Kick Ball Tournament Rules

BASICS

• 11 players on the field maximum including at least 4 women
• 6 players, including 2 women required to start a game
• No bounce pitches
• No head shots (i.e., you can throw the ball at the runner, but NOT at their head)
• All fielders must stay behind the pitching line until the ball is kicked
• Bunting is allowed, but limited to 3 per inning.
• 1 base on overthrow is maximum, but not guaranteed
• To encourage participation, everyone present at the game must be in the kicking order
• No more than 3 men may kick in a row in the kicking order
• There be at least 1 umpires for every game
• Regulation red kickballs, a set of bases will be provided
• The First 3 games will be 5 inning games all other game will be 7 inning games (all game will have a 60 minute time limit – no mercy rule)
• Any unsportsmanlike behavior will result in that player/team being suspended/removed from the tournament

START OF THE GAME
Home team games will be decided by a coin flip and home team will take the field first. Each team must hand in their kicking order before the start of the game.
TIE RULE
During the first three games if a game is tied after five innings, one extra inning of play will be allowed to break the tie, time permitting. If time expires and game is tied, the game stands as a tie.(all other games will not be timed and will continue to play until we have a winner)
KICKBALL RULES
Only captains can discuss a rule with the umpire and no judgment calls will be discussed. Players will be ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct towards an umpire.
PLAYING FIELD
The field is the same as a softball field. The dimensions for field set-up are as follows:

• The distance between bases is 60 feet (or about 20 paces)
• 2nd base is about 85 feet (or about 28 paces) from home plate
• The pitcher’s mound/line is about 42 ••• feet (or about 14 paces) from home plate

NUMBER OF PLAYERS ON THE FIELD

• Maximum number of players in the field is 11, including at least 4 women.
• There are no position requirements of any players, (i.e., there need not be 2 females in outfield and 2 in the infield).
• 2
• Minimum number of players in the field/your starting line-up is 6 (at least 2 of whom must be women. There is no maximum number of women allowed on the field/in your line-up. No more than 7 men are allowed on the field at one time.
• A team does not need to play someone at the catcher position unless they have 9 or more players.
• A player arriving late may be inserted at the bottom of the order even if you have kicked around one or more times. You are allowed to place that player in the field, if your team is not kicking. Make the umpire and opposing team aware of these additions.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS IN THE KICKING ORDER/LINE-UP
In order to encourage maximum participation, teams must kick
every player present. You must kick 4 women in the first 11 spots and no more than 3 men can kick in a row. In situations where a team has more men than women present, some women may need to kick twice in the rotation. Men may never kick twice in the rotation. Line-ups must be given to the umpire for every game.
Teams must designate which women will kick twice on their line-up card. Only those women will be allowed to kick twice or the kicking out of order rule will be enforced.
No player may be dropped from the kicking order, absent extenuating circumstances such as serious injury, as determined by the umpire. Gaining a tactical advantage is not an exigent circumstance. If an injury occurs and a player cannot kick, the next kicker “moves up” to kick with no penalty. Any player (without approved injury excuse) who is not available to kick when due up receives an automatic out.
KICKING OUT OF ORDER
If the error is discovered while the incorrect kicker is kicking, then the correct kicker will assume the ball/strike count of the incorrect kicker. If the incorrect kicker reaches base safely and the error is discovered, the correct kicker will be called out. All runners will return to their original base and the incorrect kicker will return to the bench. The opposing team must make the umpire aware of "kicking out of order" before a pitch is rolled to the next kicker. If not, then the incorrect kicker will stay on base.
POSITION CHANGES/ SUBSTITUTIONS
Players may move freely from one field position to another, enter, leave, or re-enter the fielding team (free substitution), but the kicking order must stay the same.
PITCHING
The pitcher must roll the ball from behind the pitcher’s line (the 1st/3rd base diagonal) and stay behind the line until the ball is kicked (i.e., they cannot rush in towards the kicker). Bouncies are not allowed (i.e., any ball that bounces higher than 1 foot as it crosses home plate). If the pitcher throws a bouncie as determined by the ump, it is a ball.
FIELDING/CATCHING
No player can cross the pitcher’s line (i.e., the 1st base – 3rd base diagonal) until the ball is kicked. If someone does, this results in a ball. The catcher must start behind home plate, behind the kicker and may not cross home plate or be in front of the kicker before the ball is kicked.3
STRIKE ZONE/STRIKES
Extends 1 foot on either side of home plate and is 1 foot high. Any pitch outside the strike zone is a ball. Three strikes is an out. A foul counts as strike 1 or strike 2, and you can foul out.
FOULS
In order to keep the game moving, once a player has 2 strikes they will only be allowed to foul the ball off twice. On the 3rd foul after 2 strikes the player will be called out.
BALLS
Four balls is a walk. A ball is awarded if 1) the pitch is a bouncie, 2) the pitch is outside the strike zone, 3) the pitcher and/or fielders move towards home plate before the ball is kicked or 4) the catcher crosses home plate before the kicker or is not positioned behind the kicker
KICKING/BUNTING
All kicks must be made with the foot (not knee, thigh or arm – those would be considered a foul and the ball is dead) and must take place behind home plate (if in front of home plate, that is also a foul). Bunting is allowed but a team can only bunt 3 times per inning. Any bunts after 3 will be considered a foul. A bunt is defined as a non full swing (up to the refs discretion).
Outfield Line
An imaginary line exists approximately 10 yards into the outfield. No outfielder (except the short fielder) may step in front of this line until after the ball is hit. Violations of this rule will result in a single being awarded to the batter, and ALL runners advancing one base, regardless if the awarded single caused a forced advance or not. This means that if you are playing 11 players, three must be behind the line. This is to prevent unfair positioning of players on a field.
RUNNING (No Leading or Stealing, Yes Tagging Up)

• Runners can leave the base once the ball is kicked. If a runner leaves early, the ball is dead and the runner is declared out. If this is the 3rd out of the inning the kicker will be first up in the next inning
• Runners must stay within the base line and fielders must stay out of the base line.
• Tagging up is permitted. After the ball touches a player in the field, a runner may tag the base they were on and try to run to the next base.

INTERFERENCE
If a fielder interferes with a runner, the runner will be safe at the base they were running to. Interference is physical contact or blocking the base path that would hinder the runner getting to the base.
OUTS
Three outs ends a half-inning. You can make an out in 5 ways: 1) any kicked ball (fair or foul) that is caught in the air), 2) a force out – the ball beats the runner to a base they are forced to run to, 3) a runner 4
hit by the ball (whether thrown or kicked) or who touches the ball when not on base, 4) three strikes or 5) a runner is off his/her base when the ball is kicked
NO HEAD SHOTS
Part of the fun of kickball is throwing the ball at the runners. However, you cannot hit them in the head or neck. If you do, the runner is safe and advances 1 extra base (beyond the base they were running to). If the runner intentionally blocks the ball with their head, the runner will be out. (Ump’s discretion)
COURTESY RUNNERS
Injured players may receive a courtesy runner once they reach first base. The courtesy runner must be the last player of the same gender to make an out in the game. A female must be replaced by a female and a male must be replaced by a male.
OVERTHROWS/OUT OF PLAY

• Runners are limited to 1 base maximum (in addition to the base they were running to) if an overthrow goes out of bounds. This is the maximum and is not necessarily an automatic award.
• All thrown balls are deemed out of play when the ball is thrown over/beyond the fence or beyond the imaginary line extending from the end of the backstop (if there is no fence). This imaginary line applies to overthrows and caught fly foul balls.
• If the ball is overthrown and hits the fence behind the 1st or 3rd base lines, this is NOT considered out of play and the runner may advance, BUT at his/her own risk.

DOUBLE FIRST BACE
Two bases will be placed at first base or painted to avoid collisions. A kicked ball hitting the inside base is declared fair, and a kicked ball hitting the outside base is declared foul. Both the inside and outside bases are treated equally for both the offense and the defense when running out a base hit or attempting to tag the bag for a force out. Once the runner has reached first base and attempts to go beyond first base, the inside base is the only playable portion of the base.
HOME PLATE RULE
If there is a play at the plate, it is the runner’s responsibility to avoid contact. The umpire has discretion to decide whether the runner initiated contact and should be called out. Any excessive contact or collision will result in an “out” and/or ejection. This includes contact with the catcher. Sliding is allowed but not required.
Fake tags and barreling will result in immediate ejection from the game and will not be tolerated. Sliding is not required, however a runner must be attempting to reach base and the defensive player must be attempting to catch the ball. If there is no play, the defensive player cannot block a base. Warnings will be issued, followed by ejection from the game if necessary. Collisions and injuries are to be avoided if at all possible.