BASIC BASEBALL FOR CLUELESS PARENTS

I’VE GOT A 10-YEAR OLD WHO STARTED PLAYING SOFTBALL THIS YEAR AT HER

SCHOOL IN SINGAPORE

BASEBALL’S NOT REALLY A SINGAPOREAN GAME. SO THERE ARE LOTS OF CLUELESS

KIDS & FOGGED PARENTS

THIS DECK IS AN ATTEMPT TO BREAK THINGS DOWN A BIT

THE GAME OF SOFTBALL IS PLAYED ON A SOFTBALL FIELD.

THE SOFTBALL FIELD IS MADE UP OF AN INFIELD AND AN OUTFIELD

INFIELDOUF

IELD

THE INFIELD IS DIAMOND SHAPED, AND THE 4 CORNERS ARE MARKED WITH SQUARE BASES. THERE

ARE 4 BASES: 1ST, 2ND, 3RD, & HOME PLATE

HOME

1ST

2ND

3RD

THE LINE FROM HOME PLATE OUT TO THE EDGE OF THE LEFT OUTFIELD (LEFT FIELD) AND FROM HOME PLATE OUT TO THE EDGE OF THE RIGHT

OUTFIELD (RIGHT FIELD) ARE FOUL LINES

EVERYTHING FROM THE FOUL LINES INWARDS IS “IN BOUNDS”, AND EVERYTHING OUTWARDS IS

“OUT OF BOUNDS”.

INBOUNDS

OUT OF BOUNDS

INBO

UNDS

OUT OF

BOUNDS

THERE ARE TWO TEAMS IN A SOFTBALL GAME, EACH WITH 9 PLAYERS. THE TWO TEAMS TAKE

TURNS PLAYING OFFENSE & DEFENCE.

WHEN A TEAM IS ON OFFENSE, THEY TRY TO SCORE POINTS. THIS IS KNOWN AS A RUN

A RUN IS SCORED WHEN SOMEONE FROM THE OFFENSE TOUCHES ALL 4 BASES: 1ST, 2ND, 3RD, &

HOME, IN ORDER

WHEN A TEAM IS ON DEFENCE, THEY TRY TO STOP THE OFFENSE FROM SCORING RUNS BY

COLLECTING 3 OUTS

MORE ON OUTS IN A BIT

FOR NOW, JUST KNOW THAT WHEN THE DEFENCE COLLECTS 3 OUTS, THE TEAMS SWITCH PLACES. THE OFFENSE PLAYS DEFENCE AND VICE VERSA

WHEN BOTH TEAMS HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO PLAY OFFENSE & DEFENCE, WE SAY THAT THE TEAMS

HAVE COMPLETED ONE INNING

IN A STANDARD GAME, THERE ARE 9 INNINGS. BUT, DEPENDING ON THE AGE & EXPERTISE OF

THE KIDS, THERE MAY BE FEWER

WHEN THE INNINGS ARE OVER, THE TEAM, WITH THE MOST RUNS WINS THE GAME

SO THAT IS THE BASIC IDEA. LET’S GO INTO THE DETAILS

WE’LL START WITH DEFENCE. SINCE EACH TEAM HAS 9 PLAYERS, THERE ARE 9 DEFENSIVE

POSITIONS THAT ROUGHLY COVER ZONES OF THE PLAYING FIELD

THE INFIELD INCLUDES FIRST BASE, SECOND BASE, THIRD BASE, & SHORTSTOP

1ST

2ND

3RD

SHORT STOP

LEFT FIELD

THE OUTFIELD INCLUDES RIGHT FIELD, CENTER FIELD, & LEFT FIELD

CENTER FIELD RIGHT FIELD

PITCHER

FINALLY, THERE IS THE PITCHER & THE CATCHER

CATCHER

AS WE SAID, THE DEFENCE’S GOAL IS TO COLLECT 3 OUTS. THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO DO THAT

FIRST, IF A BATTER ON THE OFFENSE HITS A BALL IN THE AIR, A DEFENSIVE PLAYER CAN CATCH IT. IF THE PLAYER

CATCHES THE BALL BEFORE IT HITS THE GROUND, IT IS AN OUT

IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT THIS TYPE OF OUT WILL HAPPEN WHETHER OR NOT THE BALL IS HIT IN-BOUNDS OR OUT OF BOUNDS. IT’S OUT SO LONG AS IT DOES NOT

HIT THE GROUND BEFORE IT IS CAUGHT

SECOND, IF A DEFENSIVE PLAYER CATCHES THE BALL, BUT THE BALL ALREADY HIT THE GROUND, THE

DEFENSIVE PLAYER CAN TAG AN OFFENSIVE PLAYER (THE RUNNER) IF THE RUNNER IS NOT TOUCHING A BASE (OR THROW THE BALL TO A PLAYER WHO CAN TAG). THAT

TOO, IS AN OUT

NOTE THAT THIS CASE ONLY APPLIES IF THE BALL WAS HIT IN-BOUNDS. I’LL COVER WHAT HAPPENS IF IT WENT

OUT OF BOUNDS LATER

BY THE WAY, IF AT ANY POINT, A RUNNER IS NOT TOUCHING A BASE, AND IS TOUCHED WITH THE BALL BY A

DEFENSIVE PLAYER, IT IS AN OUT

CHECK OUT THIS COMICAL APPROACH TO THAT RULE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5wGxsxjmy0

THIRD, IF THE DEFENSIVE PLAYER CATCHES THE BALL, BUT THE BALL HITS THE GROUND FIRST, THE DEFENSIVE PLAYER CAN TOUCH THE BASE (OR THROW TO ANOTHER

PLAYER TOUCHING THE BASE) THAT THE RUNNER IS RUNNING TO BEFORE THE RUNNER REACHES IT

BUT THIS IS ONLY ALLOWED IF THERE IS ANOTHER RUNNER THAT IS RUNNING TO, OR STANDING ON, THE

PRECEDING BASE, OR IT IS THE BATTER RUNNING FROM HOME PLATE TO 1ST BASE

IF THESE CONDITIONS ARE MET, THEN IT IS AN OUT. NOTE THAT JUST AS IN THE LAST CASE, THIS APPLIES ONLY IF

THE BALL WAS HIT IN-BOUNDS. I’LL COVER WHAT HAPPENS IF IT GOES OUT OF BOUNDS LATER

FINALLY, THE PITCHER ON THE DEFENCE CAN “STRIKE OUT” AN OFFENSIVE BATTER. BUT WE’LL COVER THIS

CASE AFTER WE HAVE SPOKEN A BIT MORE ABOUT THE BATTER

SO THAT’S A GOOD SEGUE TO THE OFFENSE

AS YOU RECALL, THE TEAM ON OFFENSE IS TRYING TO SCORE AS MANY RUNS AS THEY CAN BEFORE THE

DEFENCE GETS 3 OUTS. AND TO GET A RUN, A PLAYER MUST TOUCH 3 BASES AND HOME PLATE (IN THAT ORDER)

SO HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?

FIRST, THE 9 PLAYERS NEED TO DECIDE ON AN ORDER (THE BATTING ORDER). THE BATTING ORDER STAYS THE SAME THROUGHOUT THE GAME. SO IF YOU ARE THE 4TH

PLAYER, YOU LET THE 1ST, 2ND & 3RD PLAYERS IN THE ORDER BAT BEFORE YOU GET YOUR TURN

IF THE DEFENCE IS ABLE TO GET 3 OUTS BEFORE IT IS YOUR TURN, YOU NEED TO WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT INNING (THE NEXT TIME YOUR TEAM IS ON OFFENSE). SO IF YOU

WERE 4TH IN THE BATTING ORDER AND THE DEFENCE GOT 3 OUTS, THEN YOU’LL BE THE 1ST IN THE BATTING

ORDER FOR THE NEXT INNING

OH, AND BY THE WAY, THE BATTING QUEUE REPLENISHES ITSELF. SO IN THIS EXAMPLE, THE 1ST, 2ND, AND 3RD

PLAYERS WILL ASSUME SLOTS 7, 8, AND 9 (AT THE END OF THE QUEUE) AND WAIT FOR THEIR TURN TO BAT AGAIN

WHEN IT IS A PLAYER’S TURN IN THE BATTING ORDER, THEY BECOME THE BATTER. THEY WILL GRAB A BAT

(WOODEN OR ALUMINIUM) AND HEAD OVER TO HOME PLATE

AT HOME PLATE, THE BATTER WILL FACE THE PITCHER FROM THE DEFENCE. SQUATTING RIGHT BEHIND THE

BATTER, WILL BE THE DEFENCE’S CATCHER. WHEN EVERYONE IS READY, THE PITCHER WILL THROW THE

BALL (PITCH) TO THE CATCHER

NOW HERE IS WHERE IT STARTS GETTING TRICKY BECAUSE THERE ARE AGAIN, A FEW OPTIONS

FIRST, IF THE BATTER HITS THE BALL SOMEWHERE IN-BOUNDS THEY CAN RUN TO 1ST BASE. IN FACT, IF THEY

CAN MAKE IT TO 2ND, 3RD, OR ALL THE WAY HOME, WITHOUT A DEFENDER TAGGING THEM OUT, THEY CAN

GO FOR IT

OF COURSE, IF YOU DON’T THINK YOU CAN MAKE IT TO THE NEXT BASE, YOU MAY STOP AT WHATEVER BASE YOU

MADE IT TO

A “SINGLE” MEANS THAT YOU MADE IT TO FIRST BASE. A “DOUBLE” MEANS THAT YOU MADE IT TO SECOND BASE. A

“TRIPLE” MEANS THAT YOU MADE IT TO THIRD. AND A “HOME RUN” MEANS THAT YOU MADE IT ALL THE WAY

AROUND THE DIAMOND IN ONE GO

OH, BY THE WAY, IF YOU KNOCK THE BALL BEYOND THE OUTFIELD WALL, BUT STILL INBOUNDS (BETWEEN THE

FOUL LINES), YOU GET A HOME RUN, AND ANY RUNNERS ALREADY ON THE BASES WILL SCORE AS WELL

THERE IS ALSO A SECOND WAY TO GET ON BASE, THAT DOES NOT INVOLVE HITTING THE BALL

IF THE PITCHER FAILS TO THROW ACCURATELY 4 TIMES, AND THE BATTER DOES NOT SWING THE BAT AT THOSE 4 BALLS, THE BATTER GETS TO GO TO 1ST BASE (CALLED “A

WALK”)

SO HOW ACCURATE DOES THE PITCHER NEED TO BE?

WELL, THE PITCHER HAS A “STRIKE ZONE” THAT HE/SHE MUST THROW INTO

THINK OF THE STRIKE ZONE AS A CUBE THAT EXTENDS FROM THE FRONT TO THE BACK OF HOME PLATE, AND FROM ONE SIDE OF HOME PLATE TO THE OTHER, AND

FROM THE KNEES TO THE ELBOWS OF THE BATTER

IF THE PITCHER THROWS THE BALL OUTSIDE OF THAT CUBE 4 TIMES, IT IS A WALK

OH, AND, THOUGH THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN, IF THE PITCHER

HITS THE BATTER WITH THE BALL, IT IS AN AUTOMATIC WALK TOO. OUCH!

AND REMEMBER, I TOLD YOU ABOUT A STRIKE OUT AS ONE OF THE WAYS TO GET AN OUT?

WELL, HERE’S WHERE THAT COMES IN. IF THE PITCHER THROWS THE BALL WITHIN THE STRIKE ZONE AND THE

BATTER EITHER DOES NOT SWING, OR SWINGS AND MISSES, IT IS A STRIKE

IF THE PITCHER GETS 3 STRIKES, THE BATTER IS OUT AND THE OFFENSE SHIFTS TO THE NEXT BATTER IN THE

BATTING ORDER

OH, AND THERE IS JUST ONE MORE SMALL CAVEAT. IF THE BATTER HITS A PITCH, BUT THE BALL GOES OUT-OF-

BOUNDS (OUTSIDE THE FOUL LINES), THEN IT IS COUNTED AS A STRIKE UNLESS THE BATTER ALREADY

HAS 2 STRIKES, IN WHICH CASE THE “FOUL BALL” AS IT IS CALLED, IS SIMPLY IGNORED

FINALLY, ALTHOUGH THIS IS VERY RARE, IF ON THE THIRD STRIKE, THE CATCHER DROPS THE BALL, THE RUNNER

MAY RUN TO FIRST BASE AS IF HE/SHE HAD HIT THE BALL

AT THAT POINT, WHETHER THE BATTER IS OUT OR MAKES IT SAFELY TO ONE OF THE BASES, THE NEXT BATTER IN

THE BATTING ORDER (THE BATTER ON DECK) COMES UP

WHEN HE/SHE HITS THE BALL, THE RUNNERS ON BASE CAN RUN TO THE NEXT BASE (OR, AGAIN, FURTHER IF

HE/SHE THINKS IT’S SAFE)

BUT NOTE THAT RUNNERS CAN ONLY MOVE FORWARD. YOU CAN NEVER HAVE 2 OFFENSIVE PLAYERS ON THE

SAME BASE OR THE LEAD RUNNER IS CALLED OUT

THINGS WILL GO ON LIKE THAT, WITH THE BASE RUNNERS PROGRESSING AROUND THE DIAMOND UNTIL THE

DEFENCE GETS 3 OUTS, OR A RUNNER MAKES IT ALL THE WAY TO HOME PLATE

IF THE RUNNER MAKES IT TO HOME PLATE, THE OFFENSE

SCORES A RUN!

ONE LAST COUPLE OF THINGS ABOUT BASE RUNNING

FIRST, ANY RUNNER ON BASE CAN STEAL, BY RUNNING TO THE NEXT BASE EVEN IF THE BATTER HAS NOT HIT

THE BALL

HOWEVER, THEY NEED TO BE FAST BECAUSE THEY CAN ONLY STEAL WHEN THE PITCHER OR CATCHER HAS THE

BALL OR WHEN IT IS IN THE AIR BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM

SECOND, IF THE BATTER HITS THE BALL, BUT THE BALL IS CAUGHT BY THE DEFENCE WITHOUT HITTING THE

GROUND, THE RUNNER MUST TOUCH THE BASE THAT THEY STARTED ON, AFTER THE CATCH IS MADE, BEFORE

THEY CAN ADVANCE TO THE NEXT BASE

IF THE BALL HITS THE GROUND BEFORE IT IS CAUGHT, THE RUNNERS CAN ADVANCE ANY TIME THEY WANT

OK, SO THEM’S THE BASIC RULES.

BUT THE FUN OF SOFTBALL IS ALL ABOUT WHAT YOU DO WITH THE RULES GIVEN THE CONTEXT.

SOFTBALL IS A VERY STRATEGIC & TACTICAL GAME. ON THE NEXT SLIDE I’VE SUGGESTED A FEW YOUTUBE VIDEOS THAT WILL GIVE YOU A

TASTER OF BOTH. CLICK ON THE THUMBNAILS TO WATCH!

What does the defence do when runners are on 1st & 3rd

with less than 2 outs?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyi1iAilgcw

What do runners do if batter hits into the outfield?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaK-TUKaGKc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmCzNIV-2u8

How do you execute a cutoff with a runner on first?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZjhVvi78-4&list=UUgf9-zJ1kk7KYOu1y3YwIfw&index=154

What footwork should a short stop have for line drive

up the middle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHTISuYgVmw&index=158&list=UUgf9-zJ1kk7KYOu1y3YwIfw

How do you transfer ball from glove to throwing hand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12vfNtAir5s&list=UUgf9-zJ1kk7KYOu1y3YwIfw&index=162

How do you hold the bat?

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