HISTORY OF SOFTBALL

Softball began in 1887 at the Farragut Boat Club in Chicago, USA, when George Hancock, a reporter for the
Chicago Board of Trade, invented “indoor baseball”. By the spring of 1888, the game had spread outdoors.
In 1895, the firs women’s team was formed in Chicago. At the same time, the sport was reinvented, taken
outdoors and called “mushball”, “kitten ball” 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. Softball spread slowly to the rest of the world with,
perhaps, its biggest push coming from American servicemen playing and teaching the game on the far-
flung fields of World War II. It was not until 1965 that the International Softball Federation (ISF) was
formed. Author Karen Christensen, in the Encyclopaedia of World Sport, notes that softball spread to the
United Kingdom because of an American movie. The movie, “A Touch of Class”, was filmed in London and
featured a softball game, which began to be played in England as a result. World championships in fast
pitch softball were first held in 1965 for women and 1966 for men. Slow-pitch world championships began
in 1987, and the competition resumed in Florida (USA) in June of 2002. The first world competition for
junior men and women was held in 1981 and a World Cup for age 16-under girls began in 2001. Since then
the game grew rapidly and is now played by more than hundreds of million people around the world.

EQUIPMENTS OF SOFTBALL

THE BALL - The ball is probably the most important piece of equipment used in softball. The ball is round
with a circumference of 30.2cm (12 inches) and a weight of 166.5g (6 oz). It’s also optic yellow in colour
with red stitches to make it easier for the batter to see.

THE BAT - The bat is probably the most fun piece of equipment because everyone loves hitting the ball
with it. Bats are usually made of very high grade graphite, carbon, magnesium, ceramic, or some
combination of other composite material approved by the International Softball Federation. They can be
no longer than 86.4cm (34 inches) and weight no more than 1077g (38 oz).

THE GLOVE - A glove is used by every fielder in a defensive position. They are made of leather and have a
pocket which is the area between the thumb and first fingers that allows for he ball to be caught. Gloves
vary depending on the position for which they are used. Glove may be worn by any player, but mitts may
be used only by the catcher and the 1st base player.
CATCHER’S GEAR- Catcher’s gear is only worn by the catcher and is to protect that player from pitched to
batted balls SINCE pitched balls can travel at or near 112km an hour (70 mph). The catcher’s protective
gear includes a mask, helmet, chest protector and shin/leg protectors.

BATTING HELMETS - A batting helmet is used by the batter and all base runners to protect themselves
from any stray balls that might be thrown or pitched poorly.

SOFTBALL TERMINOLOGIES :

Altered Bat – when the physical structure of a legal softball bat has been changed

Assist – a defensive statistic credited to each fielder who throws or deflects a batted or thrown ball in such
a way that a putout results, or would have resulted except for a subsequent error by any fielder

Backstop – the fence behind the batter’s box (the umpire stands behind the catcher with his/her back to
the backstop)

Ball – as called by the umpire, a pitch that does not enter the strike zone in flight and is not struck, or
attempted to be struck, by the batter

Base – one of four points on the infield that must be touched by a runner in order to score a run. Also
applies to the rubber or canvas bags comprising first, second, and third base, as well as the hard plastic or
rubber plate known as home plate

Baseline – the area between each base along which the base runner must generally run

Base on Balls (BB) – also called a “walk”; the award of first base to a batter woe, during his/her time at bat
receives four pitches outside the strike zone;

Base Runner – a batter who has reached base safely

Bases Loaded - referring to the offensive team when there are runners on first, second and third base

Batter – also known as “hitter”; an offensive player who takes his/her position in the batter’s box to try to
hit a pitch

Batter’s Box – a rectangular area beside home plate where the batter must stand to hit the pitch

Batting Average – an offensive statistic; it is the number of safe hits divided by the number of at-bats
HISTORY OF BASEBALL

Baseball is a game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players on a large field with four
bases positioned like a diamond. Teams alternate positions as batters and fielders, exchanging places when
three members of the batting team are put out. Batters try to hit a pitched ball out of reach of the fielding
team and complete a circuit around the bases to score a "run." The team that scores the most runs in nine
innings wins the game. If a game is tied, extra innings are played until the tie is broken. Baseball is
traditionally considered the national pastime of the United States and was likely invented in 1839 by Abner
Doubleday. The first professional association was formed in 1871, and the American League was founded
in 1900. Since 1903, the winning teams of each league have played a postseason championship known as
the World Series. The Baseball Hall of Fame is located in Cooperstown. Professional baseball leagues also
exist in several Latin American countries, with the Caribbean Series in February.

EQUIPMENTS OF BASEBALL

Batting Helmet - Helmet is worn by a batter to protect his/her head and the ear facing the pitcher from
the ball. While some helmets have ear protectors only on one side as only the ear facing the pitcher should
be protected, helmets with ear protectors on both sides are more common as some batters are left handed
and some right handed.

Baseball cap - All players wear a hat to shade their eyes from the sun. Baseball hat design has become so
popular with the general public that they are also used to make a style statement.

Catcher's helmet - Catchers wear a helmet with face mask similar to a hockey goalkeeper mask to protect
both their head and face. Sometimes they might wear a separate helmet and a facemask.

Uniform- All players, coaches and managers wear shirts and pants. Each team has a uniform dress of a
specific colour and design.

Sliding shorts- Players sometimes wear padded support shorts to protect the player’s thighs when he/she
slides into the bases. Some sliding shorts contain a pocket for a cup that serves as a jockstrap.

Baseball Cleats- These are baseball specific shoes made of rubber or metal that players wear for better
traction.

Bat - Baseball bat is a round, solid wooden or hollow aluminium bat. Wooden bats are traditionally made
from ash wood, though sometimes maple and bamboo is also used