Kickball is one of our favorite childhood games. But beep kickball is currently played by individuals of ALL ages. Beep Kickball is a great inclusive sport as It can be played by people with or WITHOUT disabilities. ALL players, whether sighted or not, uses a blindfold to make all players equal.

See the diagram and specifications under the Official Rules.

Outdoor beep kickball is very popular. However, a baseball diamond doesn’t work well because the players can trip on the lip between the clay infield and the grassy outfield, and the ball goes too fast. An open grassy field like a soccer field or even the grassy outfield of a baseball diamond works well.

YES, however, it is better to play outside rather than in a gym because the beeping ball and the buzzing bases don’t echo, there are no walls to run into and you have much more room outside. Here are a few pointers for inside play:

Put Kleenex in the beeper holesto quiet the sound. HAVE PLENTY OF volunteers!

Play in as large a gym as you have. Push the bleachers back, clear the clutter.

Kicking: Kicking the ball against a wall works well. Separate the players so the second beeping ball is not distracting. Have fun by putting a target on the wall to hit or bowling pins or cans on the floor to knock down.

Running: Place the home plate and the buzzing base in the middle of the gym away from the walls. Allow at least 15 feet of space for safety. Beware – blindfoldedplayers can run pretty fast!

Fielding: Spread the fielders in the gym closer together, making sure no fielder travels closer than 15 feet from a wall or bleacher. Have multiple safety volunteers between the players and the walls. The ball travels too fast on a gym floor so it is harder to field when playing inside.

Get Creative. Have a volunteer stand by the base location and clap their hands, call out, use a sound source or a bell. For information on purchasing official beep kickball bases, visit LINK.

ABSOLUTELY!!!! The great thing about the sport of beep kickball is that EVERYONE plays with a blindfold to equalize players. Playing beep kickball with “sighted” players is a great way to teach and experience the power of adaptive sport. Beep kickball is for EVERYONE.

First of all, make it fun and low pressure. Practice without blindfolds until they are comfortable wearing one. Focus on the individual skills more than the game. Teach them how to throw the ball like an overhead soccer throw in. Teach them how to kick the ball and run to the base. Teach them how to field the ball. Keep it simple and fun. Most children under the age of 8 have a hard time scrimmaging, so just focus on and make the basic skills fun!

FREEZE or STOP: The most important command to keep the player safe is for field spotters to call out “FREEZE” or “STOP”. Practice calling it when not needed so when it is urgent, ALL the players know to stop and drop to their knees. Don’t just say it once – repeat it until everyone stops. ALWAYS err on the side of caution by calling FREEZE or STOP!

MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE a fielder is NOT STANDING TOO CLOSE TO THE PATH THE RUNNER TAKES TO RUN TO THE BASE!!! The bases are set ten feet outside the base lines to avoid a collision between the runner and fielder. STUDY THE FIELD DIAGRAM on the website and included with each purchase.

While there isn’t a button to adjust the volume of the beeper, we’ve found you can crumble up a tissue and place it in one or both beeper holes to adjust the volume. PRINTABLE TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION

Most occasions of the beep kickball not working properly are related to replacing a dead battery. However, this ball has similar limitations to that of the beep baseball. Sometimes on the first hit with a baseball bat, the beep baseball dies. Sometimes with the first kick of the beep kickball, the beeper sounds raspy. If the ball starts sounding funny, it may recover. Give it a few tries before declaring the beeper broken. If the beepers are not in sync, cut the ball off, cut it back on and they should be back in sync. This ball has been tested twice with 25 slams on concrete and it survived! If the beeper continues to sound raspy, replace it. Please contact us at beepkickball@gmail.com if you need help with a broken ball. We have the “Judy Byrd Guarantee” with guarantees the Beep kickball for the life of the ball and Judy Byrd. Beep Kickballs are guaranteed and will be repaired for free if it can’t be repaired. PRINTABLE TECH INSTRUCTIONS.

NO! While the electronics of the ball are located in the center of the beep kickball to avoid contact with moisture, it is NOT waterproof. Do not submerge the ball in water. AVOID PUDDLES and RAIN! It can withstand regular use in light dew because as it rolls, the water slings away from the center of the ball. PRINTABLE TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS

We’ve found the batteries last a LONG time. The batteries should last 15-20 hours of time WHILE THE BEEPER SOUND IS ACTIVATED. while the beeper is activated. One way to replace them is to order a replacement battery assembly in the STORE. Just remove the BKB sticker, pull out the battery assembly, disconnect the red connector, reconnect the new battery assembly, test it, reinsert it back in the hole as far as possible, replace the foam plug and put the new BKB sticker on. Email us at beepkickball@gmail.com if you need assistance.

PRINTABLE TECH INSTRUCTIONS

Yes! We offer the “Judy Byrd Guarantee”. Our Founder, Judy Byrd, has always provided a guarantee that the beep kickball will work the life of the ball AND jokingly Judy Byrd. Just return the ball via FedEx or UPS if not working or dissatisfied. We need all equipment back if it doesn’t work so we can determine the problem (and learn from it), repair it for FREE and return it to you. If you have an issue, contact us at beepkickball@gmail.com. PRINTABLE TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS

NO. Even if a player is out, it’s good practice for the runner to continue running and tag the base.

Practice first without a blindfold, then with one. Practice balance by holding on to something or someone and swinging the leg with a kicking motion, bending the knee. Then place the ball in front of the kicking foot, make sure it doesn’t roll, take one step back and kick, putting body momentum behind it. During a game, the umpire will hand the beeping kickball to the player so the player should learn to place the ball on the ground themselves and kick it.

Set up the base about 50 feet away from home plate. Without blindfolds, have the player run to the buzzing base and tag it. If they prefer, have a guide run with them. If they miss the base, which is common, have them go back and tag it. After a comfort level is reached, move the base to 75 feet which is regulation teen/adult kickball (elementary children – 60 feet). Practice running with blindfoldsnext. If the runner is tentative, repeat runs. The comfort level is usually reached very quickly after about five runs. At this point, some players start to have fun by tackling the base and tumbling, getting up laughing.

Every coach or field spotter determines their own fielding strategy and positions based on what works for their team. Reduce the feeling of inactivity by having a counselor or guide stand by fielders to tell them what’s going on.

Stagger the players so that they do not run into each other when moving laterally. See the field diagram for suggested fielder positions.

Players are encouraged to move forward toward home plate but not backwards (unless the ball stops right behind them). The player doesn’t move back because the player behind him fields it.

If the ball travels past the fielder, they should call “by me right” or “by me left” to alert the fielder behind him to expect the ball and to field it.

The job of the field spotter is to call the number of the player the ball is kicked towards. Only one called number is allowed during competition, but more help is recommended in the early stages of learning to field.

Fielders should communicate with one another when approaching the ball so they do not collide with each other, i.e., repeating “coming”, “here”, etc.