Sport is about a range of specific activities which involves competition and requires physical

conditioning and skills. A good way to define it would be to say, "It is a structured physical
activity, usually competitive, that requires complex skills and a high level of individual
commitment and motivation". Let's look at what this mean:

· Structured physical activity-structured means it is organised. All sports have governing bodies
that set rules and arrange events. It also requires physical preparation to some extent.

· Competitive-all sport have a competitive element, either between individual and team.

· Requires complex skills-skills have to be learned for an individual to become a performer. Basic
skills have to be learned first, which are later developed into more complex skills.

· High level of individual commitment and motivation - top athletes get to where they are by
training for long hours for many years and often have to make sacrifices. This of course leads to
rewards, such as winning, a sense of achievement, prize money or wages, which make all the
hard work worthwhile.

Throughout history, sport has played a variety of important function in society: as a form of
recreation, as a preparation for war or the hunt; or later as a substitute for war. Some sports
such as wrestling, date back thousands of years, others have arisen and being adapted from
other activities. Today there are hundreds of different sports and the job of defining what a sport
becomes very difficult. However, a number of characteristics that are shared by all sports can be
identified.

PROPER BEHAVIOR OF BASEBALL

As (the real) Opening Day is just around the corner, it is now PSA time.

In an effort to curb the bottle throwing, base coach attacking, and Frankie Francisco chair
hurling, we have compiled some general rules of behavior that the average fan should follow.

Now, you hard core fans, continue to be obnoxious.

1.) There will be no WAVE during the game. You block our view enough by getting up every
three innings for food. Just sit down, watch the game.

The Wave is never acceptable unless there is a black and white ball rolling on the field...and the
stadium is round. The batter's eye cannot do the wave, so you shouldn't either.

2.) Your ticket has a seat number printed on it. Look at it BEFORE you walk down the aisle,
memorize it, then proceed to find your seat by matching the aisle, row, and seat numbers.

3.) Typically, there is an aisle on either side of the row. If you are in seat five and you notice that
the last seat in the row is 15, go down to the next aisle. Disrupting 10 people is not polite.

4.) The time printed on your ticket is not a suggestion. Be in your seat by first pitch. People who
arrive during the fourth or fifth should expect to find their seats filled and their tardiness
mocked.

5.) Try clapping and cheering without the help of the scoreboard. Just because it doesn't read
"Make Some Noise" doesn't mean you can't.
6.) Standing during the game is only acceptable in rally and game winning situations. Don't yell
at me for standing during the last strikeout—some of us want to win the game.

7.) Beach balls are only acceptable if you are in California or if you are playing a Californian team.
Dodger fans, now is the time to visit the 99¢ store and stock up.

By following these simple rules, your baseball experience, and that of your neighbors in the
stands, will be significantly improved.

Basic Skills

To play Baseball competitively or recreationally, you need some basic skills, including the ability
to:

Catch

Throw

Field a ball

Hit

Move between bases

Catching

Catching correctly not only keeps you from being hurt, it also makes it easier for you to get ready
to throw the ball. Catching and throwing are the 2 fundamental defensive Baseball skills. In a
game your ability to catch and throw quickly helps you throw out a base runner attempting to
advance to the next base.

Throwing

Throwing is the most important basic skill required of a good defensive player. The ability to
throw accurately and quickly will make it hard for the opposition to score and advance runners.
Having the correct throwing technique will allow you to hit your targets with greater consistency.

Fielding

Good team fielding makes it difficult for the opposition to score runs and gives the pitcher and
catcher extra confidence. It is important to practice the basic fundamentals of fielding a ball hit
along the ground and in the air, as well as knowing where to throw the ball. A good fielder will
rehearse specific plays so they know exactly where to throw the ball if it is hit to them.

Hitting

Hitting is the most enjoyable part of the game. It is hard to hit a round ball with a round bat into
a specified area, especially if you only have a split second to react. A good hitter needs excellent
hand-eye coordination, a fast reaction time, good technique and confidence.

Base running

Sharp aggressive base running can put a lot of pressure on the defensive team. Good base
running is about being fast and smart. It is just as important to know and understand the current
game situation at all times (including the number of outs and the defensive team's fielding
placements) as it is to move around the bases quickly.

More information about these basic skills, as well as tips and training programs to help you
develop your skills, will be available in the Coaching section of this website soon.

RULES AND REGULATION

Baseball is a sport that dates back as far as 1744 and formats of the game have been in place
until the modern era today. The game is predominantly big in North America, Canada and Japan.
The game is played worldwide with the pinnacle of sport coming from the World Series of
Baseball. Ironically, this event is only competed by North American teams.

Object of the Game

The object of baseball is to score more runs than your opponent. The idea is to hit the ball
thrown at you as far as you can before running around 4 bases to complete a run. Once a player
manages to get around the four bases before being tagged out, then another batter steps in.

Players & Equipment

A game is played out between two teams, each made up of 9 players. The game lasts for 9
innings with each team alternating between batting and fielding in each inning. The scores at the
end of the innings are added to a cumulative score and the team with most points wins. Each
team has three outs per inning before they then swap roles. Each inning can be broken down
into the top (where the away team bats), and the bottom (where the home team bats).

The field is split into two sections: infield and outfield. Separating the infield and outfield is a
diamond shape with four bases, spaced at 90 feet apart each. In the center of the infield is the
pitching mound where the pitcher stands and throws the ball toward the batter. The batter
stands at the home plate. The other three bases are known as first base, second base and third
base. The batter must touch all bases before successfully scoring a run.

The bats are made out of either wood, aluminium or metal materials. The ball is white with red
stitching and is roughly 3 inches in diameter. The fielding team wear ‘mits’, which are basically an
oversized glove to help them catch and pick up the ball. The catcher (standing behind the batter
to catch any balls missed) wears extra padding in their glove, along with leg guards, a body pad,
and a helmet.
Scoring

To score, a batter must hit the ball with the bat into the designated fielding area and make it
around all four bases (before the fielding team is able to collect the ball and throw it to the base
the batter is running to). A player can score a mandatory point if they hit a home run, which
usually means the ball has left the playing area, often landing in the crowd. A player can stop at
any base if they feel they might not make it to the next base before being tagged out.

Players can score multiple points from one hit if more than one player is already on one of the
bases. When you hear the phrase 'the bases are loaded', this refers to the instance where there
is a player on every base. So, every time a batter successfully makes it to first base, the other
players on the second and third bases are able to trickle home, earning a point for their team
each time. Depending on how many players get around to home plate before being tagged will
depend on how many points you score. A maximum of four points can be scored on one hit.

Winning the Game

To win a game, you must outscore your opposition through the 9 innings played. The team with
the most points after 9 innings is deemed the winner. In the event of a tie, extra innings are
played until a winner has been concluded.

Rules of Baseball

Baseball has two teams of 9 players.

The fielding team’s positions are made up of a pitcher, catcher, first baseman, second baseman,
shortstop, third baseman, and three outfielders at left field, centre field and right field.

Games last for 9 innings of which both teams get to bat once. If the game is a tie after 9 innings
then an extra inning will be added until a winner is found. If the team batting second in the
bottom of the 9th inning are already ahead in points, then they do not need to complete their
batting innings.

Once a batting order is picked, then it cannot be changed throughout the game. Substitutes are
permitted, however, they must bat in the order of the previous player whom they replaced.

If the batter manages to hit the ball from the pitcher, they must make an effort to at least get to
first base. They can then run to as many bases as they wish before being tagged out. Each base
must be touched with some part of the batters body when running past.
A batter gets up to three strikes before getting out. A strike is deemed when a batter swings for a
ball and misses it. The batter can leave the ball but, if it’s within a certain area (called the 'strike
zone'), then a strike will also be given. If four balls miss the strike zone and the batter does not
swing their bat, they can walk to first base.

When on base, the batter can run to the next base at any point.

Players can be dismissed by either a 'strike out' (referring to a batsman missing the ball three
times), 'force out' (when a player fails to make the base before the defensive player), 'fly out'
(when the ball is hit in the air and caught without it bouncing), and 'tag outs' (where a defensive
player with the ball tags the batsman with the ball all whilst they are running).