when were standard rules for softball developed and by whom
Softball The name "softball" dates back to 1926. The name was coined by Walter Hakanson of the YMCA[5] at a meeting of the National Recreation Congress.[12] (In addition to "indoor baseball", "kitten ball", and "diamond ball", names for the game included "mush ball", and "pumpkin ball".[5]) The name softball had spread across the United States by 1930.[12] By the 1930s, similar sports with different rules and names were being played all over the United States and Canada. By 1936, the Joint Rules Committee on Softball had standardized the rules and naming throughout the United States.[13]
Matball The game is very similar to kickball, with one team kicking (sometimes called "batting" despite the lack of bats) and the other team fielding. The primary difference is that, rather than small bases intended for a single runner per base, large bases that can accommodate multiple runners are used, giving the game its names, "big base" or "matball" (when played indoors, in a gym, mats are often used for the bases). As a result of allowing multiple runners, usually unlimited, per base, there are usually no force-outs,[2] although some variants limit the number of runners per base and allow force-outs. In some cases, a kicking team is retired after a set number of outs (often three or five),[4] but in other cases outs are not counted, and play continues until all members of the kicking team have kicked, ensuring that everyone gets to participate. The number of innings varies, often changing even from game to game, to fit the game to an allotted time;[5] when outs are not counted each inning is longer, and so fewer innings are played.