Activity Ideas - Kick Ball

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Number of Players. The number of players a team has is limitless albeit that a team has no more than 1 more player than the opposition.
2. Positions. The only mandatory position on the field is the pitcher. The pitcher is the one who rolls the ball to the kicker.
3. Kicking. The kicker is the one on the offensive team that the order has come for that person to kick. The kicker must stay behind the white line in front of the plate in order to kick the ball. The kicker may go up to the back stop fence but may not stray more than 8 feet from the plate. If the kicker goes outside of the specified dimensions to kick the ball, then it will be ruled a strike. After the kicker kicks the ball successfully then he may run along the right foul line.
4. Pitching. The pitcher must keep at least one foot on the painted marker at the time of the release of the ball from the pitcher's hand. After releasing the ball and it touches the ground, the pitcher may no longer touch the ball until after the kicker kicks or handles it. The pitcher may use one or two hands when pitching the ball to the kicker, but may not use any other body part in pitching the ball. The pitcher must have the ball cross the plate from the ground to the mid point from the ground to the kicker's knee. The pitcher may not pitch the ball until the kicker is in the kicker's zone and is facing forward toward the pitcher and is ready.
5. Base Running. When a kicker successfully kicks the ball, he may start running along the right foul line. If the ball is not foul, a strike or an out, he may continue to run toward first. If the runner is not hit by the ball, or forced out at first base, he may continue to run past first to the right of the foul line and return to first base without danger of being out. The runner may continue to run to the left of the foul line if he so chooses but is in danger of being caught out. The runner may continue to run until the pitcher has the ball and is within fifteen feet of the pitcher's marker, if he is not halfway to the oncoming base, he must return to the previous base, if he is halfway or more to the oncoming base he may continue to run. If the runner has any part of the body on a base, than he is not in danger of being tagged or hit out. The runner must stay on base until the next pitch passes the white line in front of home base, if he leaves the base before then, he is out. The runner may run up to and including 5 feet from the center line between two bases, if he strays from this area he is out, but may go from the fence to 5 ft to the left of the foul line if the kicker is running from home plate to first, or from third base to home plate.
6. Balls, Strikes and Outs. A kicker has up to three strikes before he is out. A strike is when a kicker moves out of the kicker's zone while the ball is being pitched, kicks the ball left of the left foul line or right of the right foul line before the ball reaches the base that is along those lines or the ball lands outside the lines if the ball is airborne, or completely misses the ball with his foot, or does not attempt to kick the ball and the ball rolls across the plate and is along the ground up to the mid point of the ground and the kicker's knee, or does not kick the ball at least the distance of the pitcher's marker. If the kicker kicks a foul ball he earns a strike, and may earn up to two strikes if he kicks a foul ball, but may not earn a third strike on a foul ball, but once a kicker earns a third strike by any of the other means, he is out and must retire to the fence. A ball is when a pitch from the pitcher comes illegally if the pitcher uses a body part other than his hands, does not come within 5 seconds from the release, or does not come across the plate and between the ground and the midpoint between the ground and the kicker's knee. A kicker may leave the zone to pick up a ball once it has passed the foul line and may only use his hands, or else it is a strike. A pitcher may pitch up to four balls, but once the fourth ball has been pitched the runner may go to first base without being in danger of being out. If there is a runner on base ahead of the walked kicker, then he may walk to the next base without being in danger of being out. A kicker may also walk to first base if a fielder goes in front the distance of the pitcher's mound before the ball is kicked. An out is when a kicker achieves three strikes, kicks the ball and the ball is caught and held with control by any fielder, is hit by the ball while off the base while in danger of being out, or if a runner leaves the designated base path, or a fielder tags the base of an oncoming runner while there are as many eligible runners behind the oncoming runner as there are bases in an out danger situation, or is tagged by the ball while passing the previous base while not tagging it, or is caught off base and the fielder touches the base while the runner is not on it and has not tagged up, or argues a call for more than 10 seconds, or makes a profane verbal or physical gesture, or disrupts the game from normal play in a non necessary situation. A runner must return to base after a strike or an out, but may run to the next base after tagging the current base if the ball is caught. Once a team at kick achieves 3 outs, then the two teams switch positions.
7. Scoring. A team scores a run when an eligible base runner successfully tags home plate. A runner may score by being walked home, driven home after a hit, or may walk home after a home run without danger or being out. A home run is when a ball is successfully kicked airborne and clears over and lands past the fences or walls in fair territory without touching the ground in fair territory, but may repel off an object sustained above the ground, or a fielder of the opposing team and clears the fence or wall. A home run scores the kicker and all on base as long as the kicker and base runners touch all bases and home plate, if not the runners who have successfully done that score while the one who doesn't is out and the ones behind him must stay at the closest base. This also applies if one runner passes another runner.
8. Winning. The winning team is the one who has the most runs when the game ends.
9. Umpiring. A team may play without an umpire and the calls will be by consensus, or will be made by an umpire who is deemed by consensus to be knowledgeable of every rule and is deemed impartial to any players and team and is deemed to be able to call all of the calls to the best of his ability without outside considerations.
10. Interference. Interference will not be tolerated in a game. Any people who are not participants to the game must remain to the extremes of the field or to the playground section of the field. If a non participant comes into the infield the game will be stopped until that person has left. If there is an immanent danger of interference, then the game will be stopped until that danger has faded. If a non participant interferes on a kick, then the runner will go to the closest base at the time of interference, or if the fielder was in position to make a catch, the runner will be ruled out.
11. Base Granting. The only time a base will be granted is when a fielder unnecessarily attempts to push a runner off of a base, only one base will be granted. Under no other situations will a base be granted.
12. Amendments. These rules can be changed at consensus and after 1 week of consideration.
13. Untouched Rules. If any rules were not touched upon on this rule list, they will be implied according to the consensus of the players.

COURTESY OF Boy Scout Kickball Association
Boy Scouts of America Troop 224, Saint Jerome Church, Hyattsville, MD, National Capital Area Council