KS4 · Physical education · Year 10

Softball and basic rules

Striking and fielding games: evaluate and improve performance in softball

Learn it. Recall it. Make it stick.

IllumED Slides

Download lesson + answers ↓

IllumED · 1/10

Your learning goal

I can apply fundamental softball rules and safety considerations to games.

1 of 10

Softball and basic rules: slides adapted from the imported teaching text; recall questions created from its keywords, learning points and common mistakes. Self-check practice, with no automatic grading or XP. Answers stay on this page and are cleared when you leave.

What you’ll learn

I can apply fundamental softball rules and safety considerations to games.

Key learning points

Move: pitchers send the ball directly over home plate and between the batter’s armpits and knees, into the strike zone.
Think: batters make quick judgements about a pitch’s trajectory to avoid striking out.
Think: dropping the bat carefully before running after a fair hit will avoid other players getting injured.
Feel: learning skills and rules for a new game from a different culture can be exciting.
Connect: by drawing on the experience within a group, you can support each other to grasp new rules/techniques/tactics.

Words to know

strike: when a batter swings at a pitch but fails to hit it, or when a batter does not swing at a pitch that is accurately over the plate
pitch: a ball delivered by the pitcher to the strike zone for the batter to attempt to hit
pitcher: the fielder responsible for pitching (bowling) the ball

Common mistakes

For many pupils, softball may be a totally new game. It's a game with a lot of different rules from the striking and fielding games they will already know such as rounders and cricket.

Learning the intricacies, language and rules of the game in the first lesson and playing a version which includes most of the main rules, will allow pupils to relate to, and see sense in what they learn later in the unit, to the game itself.

For parents, carers and teachers

Have some fun making the umpiring calls! Enthusiastic calls of "stee-rike one!" "play ball!" "safe!" and "you're out!" can really help create an engaging atmosphere around the game.