many recreational leagues prohibit the use
of metal cleats or spikes in order to reduce
the possible severity of injuries when a
runner slides feet-first into a fielder.

41 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

Shoes

42 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

Equipment

Protective Equipment

 The catcher wears protective equipment,

consisting of at least a mask with a grille
protecting the face, the throat protector and
a hard safety helmet.

43 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

Equipment

Protective Equipment

44 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 Equipment

 The minimum equipment necessary to play softball

officially is a ball and a bat.
 Bases may be makeshift and official dimensions modified.
 The pitchers plate is constructed of wood or rubber, 24
inches long and six inches wide.
• For women, the pitchers plate is placed 40 feet from
home plate
• For men, 46 feet
 Bases covered with canvas or other suitable materials
are 15 inches square. They are placed 60 feet apart and
are fastened in place.
45 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
 Pitchers plate

46 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

Basic Skills
 Throwing
1. Overhand throw
2. Underhand throw
3. Side throw
 Catching – catch the ball, use gloves.
 Fielding
1. Fielding fly balls
2. Fielding ground balls
 Pitching – to throw the ball into the batted player.

47 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

Basic Skills
Types of Pitching

1. Straight fast pitch or slingshot

 Grip the ball as for any other throw except that the
hand is under the ball.
 Again, as for the other throws, use either your entire
hand or the tripod grip.
 Be sure your finger pads cross the seams of the ball.
 Start your pitch by standing with both feet touching
the pitcher’s plate.
 Place the throwing side heel on the front edge of the
plate and the toe of the other foot on the back edge.
48 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
Basic Skills
Types of Pitching

2. Windmill
 Makes a complete circle from
straight up over head to behind
your body and then downward and
out towards the batter.
 The delivery starts with both arms
moving forward and upward,
reaching out, without stretching.
49 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
Basic Skills

 Batting – to hit the ball with a full swing of the bat.

 Types of Batting Grip
a) Long grip – the hands are placed as close as
possible to the knob on the bottom of the bat.
b) Medium grip – the hands are placed
approximately one – two inches from the
knob.
c) Choke – the hands are placed approximately
three – four inches from the knob.
50 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
Basic Skills
 Bunting – a bunt is a batted ball which is not
hit with full swing.
 Base running – runner should touch the inside
of the bases and not run wide at each base.
Using by sliding and diving into the bases.
 Types of sliding
a) Straight-in slide
b) Bent-leg slide
c) Hook slide
51 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
Team Composition
 PITCHER
 Has specialized throwing skills which is used
by no other defensive player.
 Outstanding pitching ability is necessary for
a team to win consistently
 A good pitcher must have speed, accuracy,
and a variety of pitches as well as the ability
to field his position properly.

52 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

Team Composition
 CATCHER
 Often the defensive leader.
 Catchers do not only catch the pitches but
also is in the best position to suggest any
changes in the fielder’s position.
 Responsible for giving the pitcher advice on
the type of pitch and the target for the pitch,
catching pop- ups, throwing out runners
attempting to steal, fielding bunts, protecting
home plate, and backing up plays at first base
when no other runner is on base.
53 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
Team Composition
 FIRST BASEMAN
 Plays about six (6) feet toward second base
and two or three steps in front of the base to
protect against a bunt.
 SECOND BASEMAN
 Plays about fifteen (15) feet toward first base
from second base and about ten (10) feet
behind in the base line.
 Catches any fly balls or field any grounders in
his territory.
54 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
Team Composition
 THIRD BASEMAN
 Plays about two- seven feet from the bag and
two or three steps in front of the base when
there are less than two strikes on the batter.
 SHORT STOP
 Plays about halfway between third and second
base and about ten to twelve feet behind the
base line.

55 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

Team Composition
 LEFT FIELDER
 Plays in the outfield between the third
baseman and he short stop.
 CENTER FIELDER
 Plays behind the second base
 RIGHT FIELDER
 Plays between the first and second baseman

56 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 Play

 The team take turns batting. Each team

bats until three players have been put out.
 An inning consist of a turn-a-bat each
team, with the home team batting second.
 Seven innings constitute a game, unless
extra innings are required to break a tie.

57 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

 Play

 Play begins with the pitcher attempting to

throw the ball to the catcher past the batter
at home plate.
 The throw, or pitch, must be made with an
underarm motion, the ball must be released
below the hip when the hand is no farther
from the hip than the below.

58 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

Play

Strike

 Called if the pitch crosses home plate

between the batter’s armpits and the top of
his or her knees without being hit by the
batter.
 Also called if the batter hits the pitch but fails
to the ground anywhere in foul territory
(unless 2 strike have already been called) or if
the batter swings at any pitch and misses.
 Foul Ball – a batted ball hit into foul territory.
59 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
Play

 A pitch which is not a strike and which the

batter does not swing at is a ball (an
uncaught foul ball with 2 strikes on the
batter is neither a strike nor a ball).
 If four balls are called, the batter advances
to first base. The batter may also advance
after hitting the ball into fair territory without
being a put out.
60 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
Play

 The batter stands facing the pitcher inside a

batter’s box (there is 1 on each side of plate).
 The bat is held with both hands, over the
shoulder away from the pitcher.
 The ball is usually hit with a full swinging
motion in which the bat may move through
more than 360 degrees.
 The batter usually steps forward with the front
foot and swings at the bat.
61 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
Play

 Fly ball – a batted ball hit high in the air.

 Pop fly – a fly ball hit upward at an angle
greater than 45 degrees.
 Runner – a player on base
 When on first, second, third base, the
runner may be retired by being forced out,
by being touched with the ball while away
from a base and in certain other
circumstances (being hit by a batted ball).
62 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
Play

 A run is scored when a player has touched

all four bases in order, proceeding
counterclockwise around them.
 They need not be touched on the same
play, a batter may remain safely on a base
while play proceeds and attempt to
advance. The runner must be on base until
the pitcher releases the ball.

63 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

Play
A runner may advance:

1. On a hit by another player

2. Automatically, when a base on balls advances another player to the
runner’s current base.
3. By stealing a base (running to the next base on the pitch and
releasing it before being tagged with the ball.)
4. After a fly ball has been caught, provided the player was touching a
base at the time the ball was caught or after.
5. Automatically, on a balk (illegal delivery or non-delivery of a pitch
which could deceive the baserunner).
6. On an error by a fielder.

 The team with the most runs after seven innings wins the game.
64 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
Advanced Offensive Skills
 Place Hitting - The number or position of base
runners as well as the position of the infield often
leaves “holes” or openings between the fielders.
 Fake Buntling
• A fake bunt is often attempted to pull the defense
in toward the batter in order to help a base runner
steal or to permit the batter to place hit the ball in
the defensive position vacated.
• Preferably, the ball should be batted just over the
first or third baseman’s he has to move to cover a
base.
65 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials
Advanced Offensive Skills
 Hit and Run
• This technique is used to advance a base runner two or more
bases, and at the same time permits a ground ball which
normally would be fielded to become a base hit.
• The hit and run play is most often used when there is a runner
on first base.
 Delayed steal
• This is a risky play and should be attempted only by swift
runners.
• Lead off the base as usual.
• If the catcher does not force your back, immediately take off at
full speed for the next base as soon as he starts to throw the
ball
66 | Athlete to the
Leadership pitcher.
– Athletes as Officials
Advanced Offensive Skills

 Use of Coaches
• The rules permit one member of the
offensive team to stand at the
sidelines by first and third base.

67 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials

Advanced Defensive Skills

 The Preplan
• Develop a plan of action for all the various
possibilities for a play in your area.
• As the ball is pitched, be ready to move and
be convinced that the play will be in your area.
 Catching the Fly Ball
• Try to catch every ball in your area unless by
catching a foul you would allow a base runner
to advance or score in a close game.
68 | Athlete Leadership – Athletes as Officials