Baseball vs Softball - Free Essay Example

Baseball and softball are both competitive sports for males and females at any age. Both are skill requiring sports and require passion for the game. Although they share the same objective, they are different. The biggest difference in these two sports is the pitching style and size. While baseball pitchers deliver the ball overhand or even sidearm, softball pitchers must deliver the ball in an underhand motion. It provides exercise for the players and entertainment for those who watch. Both sports are similar in skills. Both sports require technical, tactical, physical, mental and communication skills. To get better they will have to master these skills and know when to apply them. What makes skill so important and different from the rest is this skill cannot be taught. According to baberuthleague.org, You may feel ill-equipped to teach these mental skills. Many coaches dont focus on the skills, only on the game play. Players must teach themselves and learn how to manage their skills, which is why they are important. The next similarity is having the passion for the game. Many athletes have found their passion for the game, and it helps them achieve their goals. Passion gives athletes a reason to work hard and be the best players they can be. With a passion, athletes have specific targets to shoot for. According to Dr. Stankovich Many years ago it dawned on me how important it is in life to have a passion and purpose. I have learned that without true passion, it is extremely difficult to truly reach your full potential in life. Although it is debatable whether passion is taught and can be looked for. It is always good to give your best at everything to help you win. The last similarity is the objective of the game. According to gamedesign.wikidot.com, by definition, an object of the game is Any object in a game that the player can see and/or interact with. Softball and baseball are played by two teams of nine. The object of the game is to hit the ball and make it to home which gives your team a point or in softball and baseball a run. The team that ends up with the most runs wins. Although it is not that easy. The batter is given a set amount of balls and strikes. Four balls advance the runner to first and three strikes and the batter is out. There are several ways to get an out. If the ball is hit into the air and is caught by one of the nine fielders. A runner on base being tagged with the ball. Or not being able to beat the two while running to first. One difference is pitching. Gravity dictates that a baseball being thrown from a mound would naturally fall, allowing the batter to follow gravity and move his hands down. With softball, low release points can cause a ball to move upward, meaning, batters must fight against gravity and move their hands up. According to MLB Pitchers Setting Velocity Records, Altering Balance of Power. Major league pitchers, on average, can pitch around ninety miles per hour. With the mound being just fifty-five feet from home, that leaves the batter with around fifty-hundredths of a second to react. According to Fastpitch softball the pitchers average speed is of seventy miles per hour the pitching circle thirty-seven feet from the plate. The ball can reach a batter in thirty-five hundredths of a second. Meaning Softball players have a twenty percent less chance of getting a hit compared to a baseball player. The last difference is size. Baseball has bigger fields, base paths, ball size, and bats. While softball has smaller field size, base paths, and bats. The base paths in softball are several feet shorter than baseball. The field size in baseball bases is 90 feet apart, while in softball bases are 60 feet apart. Another difference is innings. Softball is played for seven innings while baseball is played for nine. Although they are the same sport they are also quite different. They are similar with the mental toughness, passion and objective of the game. However, with the pitching style, size differences, and gender they become their own game.