Pichi: Old-School Schoolyard Kickball
A traditional schoolyard game that plays like kickball: the kicker boots a rolled ball and runs four bases while fielders try to catch it or 'burn' runners by hitting them with the ball. Students practice kicking, base running, and fair play.
How to play
- Mark a square of bases 40 ft apart and a pitching line 25 ft from home. Split into two teams of 12-13: one kicks, one fields (3 min).
- The pitcher rolls the ball toward home; the kicker kicks it and runs counterclockwise.
- Runners may stop at any base, one runner per base, and advance when a teammate kicks.
- A runner is out on a caught fly, when burned by a ball below the waist between bases, or when the kicker misses three times.
- Each trip around the bases scores 1 point; after 3 outs, the teams switch.
- Play innings of about 5 minutes until each team has had at least 2 (20 min).
Rules
- Safety: burns count only below the waist and never from closer than 10 ft.
- The pitch must roll; a bouncy pitch is retaken.
- Fielders may not stand in the base path.
Variations
Easier
Bases move in to 33 ft, and burns only count on the fly.
Standard
Bases 40 ft apart, rolled pitch from 25 ft, and three ways to get out.
Harder
Before a burn, the ball must pass through two fielders.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the student hits the ball by hand from a chair, and a teammate runs for them.
- Autism: post the kicking order and mark each base with a colored number.
- Skill level: students with less control can kick a stationary ball set on a hoop.
Learning goals
- Kick a rolling ball toward open space.
- Decide when to run and when to stay on base.
- Experience a traditional game and follow its fair-play rules.
Equipment for a class of 25
- soft balls: 2
- cones: 8
Teacher tip
Pichi is a recess classic that many parents and grandparents grew up playing, so ask students to find out who at home knows it. If anyone burns a runner too hard, the runner gets the point.
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