Pesäpallo

Pesäpallo ( Sw: boboll ) is a Finnish ball sports, which has similarities with the American baseball. The field sport was developed in 1922 by the Finnish Lauri Pihkala after a stay in the USA.

In Finland pesäpallo is played in five different leagues, with the " Superpesis " League is the highest league with the best league worldwide.

The term derives from the Finnish word pesäpallo Pesä for nest that is used in the sense of the English term " base " from. The sport is indeed related to baseball, but the rulebook is in comparison, very different. The most striking difference to baseball, the game field. In men, the size of the playing area is 93.5 x 62 m, in the women's 82 x 56 m. Also the anwerfende player faces the batsman in the home nest ( Kotipesä ). The ball is with a vertical throw on the throw-off plate (60 cm diameter) the batsman, fired up by the " thrower " or Finnish Lukkari, at least one meter high.

Game idea

It pits two teams against each other, each composed of nine players ( hitters and runners ). On the pitch there are three Pesäs ( nests ). They consist of a semicircle with an underlying protective zone of ten meters. The size of the Pesäs a fast game is made possible. Disabilities or gross fouls the opponent are not allowed by the rules. In case prosecution is carried out by the referee. The batsman has three strokes and has to perform in the home nest this. The Lukkari ( Pitcher or the " thrower " ) is the batsman towards the home nest and throws the ball for a strike vertically and at least one meter high. About the correct execution wakes up a referee in the home nest. The beating of the impact man has to himself or his teammates are on the field, allow overtravel or home run. He is after the third blow to the runners on the field. If he fails to arrive at the first Pesä, he is burned. In contrast to baseball the hitter must not become a runner when he has made a valid hit, but allows his teammates on the field, overrun. Only after the third stroke it will be as a hitter forcibly to the runner. If three runners were burned, is changed. The teams then go from inside to outside. Only the batting team scores points when a runner after the expiration of three Pesäs in the home nest ( Kotipesä ) returns. An improperly executed throw the Anwerfers or Lukkari gives a freewheel for the enemy for the first nest when no player is on the field. Each additional false initiation of Anwerfers yields again a free run of the farthest -down runner. The team present on the pitch trying to prevent the runs through the batting team by directly trapping the ball in the air ( Finnish Koppi ). Each runner who is then outside the Pesäs must retire from the game round. He is injured. If thrown after a strike of the ball to a target nest of a runner, the runner is burned when the ball arrives sooner than the runner.

The limitation of the playing surface has the effect that the ball must be placed beaten. Also, the surface and are the distances between the Pesäs so great that it is hardly possible to arrive at the next nest. A run of Pesä 2 to 3 Pesä may be about 40 meters in men. Therefore, the runner tries to run a few meters towards the next nest, but must at a ball to throw a nest have at least one body part in the nest. A throw to a nest of well-trained players only takes a fraction of a second. That is the appeal of the game. At each nest is an umpire who will decide whether the ball or runner was in the nest first.

The sport requires not only athletic skills such as running, throwing, catching and hitting very fast reactions and a good understanding of the game. This applies to all players on the field. Since neither team is well staffed with players, it depends on the daily form of the players and there are always opportunities through clever positioning of the players ( batting order ) or in the tactical field of play of the opponent to counter.

Sports equipment

Modern rackets which are used are made ​​of glass fiber reinforced or carbon fiber reinforced plastic. Old-fashioned wooden bats are. The bats are hard up to one meter long and between 580 g and 640 g. The balls have a similar size as baseballs, but are heavier and harder ( men balls 160-165 grams, 135-140 grams balls wife and children balls 95-100 grams). The fishing gloves ( Räpylä ) are made of leather and have a catch bag. The helmets also have a special form. In official games, as well as for its own protection, there is a helmet law.

Internationally

Pesäpallo place outside Finland or in other countries increasingly followers, especially in Sweden, Estonia, Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain, Japan and Australia.

World cup

In international comparison, which is discharged through a World Cup, Germany has been to Finland in second place. The 2006 World Cup was held from 08th - 16th July 2006 in Munich ( Germany ).

Germany

In Germany for many years pesäpallo is played. The teams have, inter alia, to through the initiative of the Finnish schools and members of the German - Finnish Society (DFG) and living here emigrants developed. First German pesäpallo Club eV Tahko Berlin, which was founded on 11 November 1992. On the initiative of individual players representatives took place in the course of the years 1993 and 1994 to various polls regarding a possible league operation. After then in 1994 in Germany have found six teams, was founded with the support of the Finnish Pesäpalloverbandes pesäpallo Liitto (PPL ), the German pesäpallo league and thus the regular operation.

Based on old Finnish tradition of a so-called East / West or North / Südspiel of the best players is held once a year. Through the league change was a change in the flow. In Augsburg was under the Other. College Sports pesäpallo offered in the 90s. Aim was to make the sport better known and to inspire the multipliers for sport, student athletes for this sport. After a few years, however, this activity was discontinued.