Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium Part 71

RULES.--No baseman may step outside of his base even with one foot. A ball caught by the captain with one foot out of his base does not score, nor if so caught by a baseman does it count in completing the round of the circle; but this does not count as a foul, and a captain so catching a ball may toss it to one of his team. No ma.s.s play is permissible among the guards, each one being obliged to guard only the baseman to whom he is a.s.signed. This does not apply to the two fielders, who may move anywhere on the field, and who pick up b.a.l.l.s that go out of the large circles.

FOULS.--It is a foul (1) to hit, bat, or s.n.a.t.c.h a ball from an opponent; (2) to hand a ball instead of throwing it; (3) to hold a ball longer than time enough to turn around quickly, or three seconds; (4) for a guard to step inside a base. Each foul scores one point for the opponents, and the ball is then put newly in play by the Emperor.

SCORE.--A team scores one point when a ball has successfully completed the round of its circle of bas.e.m.e.n, but is intercepted in a throw from that to the captain; a team scores two points when its ball has completed the round of the circle of bas.e.m.e.n and been caught by its captain in the center, but fails to reach the Emperor; a team scores five points when its ball has completed the full play of the circle, its captain, and the Emperor. A team scores one point for every foul made by the opponents. The ball is put newly in play by the Emperor after every point scored.

The game is played in time limits of fifteen-minute halves, with a rest of five or ten minutes between the halves. The team wins which has the highest score.

The teams change sides and places for the second half, guards becoming bas.e.m.e.n, and _vice versa_.

PROGRESSIVE CAPTAIN BALL

(Captain Ball--V)

_20 to 60 players._

_Playground; gymnasium._

_Basket ball._

This game differs from any other form of Captain Ball in the fact that the players progress after each score from base to base. Each player thus completes the round of outer bases in his own field, then becomes captain for his team, then a fielder, and then starts on the round as guard for each base, in turn, in the opposite field. The use of progression in this game was originated by Miss Cora B. Clark of New York. It is obviously best adapted to older players,--of high school age,--but once understood, the progression is simple and well within the ability of younger players.

This form of the game as to grounds and rules may be played without the progression if desired.

[Ill.u.s.tration Diagram: PROGRESSIVE CAPTAIN BALL]

GROUND.--The ground is divided into two equal parts, with a line through the center. In the center of each of the two fields a circle is drawn for the captain's base, four feet in diameter. At equal distances around this a series of small circles for bases is drawn, the series outlining the arc of a large circle open to the center or dividing line. The small bases (circles) should be each three feet in diameter. Their number will depend upon the number of players, but they should not be closer than six feet to each other and ten feet from the center base.

Each base in the accompanying diagram is lettered to make clearer the order of progression, but when this order is once understood, it is not necessary to number the bases on the ground.

TEAMS.--The players are divided into two even teams, each consisting of a captain, two fielders, and a number of bas.e.m.e.n, one for each of the small outer circles or bases. In addition, there should be a guard for each baseman and one for the captain.

The players are disposed as follows: The captain stands in the center base, with a guard outside the base. Each of the bas.e.m.e.n stands in one of the smaller outer bases, with a guard outside his base. The fielders, at the opening of the game, face each other at the center of the dividing line.

OBJECTS OF THE GAME.--The objects of the game are (1) to send the ball in a complete circuit of the outer bases; and (2) to throw the ball from a baseman to the captain on his side of the field.

START.--The game is started by the referee throwing the ball up between the fielders, who jump for it and try to bat it toward their own captain and bas.e.m.e.n. Whenever a score is made, the ball is put in play again as at first.

RULES.--The captain may not step outside his base. A ball caught in this way does not score, but the misstep is not a foul unless with both feet. The outer bas.e.m.e.n may put one foot outside their bases when trying to catch the ball. A guard must stay within three feet of the base he guards, and may not step within it. Guards, of course, try to prevent the bas.e.m.e.n from getting the ball or to prevent its being thrown to the captain, and to intercept it as it makes the round of the circle. They also try to get the ball to throw to the bas.e.m.e.n on their own side. The fielders, aside from jumping for the ball when it is put into play, may move anywhere in the field. Their chief office is to get the b.a.l.l.s which go out of bounds, no one else being allowed to do this. Fielders may play the ball if it comes their way, but they must not interfere with guards. A ball thrown from a guard or fielder does not score.

PROGRESSION.--The distinctive feature of this game is the method of progression. To make this plainer, the players in the diagram are designated by numbers as well as by teams. Thus, "_X_" indicates all players on one team, and "_O_" all players on the other team, each player carrying a number, _X-1_, _X-2_, _X-3_, etc. The method of progression is as follows:--

After the ball has scored a point, the two fielders, _X-13_ and _O-13_, move to base _A_. _O-13_, as he is now crossing to his home side of the field, goes inside of base _A_ as baseman, and _X-13_ becomes his guard; the other two fielders, _X-14_ and _O-14_, go to base _F_, the home man, _X-14_, going inside the base, and _O-14_ becoming his guard. It will thus be seen that the two fielders bearing the lower number (_13_) go to the first base, _A_, and those bearing the higher number (_14_) go to the base bearing the highest letter, _F_. At the same time that the fielders make this change, each baseman and his attendant guard move one base farther up; that is, baseman _O-1_ and guard _X-7_ move from base _A_ to base _B_; baseman _O-2_ and his guard _X-8_ move from base _B_ to base _C_; and so on. The last baseman on this side, _O-5_, and his guard, _X-11_, move to the center or captain's base, the previous captain and his guard taking the place of the fielders who stood nearest base _E_. On the other side of the field the progression is made in the same way, so that the order of progression is always from bases _A_, _B_, _C_, _D_, and _E_ to the captain's base, and from the captain's base to fielders. When a player has made the complete circuit of one side, he progresses from fielder's position to the opposite side; that is, after the players who started in base _A_ (bas.e.m.e.n _O-1_ and guard _X-7_) become fielders, they progress by going to base _F_, instead of back to base _A_. This change comes easily if the captain from the base occupied at first by _X-6_ always takes his place as fielder nearest base _A_; the fielders nearest _A_ always going to _A_, and the other fielders to _F_.

FOULS.--(1) Touching the ball when it is in another player's hands; (2) walking or running with the ball; (3) stepping out of his base by the captain to catch the ball; (4) stepping out of the bases with both feet by the bas.e.m.e.n; (5) moving by a guard more than three feet from the base he guards; (6) stepping over the center line into the opponents' territory; (7) two fielders from the same side going after the ball at once when it goes out of bounds.

PENALTY FOR FOULS.--No score is made on fouls, the penalty being the loss of the ball to the opposite side. The ball under these circ.u.mstances goes to the player on the other side, who stands in a corresponding position to the one who made the foul.

SCORE.--A ball thrown from a baseman to his captain scores one point.

A ball completing a circuit of the outer bas.e.m.e.n scores two points.

The side wins which has the highest score when time is called. The game may be played in from thirty to sixty minutes' time.

SCHOOLROOM CAPTAIN BALL

_10 to 60 players._

_Gas ball._

[Ill.u.s.tration diagram: SCHOOLROOM CAPTAIN BALL

TEAM TEAM

{_B_ = Bases. {(B) = Bases.

I. {_C_ = Captain. II. {(C) = Captain.

{_X_ = Guards. {(X) = Guards.

The cla.s.s is divided into two teams, with a center captain and five bases on each side. The remaining players of each company serve as guards, and are placed on the opposite side from their captains and bases to prevent opponents from catching the ball.

The teacher or umpire tosses the ball alternately to the guards, the first time to team one, the second time to team two.

The guards, in turn, toss it to their bases, who try to get it to their captains, the opposite guards opposing by guarding with the arms and jumping to catch the ball. The game continues until one captain catches the ball from a _straight throw_ (not a bound) from a base (not a guard). The side catching the ball scores a point, and the umpire then tosses the ball to the guards of the opposite team, etc.

The game is played in time limits, the side having the highest score at the end of ten or fifteen minutes winning the game.

Fouls are--Holding the ball longer than five seconds.

s.n.a.t.c.hing the ball.

Knocking the ball out of an opponent's hand.

In case of a foul the ball is given to the opposite team.

Any number may play the game, provided the sides are even.

This schoolroom adaptation of Captain Ball was made by Miss Mabel L. Pray of Toledo, Ohio, and was submitted in a compet.i.tion for schoolroom games conducted by the Girls' Branch of the Public Schools Athletic League of New York City in 1906.

This game was one that received honorable mention, and is here published by the kind permission of the author, and of the Girls' Branch and of Messrs. A. G. Spalding & Brothers, who publish the handbook in which the game first appeared.

CENTER BASE

_10 to 30 or more players._