Courtesy of Toronto Kickball:
As you might have guessed, kickball draws heavily upon the rules of baseball. If you're not familiar with that game, then turn on your TV or head down to the Rogers Centre and catch the Blue Jays, 'cause they're going all the way this year! (Okay, maybe not.) However, these are the rules that differ from standard baseball rules.
- The pitcher cannot bounce the ball in to the batter; it must rolled as smoothly as possible.
- No bunting (meaning, the ball has to go a reasonable distance when you kick it.)
- Three foul balls in an at-bat is a strikeout.
- Not only can runners be tagged out, but the ball can also be thrown at them a la dodgeball. Kicking the ball at them does not count, and no throwing the ball at the head or groin area.
- Once the ball hits a runner, the runner is out, but play continues. Once the ball is returned to the pitcher, all play is dead.
- No leading off or stealing bases.
- No blocking runners (aka 'zone defence') between bases.
- Maximum 10 runs scored per inning, except for the final inning. League games will be five innings long.
- Disputed plays will be resolved with a single round of rock/paper/scissors.
Most importantly, remember at all times that the point of kickball is to have fun. So keep the trash talk clever, and next time you're about to berate a teammate for dropping a playground ball, remember: winning is cool, but taking kickball too seriously makes you look like a total knob.
Foul Balls
It's foul if:
- It's kicked and lands in fair territory before 1st or 3rd base, then bounces out.
- It's kicked and lands in foul territory.
- It's kicked into foul territory and someone tries to catch it but it drops (doesn't matter where it lands, fair or foul, as long as the person or object it hits is in/standing in foul territory.)
It's fair if:
- It's kicked into fair territory.
- It's kicked, lands in fair territory AFTER 1st or 3rd base then proceeds to bounce out.
- It's kicked, someone STANDING in fair territory makes a grab for it, it goes off their body, then lands in foul territory. (so don't grab at a kick you can't definitely catch if it's heading foul...cause it'll still be in play if you touch it and you're in fair territory.)
The Tag-Up Rule
One baseball rule that routinely catches new players unaware is the tag-up rule. Here's How it works: if the ball is caught in the air after it's kicked, the kicker is out--and anyone on base has to touch the base they were on AFTER the ball is caught before they can go ahead and run to the next base.
How it works in a game situation
To give you an example, let's say Michelle is on first base when Alex comes up to kick. Alex immediately kicks it way into the outfield towards Shawn. Knowing the tag-up rule, Michelle goes about halfway to second, waiting to see if the ball will be caught. Shawn catches it, so she heads back to first and stays safe. But if Shawn had dropped it, she would've proceeded to second base easily.
Judge whether the ball will be caught or not
So what does this mean for you if you're on base? Well, basically, you need to watch the ball while it's in the air to see if someone catches it. If they drop it, you can run. If they catch it, you need to touch your base and then judge whether you can beat the throw to the next base, or just stay put.
Run on anything!
Now, if you're on base and there are two outs, you'll hear your teammates tell you to "run on anything". Basically what they're saying is that if the ball is caught, it's the third out anyway so you don't have to worry about tagging up. Just go for it when the ball is kicked!
