Softball
Learning Objectives:
At the end of the lesson students will be able to:
• Identify the origins of softball, including its
inventor and initial development
• Explain the key dimensions of a softball field and
gain knowledge about the team composition
• Demonstrate proper techniques for at least three
fundamental softball skills
HISTORY
HISTORY
• The earliest known softball game was played in
Chicago, Illinois on Thanksgiving Day, 1887. It
took place at the Farragut Boat Club at a
gathering to hear the outcome of the Yale
University, Harvard University football game.
When the score was announced and bets were
settled, a Yale alumnus threw a boxing glove at
a Harvard supporter. The other person grabbed
a stick and swung at it.
• George Hancock called out "Play ball!" and the
game began, with the boxing glove tightened
into a ball, a broom handle serving as a bat.
• George Hancock is credited as the game's
inventor for his development of ball and an
undersized bat in the next week.
HISTORY
• 1985, outdoor softball was introduced in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by Louis Rober, a
fire brigade officer. Rober’s version of the game was called “kitten ball” or “pumpkin
ball” and featured larger balls, shorter bases, and underhand pitching.
• By the early 20th century, softball had gained a significant following across the United
States, with variations of the sport referred to as “mushball,” “indoor-outdoor,” and
“playground baseball.”
• 1926, the American Softball Association (ASA) was established in Chicago to maintain
consistent rules, equipment specifications, and guidelines. Walter Hakanson, the ASA’s
first commissioner, suggested the sport be named “softball.”
• 1930s, women’s softball gained greater prominence. The first-ever women’s softball
world series, called the Tournament of Roses, was held in 1939. The Rockford Peaches
and the Racine Belles, two prominent women’s softball teams, competed in the event.
Throughout the 1940s, women’s softball continued to thrive, with new leagues and
teams popping up across the country.
HISTORY
• 1943, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was founded by
Philip Wrigley, the owner of the Chicago Cubs. This league, depicted in the 1992 movie
‘A League of Their Own,’ provided women an opportunity to showcase their athletic
prowess while many male baseball players were enlisted in World War II.
• Slo-pitch softball emerged in the 1950s, offering a more leisurely and less competitive
alternative to fast-pitch softball.
• As participation and interest in softball continued to soar, the
International Softball Federation (ISF) was established in 1952.
• Softball made its official Olympic debut at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta,
Georgia.
• After the 2008 Beijing Olympics, softball was removed from the Olympic program until
its return for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But it was removed again in the 2024 Olympics.
• Good News! It is expected to return in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics
Basic Skills Use
Basic Skills
1. Pitching – is an Windmill Pitching
important skill that
puts the game to play.
It is performed by a
pitcher in who stand at
the pitcher’s plate.
Basic Skills
2. Hitting/Batting – It is an
offensive skill used to hit
or bunt the pitched ball
using a bat done by the
player to advance to the
bases and eventually
leading to score a run or
point
Basic Skills
3. Catching – It is a
defensive skill used to
receive a thrown ball by
the pitcher that was not hit
by the batter.
Basic Skills
4. Fielding
- is a skill that requires
focus, concentration,
coordination and
confidence
Basic Skills Different Ways to throw
5. Throwing – the most
basic skill in softball. Use
in fielding the ball to a
teammate to make a play
to a batter or base runner
preventing them to
advance to the next base
or home plate.
Basic Skills
6. Running/Base-Running
- It is very important skill
that a player need to
master because it allows
the player to advance
from one base to the
next base or home plate
Court
Dimensions
Court DImension
Source: https://www.internationalsoftball.com/blog/softball-field-dimensions/
Court DImension
Source: Softball Field Dimensions— In-depth Analysis - International Softball
Team
Composition
Team composition
Goals and
Objectives of
the Game
Goals & Objectives
Main Goal: Score more runs than the other team
A run is scored when a player runs to all 4 bases and returns to home
plate
Defense tries to get 3 outs per inning to stop the offense
Teams switch between offense and defense every inning
In official softball games, there are 7 innings.
Each inning is divided into two halves:
Top half → the visiting team bats.
Bottom half → the home team bats.
If the score is tied after 7 innings, the game goes into extra innings until a
winner is decided.
References:
• Softball: History, Types, Objective, & Equipment – Sportsmatik
• https://www.britannica.com/sports/softball
• https://www.scribd.com/document/494250920/PE4-Team-Spo
rts
• https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/cotabato-state-unive
rsity/bachelor-of-physical-education/basic-skills-in-softball/9
9207228
• https://www.softballhistoryusa.com/the-birth-of-softball/
• Softball History: Timeline & How it started
THANK YOU
FOR
MEMbers: LISTENING!
Bagninit, Lance Harvey
Bittanga, Cherrylyn
Gaston, Angelica Mae
Jallorina, Mikee
Parungao, Aira
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