Kickball plays like baseball with a big red rubber ball: the pitcher rolls it, the kicker boots it and runs the bases, and the team with the most runs wins. Under the WAKA rules, three strikes, three fouls or a caught ball gets you out, three outs end your half-inning, and a regulation game is seven innings or no more than 55 minutes.
This page follows the Official WAKA Kickball Rules published on the World Kickball Association's site, as of November 2026. WAKA stands for the World Adult Kickball Association, so these are adult rules. The sheet puts its most important rule first: have fun, because kickball is about being social. Everything else is detail for when someone disputes a call.
The field, the ball and what to wear
| What | WAKA rule |
|---|---|
| Diamond | A square with 60 feet sides (about 20 paces), a base at each corner |
| Home to second, first to third | 84 feet 10 1/4 inches |
| Pitching strip | 42 feet 5 1/8 inches from home plate, in the centre of the diamond |
| Sidelines | 10 feet outside the foul lines |
| Strike zone | 1 foot high, extending 1 foot either side of home plate |
| Ball | Red WAKA kickball, 10 inches across at 1.5 pounds per square inch |
| Footwear | Athletic shoes required, no metal cleats |
The foul lines count as fair territory. And the kicking box matters more than it sounds: you don't have to start inside it, but the kick has to happen inside it.
Teams, line-ups and base coaches
Each team must field at least eight and no more than ten players, always including a pitcher and a catcher. The Away team kicks first in each inning and the Home team kicks last. Each side has a Captain and a Co-Captain, and they're the only players who can discuss calls with the referee.
Before the game, captains swap written line-ups showing the kicking order. Two players from the kicking team can coach first and third base, but base coaches can't physically help a runner while the ball's in play.
Pitching: bouncies and the one-foot rule
Pitches are rolled by hand, and there's no restriction on style. The pitcher must start with at least one foot in the pitching mound and have at least one foot on or behind the pitching strip at release. All fielders except the catcher stay in fair territory behind the line between first and third base until the pitch reaches the kicker.
This is where the rule people miss lives. The basic rules allow 'bouncies', but the ball must bounce at least twice before home plate. A pitch counts as a ball if:
- it's outside the strike zone and the kicker doesn't try to kick it;
- it doesn't touch the ground at least twice, or roll, before reaching the kicking box;
- it's more than one foot high at any point passing through the kicking box;
- it's higher than one foot at the plate.
Fielders out of position get a warning the first time. From the second time on, the kicker is awarded first base whatever happens with the kick.
Kicking
Every kick must be made with the foot or leg below hip level, at or behind home plate, and with at least part of your plant foot inside the kicking box. You can step on home plate, but no part of the planted foot can be in front of its front edge. A ball kicked at or above hip level is a foul.
Strikes, balls and fouls
| Count | Result |
|---|---|
| 3 strikes | Out |
| 3 fouls | Out (fouls never count as strikes) |
| 4 balls | Kicker walks to first base |
| 4 straight balls, no strikes or fouls | Two-base walk |
A strike is a pitch in the strike zone that isn't kicked, or any attempted kick that misses. A foul includes a kicked ball that first lands in foul territory, a ball kicked first outside the kicking box, and a ball that first hits a permanent object like a fence. The thing that catches baseball players out: in kickball, fouls have their own count of three, so a fourth foul never happens.
Running the bases and every way to get out
Runners stay within the baseline and may follow a natural running arc. Neither leading off nor stealing is allowed: you can only advance once the ball is kicked, and a runner off base at the kick is out. Ties go to the runner. On a caught kick, you must tag up before advancing. On an overthrow into foul territory, runners can go only one base further.
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You can throw the ball at a runner to get them out, but hitting the neck or head isn't allowed unless the runner is sliding. A runner hit there is safe at the base they were running to, unless they deliberately used their head to block the ball.
The common ways to make an out:
- Three strikes or three fouls.
- A fielder catching a kicked ball, fair or foul.
- A force out at the base the runner must run to.
- Touching a runner with the ball while they're off base.
- A runner off base when the ball is kicked.
- A runner passing another runner, or running outside the baseline.
- A runner failing to tag up on a caught ball.
A run scores when a runner touches home before the third out, except that no run counts if the third out is a force play, or the kicker is put out before reaching first base.
How a game ends
- Regulation is seven innings or no more than 55 minutes.
- No new inning can start more than 50 minutes after the scheduled start time.
- If the Home team is already leading when the bottom of the final inning arrives, the game ends there.
- A tie at the end stays a tie.
- A game called off after three full innings counts as a regulation game, scored from the last full inning.
My verdict for a first game
I'd teach four rules at the start: pitches bounce twice, three fouls make an out, no stealing or leading off, and no headshots. Everything else people pick up from baseball. I'd skip the field position warnings, the optional extra base at first and line-up disputes unless someone's keeping a formal score. It's a brilliant low-skill pick for a group outing; I've rounded up similar ideas in easy team-building activities and party games for big groups.
Frequently asked questions
How many innings are in kickball?
A regulation game lasts seven innings or no more than 55 minutes, and no new inning can start more than 50 minutes after the scheduled start.
How many outs are there in kickball?
Three outs end a team's half of the inning.
How many players are on a kickball team?
Each team must field at least eight and no more than ten players, including a pitcher and a catcher.
Can you steal bases in kickball?
No. Under the WAKA rules, neither leading off nor stealing a base is allowed, and a runner off base when the ball is kicked is out.
