Brännboll (pronounced [ˈbrɛnbɔl]) is a game similar to rounder’s, baseball, lepta and pesäpallo played on amateur level throughout Sweden, Norway and Denmark, mostly on meadows and in public parks, but it is also part of the PE curriculum in some areas.The main difference from baseball is that there is no pitcher, instead the batter himself hits the ball, usually a common tennis ball, with his bat.
The bat is sometimes a wooden baseball bat, but less experienced players may use a flat paddle-like version (often disparagingly called kärringracket hag-bat, tjejträ girl-bat etc. mainly by boys). There are also no constraints to the playing field. However a too crooked ball hit will result in a strike.
The batter has three (sometimes two) strikes to get a valid hit or he is forced to go to the first base and the turn is given to the next batter in line. After batting, the batter drops the bat and makes his way counter-clockwise (or clockwise) around the four positioned bases, while the outfield players – who do not wear gloves – try to catch the ball and throw it to an appointed "burner", belonging to their team.
The "burner" (Brännaren) needs to hold the ball in his hand, while simultaneously stepping on a small board on the ground – resembling the pitcher's plate, in baseball – and yell "Bränd" (Burned), which ends the round. If the infield runner(s) are by then not positioned on a "base" they are "burned" and forced to go back to the first base or the previous passed base depending on rules (a person on his way to the first base may not be burned).
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