Information was gathered using kickball and kickballstrategies

1. Information was gathered using kickball.com and kickballstrategies.com

2. Overview • History • Gameplay • Techniques • Field • Variations

3. History • Kickball was invented around 1917 by Nicholas C. Seuss. Starting around 1920, kickball was used by physical education teachers to teach children the basics of baseball. • As interest grew, organizations such as the World Adult Kickball Association (WAKA) were formed. WAKA was founded in 1998 in Washington DC. As of 2011, WAKA has leagues in more than 30 states, 40,000 players in 2,000 teams in 200 divisions.

4. Gameplay • Kickball is a simple game consisting of two teams, bases, and a big red ball. Played like baseball, the object is to score more runs than the opposing team. • In short, games are played with 8-11 fielders, 5 innings, no head shots, one base on an overthrow, force outs, no ghost men, and bunting is allowed so get a good catcher on your team. • For the enjoyment of all, proper respect and civility is required of all participants toward one another.

5. Techniques - Defense Pitching: • Ball must be pitched by hand. • For class – be consistent! Use a medium speed, low bounce pitch. • The pitcher must have at least one foot on or directly behind the pitching strip when releasing the ball.

6. Techniques - Defense Catchers: • The catcher must be positioned within or directly behind the kicking box. • The catcher may not make contact with the kicker, nor position so closely to the kicker as to restrict the kicking motion. Fielding: • Proper Field Position must be maintained by all fielders while a pitch is in progress, and until the pitched ball reaches the kicker. • Proper Field Position is all fielders (except the catcher) must remain in fair territory behind the 1st-3rd base diagonal.

7. Techniques - Offense Kicking: • All kicks must be made by foot or leg, below the knee. Any ball touched by the foot or leg below the knee is a kick. • Kicks must be at or behind home plate. The kicker may step on home plate to kick, however no part of the planted foot may be in front of or cross the front edge of the home plate.

8. Techniques - Offense Running: • Runners must stay within the baseline. Any runner outside the baseline is out. • Fielders must stay out of the baseline. Runners hindered by any fielder within the baseline, not making an active play for the ball, shall be safe at the base to which they were running. • Neither leading off base, nor stealing a base is allowed. A runner may advance once the ball is kicked. • Any runner hit in the neck or head shall be considered safe at the base they were running toward when the ball hits the runner. • All ties will go to the runner.

9. How to get “Out” Outs: • a count of three (3) strikes or four (4) fouls • any kicked ball (fair or foul) that is caught by a fielder • a Force Out • a runner touched by the ball or who touches the ball at any time while not on base while the ball is in play • a runner physically assisted by a team member during play • a runner that passes another runner • a runner outside of the baseline

11. Variations Big Base Play is similar to regular kickball, except runners can cluster on the big bases (mats). Each base can hold several players instead of just one. You can even require runners to circle the bases twice before scoring, either two laps around or one lap counterclockwise and one clockwise. Line Kickball Instead of splitting into two equal teams, start this game with just one pitcher. Everyone else is the kicking team—for now. They all line up, single file, at home plate. Once the first person in line kicks the ball, everyone (except the pitcher) starts running the bases. They must tag each base, but can't remain on base. They must continue running around the bases and toward home plate. Once the pitcher recovers the ball, he/she can tag runners out by throwing the ball. Anyone who's out then becomes an outfielder and starts helping the pitcher. Once the last person in the kicking line has rounded home plate, start again with a new kicker at the front of the line.

12. Variations One Base You just need one base plus home plate. Put the base directly across from home plate (where second base would normally be). In order to score a run, the kicker has to run from home plate to the base and back home. He/she can stay at the base as long as he/she needs to (to avoid being tagged out), but has to run by the time the last teammate kicks. Multiple runners may occupy the base. Crazy Kickball In normal kickball, you run to first base, second base, third base and then home. In crazy kickball, you run to first base, then across to third base, then up to second base and then to home. Crazy kickball also gives each side six outs, and any taken pitch counts as an out. Because of the greater distance between bases, teams can have up to five players on a single base at one time.