Teeball Boom is Coming in Japan

A unique ballgame contest was participated by 82 teams of 1800 players at Seibu Prince Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama on August 18. The game is called Teeball, a spinoff of baseball already very popular in the United States. Japan has its own style of teeball complete with set rules and regulations. 

The philosophy of this ballgame is to "see everybody in action". While baseball activates only those who are in contact with the ball, teeball requires all players to be continually active throughout the game. A game is played in three innings and ten players in each team hit the ball in every inning, not three in an inning as in baseball. Instead of the pitcher throwing the ball against the batter, the ball is ready placed on the batting tee and batters just hit it right off the tee. The batting tee is placed right behind the home base out of the way of the runner dashing home from the third base. Near nil strike-out. 

The game is popular in Japan typically among children. Whereas pitchers and sluggers and occasional field players with some outstanding charms stand out in baseball, teeball is quite democratic in the sense that every player has equal chance to hit, run and score. Japanese parents are sensitive to equality at school, so are the teachers whose job it is to see every pupil in action.

The Japan Teeball Association has an ambitious project going to promote teeball at school. A new set of rules and regulations are spelled out, several kinds of new ball and bat now introduced to draw younger children into the game of teeball. Annual seminars are held under the auspices of the ministries of education and welfare; 3-4 graders compete in national teeball championship games at the Seibu Dome.

So, the trend is there toward promoting teeball currently at primary school level and eventually at higher age brackets both of women and elders.