Softball

Resources to understand sport rules and guidelines to help athletes achieve their best performances.

Softball

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. Get resources here.

Coaching

• Softball Coaching Guide (Update 2012): This online coaching guide covers planning a season, teaching skills, teaching rules, and includes a quick start guide.
• Quick Reference Coaching Guide (English and translations): This is  our basic guide to coaching athletes with intellectual disabilities. It focuses on some behaviors often associated with ID. The tips have been developed by coaches. They will help you to improve athlete learning and give them a more enjoyable Special Olympics sport experience.
• Softball Rules (2016): This PDF contains the complete updated Special Olympics rules for this sport.
• 2018 Softball Rules Changes: See the most recent rules changes for this sport.
• Softball Rules (2018): This PDF contains the complete 2018 Special Olympics rules for this sport.
• Softball Fact Sheet: Learn about the sport, statistics about it, available events, and how it's done in Special Olympics.

Article 1 and Divisioning

• Divisioning Toolkit and Overview: This toolkit will provide assistance in organizing competitions are structured so that athletes compete with other athletes of similar ability in equitable divisions.     
• Sports Rules Article 1 in English, Chinese, Russian and Spanish: The official Special Olympics Sports Rules provide standards for Special Olympics training and competition. Sports Rules Article I provides general principles not found in the sport-specific rules and is essential knowledge for all people involved with Special Olympics sports. This page has Sports Rules Article 1 in Chinese, English, Russian and Spanish.

Quizzes

• Coaching Softball Quiz: See what you know about Special Olympics softball  in this quiz.
• Coaching Special Olympics Athletes Quiz: See what you know about coaching people with intellectual disabilities in this 7-question quiz.
• Divisioning for Coaches Quiz: See what you know about the way Special Olympics makes competitions fairer, safer and more exciting for all in this 11-question quiz.