Over The Line
Rules Modified for Hilltop High School
Physical Education
Dr. Butler
April 2013
Over The Line is a popular sport in Southern
California
History: OTL
 Over-the –line was first played
in Mission Beach, San Diego,
California in the 1954.
 Largely seen as a novelty game
but often played in physical
education classes in local middle
and high schools.
 The annual “OMBAC World
Championship Over the Line
Tournament” organized by Old
Mission Beach Athletic Club, is a
prominent event in the San
Diego’s beach sports life.
OTL is an international event with
60,000 + fans and spectators
Known for a fun atmosphere
OTL is played every year on Fiesta
Island
Description: OTL
 Modified softball game




played with a bat and ball.
Traditionally played in sand
at Fiesta Island.
There is a batter, pitcher
and fielders.
No running of bases.
Focus is on fun and
interactivity with other
team members.
OTL Field: – If the ball is hit in the “Pie”
than the player at bat is out.
Foul Ball Area
“Pie”
Foul Ball Area
Rules: OTL
 Pitcher is on same team as
the batter.
 Batter has (3) chances to hit a
ball in fair territory.
 Boundaries of game are long
and narrow.
 An out is earned when (a) the
ball is caught in the air, or (b)
batter fails to bat a ball in fair
territory within (3) attempts
when up to bat.
Scoring Rules: OTL
 1 – Point for each ball that
is batted and lands in fair
territory without being
caught (dropped balls
count as a point).
 4 – Points for each ball hit
past the last outfielder that
lands in fair territory.
 Fielders crossing “THE
LINE” or its extensions
when attempting to catch
ball
Pitching: Own team pitches to the
batter
A ball that lands in fair territory scores
1 point.
Catching the ball in bounds = the
batter is out
How to score a home run:
Score 4 Points For:
Any ball hit PAST the last player in fair territory on the fly
without the player touching it. The ball only has to go past the
player, not necessarily over the player’s head.
How to earn an out:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Three foul balls
One Strike
Fly balls caught by fielders
Ball hitting “THE LINE”, lines that make up the “pie”, or
landing in the “pie”
Batting out of turn
Not having one foot behind the apex of the triangle
When to Rotate Teams At Bat
 Every team member will have one turn at bat. This means
that every at time at bat, every player will either score points
for their team, or they won’t.
 Because every team member will have a turn at bat, there
isn’t a strategy in batting order.
 After every team member has batted, the teams will rotate.
 Batting team will rotate to outfield, and outfield will rotate
to bat.

Regulation OTL is more complicated than this. Scoring has been modified for PE classes. See HERE to learn more.
Strategy: OTL
 Offense: Pitch ball softly at
waste level of batter (be
sure to pitch from the side,
out of the way).
 Offense: Vary batting
placement - barely over
the line, close to the
sidelines, and for distance.
 Defense: Disperse fielders
based on perceived striking
ability and aim of each
batter.
Special Rules for Physical Education
 If there is an odd number of
players, the team with the
less # of players may have
designated batters from their
team to equal the # of at
bats. This is called a
designated batter, and each
time at bat the designated
batter will be rotated.
 If a player can not successfully
hit the ball over the line, they
may hit the ball off a “tee” (a
tall cone will used for our
class).
Special Rules for Physical Education
 If the batter does not like the pitch, they can catch it. This
does not count against the batter. This may happen a
maximum of 2 times.
 If the batter tries to catch a bad pitch and drops the ball, than
this counts as a foul.
 The pitcher and players waiting turn to bat need to be at least
6 feet away from the batter AT ALL TIMES. If the pitcher or
players gets closer than 6 feet to the batter, than this will be
recorded as an out.
 The number of innings will be determined each day by the
teacher.
Safety Cues: OTL
 Pitcher stay safe! Stand to
the side, 6 feet away from
the bat.
 Don’t throw the bat!
People waiting turn to bat
stay 6 feet away from
batter.
 Fielders pay attention!
Watch not only the for the
ball from your team, but
for stray balls from other
teams.