Basic Softball Equipment and Gear Ball: Softballs used for youth and high school levels are

usually bright yellow, around 12 inches in circumference and weigh around 1 !"2!! grams# $hey are not %soft,& as the name of the sport implies' rather, they are made of hard leather filled with cor(, rubber and synthetic materials# Glove)*itt: Softball gloves are often larger than those used in baseball because the ball is bigger# *ost players choose to wear gloves, which differ from mitts in that they have individual fingers and less padding# +irst basemen and catchers usually wear mitts with e,tra padding to catch balls thrown at higher speeds# Bat: -outh softball bats are generally the same as youth baseball bats# $hey are made out of wood, aluminum or composite materials# .dult softball bats, however, are generally longer with a smaller diameter, and the barrels are less stiff than their baseball counterparts# $he /0.., in an effort to limit the performance of aluminum and composite bats, limits the weight to length ratio of the bat# . bat must be as long 1in inches2 as it weighs 1in ounces2, and the weight cannot be any more than three ounces less than the number of inches it is long# 3n appearance, softball bats have thinner, more tapered handles than baseball bats# 4ue to differences in the construction of baseballs and softballs, a baseball bat can be used adequately to play softball, but a softball bat will li(ely brea( if used to stri(e a baseball# Batting 5elmet: $he most important piece of safety equipment in softball is the batting helmet# 0onstructed of rigid durable plastic and foam, softball helmets help to distribute the forces of any ball that stri(es the batter6s head# 4ifferences between baseball and softball helmets include optional wire face guards and pony tail channels for female athletes# Sliding Shorts and Sliders: Sliding shorts are padded upper thigh synthetic compression leggings that protect the athlete when sliding into a base# Sliders resemble shin guards and protect the shin and calf from in7ury when sliding# 0atcher6s Equipment: Softball catchers must wear helmets with face guards and throat protectors, body protection 1chest protectors2 and shin guards that reach up above the (nees# +ailure to wear full body protection while catching can result in serious in7uries# 53S$89- 8+ S8+$B.:: Softball, especially fast"pitch softball, is considered mostly a women6s game in the 21st century# But it didn6t begin that way " it began as an offshoot of baseball for men that could be played indoors in the winter# 3t was first played in 1 ; with a bo,ing glove rolled up into a ball 1which was soft2 and fielders didn6t wear gloves# $he game proved it could stand on its own, and moved outdoors a couple of years later and was called %indoor"outdoor#& $he +arragut 0lub wrote the first rules for this game sometime around 1 <, and the game spread# $he name softball dates from 1<2=, and by the 1<>!s, similar sports with different rules and names were being played across the country, and into 0anada# 9ules and the name %softball& were standardi?ed in 1<>> as the .mateur Softball .ssociation was formed# Softball is a variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field# 3t was invented in 1 ; in 0hicago as an indoor game# 3t was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground, soft bund ball, (itten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies6 baseball Softball +ield 4imensions $he softball diamond is closely related to the baseball diamond, which is one of the oldest and most comple, pieces of geometric symmetry in all of sports# 8f course, not every field is constructed e,actly the same# +ields all across the world differ in terms of distances of baselines, outfield fences, and the pitching rubber# 3n the official rules of the 3nternational Softball +ederation, the ma,imum outfield distance is stated to be 2@! feet# 3nterestingly, this ma,imum is shared by both men and women# $he variations in the distances

are purely team"specific# Ahile menBs fields tend to be deeper, youth leagues and collegiate teams often have smaller outfields# $hese dimensions can also vary depending on the league# $he following are all ta(en from the official 3nternational Softball +ederation rules, but apply universally to nearly every full"si?ed field in the world# 5ome Clate .rea Home plate: $he plate is a white rubber pentagon with one side measuring 1; inches in length from the base to the point# $wo sides measure #@ inches in length, and two sides measure 12 inches in length# $he two 12"inch sides form a point and face directly away from the pitcherBs rubber# Batters boxes: Both the right"hand and left"hand bo,es measure > feet in width and ; feet in length' each bo, is = inches away from home plate, positioned so the midpoints correspond to the midpoint of home plate# Catcher's box: $he catcherBs bo, measures 1! feet in length from the bac( of home plate, and #@ feet in width# CitcherBs *ound .rea Pitcher's rubber: $he rubber is a white slab, measuring 2D inches by = inches# $he pitching rubber should be level with the ground# Pitcher's circle: $he pitcherBs circle should be a measurement of an "feet radius around the pitcherBs rubber# Bases and Baselines First base: +irst base is a called a safety base or double base# 3t is the length of two bases, 1@ inches wide and >! inches long# $he safety base is positioned across the first base line so that half of the base lies in fair territory and the other half lies in foul territory# $he half that is in fair territory is painted white and the half that is in the foul territory is painted orange# Second and third base: Second and third base are white, measure 1@ square inches, and are > to @ inches thic(# $hird base is positioned entirely in fair territory# Second base lines up squarely with first base and third base, so that the four bases form a perfect =!"foot square# Distance from home plate to first base: =! feet# Distance from first base to second base: =! feet# Distance from second base to third base: =! feet# Distance from third base to home plate: =! feet# Width of each baseline: > feet# 8ther 4imensions Infield size: +rom the third"base foul line to the first"base foul line, the bac( edge of the infield dirt is =! feet from the pitcherBs rubber at all points 1a radius, if you will2# Coachs box: $he coachBs bo, is 1@ feet in length and three feet in width' itBs positioned so the bac( of the bo, lines up evenly with the line from second base to third base, and from second base to first base' each bo, is eight feet from the foul lines# Distance from home plate to the pitchers mound: D> feet# Distance from first base to third base across the diamond! : D feet, 1!E inches# Distance from home plate to second base across the diamond! : D feet, 1!E inches# Distance from home plate to the bac"stop not mandator#!: 2@ to >! feet# B.SEB.:: Baseball is a bat"and"ball game played between two teams of nine players who ta(e turns batting and fielding# $he offense attempts to score runs by hitting a ball thrown by the pitcher with a bat and moving counter" cloc(wise around a series of four bases: first, second, third and home plate# . run is scored when the runner advances around the bases and returns to home plate#