The game moves at a faster pace than traditional baseball due to the field being smaller and the bases and the fielders being closer to home plate.

A baseball mound is typically a pile of dirt with a rectangular pitching rubber on top, where the pitcher will then throw overhand and downward to the batter.

[12] Sixteen-inch softball, also sometimes referred to as "mush ball" or "super-slow pitch" and is a direct descendant of Hancock's original game.

Sixteen-inch softball is played extensively in Chicago,[13] where devotees such as newspaper columnist Mike Royko consider it the "real" game,[14] and New Orleans.

[17] Other sanctioning bodies of softball are AAU, NSA, PONY, Babe Ruth League, ASA, ISC, USSSA and Triple Crown.

The softball field is usually composed of a dirt or brick dust infield that contains the shape and running areas of a diamond and a grass outfield.

In fast pitch, the pitcher is allowed to take one step back prior to releasing the ball during the forward movement.

The batter attempts to hit the pitched ball with a bat, a long, round, smooth stick made of wood, metal or composite.

As in baseball, the infield fly rule applies in some game situations to prevent the defense from recording multiple force outs by deliberately dropping an easy catch.

Equipment required in softball includes a ball, a bat (composite, metal or wooden), gloves, uniforms and protective gear.

In Chicago, where softball was invented, it remains traditional to play a variant of slow-pitch with a ball 16 inches (41 centimeters) in circumference.

[31] Many recreational leagues prohibit the use of metal cleats or spikes to reduce the possible severity of injuries when a runner slides feet-first into a fielder.

For fastpitch softball, the traditional pitching style is a "windmill" motion, extending the arm above the body and releasing the ball at about hip level at maximum speeds.

At higher levels of play, pitchers aim for the inner and outer corners of the plate when throwing fastballs and breaking pitches.

The offensive team sends one "batter" at a time to home plate to use the bat to try to hit the pitch forward into fair territory.

There is also regular slapping in which a batter takes position on the left side of the plate and usually stands in the back of the box, but it is possible form anywhere.

A home run includes any ball that bounces off a fielder and goes over the fence in fair-territory (depending upon association and local league rules) or that hits the foul pole.

Just like the catcher, first basemen may wear specific first base mitts, usually having a longer web allowing them to reach the taller throws over their head.

Variations in the grip cause the seams to "catch" the air differently, thereby changing the trajectory of the ball, making it harder for the batter to hit.

[44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51] The selection of which pitch to use can depend on a wide variety of factors including the type of hitter who is being faced; whether there are any base runners; how many outs have been made in the inning; and the current score.

There are a variety of grips and techniques a pitcher may use to deliver a change up such as: It is estimated that 14.62 million Americans played at least one game of softball during the spring of 2015.

The teams can be men's, women's or co-ed, and skill levels can range from novice to elite, with league composition reflecting that.

League rules may stipulate that there must be an equal number of men and women on the team, or that batting order alternate male and female batters.

Co-ed leagues sometimes adopt live-play rules intended to reduce gender inequality, under the assumption that men will be generally more powerful.

[61] The highest governing body for the sport, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), has 190 member countries (excluding dependent territories).

In the men's division eight to ten national teams compete for the European championship, with the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Denmark leading the way.

[80] There are 5 professional softball teams: the Aussie Peppers, the Chicago Bandits, the Cleveland Comets, the California Commotion, and the Canadian Wild.

Depending on the team they can travel all over the United States or even out of the country such as to Canada, the summer and fall for many weeks and days at a time.

There are many different sanctioning bodies of softball: USSSA, ASA, ISA, NSA, WSL, USFA, Triple Crown and SASL just to name a few.

[82] The Amateur Softball Association of America (founded 1933) is one of the largest governing bodies for the game in the United States and sponsors annual sectional and World Series championships.