Kickball Hub: Safety Bases in Kickball Help Minimize Collissions

It's only been in the past year or two that I've begun to see safety bases on Kickball fields, although since we kickball players typically play on Baseball or Softball fields, I should should say they've become more prominent on youth baseball and softball fields.

A safety base or safety bag is an orange base connected to the standard white base on a baseball/softball/kickball field. The first basemen uses the white bag inside the foul line while the baserunner uses the orange bag outside the foul line. Having a safety base helps to minimize the chance of collisions between first basemen or and baserunners.

While these safety bases were actually designed for the baseball and softball games typically played on the field, they actually are as helpful if not more helpful for kickball. With baseball or softball it's typically fairly easy for a second basemen, shortstop, third basemen or pitcher to make an accurate throw to the bag, and because of the size of the ball, the fact the first basemen is wearing a glove, and the nature of the sport the first basemen typically one toe on the bag while stretching to catch the throw to first.

In kickball however the ball is large and clunky, its more difficult to get a targeted throw on first, and again because of the nature of the ball a first basemen or whomever is covering first typically has to catch the ball two handed. The first basemen also typically isn't stretching for the ball, they're much more likely to be pretty squarely on first base. This leads to a much higher chance of collisions.

For this reason, if you're fortunate enough to play on a baseball or softball field which has a safety base its much safer for all players on the field.

If you run a kickball league or are involved in the park district, local church, of whatever organization manages and upkeeps your fields it's pretty easy to add a safety base. A floating safety base which is fastened down with stakes typically runs about $50, where as a real or true first base with ground pegs will run a little under $100. These are very easy to install and make play on the field for all sports much safer.