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Softball Facts & Worksheets

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players.

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Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players. It is a direct descendant of baseball with key differences. Read the facts below!

See the fact file below for more information on the softball or alternatively, you can download our 28-page Softball worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

HISTORY OF SOFTBALL

  • Softball began in 1887 when journalist, George Hancock, invented indoor baseball which was later on nicknamed kitten ball, mush ball, diamond ball, and pumpkin ball.
  • It was then originally advertised as an indoor game for baseball players during the offseason.
  • But with it getting popular, the Farragut Boat Club decided to publish a standard set of rules. Eventually, between 1923 and 1934, a rules committee was appointed to finalize the regulations of “softball,” officially coined by Walter Hakanson in 1926.
  • In the new rules, the use of 12-inch ball was preferred from the original 16-inch circumference set by the Club.
  • From a practice sport for baseball and an organized pastime, softball became organised in the United States in 1933 with the formation of the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA).
  • Softball spread to the rest of the world with Fédération Internationale de Softball (International Softball Federation), forming in 1952.
  • In 1965 that the International Softball Federation (ISF) was formed to accommodate 113 other countries who found interest in the sport.
  • Softball world stage was eventually recognized when in 1996, a women’s softball competition was added to the Olympic Games.

SOFTBALL FUNDAMENTALS

  • Softball and baseball share the same fundamentals in batting and fielding strategies. However, its playing area is smaller and some games only last seven innings (slow-pitch) and some nine (fast pitch games.)
  • According to skillset, players take the positions of pitcher, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, shortstop, third baseman, and outfielder (left, center and right).
  • In softball, the pitcher delivers the ball by an underhand motion, keeping batters from hitting using varying speed and height.
  • Softball consists of two disciplines:
    • Fast pitch – it involves powerful and fast delivery of the ball, making it hard for hitters to simply make contact. Pitchers use windmill-type motion in throwing the ball and may add difficult variations such as fastball, change-up, curveball, drop ball, rise ball, drop curve, drop screw, and the backdoor curve.
    • This is the softball variation played in most professional games like the Olympics. The pressure lies with the offensive team as they have to hit the balls to get into play.
    • Fast-pitch games have nine players on the field and played within nine innings per game.
    • Slow pitch – the pitcher lobs the ball underhanded with an arc reaching a regulated height of 1.83 to 3.66 meters with a moderate ball speed. The ball usually falls on the plate, which makes it easier to hit in order to introduce a play.
    • Unlike the fast pitch, the pressure is with the defense since they have to take out the runners from scoring.
    • Slow-pitch games involve ten players and seven innings per game.

SOFTBALL RULES

  • The rules below apply to amateur/non-professional teams:
    • Each team consists of 9 players and teams can be of mixed gender. A game generally lasts 7 innings and is split into two sections; the top and bottom of the innings.
    • Each team bats once in each innings before the sides switch.
    • The fielding team has a pitcher, catcher, first, second and third basemen, three deep fielders and shortstop.
    • A batter must successfully strike the ball and run around as many bases as possible. Once they get all the way around and back to home plate without being given out a run is scored.
    • The fielding team can prevent the batsmen by making them miss the ball, catching the ball, tagging one of the bases before they reach it or tagging the batsmen whilst they are running with the ball in hand.
    • Down the first and third base line is a foul area. Once the ball crosses this line before it bounces the ball is deemed ‘dead’ and play restarts with a new pitch.
    • A home run can be scored by hitting the ball over the outfield and into a dead ball area. The batsmen can then stroll around the bases to score along with any additional batsmen on base.

Softball Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the softball across 28 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Softball worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the softball which is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players. It is a direct descendant of baseball with key differences.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Softball Facts
  • The Diamond
  • Softball vs. Baseball
  • Pitching Style
  • Defensive Positions
  • Pop Quiz!
  • The Backstop
  • The Batting Order
  • The Batter
  • The Scoreboard
  • Softball Legends
  • Playing Right

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Link will appear as Softball Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, June 6, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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