What do you actually know about kickball history? You probably played kickball as a child, or maybe you now enjoy the game with your friends, as an adult. Or perhaps, you have never played or heard about it. Like many other people, you most likely don’t know the history of this sport. In fact, it probably never crossed your mind how it all began. Truth is that this game is making a comeback. You will find both adults and children playing it in the park, field, and different social gatherings. Some are even taking it a step further and forming leagues to make the best of this recreational sport. But how did it all start?

A Brief Look at the Game

According to statistics, kickball also known as kick baseball is about a century old. Initially, it was mainly played by children but soldiers, during the Second World War, adopted it to keep themselves busy and entertained. After the WWII, its popularity started to decline but it started making a resurgence in the late 90’s. The activity has become part of the workout routines especially in the gyms and is popular with both adults and children. It follows similar rules to baseball or softball and uses a bouncy red rubber ball. However, instead of using a bat to hit the ball, the players use their feet to kick it. The kickball field is similar to that of baseball and comprises of a diamond, 2 teams, 4 bases, and home plate. Each team fields 10 or more players including a pitcher, baseman, outfielders, and catchers.

 

Early Kickball History

Initially, the game resembled baseball and comprised of basemen, pitchers, and a shortstop. In what is/was described as a “perfect pitch”, the ball, using an underhanded toss, is tossed and shouldn’t rise higher than the batter’s knee level. The batter kicks the ball and the runners move one position up. For each side, the kickers get 3 strikes, 4 balls, and the batters get 3 outs. Other than an additional shortstop, the early kickball was similar to baseball.

 

Modern Format

The modern form of kickball has slightly changed. 10 to 30 players are involved in this game and take positions outside a defined “Neutral Zone.” No player is allowed to leave this position until the ball is kicked from a 3-foot circle known as the home base. The kicked ball should move beyond the 5-foot line and the base runners move up one base from the ball. Unlike the traditional baseball or softball or early form of kickball, there are no outs and all the players get to kick the ball. For a comprehensive look at kickball today, you can check out our other articles.

 

Who Invented Kickball?

Many Historians state that the guy who invented kickball was invented in 1917 by Nicholas C. Seuss. He was a park supervisor in Cincinnati, Ohio, and he invented this game with aim of teaching kids the basics of baseball. To make do with what was available, he opted to use the feet to kick the ball instead of having to buy baseball bats. He referred to it as Kick Baseball since it was baseball, only that the baseball bats were replaced by human feet. Later on, schools, churches, and other community groups took up the recreational sport. Its rising popularity saw the game incorporated into the public school system curriculum.

 

Adult Participation And WAKA Kickball

Initially, kick baseball was more of children’s game. However, it was documented that adults, especially World War II soldiers took up the game later on. The resurgence of this sport from the late 90s has seen more adults participating compared to children and many have formed organizations and leagues. The most notable is the World Adult Kickball Association (WAKA Kickball) that was formed in Washington, D.C. As of 2011. WAKA Kickball now has a presence in 30 states, and includes 200 divisions, 2,000 teams, and more than 40,000 players all over the over the country. Kickball leagues have sprung up in many States including St. Louis, San Francisco, and New York.

 

Spread Of The Sport

Kickball history shows us that the sport started in North America, and that is also where it’s most famous. However, the sport is spreading to other parts of the world. In South Korea, for instance, it’s referred to as “Balyagu” which basically means Foot-Baseball and has been incorporated into the Physical Education (PE) lessons in the elementary schools. Through the help of WAKA Kickball, Marines stationed at Falluja, Iraq were able to setup a kickball league there as well.

 

Summing Up

Having started from humble beginnings, kick baseball or simply kickball is gradually spreading to other parts of the globe. It is a popular recreational activity for adults and children and is played by both men and women. Other than for recreation, this activity is also an important part of PE in some regions. Now that you know about kickball history, why not try it yourself? We bet you’d have a blast! Here are the first few steps you need to understand if you want to find out how to play kickball or improve at it.