Soccer and Softball Are Different in Most of the Major Ways
Both soccer and softball are popular sports among men and women. They are both team sports that employ offensive and defensive strategies, but the similarities basically end there. Soccer and softball are different in most of the major ways that sports can differ from one another.
Players
In soccer, there typically are 11 players on the field at the same time: four forwards, four midfielders, two defenders and a goalkeeper. In softball, there usually are nine players on the field: Four infielders, a pitcher, a catcher and three outfielders. Softball players primarily use their hands, a glove or a bat to handle the softball, while in soccer only the goalie is allowed to use her hands to handle the ball. For others, the ball may touch any part of the body except the hands and arms. Also, an unlimited number of player substitutions can be made in softball, whereas typically only three substitutions are allowed in soccer.
Scoring
As with most sports, the overall objective of both soccer and softball is to score more than the opponent, but the methods to do this are quite different in the two sports. In soccer, there is a goal at each end of a field that players must kick the ball into for a goal. In softball, players reach base in a variety of ways -- hits and walks being the most common -- and score if they are moved around the bases to home plate. In softball, a game typically continues with extra innings until one team wins. In soccer, it's quite common for matches to end in ties.
Physical Exertion
It can be argued that there is a much greater emphasis on physical exertion in soccer than softball. In soccer, most of the players on the field, including forwards and defenders, have to run almost continuously, and play during a soccer game is basically continuous, stopping only briefly when a ball goes out of bounds or there is a penalty. In softball, defensive players generally are in a stationary position until a ball is hit in their direction, or they have to move to cover their base after a hit. On offense, players generally are stationary unless there is a hit ball and they are running from one base to the next.
Playing Field
The soccer playing field is between 100 and 130 yards long and between 50 and 100 yards wide. Softball fields can vary in overall size, with outfield fences needing to be between 190 and 315 feet from home plate, depending on the level of play. The infield, however, must be uniform. Bases in softball typically are 60 to 65 feet apart and the pitcher's mound is between 38 and 50 feet from home plate, depending on the level of play. Also, the soccer field is shaped like a rectangle. The softball infield is shaped like a diamond and the outfield is a semi-circle.
Games
In soccer, it's called a match when two teams square off. In softball, it's called a game. A soccer match is broken up into two halves that last for 45 minutes each. Softball is broken up into innings. At the high school level, games are seven innings. In soccer Adidas Adipower Predator TRX FG [http://www.buynewcleats.com/adidas-soccer-cleats/adidas-adipower-predator-trx-fg.html], if a player receives a red card and is ejected from the game, that team must play the rest of the game short-handed. There is no situation in softball by which a team would be required to play short-handed, unless that team runs out of players due to substitutions.
Players
In soccer, there typically are 11 players on the field at the same time: four forwards, four midfielders, two defenders and a goalkeeper. In softball, there usually are nine players on the field: Four infielders, a pitcher, a catcher and three outfielders. Softball players primarily use their hands, a glove or a bat to handle the softball, while in soccer only the goalie is allowed to use her hands to handle the ball. For others, the ball may touch any part of the body except the hands and arms. Also, an unlimited number of player substitutions can be made in softball, whereas typically only three substitutions are allowed in soccer.
Scoring
As with most sports, the overall objective of both soccer and softball is to score more than the opponent, but the methods to do this are quite different in the two sports. In soccer, there is a goal at each end of a field that players must kick the ball into for a goal. In softball, players reach base in a variety of ways -- hits and walks being the most common -- and score if they are moved around the bases to home plate. In softball, a game typically continues with extra innings until one team wins. In soccer, it's quite common for matches to end in ties.
Physical Exertion
It can be argued that there is a much greater emphasis on physical exertion in soccer than softball. In soccer, most of the players on the field, including forwards and defenders, have to run almost continuously, and play during a soccer game is basically continuous, stopping only briefly when a ball goes out of bounds or there is a penalty. In softball, defensive players generally are in a stationary position until a ball is hit in their direction, or they have to move to cover their base after a hit. On offense, players generally are stationary unless there is a hit ball and they are running from one base to the next.
Playing Field
The soccer playing field is between 100 and 130 yards long and between 50 and 100 yards wide. Softball fields can vary in overall size, with outfield fences needing to be between 190 and 315 feet from home plate, depending on the level of play. The infield, however, must be uniform. Bases in softball typically are 60 to 65 feet apart and the pitcher's mound is between 38 and 50 feet from home plate, depending on the level of play. Also, the soccer field is shaped like a rectangle. The softball infield is shaped like a diamond and the outfield is a semi-circle.
Games
In soccer, it's called a match when two teams square off. In softball, it's called a game. A soccer match is broken up into two halves that last for 45 minutes each. Softball is broken up into innings. At the high school level, games are seven innings. In soccer Adidas Adipower Predator TRX FG [http://www.buynewcleats.com/adidas-soccer-cleats/adidas-adipower-predator-trx-fg.html], if a player receives a red card and is ejected from the game, that team must play the rest of the game short-handed. There is no situation in softball by which a team would be required to play short-handed, unless that team runs out of players due to substitutions.
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