UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MINDANAO

Softball
 Topic Outline
• History of Softballs
• Facilities & Equipment
• Skills and Other Terminologies
• Rules in Playing
• Demonstration Session (Application)

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 Intended Learning Outcome
• Identify the equipment’s used in playing softball.
• Discuss the history, skills, terminologies, and rules in
playing softball.

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 History
• Softball began in 1887 when George Hancock, a reporter for
the Chicago Board of Trade, invented "indoor baseball". By
the spring of 1888, the game had spread outdoors. It was
originally called either mushball, kittenball or indoor baseball,
but by the 1920s it had acquired the name of softball. The
sport became organised in the United States in 1933 with the
formation of the Amateur Softball Association of America
(ASA). The sport was originally played by men and did not
become popular with women until the formation of the ASA.

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• In 1923 a rules committee was appointed to publish and
circulate a standard set of rules. The committee was later
enlarged to form the International Joint Rules Committee on
Softball, which came to include representatives of a number
of organizations that promote and sponsor softball.
The Amateur Softball Association of America, organized in
1933, came to be the recognized governing agency for
promotion and control of organized national competition

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What is Softball?

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 What is Softball
• Softball is a game of ball between two teams, nine- or ten-
player per team teams and is played usually for seven
innings on a field that has as a focal point a diamond-shaped
dirt infield with a home plate and three other bases, 60 feet
(18.29 meters) apart, forming a circuit that must be
completed by a base runner in order to score, the central
offensive action entailing hitting of a pitched ball with a
wooden or metal bat and running of the bases, the winner
being the team scoring the most runs.
• The name "softball" was given to the game in 1926 because
the ball used to be soft
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 Facilities & Equipment
• The regulation playing field for softball includes a diamond-
shaped area with 60-foot (18.3-metre) baselines.
• The pitching distance for men is 46 feet (14 metres) and for
women 43 feet (13.11 metres).
• Bats must be round, not more than 34 inches (86.4 cm) long, and
not more than 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) in diameter at the largest part.
• The official softball is a smooth-seam ball 12 inches (30.5 cm) in
circumference, weighing between 6.25 and 7 ounces (177 and
198 grams)

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 Facilities & Equipment
One of the first things you'll need
is a baseball glove. There a ton of
baseball gloves out there from
numerous companies. They come in a
wide variety of materials, sizes, colors,
designs, and uses. A catcher uses a
mitt, which is typically much larger than
a traditional baseball glove, and
Softball Glove designed to catch blazing fastballs
from pitchers.
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 You can't really play baseball
without a bat! While there is a ton
of fun to be had by just getting your
glove on and playing catch with a
friend, the game itself involves
hitting and that means a bat.
Softball Bat

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 I almost forgot that you'll need
balls in order to play! Most baseballs
are made of a rubberized core,
wrapped with yarn (very densely), and
covered with full-grain leather. There
are differences to this with some balls,
and some balls are covered with
Softballs
plastic to make them better for use in
wet weather. Baseballs are very hard
and weigh 5.25 ounces.
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 If you're going to be playing in
a game, or stepping in to try to hit
live pitching, you'll need a helmet.
Helmets are made of strong
plastic material and have padding
on the inside for safety and
comfort.
Batting Helmet

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 The playing field, or
“diamond”, is the square within the
infield that surrounds the four
bases - the home plate, along with
the first, second, and third bases.

Field

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 If you want to be a catcher,
you'll need protective gear.
Catcher's gear consists of leg
guards, chest pad, and a
helmet. The gear comes in all
the different sizes that you'll
need and is made by many
different companies.
Catcher's Gear

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 You'll need some batting gloves
if you're going to be spending a lot of
time swinging the bat. The bat will
give you blisters on your hands, and
vibration from the ball hitting the
wrong spot on the bat will rattle your
hands like crazy. Batting gloves will
cure both of these things and will
help you grip the bat better too
Batting Gloves

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 This is not the most fun thing
to buy, or wear, in baseball but it
is very important if you're a male.
Baseball shorts have a pocket in
the front to put a protective cup
in.

Protective Cup

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 From keeping the sun out of
your eyes to looking cool with
the latest team's logo, a
baseball hat is a must for a
game. Every baseball player
wears a hat, and they come in
adjustable or custom sizes.
Baseball Hat

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 You've got to wear cleats
if you're going to be running
around on grass and dirt for a
baseball game. Youth players
wear cleats made of rubber,
which don't grip the ground as
well but are safer.
Baseball Cleats

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 Skills and Other Terminologies
• Softball Skills- Batting
-Softball batting skills are those that are required if you are at-bat.
• Softball Skills- Hitting for power
-Hitting for power is a unique kind of skill that not everyone has. It
is a skill that is very coveted in softball athletes. Hitting for power
combines making contact with a ball and crushing it as much as
possible.
• Softball Skills- Hitting for Contact
-Hitting for contact is another of the essential tools of softball
gameplay. To put it in simple words, this skill is the ability of an athlete to
make contact with the ball.
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 Skills and Other Terminologies
• Softball Skills- Bunting
Like hitting for contact and power, bunting is another important skill
to learn as a softball player. Bunting can prove very beneficial for
softball athletes that are not strong hitters. Instead of swinging at
the ball when it is pitched, you maneuver your bat in front of you
and tap the ball to the ground.
• Softball Skills- Running
Finally, is running, which is also the most simple skill required for
softball. This necessary skill applies to both offense and defense.

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 Skills and Other Terminologies
• Softball Skills- Slap hitting
Slap hitting is a technique used in batting, when you directly hit the
ball to the ground. It helps you create a big bounce so a player has
time to outrun the ground ball.
• Softball Skills- Fielding
Besides softball batting skills, fielding also requires some essential
skills to play a good game. Such skills include pitching, throwing,
and catching.

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 Skills and Other Terminologies
• Softball Skills- Pitching
Pitching is one of the most essential skills which are required in
softball. Softball pitching skills falls in the category of softball
fielding skills. It is considered the most technical skill, which is only
reserved for a single player on the field.
• Softball Skills- Throwing
To put it in simple words, throwing is a skill that sets softball apart
as a sport. It is a skill that is key for every position on defense.

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 Skills and Other Terminologies
• Softball Skills- Catching
Like throwing skills in fielding, catching is another essential skill
that helps when playing defense regardless of what position you
hold on the field. Catching high fly balls in the outfield is an
important skill to possess to have success on the field.
• Softball Skills- Round Up
To hold a good command of any sport requires developing specific
skills dependent on that sport or activity

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 Skills and Other Terminologies
• Appeal Play - A play upon which an umpire cannot make a
decision until requested by a player. The appeal must be
made before the next ball is delivered to the batter.
• Base Path - An imaginary line three feet to either side or
direct line between the bases.
• Batter's Box - An area to which the batter is restricted while
in position with the intention of helping his/her team to obtain
runs.
• Batter/Baserunner - A player who has finished his/her turn
at bat, but has not yet been put out or touched first base.
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 Skills and Other Terminologies
• Catcher's Box - An area which the catcher must stand while and
until the pitcher delivers a pitched ball.
• Dead Ball - Ball is not in play and is not considered in play again
until the pitcher is within 8 feet of the pitcher's mound and the
umpires has called "Play Ball".
• Fair Ball - Any batted ball which settles on fair territory between
home and first base or home and third base; or that is on or over
fair territory including any part of first and third base when
traveling to the outfield; or that touches any of the bases; or if it
touches any person (player or umpire);
• Foul Tip - A foul ball which goes directly from the bat, not higher
than the batter's head, to the catcher's hand and is legally caught.
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 Skills and Other Terminologies
• Pivot Foot - The foot which the pitcher must keep in contact with
the pitcher's plate until the ball is delivered.
• Play Ball - The term used by the umpire to indicate that play shall
begin or resume.
• Sacrifice Fly - A fair fly ball which enables any runner to advance
or enables a runner to score, but which results in the
batter/runner to be out.
• Turn at Bat - Begins when a player first enters the batter's box
and continues until he is out or becomes a baserunner.
• Time - Term used by the umpire to order the suspension of play.

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 Rules in Playing
1) There are 9 players on a softball team.
2) The playing field is divided into the infield and outfield
3) The lines between the bases are 60' apart and when joined they
form a «diamond»,
inside the baseline is known as the infield
4) Outside the baseline but inside the playing field is called the
outfield.
Any ball going outside the 1st or 3rd base line is a foul ball
( runners can not advance
and the batter gets another try unless the ball was caught in the air,
which translates to
an out)
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5) An official game is 7 innings (a inning is when both teams have had their
turn to bat)
a) The visiting team bats in the first half of each inning, called the «top of the
inning;» the home team bats in the second half of each inning, called the
«bottom
of the inning
6) There is no set time that an inning lasts; each half of the inning continues
until the
defense accumulates three outs. If the game is tied after the last inning, the
game
goes into «extra innings,» and continues until one team holds a lead at the
end of
an inning.
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Pitching Rules
1) The pitcher must have both feet on the pitcher's rubber
and can only take one step
forward while pitching.
2) The ball must be thrown underhand.
3) Both hands must be on the ball at the start of the pitch.

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Batting Rules
1) Batters must follow the same order throughout
the whole game
2) The batter is out if and when:
a) Three strikes have been called
b) A fly ball is caught
c) The batter does not stand in the batter's box.

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Base Running Rules
1) Runners must touch each base in order
2) Runners may overrun 1st base only, all other bases the
runner may be tagged and
called out if they are off the base.
3) Runners can not lead off a base, they must be on base
until the ball as left the
pitcher's hand
4) After a fly ball has been caught the base runner must
tag the occupied base before
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5) advancing to the next base
6) One base runner can not pass another base runner that
is ahead of them.
7) Stealing a base is not permitted
8) A runner is out if:
a) they are tagged with the ball before reaching a base
b) the ball gets to 1st base before the runner
c) they run more than 3 feet out of the base line to avoid
being tagged.

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Demonstration Session (Application)

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 Summary

• (summary of the Lesson)

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 Reference

Attached references (APA 7th edition format)

• https://web.mst.edu/~ima/rules/softballrules.html#:~:text=Softball%20Rules&text=The%20Field%20%2D
%20The%20baselines%20will,SEE%20LAST%20RULE%20UNDER%20BATTING).
• https://www.ripit.com/blogs/news/softball

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