LSC: Skills in Rounders Senior One

Skills in Rounders

Basic Background of the Game, Competences

As early as the 16th century, some forms of batting and fielding games could be found in Europe, particularly in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France and Italy. These games eventually evolved into three distinctive games: cricket, baseball and rounders. Around the 18th century, these games spread to the colonies: India, Pakistan, Australia, West Indies,

Canada, USA and New Zealand. And in the 19th century, they were introduced in Uganda specifically by the Indians who majorly used them as a pass-time activity.

By the end of this chapter you will be able to make improvised equipment for rounders and perform basic techniques of the game of rounders with consideration of rules as well as safety.

Play Area

Equipment and Costumes

i) Identify each of the materials in the 7.2 above

ii) Discuss the use of each of the material listed in 1 above

iii) What other material other than those above is required for the game of rounders?

iv) How can you make playing rounders safe for all participants?

The equipment needed for rounders consists of a truncheon shaped  rounders bat, a rounders ball and 4 posts set out in a diamond shape. A traditional ball is hard and covered in leather although safer, softer balls are used for schools.

Basic Skills Used in Rounders

There are many skills in the game of rounders that are similar to the skills learned from other games. Of course some being new and others being a modification of the skills you have learnt.

Information

1. Catching: on the ground and in air
2. i) Upper catching

This involves catching a ball that is in air and above the head level. This skill is used when

fielding usually some distance from the batsman in the outfield or when a batsman hits the

ball high into the air and requires good judgement.

Action Points

• Move quickly and balanced towards the ball.
• Fingers should be pointing upwards with the thumb closer.
• Fingers should be relaxed and cupped.
• The arms should not be fully extended to the paths of flight of the ball.
• Keep your head steady with your eyes level, watching the ball at all times and callyour name for the ball to prevent a collision with another player.
• The oncoming ball should be sighted just over the fingertips with the catcher standing right in the paths of the ball.
• The ball should be caught in the cupped hands.
• The elbow should be relaxed and bent to absorb the force and the fingers should close around the ball.
• Your hands should give into the body

ii) Lower catching

This is a technique which involves catching a ball which is either rolling along the ground or dropping but below the knee level.

Action Points

• Position yourself in the direction of the incoming ball.
• Keep the head still and eyes on the incoming ball.
• Weight on balls of feet.
• Relaxed stance.
• Hands pointing down, fingers together.
• Your knees should be bent with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart in a relaxed position with your weight evenly distributed so you can react/move quickly towards the ball.
• Your hands should be together with your fingers pointing down and when the ball is caught, your hands should give into the body if directly hit at you, or give to the side of your body if the ball is left/right of you.
• Keep your head steady with your eyes level and watch the ball at all times.

Bowling: The grip

Over Arm Bowling

This refers to a skill of releasing a ball towards the batter from over arm.

An illustration of a bowler using over arm technique is shown below.

The Bowling Action

• The bowling spring is the spring from which the ball is released. Keep the ball close to your chin or above the shoulder level.
• Keep your head upright and eyes to the batsman.

• As your back foot lands on the pitch, keep your body upright. Your back leg should remain stable and support the body while the front foot should be raised slightly.
• Your front foot should be pointing to the batsman.
• Push your bowling arm forward and down from the coil position with your non-bowling arm pointing to the batsman.
• The arms should rotate through with the ball released at the top of the delivery arc.
• As you follow through, fold your bowling arm into your body and swing your hips  around to finish.

• Your momentum will take you towards the batsman, but make sure you don’t run down the middle of the pitch.

Under Arm Bowling

This refers to the skill of releasing a ball towards the batter from under arm level

Under Arm Bowling Action

• Grip the ball using the bowling arm.
• Keep the eyes to the batter.
• Keep the non-bowling arm pointing in the direction in which you are bowling.
• Keep the ball below the waist level.
• Step sideways with the support foot forward.
• Lift your bowling hand behind.
• Step forward with the support foot, bend the knee, turn the shoulders and release the ball.
• Follow through by getting your balance and swing the support arm backward as you swing the bowling arm forward, and then step forward with the right foot.

Donkey drop

A donkey drop in rounders is when the bowler bowls the ball high in the air. The ball then drops just as it gets to the batter. This encourages the batter to hit the ball up, indicating that the fielding team members are more likely to get a catch.

Bating

The Grip

With one hand sitting on top of each

other, it is essential to join your hands on

the bat.

For left-handed players, put the left-hand

on top. For right-handed players, put

right-hand on top. Grip the bat firmly and

feel the bat in your fingers rather than the

palm of the hands.

Stance

The position of feet—same span as

shoulder width. Weight equally on both

feet, back foot in line with front foot.

Stand, Stride

Stand with your back and knees bent slightly. Push off the back foot hitting against a straight front leg

Swing

• When pitcher starts to throw, swing the bat and turn your hips but not your feet.
• Your stomach should be pointing right at the pitcher as you hit the ball.
• Both feet should be firm on the ground when you hit the ball.
• Keep your shoulders level.
• Keep your head steady, don’t turn.
• Keep your front arm away from your body, the bat back and still.

Fielding

Action points

• Keep eyes focused on the oncoming ball.
• Move quickly to field the ball.
• Stop the ball with the non-throwing arm.

Once the ball is caught, quickly move into a throwing position.

Fielding ground ball requires good grounding position and split second timing to catch the ball on a good bounce

Game Organization, Progression and Scoring

Player Organization

Information  The pitch features a bowler’s square (2.5m) which is 7.5m from the batter’s square (2 m). 1 metre behind the batter’s square the backstop line should be marked. The four posts are positioned around the bowler’s square as shown in the diagram (black lines show lines that should be marked; green lines are for measuring only.

Rules of the Game

1. A team consisting of a maximum of 15 players and a minimum of 6, of whom no more than 9 may be on the field at one time. An innings is over when the 9th batter is out.

2. If the ball goes behind, the batter may only run to first post but may continue to run once the ball has returned in front of the batter’s square again.

In this way, it is possible to reach 4th post and score a rounder, even if the ball is hit behind (although this would only happen in practice due to a fielding error).

3. A batter can run to a post even if it has been previously stumped but there is no score if this is done on 4th post.

4. Batsmen must carry their bat when running.
5. When the bowler has the ball in his square, you cannot move on, but if you are between posts, you can carry on to the next.

6. You must touch 4th post on getting home.

Each team has two innings with all people in the team having a go at batting. The innings is over when all the batting players are either out or at a base so that there is no-one left to face the next ball. One by one, the batters line up to take their turn in the batting square.

The bowler throws the ball towards the batter.

Bowling and No-balls

As a bowler, you must bowl a ball towards the batter so that:

• it is thrown with a smooth underarm action.
• the ball arrives without bouncing and within the batters square.
• the ball is above the batter’s knee, below the batter’s head, and not at the batter’s body.

• the bowler’s feet are inside the bowler’s square when the ball is bowled otherwise a ‘no-ball’ is called.

A batter can attempt to hit a no-ball and can run on a no-ball, if desired whether the ball is hit or not, but cannot return once first post is reached. If two consecutive no-balls are bowled to the same batter, the batter scores a half-rounder.

Batting

• The batter gets one chance to hit the ball (ignoring no-balls) and must run even if the ball is not struck.

• If the ball is hit behind the batting square or not hit at all, the batter may only run to first base.

• Otherwise, the batter runs around as many of the bases as possible and stops at a post only when the batter thinks there is a danger of the next post being ‘stumped’.

The batter is out if:

• the batter hits the ball and it is caught without first hitting the ground.
• the post being run to is ‘stumped’—a fielder touches it with the ball.
• the batter runs inside a post.
• the batter loses contact with a post when the bowler has the ball inside the bowler’s square.

• the batter overtakes a fellow batter when running around the posts.
• while not running between posts, the batter obstructs a fielder.
• the batter’s foot is outside the batter’s square when the ball is bowled.

Scoring Rounders

A score is immediately posted in the following situations:

• If the batter hits the ball or is bowled a no-ball and then reaches the fourth post, a rounder is scored.

• If the batter fails to hit the ball and reaches the fourth post, a half-rounder is scored.
• If the batter hits the ball and reaches the second post, a half-rounder is scored.
• A fielder obstructs a batter running to a post and a half-rounder is scored.
• If the batter hits the ball and reaches the first, second or third post without being out, the batter stays at that post (and must keep in contact with it) until the next ball is bowled. As soon as the ball leaves the bowler’s hand, such a batter can run to the next post, if they wish, even if a no-ball is called.

• If the batter does not keep contact with the post, the fielding side can stump the next post to get the player out. 2 batters cannot be at the same post so a batter must run on to the next post if the next batter catches up with them.

• A batter who continues in this way and reaches the fourth post, scores a half rounder. Once the fourth post is reached, the person goes to the back of the batter’s line and awaits their next turn to bat.

Winning

After both sides have played both innings, the side with the most Rounders wins.