Your first three weeks

Batting order: tick each one off

A softball infielder in a light blue uniform holding the ball in her glove, a teammate and the scoreboard behind her — Ball in the glove between plays

The game in eight lines

A game is seven innings. Each team bats until it makes three outs, then takes the field.
The pitch is always underhand. In slow pitch it must rise in an arc (commonly 6 to 12 feet at its peak); in fastpitch it comes flat and hard from 43 feet.
Fastpitch fields nine players. Slow pitch adds a tenth, usually a fourth outfielder.
Bases are 60 feet apart in fastpitch and 60 to 70 feet in adult slow pitch, about two-thirds of a baseball diamond.
Three strikes is an out and four balls is a walk, though many slow-pitch leagues start every batter at one ball and one strike to keep games moving.
In slow pitch there is no bunting and usually no stealing: runners stay on the base until the ball is hit. Fastpitch allows both, with the runner leaving when the ball leaves the pitcher's hand.
A batted ball caught before it bounces is an out, and runners must return to their base before advancing.
Many leagues use a double first base, with an orange half in foul ground for the runner, and end games early on a run-ahead rule.

The full rulebook

USA Softball The national governing body; rulebook, certified bat list and state association contacts, free to read

A fastpitch pitcher in a purple uniform mid-windmill, arm overhead with the yellow ball, an umpire behind her

Two games under one name

A high arc, or a windmill from 43 feet

Slow PitchThe adult recreation game. The ball floats in on a high arc, nearly every at-bat ends with a ball in play, and the skill is in placing hits and fielding cleanly. Co-ed, men's and women's leagues run in most towns from spring through fall.

Start here

Search your city parks department or local rec league for a co-ed or beginner slow-pitch division this week, and sign up as a free agent if you have no team. Leagues place single players on teams that are short.

USSSA event search

FastpitchThe competitive game of schools, colleges and the Olympics. A windmill pitch from close range gives a batter less reaction time than a major-league fastball does, so pitching, bunting and base stealing decide games. Adult leagues exist but are fewer, so expect to travel.

Start here

Find your state association and ask about an adult or open fastpitch league, or a club that takes new players. If you want to pitch, book one lesson before you practice alone, because the windmill motion is hard to self-correct.

USA Softball

Open one for its first step. Picking a game adds its bat and balls to the bucket and takes the other game's out. Fastpitch adds a batting helmet too.

Choosing a glove and bat, and breaking the glove in

Two worn leather ball gloves lying on the grass, one dark brown and one tan — Two broken-in gloves

A softball glove has a deeper, wider pocket than a baseball glove. A 12.5 or 13 inch glove handles any position in either game; slow-pitch outfielders sometimes go up to 14.
The glove goes on the hand you do not throw with. A listing marked right-hand throw is worn on the left hand.
Try closing it one-handed. A beginner is better served by a soft, game-ready glove than by stiff premium leather that takes a season to break in.
Break it in by playing catch, then store it with a ball in the pocket and a band around it. Skip ovens, microwaves and soaking, which dry out and crack the leather.
Slow-pitch bats are 34 inches long and weigh 25 to 30 ounces. Start at 26 or 27 ounces, and go lighter if the barrel drags behind your hands.
Fastpitch bats are sized by drop, which is the length in inches minus the weight in ounces. Most adults swing a 32 to 34 inch bat at a drop of 10.
Check the certification stamp on the barrel against your league's rules. A bat approved by one sanctioning body can be illegal under another, and umpires check.

A softball batter in purple swinging at a yellow ball, with the catcher, umpire, fielders and scoreboard in view

Skills to work on first

Throw, catch, field, hit, run

Throwing

Grip across the seams with your fingertips, point your front shoulder at the target, step toward it and follow through past your opposite knee.

Catching

Fingers up for a ball above the waist, fingers down below it, and bring your throwing hand over the ball as it lands.

Ground balls

Get your feet wide and your glove on the dirt out in front, then bring it up to the ball. It is easier to raise the glove than to drop it.

Fly balls

Take your first step back, not in. A ball over your head is a triple, and a ball in front of you is a single.

Hitting

Keep your head still, start the swing with your hips and hit the ball out in front of the plate. In slow pitch, wait for the ball to come down to you.

Base running

Run through first base at full speed and turn into foul ground. Slowing down to stop on the bag costs outs.

What trips beginners up

Three to expect, three to drop

Expect to be sore in your throwing shoulder and hamstrings after the first week. Sprinting from a standstill is the usual cause, so jog and stretch before the first inning.
Expect to pop the ball up in slow pitch at first. The arc tempts you to swing up at it; a level swing through the back half of the plate gives line drives.
Expect fastpitch pitching to overpower you for a few games. Start your load as the pitcher's arm reaches the top of the circle, not when the ball is released.
Drop the habit of throwing as hard as you can before you are warm. Most beginner arm injuries come from the first ten throws.
Drop the baseball glove you already own if the ball keeps popping out. Its pocket is too shallow for a 12-inch ball.
Drop the silence. Call every fly ball loudly and early, because collisions between fielders are the most common way people get hurt.

Staying unhurt

The ball is not soft. A line drive reaches a slow-pitch pitcher standing 50 feet away in well under half a second, which is why many pitchers and corner infielders wear a fielder's mask.
Batters and base runners wear helmets in fastpitch, and most leagues require a face guard on them for younger players.
Metal spikes are banned in most recreational leagues. Molded rubber cleats grip infield dirt without the risk on a slide.
Slide feet first or do not slide at all until someone has shown you how. Ankles and wrists are the usual casualties.
Check the area behind you before every practice swing, and never swing a bat outside the on-deck circle.

A softball runner sliding feet first into a base in a cloud of dirt as a fielder reaches to tag — A feet-first slide into the bag

Where to learn and find a team

Your city parks and recreation department is the quickest route to a slow-pitch team, and most take individual sign-ups. The national governing body publishes the rulebook and its approved bat list and can point you to your state association, while the largest slow-pitch sanctioning body runs a league and tournament search. For technique, watch the professional fastpitch league and international tournament streams with an eye on footwork and where fielders stand before the pitch. Batting cages with a softball machine are the cheapest hitting practice there is.

Leagues to join and games to watch

Why the kit is built this way

The glove is the one thing nobody can lend you for a whole season, so it is the only essential. Cleats and a bag come next because every player uses them every game, whichever version they play. Bats and balls differ completely between the two games and are governed by league stamps, so each sits behind its own add-on: pick Slow Pitch or Fastpitch and the right ones are added. Fastpitch also adds a batting helmet, which its rules require. A fielder's mask is optional and depends on the position you end up playing. League fees, usually $40 to $100 a player per season, are paid to the league and are not part of this list.

Home plate and the chalked batter's boxes on red infield dirt — Home plate and the batter's boxes

Fill the bucket

Compare the options below, then set your tiers and check out from the bucket. Clicking a card selects it there. The glove, cleats and bag start in. Bats, balls and the batting helmet join when you pick Slow Pitch or Fastpitch, and the fielder's mask is there if you want it.

Adult softball fielding glove

essential · Core equipment

It is the one piece of gear you cannot share for a season, and a softball pocket is deeper than a baseball glove's so the larger ball stays in.

budget

Rawlings RSB Slowpitch Softball Gloves | Softball & Baseball Glove

4.5(672)

$31.56

Softball

Your first three weeks

The game in eight lines

Two games under one name

Choosing a glove and bat, and breaking the glove in

Skills to work on first

What trips beginners up

Staying unhurt

Where to learn and find a team

Why the kit is built this way

Fill the bucket

Adult softball fielding glove

Molded softball cleats

Softball bat backpack

Slow-pitch softball bat

12-inch slow-pitch softballs

Fastpitch softball bat

12-inch fastpitch softballs

Fastpitch batting helmet with face guard

Softball fielder's face mask