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Softball |
Softball
Softball
Olympic Softball is played in fast-pitch style, as opposed to the high-arcing slow-pitch game, that we watch on television. At the Olympics, only women participate in this sport. Pitchers can throw fastballs that reach speeds between 65–74 mph. And considering the distance between home plate and the pitcher's mound is a third less than baseball, Softball batters have generally the same split second baseball players have to make a decision. A Softball is as hard as a baseball. The only difference being the size; a Softball is 30.4cm in circumference and a baseball is 22.8cm.
The Softball event of the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be held at Fengtai Softball Field in Beijing from12 to 21August, 2008. The 2008 Beijing Olympics Softball competition will feature eight teams in a two-round competition. The first being a round-robin tournament, and the second being the single elimination semi-finals and championship game. Competing for the gold will be China, the United States, Japan, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Taiwan, and Venezuela.
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Softball consists of several disciplines: fast pitch, slow pitch, and modified fast pitch. Fast pitch allows two main underhand pitching deliveries; one that involves an entire revolution and the other where the pitchers arm comes back and then forward. Slow pitch requires the pitcher to lob the ball underhanded with an arc that reaches a minimum height of 1.83 meters and a maximum height of 3.66 meters. A modified fast pitch allows underhand deliveries but the arm must not make a complete revolution around the shoulder socket. Internationally, fast pitch is the dominant game. In the United States, slow pitch is played by millions of people in recreational leagues.
For more information about, 2008 Olympic Sports, log onto our website, 2008olympicsinbeijing.com.
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