Joe Aitro - Softball: An Explanation of the Game

For beginners and the inexperienced
of all ages and sexes

Published by Hornet Publishing

First published 1998
This edition published 2012

2012 Joe Aitro

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright restricted above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

ISBN: 978-1-922219-79-4 (ePub)
978-1-922219-80-0 (Kindle)

Designed, typeset and printed by Palmer Higgs Pty Ltd

This book is for you, the person who would love to play softball, but does not know anything about the game.

It doesnt matter whether you are male or female, if you really want to know about the game, the following topics will explain the simple basics, such as:

1. What is softball?

2. How many players make a team?

3. How to throw a ball properly.

4. What type of glove to use.

5. What type of bat to use.

6. Equipment needed.

7. Playing field.

Softball is a fun game or sport that is played by young and old, male and female, senior and junior, and is greatly enjoyed by spectators.

1. Softball is a game played with nine (9) players on each team.

2. The team that scores the most runs (points) wins the game.

3. A game consists of seven (7) innings

4. An innings is made up of three (3) outs per team.

5. An out occurs when a player, whose turn it is to bat the balls, does not achieve the players objective of reaching base.

6. Each team has a turn at fielding and batting in every innings to score runs.

There are nine (9) different player positions on a team.
These positions are identified by both name and number.

When a team commits three (3) outs in its inning, the inning is declared over. There are several ways in which a team could make an out. The following are just some of the ways an out is made.

1. When a batted ball is hit in the air and is caught on the full (caught before the ball touches the ground).

2. When a batted ball that rolls or bounces along the ground is picked up by a fielder and is thrown successfully to first base before the batter/runner reaches that base, the batter/runner shall be declared out.

3. When a batter swings and misses a pitched ball three (3) times, the batter is declared out. This out is known as a strike out.

A batter may reach the 1st base by hitting the ball safely, that is hitting the ball in fair territory without being caught out before the batter reaches 1st base.

A batter may also reach 1st base without being out by getting a walk with four thrown balls (pitches) which in the Umpires judgement, did not enter the batters strike zone.

Strike zone: The height of the strike zone is that area from the top of the batters knees to just under the batters arm pits.

The width of the strike zone is anywhere within the width of Home Plate. The pitched ball to the batter must be within the height and width of the strike zone.

The batter must stand in a designated area at home plate, called the batters box. The batter will be out if the batter does not stay in this area while swinging at the ball.

There is no prescribed or correct way for the batter to stand while the batter is in the batters box. However, the player should stand upright in the batters box with the feet comfortably alongside the plate, and extend the arm (holding the bat) so that the arm touches a corner of the plate. If the player is right handed, the players left hand is positioned next to the bats handle, and the right hand is placed above the left hand, slighting touching it. For a left-handed player, the reverse position applies.

The softball playing field (area) is divided into two (2) major areas, called the infield and the outfield.

First, second and thirdbase and shortstop are located in the infield along with the pitching and catching areas. The outfield is the area outside the infield and the left, centre and right fielders are located there.

Infielders are those players who play the positions of first, second, and third base, short stop, pitcher and catcher and are in the infield area.

Outfielders are players who are positioned outside the infield. They are called the left fielder, the right fielder, and the centre fielder. The left fielder (LF) is located behind the short stop; the centre fielder (CF) is located behind 2nd base; and the right fielder (RF) is located between 1st and 2nd base.

It is very important that each player has the proper glove for catching and the proper bat for hitting the ball.

There are three (3) types of softball gloves:

1. Infielders glove

2. Outfielders glove

3. 1st base glove

The infielder and outfielder