The Rules of Pesäpallo (Finnish Baseball) - EXPLAINED!

Ninh explains - The Rules of Pesäpallo (Finnish Baseball). Learn what the national sport of Finland is all about - it looks like American MLB Baseball - but it’s definitely a lot different!
Watch this short beginner’s tutorial video guide on how Pesapallo is played, Pesäpallo rules, and how to play Pesä pallo (Finnish Baseball)
Learn about jokers, home run, caught, out, periods and more.
Special thanks to Tony Jones @ ‘Suomen Baseball Ja Softball Liitto’ for his input and help on this video.
COMMENT, LIKE, RATE & SUBSCRIBE!!!
Also discuss on Reddit!
Video: Copyright PPL, SuperPesis (I do not own video footage and claim fair use).
Images: Google (Various)
Music: ‘In the Shadows’ by The Rasmus
Narrated, Directed and Produced by Ninh Ly
Ninh Ly Website - www.ninh.co.uk
Find me on Facebook - / ninh.ly.31
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LinkedIn - / ninh-ly-0623218b

[@NinhLyUK]

Ninh explains the Rules of Pesäpallo - Finland’s national version of Baseball. Boy this wasn’t an easy one to make! But special thanks to Tony Jones @ The Finnish Baseball & Softball Federation for double checking this video for me and helping me with corrections. After watching hours of Pesäpallo to understand the rules - I must admit that it’s actually a brilliant game! There is A LOT of strategy involved in this game, even more than American Baseball - I think it could catch on if the circumstances were right. Like, Share and Subscribe :)

[@JonVonBasslake]

Hey Nihn, great video as always. Was interested in knowing if you plan to cover floorball, basically Finland's/Northern Europe's "second hockey"? I think the sport has been gaining in popularity in recent years so a rules video like this could be helpful.

[@NinhLyUK]

Hery dude! Due to a sudden surge of demand - I will cover Floorball. But it's bottom of the pile compared to some of the other sports requested.

[@anndizzle13]

Seems like fun. By the way, nice use of Finnish hockey players in the video to explain caught and out. :)

[@NinhLyUK]

Hey man. Not really - I think they pitch the ball vertically and then take one step back so that the batter can take a swing. And remember, these batters aren't swinging for the fences - they're strategically trying to place the ball in a certain section of the field. It's about as dangerous as the catcher in baseball being so close to the batter. Rarely get hit.

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks Andy. Ah, you noticed! All the 'players' are actually famous Finnish Ice Hockey players, with the sole exception of (Mika) Hakkinen!

[@chimpinaneckbrace]

Americans: “The rules of baseball are so confusing!” Finland: “Hold my alcoholic curdled milk.”

[@NinhLyUK]

Ordinarily that would be the case. The reason reason is much simpler. Finnish chap watch a Red Sox game and brought it back home and modified the rules.

[@chimpinaneckbrace]

They modified the hell out of those rules. Good for them.

[@tyttiMK]

Pihkala also knew other older Finnish and European ball games and took some things from them.

[@ztobinz]

Baseball isn't complicated at all...

[@tyttiMK]

Tobin Zerby Neither is pesäpallo.

[@marshalt]

Finland: Hey, can I copy your homework? America: Sure, just change it so it's not so obvious Finland: No problem!

[@NinhLyUK]

Exactly.

[@moisanderi]

I play Finnish Baseball and I'm from Finland. I've been looking for this kind of explaining video so I could tell my friends from other countries about the game I play. So thank you for this video!

[@NinhLyUK]

Awesome, great! Thanks very much for your comments and for sharing this video :)

[@TehFlaminFuzz]

So do finnish schools have pesopallo fields?

[@WandererRTF]

In a sense. The dimensions of the field fit inside a football (soccer) field and those are found everywhere.

[@fryncyaryorvjink2140]

The fields dimensions would fit perfectly into an old baseball stadium, the Polo Grounds

[@randomguy7726]

Flywolfpack. Yes . Many schools have fields

[@thierryman]

Anyone notice the example line-up explaining what caught was? All famous Finnish NHL players!

[@NinhLyUK]

Well spotted! Apart from (Mika) Hakkinen - all the rest are surnames of famous Finnish hockey players! :)

[@_c3a3m_88]

thierryman I never noticed that

[@petes101]

ikr... I saw selanne and im like "that's proably that"

[@aristoteles6265]

Sandstorm as well? Lol.

[@gregormacdonald4836]

Ninh Ly no Räikkönen?

[@Hextraordinary13]

To me, this sounds like a group of Finns visited the United States and attended an American baseball game some years ago. On their trip home, they stopped in the UK for a bit and attended a cricket game and spent the evening pup-hopping and talking about the rules of both games. Then, for the next leg of their journey, they sailed on to Amsterdam and got together for a few beers smoked a bunch of weed, then flew home to Finland and tried describing American baseball and UK cricket to their *other* Finnish friends, again over a few beers -- and THIS is what they all came up with.

[@NinhLyUK]

The truth is actually similar. Lauri Pihkala saw a Boston Red Sox game in 1907 - he liked the sport, but thought some of the rules could do with changing. He created his own version and took it back to his native Finland. Hence, Pesapallo.

[@holoholopainen1627]

LAURI PIHKALA went to Boston Red Sox Game 1907 ! He had a long journey by Cruise Liner back home to Helsinki ! He talked to People on the Ferry - that He went to a Baseball Game ! so He wrote down all the rules He could remember - There was No TV yet !

[@nofurtherwest3474]

@@holoholopainen1627 but was he drunk

[@holoholopainen1627]

@@nofurtherwest3474 Thanks / Merci - What Are You trying to say ? If You Havent played the game - How would You know ? Many say that They find - The Game More interesting !

[@nofurtherwest3474]

@@holoholopainen1627 it was kind of a joke. he must have been drunk because he made the bases in weird places. like he stopped in france and got drunk and was inspired by cubism painting.

[@slowpudda]

As a Finn this was very well made. Thank you! Now I can explain my non-Finn friends the rules of our game.

[@slowpudda]

And oh subscribed

[@NinhLyUK]

Thank you my friend, that's very nice of you to say so. I thought it'd be a good idea to make a Pesapallo video in English as there really isn't a guide already out there. Thanks for subscribing!

[@Zyzzkxx]

Just play baseball, this is too complicated

[@nipsud9667]

@@Zyzzkxx the problem i have with baseball is that it kinda lacks strategy its just hit the ball far i guess but still a nice sport!

[@baccaruda1970]

@@nipsud9667 Kind of. It didn't used to be that way. There used to be bunting, drag bunts, hitting the opposite way to move runners, stealing bases. That all went away when mathematicians determined that only home runs and walks mattered, and it was worth striking out in order to swing for a home run every time. Statistically, they were probably right but watchability took a nosedive. Me, I'd rather see a drag bunt on a suicide squeeze than 50 home runs. They've now modified the rules to bring those things back.

[@tz233]

The other feature that's worth mentioning is that if you hit a ball in the area of play and it bounces out, there is no "out-of-bounds" area....the defense has to go get the ball if it goes into the stands, a river, etc.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, that's right.

[@thatcommentaccount69]

I like the casual addition of "a river"

[@Rob02150]

​@@thatcommentaccount69 look up Jomboy taking about Finnish Baseball and you'll understand the river reference.

[@jarskii11]

@@thatcommentaccount69 Theres like highlight videos of the Ball going into river.

[@thatcommentaccount69]

@@jarskii11 yes, i see now! thanks for the tip-off

[@gonzalot.605]

As a baseball fan, I must say that Pesapällo looks fascinating! Would love to play this sport someday.

[@Ounouh]

It's way more fast paced, dynamic and action packed.

[@aaronrodriguez1410]

​@Ounouh I wish homeruns were a thing, though.

[@Ounouh]

@@aaronrodriguez1410 those are, but hard to complish. Pesäpallo is played in an arena that is open from the back, so the audience and stand is U-shaped behind the home base. You CAN hit a homerun (check KZbin for kunnari / kunniajuoksu) as even when the ball has to land on the field, there is sometimes enough time for a batter to do a homerun.

[@Nero49er]

Looks like Pesäpallo is about just putting the ball in play and letting the fielders compete against the base runners. While baseball is more about the duel between pitchers and batters.

[@NinhLyUK]

That's a very fair assumption to make. It's well known in Pesäpallo that the batters have little difficulty in hitting the ball and the pitchers don't try anything fancy to outwit the batters. I think you're right.

[@Yoni123]

Even in pesäpallo the pitcher is probably the most important fielder. There are different kinds of pitches and fakes and tactical bad pitches on purpose etc.

[@PainDealer86]

Ninh Ly The mind game is between the pitcher and the runners, especially the runner on third when the bases are loaded.

[@timomastosalo]

The pitcher in pesäpallo doesn't have the bazooka of an incoming serve attacking the batter in his arsenal. But he tries to confuse the batter's batting rhythm, serving sometimes a curved ball, sometimes low, sometimes high, occasional ball, throwing the ball to the fielders, serving a quick one, if the batter needed to return to the home base to bat some more etc. It might take the batters mind off where he was supposed to aim his hit, he might not notice the fielders changed positions, etc. In pro level there's really not that much room in the field where to hit the ball - the fielders are athletes that can run pretty fast, and they're experts in anticipating the trajectory of the ball incoming. Also, if the fielders snoop out where the batter needs to place his hit, it makes the batting so much more difficult.

[@MrTapelius]

High pitch: difficult to hit, or at least aim the direction of the ball, but it is also difficult to pitcher to keep it on the plate. Intentional low pitch or plate missing pitch: as said on the video running from 2 or third base it requires pitcher to miss 2 pitches. Pitchers try to do one bad pitch to make it harder hitter to hit the ball. Also players on the bases sometimes run during a pitch to make it easier to make it to the next base. If hitter sees that the pitch is bad they won't hit it. This makes it possible to pitcher take the ball and burn the player who left the base during a pitch.

[@visakiviniemi2923]

As a Finnish person and a person who was in a small local pesäpallo team this video makes me Happy

[@NinhLyUK]

Great! Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to share my video and check out my channel!

[@Alexandros.Mograine]

i moved to Finland when i was young, and we did alot of finnish baseball in school, having played it many times, the rules were always generally quite clear to me.

[@NinhLyUK]

It's easy to understand if you play the game regularly for sure. A lot of people have never even heard or seen this game, so this video is here to educate them about it.

[@Alexandros.Mograine]

@@NinhLyUK yeah, its a good video for people who dont know, the game is more fun than it looks.

[@holoholopainen1627]

This is a GREAT SPORT ! Thanks to Lauri Pihkala !

[@losgatossonmuychidos]

Alexandros Mograine I love watching Pesäpallo, lightyears more exiting than baseball. But, I’m from México so no one here knows of Pesäpallo. Big fan!

[@holoholopainen1627]

@@losgatossonmuychidos MEXICO needs a Team ! Someone should just learn The Rules and start to play ! I am Quite sure that some would learn alot - of life and the Game too !

[@hannesdhondt3096]

The most amazing thing about this sport has to be the constant chest-first diving onto a hard surface. That looks so painful to non-players!

[@NinhLyUK]

It does, but these guys practice this all the time. I'm sure they have a way of not hurting themselves when they do that. Thanks for stopping by.

[@TheHDNixon]

Theres some sand on the hard surface, acting like ball bearings, decreasing the friction.

[@Samsunaattori]

As a former player in junior leagues, I can say that when done right it is absolutely painless. The starting point of the dive is low, so the impact doesn't hurt at all. Knees, elbows and area close to hip bones were the ones that got most bruised and bleeding thanks to friction of a bad slide where most of the pressure was centered to one point and not your whole body. Worst dive related injury I've seen while playing was when a player dove in a really bad angle on a probably not so great surface and hurt his neck thanks to flipping over his head, but it didn't leave any long term problems iirc

[@PainDealer86]

Traditionally the fields were sandy grass turf. Now the fields are purpose made turf like artificial surfaces with sand. Nothing like the track around the diamond in baseball.

[@timomastosalo]

They lead with their hands, so they can 'pump back' a bit. But the contact with the ground only feels a bit like a chest bump with your team mate. Even though it's made from a fast run. The dive is made from a low position, a bit like diving into water. Mostly the jump here is directed forward, only slightly down. You can practice it through a hoop at your hip height.

[@Techn1colour]

Hearing In The Shadows by The Rasmus immediately made me smile. I was such a huge fan of the band when I was younger!

[@NinhLyUK]

Yeah, I picked song because they're from Finland!

[@rubenjaya5716]

Thanks Ninh for showing me sports I never had a clue existed!

[@NinhLyUK]

Not a lot of people know that Pesäpallo exists - but there's quite a few countries that play it. The Scandinavian countries, the Germans, it's even played in India! I think it's actually quite good! :)

[@thomaskey6922]

jruben 11 neither !

[@ojl5055]

It is actually quite popular (compared to most countries) in Australia for some reason

[@tyttiMK]

I think Finnish immigrants in Australia might have something to do with that...

[@holoholopainen1627]

You Dont TV There ? Finnish Sports Channel - IS The Best !

[@ketamu5946]

Utterly floored. Finns you beat the swedes fought the soviets twice, invented rally in battered cars, are some of the hardest drinkers, fanatic skiers, icehockey players, prettiest blondes and now i discover that you managed to take baseball hostage mutulate it beyond recognition and passed it as your own... a bit scared.

[@NinhLyUK]

It's the Finnish way!

[@jackj.hutchens9209]

i'm a big fan of baseball, and i want nothing more than to watch this sport live about a million times!

[@nofurtherwest3474]

wow, what do you like about it?

[@R2robot]

lol, this is WILD!! As an American that grew up watching and playing baseball I can definitely see the influence ( how can you not?!), but it's also completely unique as well. I'm going to add this to my bucket list for when I visit Finland.. I *have* to attend a game!

[@jarmojyrki4855]

Thanks for this video. As Finnish pesäpallo enthusiast, I say that this is one of the best explaining video for our national sport .

[@NinhLyUK]

Thank you my friend - admittedly, I couldn't find any videos in English that explains Pesäpallo - so I thought I'd make one instead. Thanks again :)

[@failedfilmmaker]

So, if a fly ball is caught all runners not on a base are Caught? But there's no tagging up? Theoretically, you could hit the ball very very high and a runner could run from first to say third before it's caught and be safe and score a run? Can the batter run on a fly ball and reach first before it's Caught too?

[@HectoeFIN]

Really nicely explained rules. Pesäpallo is fast paced and the strategy plays a big role in the game.

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks bro, much appreciated.

[@wi54725]

Pesapallo resembles 19th century baseball in America, sort of like a Finnish person saw the game played circa 1875 and then returned to Finland and tried to explain the game without having prepared notes. This game is more entertaining than 21st century Major League Baseball.

[@NinhLyUK]

You're almost right. Lauri Pikhala saw a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway in 1905 and brought it back to Finland - he modified the rules.

[@KororaPenguin]

​@@NinhLyUK So the Red Sox (then called the Americans or Somersets) were the home team? Then it would have been at the Huntington Avenue Grounds. Fenway Park did not exist in 1905.

[@robin2000]

I came here from a Finnish lesson in Instagram where I found in a list of sports the Pesäpallo or Finnish baseball. It's a complete discovery for me.

[@NinhLyUK]

Cool!

[@geoffaldwinckle1096]

Ive been trying to tell my fellow New Zealanders about this for over 30 years. Now I can SHOW them. Thanks.

[@NinhLyUK]

Cool, glad this video helps! Check out my channel for more videos like this :)

[@zachpalizza8625]

This has to be one of your best videos! I've seen other stuff on pesäpallo but the only differences you could distinguish between it and American baseball were the shape of the field and the style of pitching. I had no clue the difference between the two was so vast. Keep up the good work!

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks Zach. Yes, Pesäpallo is a completely different game. Treat it like it is and it's so much easier to grasp. The people who don't get are the ones who are constantly trying to compare it to Baseball. This is also why the vast majority of Americans don't understand Cricket.

[@Andenni]

I wonder how many decades it will take for this sport to take over. Because it's amazing. So much more exciting than normal baseball.

[@NinhLyUK]

I'm not sure about that ... I think it's only played in Finland and a select number of countries worldwide. Global domination isn't on the horizon yet.

[@Andenni]

@@NinhLyUK Yeah that was just a bold and biased statement coming from a Finn.

[@22neohenry]

It really gets interesting when the bases are full. It's actually advantageous for the defense as outs can be made anywhere and the batter has to run at some point. Bases loaded and 2 strikes? Runners have to take off(at least the guy on 3rd I believe). The defense will often drop line drives and flyballs to put runners on to load the bases. A lot of the offensive strategy involves moving runners around without clogging up the bases.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, this is one of the many examples where players have to think in order to score or prevent people from scoring. Very interesting stuff, thanks for stopping by!

[@thomaszulch5811]

just read an article with my kids at school. This is super interesting sport and thank you for the explanation. very well done

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks Thomas, glad you like this video. Check out my channel for more like this :)

[@zedramer]

Yes! Thank you for making this video! I've been waiting for some sort of Finnish Baseball tutorial!

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks man - I appreciate it. I believe it's the only one out there that's fully in English.

[@holoholopainen1627]

Your english is Good ! Did You go to school or learnd it while in Finland ?

[@coldsnap5742]

The guys at MLB Network once played vitilla with Pedro Martinez. I'd like to see them try to play this. Gotta say, as an American, it looks pretty neat! Thanks to Jomboy for introducing me to this! Though judging by the field dimensions, you'd think that Finn had seen a game not in Boston, but at the Polo Grounds...

[@NinhLyUK]

I love those MLB network shows, especially the ones with Pedro. Man, that guy knows his stuff. It's be interesting if they played this for sure. Thanks man, check out my channel for more videos like this :)

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

Cheers Finland. You've combined Baseball with Cricket and made a sport no one can understand.

[@NinhLyUK]

It's complicated for sure, but I think I did the best job I could in explaining it to English speaking countries.

[@holoholopainen1627]

Great ! Just play The game with People that knows The RULES ! That I Played MONOPOLY - In The Beninning of / Finding The Street of OUR TOWN

[@vangrails]

No one can understand cricket either.

[@holoholopainen1627]

In Finland You go to school for nine years - to learn how to play !

[@maxscameraguy]

thank you for making this! I have always been confused by this sport and now I am no longer! thank you!

[@NinhLyUK]

Boy, it really is a confusing game - I had to watch many hours of it, come up with a script that makes it easy for everyone to understand and confer with someone from Finland to make this video. Overall - the most difficult video I've made yet. And thanks! :)

[@vijaynair2403]

Leave it to the Finns to take our national sport and make it as complicated as possible! Just like they did with heavy metal! 😊 Surely, I mean that in good spirits. I love Finland!

[@NinhLyUK]

It's a decent sport.

[@holoholopainen1627]

You Have made Pizza y. Hy🍕 and Hamburgers - Americas Favorite Food ! Just like some drinks are too Popular !

[@noahlovett7536]

Jomboy media anyone?

[@NinhLyUK]

Probably yeah.

[@ChoppedSteak]

Definitely

[@MichaelDavis-zf6nt]

I'm sure this popped up on my recommended because i watched his video about it.

[@tz233]

Here's the video Jomboy was breaking down: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m2nOpJqpbcykea8

[@holoholopainen1627]

Jomboy Video IS Getting closer to two milloin - anyday ! Some 10.000 a week watch that ! What He has Done to Finnish Baseball IS 2nd to NONE !

[@chrissilver5448]

Too happy for this explanation! I knew it was coming, I believe some of us requested it a while ago, thanks for helping further explain and even introduce sports to your following. This sport is artistically absurd.

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks Chris. Yeah this one tool a while, mainly because I didn't understand it myself and there are no decent English explanations for it. I had to confer with someone to double check that what I did was right. As for being artistically absurd ... once you understand how it all works, it's actually a very interesting game! :)

[@holoholopainen1627]

Have You ever been to Finland ? You should come to see The Wife / given girlfriend carrying Contest - or sitting in a HOT SAUNA Contest !

[@TheOriginalStix]

Great video as always, Ninh! I knew nothing about Pesäpallo before, but it looks fantastic! Amazingly, it looks like my country, Australia, has one of the sport's best national teams!

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks Marc. Yes - Australia also plays Pesäpallo. They're not too bad, but the Fin's tend to dominate the sport internationally (for obvious reasons). Tough video to make though.

[@timomastosalo]

Their national team is 2nd to only Finland. If the game doesn't quickly catch greater awareness, it will likely be so for long. But if Australia begins to have even half the numbers of active players.. then the challenger might be ready.

[@CastleArchon]

Thanks Ninh! Glad you covered this one!

[@NinhLyUK]

It took me a while James - this wasn't an easy one to understand for me because I didn't have any English speaking videos or narratives. I mainly went by what I saw after watching hours and hours of Pesäpallo! Thanks for the kudos - I think I did a good job on this one.

[@Capo252]

This was a good video and explained rules very clearly:) I’m from Finland and I was in California years 1994-95. I was during my stay there watching few Oakland A’s games. It was a fun and I also liked it because there was so many spectators.

[@holoholopainen1627]

Now They know in Califorinia - about PESAPALLO ?

[@RRaquello]

If you went to a game in Oakland now there wouldn’t be so many spectators there. As a matter of fact you might be the only one there.

[@tarmo9445]

Thank for telling to world that awesome sport. I'm from Finland.

[@NinhLyUK]

Thank you my friend, I appreciate that!

[@sutki_is_here2163]

as a finnish person myself and someone who has played finnish baseball for 10 years you explained there rules pretty well you did good research nice one ninh

[@NinhLyUK]

Thank you very much!

[@Redman147]

I really like this baseball. Seems like a VERY active sport that involves even more running around since you've got less players. I understand the field is smaller, but it just seems very high powered.

[@Omoplataha]

Was actualy going to ask you about doing a video on Pesäpallo. Had to explain it many times to people around that not familiar with it. Well done on explaining it. I will add a rare way to get someone out. As a fielder if you have the possession of the ball and any part of your body touches the line (that goes from base to base) and a runner is trying to go to the next base he is out. The fielder must be between the base and a runner trying to advance to the next base. I think I have only seen this like 5 times in my livetime... And before the game starts you have the Hutunkeitto. Where the two captains compete. The referee will throw a bat (grib side of the bat upwards) to to the one of them who will catch it and hold a grib on the bat. The other captain will take grab the bat above the other captains hand and and hold it there. Repeat upwards to the end off the bat untill either one can/can not hold the bat. Winning captain will choose on will they field or bat 1st.

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks for your input - but the sport was complicated enough without adding those two bits. My videos work because I DON'T explain every rule and nuance. But good points to know if people watching want to find out more about Pesäpallo.

[@Omoplataha]

Undestand it completely. NowI have this to show to someone instead of trying to explain it with my own words. Or try to explain it again when a watching a game... Thank you sir for these ruleset videos. Keep up the good work!

[@NinhLyUK]

I appreciate it bro!

[@aatsikeke8504]

I have to say that this is pretty much the only video about pesäpallo and its rules in english that i have come across in youtube. And a fine video i might add. The only thing i'd add which i think is very important to know is that when all the bases are covered (ajolähtö), everybody has to advance to the next base after three strikes. In other words, every runner loses safe on their current base. Of course if the batter strikes a foul on last try, he is the only one to be out and the ajolähtö continues with the next batter.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, good point, thank you very much for adding it.

[@admagnificat]

Fascinating! I had never heard of this sport! Thank you for all of your hard work producing this video!

[@NinhLyUK]

Anytime! Pesapallo is a strange sport for sure, but once you get the rules - it's pretty cool! I appreciate the kind comments :)

[@holoholopainen1627]

You have heard of Finland - Havent You ?

[@RojanskiTV]

The rasmus song just made this video so much better👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 love your videos

[@NinhLyUK]

I actually got into trouble for using that song. But yeah, check out my channel for my other videos.

[@tanskasenherrasvaki3533]

now i finally understand the rules of my national sport... at least partly, never understood the part of being cauhgt vs. out. But it was my favorite sport at school (perhabs because i could bat and throw well and far). on ninth grade we used to have teachers vs pupils match at the end of the term.

[@abijo5052]

Finish baseball to American baseball seems like American football to rugby. Sure they both use a similar shaped ball, and share a lot of elements, but if you tweek the rules enough the games play completely differently

[@NinhLyUK]

Exactly!

[@kimnice]

If you want to compare it to baseball: It's much much easier to hit, but there are more limitations. So it's all about how and where you hit. This means there's a lot of tactics going on for both sides. Pitchers role in finnish baseball is slightly smaller, but he's still clearly the most important player on the outfield: He can pitch the ball to certain side of the plate, try different pitching heights throw foul balls and try different tempos to throw enemy batters off balance. Typical finnish baseball game lasts for 2-3h and there's a lot more things happen in it than in typical 3-4h american baseball game. On professional (or in this case semi professional) level this game is really complex and it's really hard to get in to the game for a first timers. On amateur level this game is a really big fun: After few practice swings people will start to hit the ball..and that's enough for entertaining play on this level.

[@nofurtherwest3474]

American here. Just getting into baseball. Your sport looks fun actually. To me, more fun than baseball. I would actually like it if the "pitcher" were actually on the same team as the batter. Then they could be a true offense, like in most sports. Putting the ball more deliberately where they want it. I don't like the organization of the bases, it just looks weird. Otherwise I think the sport makes a lot of sense.

[@shinilpm]

Loving your Videos. Expecting more

[@discoepfeand]

Never knew this existed - very cool. Thanks for the vid!

[@NinhLyUK]

Yeah, Pesapallo is pretty cool once you understand how it works!

[@juanjosemjm68]

I have never heard of this game before. But your videos are always a learning experience to some new things to peak my interest. Good job once again.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yeah, it's one that was requested by quite a few people. It's played in several countries though it's a relatively unknown one here. Interesting to watch though, for sure.

[@holoholopainen1627]

This IS OUR NATIONAL #1 SPORT ! Then comes Formula One / Ice Hockey !

[@EdgarHernandez-uu4iw]

This looks fun. Great video

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks Edgar ... I think Pesäpallo could catch on in developing countries that don't already play Baseball. I hear India plays this game as an alternative to Cricket.

[@alberto787]

Thank you for such a clear , concise explanation of this game. You are right, it is a completely different sport than baseball although there are some similarities.

[@holoholopainen1627]

FB IS easier to play ! You Dont need HUGE Stadiums !

[@chocolatemoose7761]

Kipper cameo! Best Flames goalie to date. 🧡 Thanks for the knowledge!

[@NinhLyUK]

Well spotted! Thanks bro, glad you like this video. Be sure to subscribe and check out my channel for more like this!

[@Ortona-43]

Mike Vernon

[@allu50]

i played a lot of Pesäpallo or "pesis" as a kid in school and enjoyed it so much! its a great sport that is unfortunately very small on an international level. I loved to play as the lukkari or the pitcher as it is in English. i loved to be the strategist and the center of attention :D

[@NinhLyUK]

I think this game is very cool. If it was marketed well, it would catch on in more countries.

[@holoholopainen1627]

Last World Cup was at Puna 2019 India ! There are several KZbin Videos - Where Everybody tries Their Best ! Swedes Are so many years behind !

[@OneEyedKeys]

Live near Finland. Next time I visit I will have to catch a game. Looks Sweet!

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes indeed!

[@hankpayne5864]

Another great video! Thanks!

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks Hank, much appreciated.

[@peterstreiff3811]

I ❤ 🇫🇮 Pesäpallo 🥎! Peter from Switzerland

[@alanwhite7912]

Nice video. Like the choice of The Rasmus as backing track.

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks Alan - and well spotted. I used that track mainly because The Rasmus are from Finland, in keeping with the video!

[@TheRageng]

One cool fact that I did not notice you mentioning, is that pesäpallo was originally developed to train Finnish men for war. Throwing the ball resembles throwing a grenade and diving to a base (in a Finnish way) will save your life when you are running from artillery fire for example. Pesäpallo was very popular in White Finland's Civil guards, especially in the 1920s and 1930s, but that connection has since been severed. Great video altogether!

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks! I didn't know that it was a preparation for war though, cool fact.

[@TheRageng]

@@NinhLyUK Yeah, no lady-like football for young hopes of the Finnish army! We are manly Men!

[@NinhLyUK]

Exactly!

[@virtain139]

Hey Ninh, gotta explain parts of the terminology related to pesäpallo's military history: - An out is known as a "palo" in Finnish (translates as "burn", related to a grenade exploding in your hands if you don't act fast enough.) - Until the 1990's an out was called a "kuolema" (translates literally as "death", e.g. "he didn't make it to base, second dead player for Team X.") The term hasn't been in official use ever since a player actually died during a game, but many fans still refer to being out as dying. - It's perfectly normal to hear people shouting "Kill him!" or "You're gonna die!" as a throw leading to an out is known as a "tappoheitto" ("killing throw" in English) - Being caught is called a "haava" ("wound" in Finnish), bearing resemblance to being wounded as a soldier in the battlefield. - The ball, bat and glove are colloquially known as "aseet" (or "weapons")

[@Megaleka69]

To clarify: Baseball was not the only source for Lauri "Tahko" Pihkala when developing pesäpallo. There already was traditional batting games played in Finland, which often had this vertical pitch for example. Pesäpallo consists of: - some ideas from baseball - some ideas from traditional finnish games - some of Pihkala's original ideas.

[@ShalimarCricketAcademy456]

Very good to learn more about this game

[@aatosekonen8708]

🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮 Nice video! Greetings from Finland!

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks man!

[@markispostal]

Talk about crazy. I thought IKEA assembly instructions were complicated.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yup!

[@cavaleermountaineer3839]

This is like the Finnish take on baseball with an emphasis on RUNNING. Not a bad idea in that respect. Overall interesting.

[@spacegooser9147]

This is absolute madness I say! 🤯

[@NinhLyUK]

It looks that way. But it's pretty organised.

[@willster8759]

This is awesome! I never knew this was a sport!

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, I must admit a lot of people requested it and I'd never heard of it. I had to do A LOT of research to make this one. Thanks for commenting!

[@LoganHunter82]

When I was in school, I always hoped it was never a sport....

[@holoholopainen1627]

We Have Long Winters to play Sports ! You May practise PESAPALLO Even INDOORS !

[@holoholopainen1627]

Do You ever read The Sport Pages ?

[@frederickshaibani5655]

This is actually super cool! And this is coming from an American who has never really cared for baseball ;-)

[@NinhLyUK]

Cheers Frederick! Yeah this is a game where strategy is just as important as physical skills. There's a lot happening in this game!

[@heartt4994]

Ninh Ly baseball uses strategy and physical skill as well genius

[@holoholopainen1627]

There arent so many of You in US ?

[@federicofernandez6386]

Holo Holopainen baseball has lost a lot of support recently

[@holoholopainen1627]

@@federicofernandez6386 Where are You from ? Do You speak Spanish ? The Rules should be translated to Spanish !

[@icanbelieveitisnotdonebyap941]

This is crazy I love it

[@NinhLyUK]

Cool! Thanks!

[@miguelmontanelaspokemongo4215]

Thank you very much for making this sport! That I suggested.

[@NinhLyUK]

You're not the only one that suggested it. It's actually quite good once you understand it and you don't confuse it with American Baseball.

[@holoholopainen1627]

TAHKO PIHKALA 1907 / TEN ( 10 ) YEARS - before The 1917 Revolutenary in RUSSIA !

[@basedbartholomew3968]

Pesäpallo Seems Like An AWESOME Sport! SUPER SUOMI 😃😃

[@NinhLyUK]

Super Suomi indeed! It's a pretty awesome game and I'd love to come to Finland sometime.

[@basedbartholomew3968]

I’d Love If Belgium Has There Own Sport one day😒

[@NinhLyUK]

Allegedly, Belgium lays claim to creating Cricket.

[@Pectopah123]

@@NinhLyUK And French fries wich id true...😆

[@ab8893_]

Liked for using the Rasmus

[@NinhLyUK]

Well spotted! You're the only one that noticed I used The Rasmus so far.

[@Laitela69]

Well done you explained correctly and simply

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks Luukas, much appreciated!

[@sydneynipkow]

Thank you for doing the video of Pesäpallo! Go the Melbourne storms ! cant get league out of my mind.

[@NinhLyUK]

No worries. Melbourne Storm? It's not Rugby League season already is it?

[@sydneynipkow]

Not yet ! But very soon a warm up 16 February 2018 Leeds Rhinos vs Melbourne Storms

[@DanTheCaptain]

Yay! Even though I thought you wouldn't make a video on Pesäpallo, I am happy to see you did! Where did you find photage of this sport. Do to its (rather unfortunate) unpopularity it is kinda hard to find video (On KZbin). Pesäpallo honestly looks much more fast paced and exciting than Baseball.

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks Daniel. I managed to find high quality footage from somewhere. The biggest problem was that nothing was in English - there were no videos or guides or anything. It was a case of watching lots of hours of Pesäpallo with an English translation of the rulebook. And then coming up with a script that makes a really difficult sport easy to understand. And yes, Pesäpallo can be more fast paced than Baseball ... certainly a lot more strategy to it.

[@Flamee89]

You can actually watch most of the games from Superpesis Vimeo vimeo.com/superpesis

[@akuhuopana9666]

Ninh Ly lol the video has been on the news as well

[@davidbrock4868]

This is a strategy game, something like the very early days of baseball when the pitcher's job was to give the batter something to hit and the power game hadn't developed.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, there's certainly a lot more strategy and stuff to think about when playing this game.

[@darknessv86]

in the shadows.. tosi hyvää biisi 😁

[@haydengodek2134]

I just subscribed to your channel cause it’s cool and you have exposed me to all the sports that are pretty cool

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks man, I appreciate that! Admittedly, I'm running out of sports - but it's been an entertaining series so far.

[@holoholopainen1627]

IS Texas Hockey / on Ice or on Field ? We Have The Most on Ice !

[@evilcarni]

Just came home from a game and randomly saw this in my feed, which is a funny coincidence. It's a great video, I think it explains the game quite well. Many thanks for doing what the pesäpallo foundation should have done a long time ago!

[@NinhLyUK]

I appreciate your comment. Yes, I'm surprised that there isn't an English speaking guide on Pesäpallo - so I decided to make one. Thanks again, and be sure to check out my other videos :)

[@lauri6052]

Pesäpallo was originally created for military training It taught people how to throw grenades and how to dive for cover

[@NinhLyUK]

I'm pretty sure that's not true.

[@lauri6052]

@@NinhLyUK and why is that

[@lauri6052]

@@NinhLyUK That was what I was taught in school and I don't see any reason why our teacher would have given false information about our national sport

[@tyttiMK]

@@NinhLyUK But it is. Pihkala was very interested in developing a game that could be used for that and he was also working both for the military and the Civil Guard around those times, and it was just after the civil war, as well. Pesäpallo became very popular especially in the Civil Guard and also in PE at schools, too. Even the vocabulary refers to that, being out means you are 'dead', if caught, you get 'wounded' and the turn changes after three 'burns'. Also being able to read the situation and sprint fast can be useful in a war, as is the team work and strategical thinking needed in pesäpallo. I've heard that the ball would had the same weight as the hand grenades at the but I'm not sure, if that's true.

[@micktuna27]

OMG. Finnish Vodka has produced an incredible game!

[@NinhLyUK]

Indeed it has.

[@holoholopainen1627]

You mean Koskenkorva ! They have a Team too ! Kitee has another One !

[@johnnysama]

Another good video. It also kind reminds me of another baseball-derived game, Rounders.

[@NinhLyUK]

Rounders is nothing like this, and sadly I do not plan on making a video about it to explain why. Just not enough footage or demand.

[@BigFellerJosh]

That looks like a lot of fun

[@NinhLyUK]

Oh yeah, it's pretty cool for sure.

[@LoganHunter82]

Trust me. It ain't.

[@BigFellerJosh]

k.

[@AttilaKattila]

Trust me. It is.

[@bluecheese5599]

congrats you have made the most famous video about this sport

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks! I appreciate that! :)

[@holoholopainen1627]

There IS an American - WHO has almost 2 ( two ) milloin Americans seen His Video ! - of Finnish Baseball !

[@spiff2268]

Their head first sliding skills are insane!

[@RoyalMela]

It is. You can win almost 1,5 meters (about 5 freedom unit feets) by diving head first. There are no pads which you have to tag and hold on to like baseball. It is enough when you cross the line before the ball is caught in the base, so you can slide far.

[@korneliusparker536]

I love how you used Finnish hockey legends as the example names!

[@NinhLyUK]

Well spotted! Apart from (Mika) Hakkinen - the rest are Finnish hockey players.

[@holoholopainen1627]

Mika Won two times - The Formula One ! The ONLY FINN with two - Family Rosberg has Father & Son !

[@holoholopainen1627]

The ONLY names - that People know from somewhere ? NHL - The Best League !

[@kristiankamph4334]

Whack-bat requires at least thirteen players, consisting of three grabbers, three taggers, five twig-runners, one center tagger, and the player at whack-bat. The center tagger lights a pinecone on fire and throws it to the player at whack-bat. The player hits the pinecone and runs to knock a cedar stick off the cross rods. Then the twig-runners dash back and forth until the pine cone burns out and the umpire calls "Hotbox." Finally, the score down are added up, then divided by nine.

[@NinhLyUK]

That's technically correct.

[@donovanjd3]

liked your Line-up list. retired NHL stars :)

[@NinhLyUK]

Well spotted! All famous Finnish hockey players (except Mika Hakkinen - because he is a cool Fin).

[@bangchan7817]

This is such a cool sport! I would love to play it one day

[@joshbuffalow]

Awesome video bro! I wish I could make videos like that. 👍👍👍

[@NinhLyUK]

You can! It won't take you long to learn Adobe Premiere - it's pretty easy, but time consuming!

[@theodoreshaeffer7331]

As a 15 year baseball player, BRING THIS TO AMERICA PLEASE

[@kingpin123rcs]

I like how if you put it play you can choose not to run and instead try to hit a better one. Think how different baseball would be if such a rule existed!

[@NinhLyUK]

Absolutely! It adds an extra dimension to the game. Even though they can choose to run whenever on any legal strike, on the third strike, the batter MUST run and the defending team will be prepared for this. This causes some very interesting tactical plays. Thanks again :)

[@patrickmcneil9180]

Nice touch using the Rasmus as the instrumental music here!

[@zackiswack88]

Massively helpful after seeing an instagram reel and needing to know more. Cheers

[@Finallybianca]

So between Hydraulic press channel, dudesons, and sons of explosions. And now this I am convinced Finland is completely tucking cool and I need to move there.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, Finland sure knows how to have fun!

[@holoholopainen1627]

Have You ever been to SAUNA ? If Not - Learn before You Move here ! Howabout EUKONKANTO at Sonkajarvi - The Annual Wife Carrying ? See on KZbin ! & The ENTRY FORMS !

[@mikael5417]

@@holoholopainen1627 rauhassa

[@holoholopainen1627]

Have You moved ! 2020 was terrible but 2021 IS OPENING Up ! Have You seen The Darude Run at Helsinki Called SANDSTORM ! The Best Video of Helsinki with Most Watchers - like No Other !

[@mikael5417]

@@holoholopainen1627 lopeta toi vitun outo mainostus

[@FinishPlayer]

Thank god for this so i don't need to try and explain this to my american friends :D

[@NinhLyUK]

Great!

[@spudespude7648]

Looking at the comments there are still so many questions even though those were explained in the video, either they didnt watch or its american stupidity

[@acerock013]

this is so wild. i have no idea what's going on but this looks rad.

[@NinhLyUK]

It takes a while to get used to, but it's a cool game once you get the hang of it.

[@jasonpartridge3097]

I'd love to see you do a video of the Romanian bat and ball game called Oină. Or ski archery. Great work.

[@NinhLyUK]

If I get enough demand, for sure!

[@santerikoho1579]

Pretty good video to get the basic idea, but obviously a total stranger to the game would need at least one full inning to see what is actually happening. Btw, there are complete games of Finnish top league (Superpesis) in KZbin! The main difference is that all Superpesis players make contact with the ball 99,5% of the time. So there are no strikeouts - all 3 outs usually come in tight races to a base between runner and a guy throwing the ball to baseman. And since everyone is able to clear the bases without forcing an out (a 'caught' , as mentioned), and percentage to get a "MLB-hit" is FAR more than .30 - .35, which would be pretty great at MLB. So therefore, more runners, more hitters, less strikeouts, more strategy involved. A very fun sport to watch!

[@NinhLyUK]

Thank you for your comment. Yes, with all the sports I explain - you'll have to watch it to become familiar with it, but I think i did a great job of explaining what looks like a complicated game into something which is easy to understand.

[@NigelThornbery]

This reminds me of the video Jiskefet english sports

[@NinhLyUK]

I've never seen that before .. just watched it now. That's funny!

[@ThePastAnalysis]

This is such a bizarre and interesting sport. Thank you for covering it. It makes me want to know how on Earth such a set of rules was ever formed.

[@spudespude7648]

Guy who invented pesäpallo wanted to have much more interesting and fast paced game than baseball

[@RoyalMela]

@@spudespude7648 And also wanted it to be more useful as a military training. Short bursts, lots of throwing.

[@ShalimarCricketAcademy456]

Very good Informative