Indoors (winter)
We play indoors on Wednesday's from 6 until 7:30pm, and then head to a pub to recover.
Indoor softball (also known as Arena Softball) is a variation on slow-pitch softball. The Pitcher pitches the ball to a batter who hits it and runs around as many bases as possible before the ball is brought under the control of the defensive team. The aim of the game is to score more points than the opposition. Meanwhile the defensive (fielding) team is trying to get batters and baserunners out in all the same ways they do outdoors: • Strike outs. • Fly outs (balls that are hit in the air and caught – including, in Indoors, balls caught off the walls or ceiling). • Force outs. • Tag plays. We play with a special, soft ball. |
The film below is an example of what we do:
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Outdoors (summer)
We spend summer evenings in the park, introducing new players to the sport and practicing our skills, then having a fun, recreational game of softball. We finish the evening in a local pub.
We played in a competitive softball tournament in Stroud at the end of 2016, and have plans to attend similar events. |
This is softball:
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Basic Rules and Objectives
Our emphasis is on inclusion, participation and having fun!
Objective of the Game: To score more runs than the opposing team. The team with the most runs at the end of the game wins.
Offense & Defence: The primary objective of the offense (batting team) is to score runs and avoid 'outs'. The primary objective of the defence (fielding team) is to prevent runs and create 'outs'.
Offensive strategy:
Outdoors - A run is scored every time a base runner touches all four bases, in the sequence of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and home. To score a run, a batter must hit the ball into play and then run to circle the bases, counter-clockwise. On offense, each time a player is at-bat, she attempts to get on base via hit or walk. A hit occurs when she hits the ball into the field of play and reaches 1st base before the defence throws the ball to the base, or gets an extra base (2nd, 3rd, or home) before being tagged out. A walk occurs when the pitcher throws four balls. It is rare that a hitter can round all the bases during her own at-bat; therefore, her strategy is often to get “on base” and advance during the next at-bat.
Indoors - A run is scored for each base that a batter reaches, or if the batter hits a target on the far wall. Points are deducted for every 'out'.
Defensive strategy:
Outdoors - On defence, each time a player is at-bat, the pitcher has an opportunity to get her out by throwing three strikes, called a strikeout. If the batter hits a pitch, the defence has many ways to get the batter out. The defence can create a force out by throwing the ball to 1st base before the batter can reach the base, tag out by tagging the base runner while she is not standing on a base, or fly-out by catching the ball in the air before it has touched the ground. Once the defence creates three outs, it switches to be on offense.
Indoors - Each innings is timed, and there is no limit to the number of 'outs', however 'outs' reduce the score of the opposition.
Base running:
Outdoors - The ultimate goal for base runners is to reach home plate and score a run. They attempt to avoid getting “out” by following the rules of the game. Runners are safe as long as they touch a base, and only one runner is allowed on a base at a time. If a runner is on 1st base and the batter hits the ball into play, the base runner is “forced” to run to 2nd base because the batter is attempting to occupy 1st base. In this scenario, a fielder can throw to 2nd base to get a force out. However if there is a runner on 2nd base and no runner on 1st base, the runner may remain on 2nd base when the ball is hit into play because she is not “forced” to advance—there is room for the batter to occupy 1st base and the base runner to occupy 2nd base. More advanced base running strategies include: stealing, tagging up, and hit-and-run.
Indoors - The goal of base runners is to return to the home plate without getting out, and enabling and assisting any other base runners to advance.
Objective of the Game: To score more runs than the opposing team. The team with the most runs at the end of the game wins.
Offense & Defence: The primary objective of the offense (batting team) is to score runs and avoid 'outs'. The primary objective of the defence (fielding team) is to prevent runs and create 'outs'.
Offensive strategy:
Outdoors - A run is scored every time a base runner touches all four bases, in the sequence of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and home. To score a run, a batter must hit the ball into play and then run to circle the bases, counter-clockwise. On offense, each time a player is at-bat, she attempts to get on base via hit or walk. A hit occurs when she hits the ball into the field of play and reaches 1st base before the defence throws the ball to the base, or gets an extra base (2nd, 3rd, or home) before being tagged out. A walk occurs when the pitcher throws four balls. It is rare that a hitter can round all the bases during her own at-bat; therefore, her strategy is often to get “on base” and advance during the next at-bat.
Indoors - A run is scored for each base that a batter reaches, or if the batter hits a target on the far wall. Points are deducted for every 'out'.
Defensive strategy:
Outdoors - On defence, each time a player is at-bat, the pitcher has an opportunity to get her out by throwing three strikes, called a strikeout. If the batter hits a pitch, the defence has many ways to get the batter out. The defence can create a force out by throwing the ball to 1st base before the batter can reach the base, tag out by tagging the base runner while she is not standing on a base, or fly-out by catching the ball in the air before it has touched the ground. Once the defence creates three outs, it switches to be on offense.
Indoors - Each innings is timed, and there is no limit to the number of 'outs', however 'outs' reduce the score of the opposition.
Base running:
Outdoors - The ultimate goal for base runners is to reach home plate and score a run. They attempt to avoid getting “out” by following the rules of the game. Runners are safe as long as they touch a base, and only one runner is allowed on a base at a time. If a runner is on 1st base and the batter hits the ball into play, the base runner is “forced” to run to 2nd base because the batter is attempting to occupy 1st base. In this scenario, a fielder can throw to 2nd base to get a force out. However if there is a runner on 2nd base and no runner on 1st base, the runner may remain on 2nd base when the ball is hit into play because she is not “forced” to advance—there is room for the batter to occupy 1st base and the base runner to occupy 2nd base. More advanced base running strategies include: stealing, tagging up, and hit-and-run.
Indoors - The goal of base runners is to return to the home plate without getting out, and enabling and assisting any other base runners to advance.
Images from 2016
Fun in the park!