Mad Dog Baseball: Fielders pass the ball between their legs

Baseball/Softball: Mad Dog Baseball Game

Pat Aitken for PE Update.com

Here's a baseball variation that increases the fitness component of the regular game.

Organization
You'll need a soft ball, a batting tee, and two cones for bases.

Divide your class into two teams and number each team member to produce their batting order. One team bats and the other takes the field.

How to Play
The batting team gets to send up three batters before changing places with the fielding team. If batters miss the ball or hit the tee, it's a strike. Three strikes (or throwing the bat) makes an out.

When players make a hit, their whole team follows them around the two cones. They keep running until stopped by the defensive team (you'll see how later), and every time the batter passes the second cone his/her team scores a run.

Meanwhile, when a player on the fielding team catches the ball, his/her entire team runs behind the fielder and stands in single file. They pass the ball through their legs until it reaches the last player. This player runs to the front of the line and yells “Stop!” This signals the batting team to stop running the bases and scoring runs. After three batters have hit, the fielding team comes to bat.

The team scoring the most points wins the game.

References:
1. Daniel Keller, Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Baseball, Human Kinetics, 2011.
2. Keg Wheeler and Otto H. Spilker, Physical Education Curriculum Activities Kit for Grades K-6, Parker Publishing Company, 1991.

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