Play Adult Kickball! : 8 Steps (with Pictures)

Yes, adult kickball IS a thing and it's AWESOME! It's a great way to get outside, burn some calories, make friends and most of all have fun!!

You can get a group of friends together and just have fun or you can join an actual league near you! Club Waka offers tons of different leagues across the United States with Fall, Spring and Summer sessions. The great thing about this league is you can sign up as a whole team, a group of friends or just by yourself.

Basic game play is similar to base ball with a few differences found in the official rules. A typical game is made up of 6 innings.

Check out the OFFICIAL RULES which are long and slightly confusing or you can follow along this instructable to get the basic idea of how to set up the fields, game play, and a few tips on strategy and what not NOT to do.

Step 1: Teams and Fields

There are three basic things that you need in order to play kickball. You need a team (technically two of them), a field to play on and a couple of refs to keep it fair.

Teams:

Are made up of 11-18 players
Require at least 4 males and 4 females
Need a positive attitude!

Field:

The kickball diamond is a square with equal sides of 60 feet or about 20 paces with a base at each corner.
The distance from home plate to second base and from first base to third base is 84 feet 10 1/4 inches or about 28 paces.
The distance between any base and home plate shall be measured from the back corner of each
The pitching strip is in the center of the diamond, 42 feet 5 1/8 inches or about 14 paces from home plate, and directly aligned with the 1st-3rd base diagonal.
The pitching mound extends 12 feet from the center of the pitching strip.
The sidelines are lines 10 feet on the outside of and parallel to the foul lines, the area between the foul lines and the sidelines is the sideline area.

Refs:

2 refs are required for official games
One ref is at home plate
One ref is at 1st base
A third ref at 3rd base is strongly recommended for fair play

Step 2: Pitching

Pitching is pretty much up to you! There are a few basic rules to it and a few different styles.

Rules:

Pitcher can not cross the pitching strip while pitching the ball.
The ball must bounce twice before hitting home plate.

Styles:

Underhand
Around the side
Over your head

Step 3: Kicking

Kicking the ball!!! Obviously kicking the ball is kind of a big part of the game. After all, it is "KICKBALL!" Like pitching, kicking the ball is totally up to you with a few stipulations.

Rules:

You must kick the ball inside the kick box. (The kicking box is a rectangle with the front of the box aligned with the front of home plate and the back of the box aligned with the sideline cones behind home plate. Lines extending forward from the sideline cones perpendicular to the front of home plate make up the sides of the kicking box.)
The ball can not be kicked from above the knee.
You get 3 strikes, 4 fouls, or 4 Balls. Strikes and fouls are counted separately.
The strike zone is home plate and extends 1 foot to either side, and one foot in the air.

Kicking:

Cleats are recommended but not required. Flatter topped cleats such as soccer cleats are the way to go.
Kick it in the air, try for a home run, just hope the team doesn't catch it!
Bunt. Bunting is a really big piece of kickball. It's a great way to load the bases before a strong kicker is up to the plate.

Step 4:

Step 5: Strategy

Surprisingly, there is actually a lot of strategy in playing competitively. I will go over a couple of the main hints.

Hints:

Have a good line up. Know your players strengths and weaknesses and place them in the best order to achieve runs.
Don't let the ball go over your head in the outfield.
Get the ball infield as soon as possible. Once an out is made in the outfield, base runners can run as long as they tag up.
Play in the matrix. Lets face it, the ball is big, and it can get caught in the wind. Watch the ball, jump over it, bend around it.
Get on the plate! Slide, dive, do whatever it takes. Heck, reach out and just touch it if you have to!
Communicate in the field. Wave your arms and shout "go it!" if you plan to catch it. This eliminates team mates colliding and they can then back you up if you drop the ball.

Step 6: Don't Do's of Kickball

There are a couple of obvious Don't Do's to kickball but lets just touch on them quick.

Don'ts:

Do not stand on the base lines, give the runner space.
Do not stand ON the base when fielding. You will get tackled over accidentally. Instead, stand behind the base touching the tip and try to make the play safely.
Do not kick the ball before it crosses the home base line. This is a foul and after 4 fouls, you're OUT!
Do not throw the ball at someones head. This is common sense, just mean, and results in a safe base if hit.

Step 7: End of the Game

At the end of the game, like all team sports, congratulate your team on their effort- win or lose.
Line up like good sports and give a "good game" to the opposing team. We are adults here, no need to be rude or sore losers!! It was fun either way!

Step 8: Cheer, Celebrate and Make Friends!

The absolute BEST part about kickball besides getting outside and being active is your team! Here are some go to tips to make playing- win or lose an awesome time!