Teams

Each team consists of a pitcher, catcher, and at least 1 fielder

Game Duration

3 innings consisting of 3 outs per team

Field Setup

Pitching line is 60 feet from home plate. (roughly 20 big steps)
Home-Run line is 120 feet from home plate. (roughly 40 big steps)

Pitching

Release the ball with the flat side down. Very slight changes in the angle of the flat side will dramatically alter the flight pattern.

Hitting

Single - Any ball hit beyond the pitcher on the ground
Double - Any ball hit beyond the pitcher in the air
Home Run - Any ball hit beyond the home-run line in the air
There are NO called balls or strikes. – If it's close, you swing

Outs

Swing Out - When a ball swung at, but not hit by the batter, is caught in the air by the catcher before it hits the ground the batter is out.
Put Out - When a hit ball is caught in the air by a member of the opposing team anywhere on the field
Double Out - When a ball is tipped by the batter and caught behind home plate by the catcher before it hits the ground it is a double out

Free Swing

Any ball that hits the ground before reaching home plate allows the batter a free swing and the Swing Out rule does not apply.  However, if the ball is hit or tipped the Put Out and Double Out rules DO apply.

Scoring

Ghost Men -There is no running of bases. “Ghost Men” advance when forced by hits.
Extra Innings - If the game is tied after 3 innings, proceed to extra innings, where at this point, all hits are considered runs, until one team has a higher score at the end of an extra inning

Strategy

Pitching, catching and hitting, in that order, are the most important skills. Good pitchers can make the ball sail—upshoot, left-curve, right-curve, drop balls, etc.—in countless directions, and some pitchers get to be extremely good. Batters, meanwhile, attempt to make contact. Playing with a backstop is a good idea.

The game goes faster if you have someone to retrieve the batted balls. Also, having several balls is a plus.

Playing on grass or sand leads to less ball bounce than playing on concrete.

Though seldom used, some players have a 'home' rule that says four consecutive pitches that the batter does not swing at and the catcher does not catch is the same as a hit for the batter. That rule makes the pitcher attempt to throw pitches that the hitter can reach.

Pitching Example:

Hitting Example: