The Rules

As we lead up to the new kickball season, there are a couple of important steps that need to be undertaken:

1. Team name must be selected
2. Team color must be selected
3. Socks must be ordered
4. Rules must be discussed

Not necessarily in that order.

If there's one thing we all hate in kickball, it's arguments and rule-mongering. The best way to avoid these things, I feel, is to make sure everyone has a clear understanding of the rules.

SO: Here're the official Rules:

WAKA Kickbal: Official Rules of the Game

For you veterans who're already familiar, there've been revisions. You can see those here:

2009 Updates and Revisions

Some key areas that everyone should be familiar with are:

1. Balls and Strikes (sections 11, 12 and the video)
2. The Kicking Box (see diagram below)
3. Overrunning bases (only 1st and home)
4. Tag ups: You must touch the base you're on before advancing on a caught ball, but can run as soon as the fielder touches the ball. (section 10.05)

I know a lot of the rules seem like no-brainers, but there are some vagaries and catches and loopholes that always trip people up. So if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me (or look it up)!

Finally, when it comes to arguments, the ONLY person on the team that can talk to the refs is the Team Captain or Co-Captain. As I don't know, yet, how to assign co-captain status with the new site, that means that the only person who can argue with refs at this point is Me.

Refs are allowed to eject players who don't adhere to this rule, so that's reason number one to come to me first. Reason number two is: Our team is not "The Team" that harasses refs. Instead, we're the team that all the other players want to be on: Because we have FUN, dammit!

Ok, now on with the pictorial supplements:

WAKA Strike Zone



IMPORTANT NOTE: Revisions this year now allow bouncing pitches. The ball must touch the ground twice before getting to the plate. The strike zone, however, is the same.



The Kicking Box



When you kick the ball, your plant foot must be within the kicking box. This means that your kicking foot can be outside of the box when it actually makes contact with the ball.

Also, take note of the bit about fair and foul balls passing through the shaded zone. The ball can pass through those areas as long as it constitutes a fair ball as indicated below:


Fair or Foul


Click to expand.

The Extra (1st) Base



All right, I know it's a lot to go through, and there's more still, but it's all available in link to the rules above. Again, I'm always available for questions. Everybody knowing the rules will lead to everybody playing fair and having a good time.

~Captain Big

KICKBALL: Official Rules of the Game
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