Superpesis roundup

Perttu Ruuska spent the 2020 season developing his game management skills What is meant by the tempo of the game? When you watch Pesis there is often a lot going on that doesn’t stand out immediately, especially if you are be to the game; however one thing that players and coaches talk about a lot is how to control the tempo of the game (especially pitchers). The easiest way to imagine this is to draw a direct example with American Football - the quarterback controls the tempo of the game and will either take a quick snap or take some time to adjust to the opposing team’s defence, in doing so the quarterback hopes to out play the opposing defence. The same is true in pesäpallo, but it is the pitcher who takes on the quarterback role and the batting/running team they are attempting to beat. If you are coming from baseball background, this can seem a little different to what your re used to; in baseball, pitch selection and location are the key tools to try and defeat the batter, n...

Jukka-Pekka Vainionpää wearing the Joker’s vest next to his teammates What is a joker? If you are coming from a cricket background, the joker can seem like a very strange concept indeed; in baseball, the joker is much more familiar than you may think. A joker is like a designated hitter in baseball, like you see in American League rules, but the role is much more tactical and has more scope than simply substituting a place in the lineup for a pitcher. There is no equivalent in cricket, so it is worth explaining what a joker is in pesis in some detail: The international rules state that “A team can use three different jokers at bat during each offensive half. The use of a joker does not cause any other player in the batting order to lose his turn at bat.” As to when a joker can be used: “The use of a joker need not be announced beforehand. A joker can take a turn at bat, if the player in the batting order hasn't settled at bat. A joker cannot be taken away from batting if he...

  Clear visual signals are fundamental to the game - the signal fan is the most recognisable example of this In this series of posts I will look at a number of differences between pesäpallo and other bat and ball sports (like baseball and cricket). In this first post I take a look at the emphasis on tactics in pesäpallo compared to cricket and baseball.  Games of skill Both cricket and baseball focus on skills, but to be a champion, you must also master tactics. The skill set of pitchers in baseball is a specialist area and requires pitchers to be protected and rested to avoid severe injury; batters require split second timing and reactions to beat the pitch. Anyone with such skills can succeed, but to be truly great a player will need to play tactically. Likewise, in cricket, the skills of a pace bowler or spin bowler is coveted and the ability of a good batter to spot bad deliveries (pitches), select the right batting shot and then execute it  are the hallmarks of...