how to play dodgeball

If you've already taken a look at the rules page, you'll probably be a little overwhelmed! But don't worry, you'll pick up a lot of the rules as you play, and there will always be someone on your team or on the opposing team that will be able to help you during the game.

However, we thought you'd like a brief overview of some of the most important rules and strategies before your first game. So here we go:

DODGE. Well, that one was obvious. At all costs try not to get hit by the ball. You can do that by standing as far back as you can on the court, jumping over low balls, ducking under high balls, or just close your eyes and hope for the best!

CATCH. Catching a ball is invaluable. It means the thrower on the opposition team is out, and someone from your team gets to come back in.

THROW LOW. You want to avoid your ball being caught, so the best way to do that is throw low. This takes practice so don't be disappointed if you don't get the hang of it straight away.

SWEEP. One of the best things you can do as a new player is help your team keep as many balls on your side as possible. Sweeping is the action of running or sliding across the court after a ball has been thrown at your team to stop a ball from rebounding back to the opposition side. This can take some time to master, but the general principle of sweeping is fairly easy to execute. 

FIVE SECONDS. Once you pick up a ball, you have five seconds to throw it. It can be a bit nerve wracking to throw when you're not confident, but holding on to the balls can cause a lot of arguments between teams, so try your best to throw within the allocated time. 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THROW TOGETHER. It is almost always better to throw with someone else than it is to throw alone, especially if your throw isn't particularly strong. So once you pick up a ball, take a quick look around and see if any of your teammates also have a ball, and try to throw with them. The easiest thing to do is count 3-2-1 then throw on 0.