Softball History & Rules

Softball History & Rules

Skill-Based Lifetime Activities

Softball History

• In 1887 softball was invented as an indoor sport by George Hancock of the Chicago Board of Trade

• The first games took place inside the Farragut Boat Club in Chicago

• The first ball used was a boxing glove tied up into a ball

Multiple Choice

In 1887, softball was invented as an indoor by which of the following?

• William G Morgan

• Jaimes Naismith

• British army officers

• George Hancock

Softball History

• Softball is a game similar to Baseball, played with a ball called a softball

• Most rules of play are similar to those of baseball, with differences in pitch speed, equipment and field size

• In the United States the sport is governed by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA), with headquarters in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Multiple Choice

Most rules of softball are similar to those of baseball

• True

• False

Softball History

• In 1895 Lewis Rober, a member of the Minneapolis, Minnesota, fire department, invented outdoor softball and called it Kitten League Ball, later shortened to Kitten Ball

• Rober invented the game to keep the firemen in shape and busy during the time they spent at the firehouse

Multiple Choice

• Lewis Rober invented outdoor softball and called it Kitten League Ball in what year?

• 1895

• 2007

• 1953

• 1830

Softball History

• In 1922 the name Kitten Ball was changed to Diamond Ball

• The name Softball was not developed until 1926, when Walter Hakanson of the Denver Colorado YMCA conceived it

• In 1933 the first amateur softball tournament in the United States took place in Chicago, in conjunction with that year's World's fair

Multiple Choice

• In 1933 the first amateur softball tournament in the United States took place in which city?

• Charlotte

• Chicago

• Jackson

• Austin

Softball History

• In 1991 women's fast-pitch softball was selected to debut as a medal sport at the 1996 Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia, where the USA won the Gold Medal

• Today more than 630 NCAA member institutions sponsor women's softball programs

• Softball has three major classifications: fast-pitch, slow-pitch and modified -pitch.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT one of the three major classifications of softball?

• fast-pitch

• slow-pitch

• modified-pitch

• jump-pitch

Softball Rules

• Softball is played by two teams of 9 players each who try to score more runs than their opponent by rounding the bases and crossing home plate as many times as possible

• The batting team stays up to bat until the fielding team gets 3 outs

Multiple Choice

• Softball is played by two teams of _______ players each who try to score more runs than their opponent

• 15

• 9

• 7

• 5

Softball Rules

• The visiting team bats first while the home team starts out in the field on defense

• Each fielder lines up in one of the 9 fielding positions: pitcher, catcher, 1st baseman, 2nd baseman, 3rd baseman, Shortstop, left fielder, center fielder, and right fielder

Multiple Choice

How many fielding positions are there in the game of softball?

• 10

• 7

• 5

• 9

Softball Rules

• The strike zone is the area between the batter’s shoulders and knees

• A "strike" is called when the batter: Fails to swing at a pitch that crosses the plate in the strike zone, swings at a pitch and misses, hits the ball out of bounds with fewer than two strikes against them

• Once they get 3 strikes they’re out, and the next batter comes up to the plate

Multiple Choice

• The _______ _______ is the area between the batter’s shoulders and knees

• strike zone

• batter's box

• shortstop

• dugout

Softball Rules

• A batter can’t strike out on a foul ball

• If they have two strikes, there’s no limit to the number of foul balls they’re allowed to hit

• They can only strike out on a swing and miss or a ball they fail to swing at in the strike zone

• A "ball" is a pitch that is delivered outside of the strike zone that is not struck at by the batter

• If a batter receives 4 balls, the batter gets to walk to first base

Multiple Choice

• A "ball" is a pitch that is delivered outside of the strike zone that is not struck at by the batter

• True

• False

Softball Rules

• The team that scores the most runs is the winner

• A run is scored when a base runner rounds all of the bases by stepping on each one in order from 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and crosses home plate

• If the ball is hit over the outfield fence in fair territory, it is considered a home run and the batter has a free trip all the way around the bases until she crosses home plate

Multiple Choice

• A run is scored when a base runner steps on 1st base

• True

• False