Benefits of Softball

As a team sport for female and males of all ages and abilities Softball offers participants many benefits: Shared enjoyment with friends and family Improved health and fitness Increased physical activity and mental alertness Sense of belonging to a community with shared interests Improved life skills, including quick thinking, loyalty, sense of responsibility, heightened concentration, judgment, discipline and teamwork Opportunities to compete and represent their community, state or Australia Development of new skills, whether playing, coaching, scoring and/or umpiring Ability to accommodate female and male participants of all ages and skills levels Affordability players starting out do not have to make a big financial commitment Fun! THE GAME There are 9 players on a softball team. The playing field is divided into the infield and outfield The lines between the bases are 60 apart and when joined they form a diamond, inside the baseline is known as the infield Outside the baseline but inside the playing field is called the outfield. Any ball going outside the 1st or 3rd base line is a foul ball ( runners can not advance and the batter gets another try unless the ball was caught in the air, which translates to an out) An official game is 7 innings (a inning is when both teams have had their turn to bat)

PITCHING The pitcher must have both feet on the pitchers rubber and can only take one step forward while pitching. The ball must be thrown underhand. Both hands must be on the ball at the start of the pitch.

BATTING Batters must follow the same order throughout the whole game The batter is out if and when:

a) three strikes have been called b) a fly ball is caught c) the batter does not stand in the batters box BASE RUNNING Runners must touch each base in order Runners may overrun 1st base only, all other bases the runner may be tagged and called out if they are off the base. Runners can not lead off a base, they must be on base until the ball as left the pitchers hand After a fly ball has been caught the base runner must tag the occupied base before advancing to the next base One base runner can not pass another base runner that is ahead of them. Stealing a base is not permitted

TERMS:

Ball- a legally pitched ball that does not enter the strike zone (four balls equals a walk) Grounder- A ball that is hit on the ground Force out- when the runner has to advance to the next base to make room for the following base runner. Fly ball- ball hit up in the air to the infield On deck- the next batter Pop up- ball hit up in the air to the infield Strike- term used when a ball is swung at and missed or is called when the ball enters the strike zone and is not swung at all. Strike zone- the ball passes the batter over the plate between their chest and knees

How to play Softball

A softball game can last anywhere from 3 to 9 innings, depending on the league, rules, and type of softball; however 7 innings is the most common. In each inning, each team bats until three batters have been put out (see below). The teams take turns batting. Officially, which team bats first is decided by a coin toss,[11] although a league may decide otherwise at its discretion. The most common rule is that the home team bats second. Batting second is advantageous.

Pitching
Play begins with the umpire saying "Play Ball". After the batter is ready and all fielders (except the catcher) are in fair territory, the pitcher stands at the pitching plate and attempts to throw the ball past the batter to the catcher behind home plate. The throw, or pitch, must be made with an underarm motion often called the "windmill" motion: the ball must be released below the hip when the hand is no farther from the hip than the elbow to get it in the strike zone.

Batters
The offensive team sends one "batter" at a time to home plate to use the bat to try to hit the pitch forward into fair territory. The order the players bat in, known as the "batting order", must stay the same throughout the game. Substitutes and replacements must bat in the same position as the player they are replacing. In co-ed, male and female batters must alternate.

Softball

Baseball A game is played between two teams, each composed of nine players, that take turns playing offense (batting or hitting) and defense (fielding or pitching). A pair of turns, one at bat and one in the field, by each team constitutes an inning. A game consists of nine innings. One teamcustomarily the visiting teambats in the top, or first half, of every inning. The other teamcustomarily the home teambats in the bottom, or second half, of every inning. The goal of the game is to score more points (runs) than the other team. The players on the team at bat attempt to score runs by circling or completing a tour of the four bases set at the corners of the square-shaped baseball diamond. A player bats athome plate and must proceed counterclockwise to first base, second base, third base, and back home in order to score a run. The team in the field attempts both to prevent runs from scoring and to record outs, which remove opposing players from offensive action until their turn in their team's batting order comes up again. When three outs are recorded, the teams switch roles for the next half-inning. If the score of the game is tied after nine innings, extra innings are played to resolve the contest. Children's games are often scheduled for fewer than nine innings.[82]

A game is played between two teams, each composed of nine players, that take turns playing offense (batting or hitting) and defense (fielding or pitching). A pair of turns, one at bat and one in the field, by each team constitutes an inning. A game consists of nine innings. One teamcustomarily the visiting teambats in the top, or first half, of every inning. The other teamcustomarily the home teambats in the bottom, or second half, of every inning. The goal of the game is to score more points (runs) than the other team. The players on the team at bat attempt to score runs by circling or completing a tour of the four bases set at the corners of the square-shaped baseball diamond. A player bats athome plate and must proceed counterclockwise to first base, second base, third base, and back home in order to score a run. The team in the field attempts both to prevent runs from scoring and to record outs, which remove opposing players from offensive action until their turn in their team's batting order comes up again. When three outs are recorded, the teams switch roles for the next half-inning. If the score of the game is tied after nine innings, extra innings are played to resolve the contest. Children's games are often scheduled for fewer than nine innings.[82]

Benefits of Basketball There are very many benefits of playing basket ball. Most importantly, this is one of the best ways to perform your exercises and also have fun while doing it. This game will assist you to only crave for much healthier food since you will want to excel in the sport. Through playing basketball, you can also shape your thighs while burning the fat that is found around your belly. Basketball teaches many vital life lessons to the players. You will be taught the importance of being competitive which is very vital in the world nowadays. This game also shows you how to accept defeat with a positive attitude. Apart from that, you will also learn how to be successful in the outside world. The following are a few of the many benefits of playing basketball. 1. Builds endurance Basketball is a very tough and demanding game that requires the players to be in great physical shape. Through playing this particular game, your level of endurance will increase and you will even grow stronger. In fact, this is one of the best methods of building and toning your muscles. This is because different muscles are used simultaneously when a person plays basketball and each of these muscles will be effectively developed.

Playing regulations
Games are played in four quarters of 10 (FIBA)[27] or 12 minutes (NBA).[28] College games use two 20-minute halves,[29] while high school varsity games use 8 minute quarters.[30] 15 minutes are allowed for a half-time break under FIBA, NBA, and NCAA rules[29][31][32] and 10 minutes in high school.[30] Overtime periods are five minutes in length[29][33][34] except for high school which is four minutes in length.[30] Teams exchange baskets for the second half. The time allowed is actual playing time; the clock is stopped while the play is not active. Therefore, games generally take much longer to complete than the allotted game time, typically about two hours. Five players from each team may be on the court at one time.[35][36][37][38] Substitutions are unlimited but can only be done when play is stopped. Teams also have a coach, who oversees the development and strategies of the team, and other team personnel such as assistant coaches, managers, statisticians, doctors and trainers. For both men's and women's teams, a standard uniform consists of a pair of shorts and a jersey with a clearly visible number, unique within the team, printed on both the front and back. Players wear high-top sneakers that provide extra ankle support. Typically, team names, players' names and, outside of North America, sponsors are printed on the uniforms. A limited number of time-outs, clock stoppages requested by a coach (or sometimes mandated in the NBA) for a short meeting with the players, are allowed. They generally last no longer than one minute (100 seconds in the NBA) unless, for televised games, a commercial break is needed. The game is controlled by the officials consisting of the referee (referred to as crew chief in the NBA), one or two umpires (referred to as referees in the NBA) and the table officials. For college, the NBA, and many high schools, there are a total of three referees on the court. The table officials are responsible for keeping track of each teams scoring, timekeeping, individual and team fouls, player substitutions, team possession arrow, and the shot clock.