Little Fenway, a replica of the Boston Red Sox’ Fenway Park built for a ‘back-yard game’. Wiffle-ball. Photo Courtesy Little Fenway

During my first year in College I nearly knocked myself out running into a house. Clumsily my hands were reaching for a wiffle-ball that seemed to hang in the air just long enough for my legs to catch up to it.

I disregarded the wall behind me, sacrificing my body. While I cushioned the impact with my right hand the ball slowly started slipping out my barbecue-sauce lined fingers. Like a hotdog disembarking from a bun because of too much ketchup. With incredible presence of mind I flung the ball back towards the sky, and finally secured it with both hands.

It wasn’t quite that dramatic … but it was a sweet catch!

Every now and then I like to think back to the wiffle ball games we played on the odd saturday, usually combined with barbecues, in the backyard of someone’s house. The thing about wiffle-ball is that it is a highly condensed version of baseball.

No base-running, minimal fielding, no throwing other than pitching.

It’s all about the batter and the pitcher. And hitting a wiffle-ball is arguably harder than hitting a Baseball, because the things that can be done with a wiffle-ball are quite astounding.

The biggest advantage of wiffle-ball is that there are only three things needed for a game. A bat, a ball and a strikezone (a physical object that represents the strikezone). The strikezone is optional, but recommended, since it’s impossible to call strikes and balls, and a strikezone can prevent arguments. Bases are also optional, unless you want to take it a step further like these guys:

Little Fenway: http://www.littlefenway.com/fenway/field.php

But even without the Ballpark to go along with it wiffle-ball is a lot of fun. It’s challenging and easy at the same time. Reminds me of Bowling. Anybody can hit a wiffle-ball if it’s tossed softly, but once you start using it’s unique ability to curve, you’re on a whole new level.

Wiffle-Ball can be of great to use in youth practices. It teaches hand-eye coordination and gets the competitive juices flowing. Because, of course, you want to beat the guy who can do amazing things with this strange little ball. It’s also a great way to get people into the game. Maybe even better than slowpitch, it’s so convenient, all you need is two people and you can have a regular game.

A hit is determined by the proximity of the landing spot, rather than needing fielders and bases. A fence for a homerun helps, but is not necessary. Furthermore the field can be defined by whatever is convenient. Back when we played in the backyard we used a small house as a homerun and trees served as foul-poles. Once some basic rules are established, exceptions or additions can be made based on how the playing field is situated. Wiffle.com offers a good overview of the rules: http://www.wiffle.com/about_rules.htm

A good portion of tournaments and events have evolved from this backyard game.

Big League Wiffleball is one of the establishments that offers such tournaments. According to Nick Benas, co-creator of Big League Wiffleball, the game has been expanding globally, in particular in Asian countries, Japan and Taiwan to name two.

I don’t know if wiffle-ball will catch on in Austria anytime soon, but if used properly this could be a great way to introduce kids and teenagers to the game of Baseball. And an easy starting point for those who want to try it.

If you’re interested in more wiffle-ball check out the Golden Stick Wiffle-Ball Playoffs, these guys take it seriously! Throwing their bats after strikeouts and everything (It’s a 9 minute clip, if you don’t want to watch all of it, the first 2 minutes are a pretty good summary).

So next time you’re going for a lazy afternoon with your family, make sure to bring your wiffle bat and ball. And be ready to really get into this game, it’s quite addicting as the video clips show.