How to Play Wiffle Ball

Wiffle ball is a great outdoor game for young and old to play. Starting as a street game, wiffle ball was designed to include a mixture of baseball, softball, and stickball. It’s a fun game to play during the summer holidays to soak up the sun before going to back to school!

According to the Mental Floss website, the wiffle ball game originated in 1953 when David Mullany was watching his 12-year old play baseball with a plastic golf ball and broomstick. Mullany realised that the original game of baseball was too heavy on little boys’ and girls’ shoulders, so he created a game that is not so tough to play. The name ‘wiffle’ comes from what Mullany’s son called strikeouts – ‘wiffs’.

If you haven’t played wiffle ball before, but you love baseball and softball, then it’s about time we teach you how! By following these simple whiffle ball rules, you’ll be playing like a pro in no time at all.

Wiffle Ball Requirements

You will need 10 players which will make 5 to a team consisting of a catcher, a pitcher, a double area fielder, a triple area fielder, and a home run area fielder. You will need a wiffle ball which is a plastic ball that won’t be able to travel very far, as well as a wiffle bat. This bat can be replaced with a broomstick or something similar.

First, you will have to measure the field. A wiffle ball field is in the shape of a triangle (as big as you want) with the upper point acting as the catcher’s and swinger’s box. A few paces from there will be the pitcher’s position. Along the outer lines of this triangle you should divide it up into the double area, triple area, and home run area.
You will then decide which team will bat first, and which team will field first.
The fielders will stand in their positions and the batting team will start swinging the balls that the pitcher throws.
There is no running during wiffle ball; instead you need to hit the ball as hard as you can into the double area, triple area, or home run area.
The team who fields needs to then make sure they limit the time the batters play by catching them out. Players are out when one of the following happens: if the batter swings during a foul tip, if flying balls are caught by fielders, and if ground balls are caught while still in motion.
Scoring will take place like in baseball: if a batter hits a single, he will score 1 imaginary base. If the next batter hits a single, he will have 2 imaginary bases. If the third player hits a single, he will have 3 imaginary bases which will be a home run. You can also gain points if the runner on the 1^st base goes to the 2^nd base and scores on a triple, if a runner on a 2^nd base scores on a single, double, or triple, and if a runner on a 3^rd base scores on a single, double, or triple.
There are 9 innings played and the team who has the most points after 9 innings are the winners.