Kickball for Adults

June 28, 2010, By Catherine Couretas 0 comments

Adult sport leagues can be a blast and just what you need after a long day at work, but many people say they “just can’t play a sport” or claim they weren’t ever very good at anything. If you’ve tried baseball, softball or even flag football and you’re still not feeling it, try for the age old sport that will give you great memories from when you were young: kickball. It doesn’t require intricate hand-eye coordination and the rules are pretty simple.

Kickball was invented in 1917 in Cincinnati and was used in school gym classes. Since it’s creation, it has expanded greatly. There was originally no pitcher and runners were only allowed to run a certain number of bases depending on how far the ball went.

Now, kickball works just like softball or baseball – minus the pads and bats. All you need for kickball is tennis shoes and yourself. The setup on the field is the same as well and it’s great because it really gets you moving. It’s a good game for beginners because all you’ve got to do is kick a rubber ball, and when you’re in the outfield you’ll get in your running for the day. Kick it as hard as you can and run.

Adult sport leagues will sometimes have kickball teams and there’s even the World Adult Kickball Association (WAKA), but if you can’t find a local group, gather some friends and start a weekly tradition. Don’t think it’s one of those “easy” sports either – it’s just like working out. Check out WAKA’s website to see if there’s a league near you.

This game is also great for your kids. The ball is bigger than a softball or baseball so it’s easily seen and it’s made out of rubber, so even youngsters can kick it a great distance. A setup in the backyard can be created out of makeshift bases and you don’t actually have to have teams – set yourself as the pitcher and your kids will have an awesome time trying to kick the ball over the neighbor’s fence. Stay quick and you’ll be able to catch it every time.

Catherine Couretas is a freelancer at Barefoot Proximity and a regular contributor to ManoftheHouse.com.