Leisure Kicks - The essencial sport and leisure guide

Softball is a game derived from baseball, where two teams attempt to score runs by batters hitting a ball with a bat and advancing around four bases and back to where they started. There are two main forms of the game - fastpitch and slowpitch - and the differences are pretty much as the names suggest.  Both formats are played in the UK, but slowpitch softball, usually played by mixed teams of men and women, is by far the most popular. There are slowpitch clubs, teams and leagues in most major towns and cities in England and Scotland, and the sport is also played in Further and Higher Education colleges and universities. Slowpitch softball is played mainly as a recreational and social sport, but also at a competitive level.

The first thing you should know when getting started is that there technically is nothing ‘soft’ about this game at all – not even the ball. If you are more familiar with the more-global sport of baseball, the differences in the game are simple: bigger ball, smaller diamond –meaning the pitcher is closer to the batsman – and slightly different pitching style. The small size of the pitch means that infield players need to develop lightning quick reflexes while outfield positions are suited to great runners.

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This is Softball, by Baseball Softball UK