Dodgeball Nation Rules of Play
For captain specific rules click HERE
For brand new players wanting a brief overview click HERE
1. Equipment/Set-Up
Team captains are responsible for ensuring the 2 supplied dodgeballs are at each game. They do not need to be the ones to bring them, but must ensure someone does.
Teams are responsible for keeping track of the score.
2. Game Time/Defaults
a. Games are 90 minutes in length, which includes 5 minutes at the start to warm up and 5 minutes at the end to cool down/return equipment to the gym if necessary. If one side of a venue has a potential advantage (i.e. stage at one end, etc), teams should agree BEFORE the game that they will be switching sides at the mid-point of the game. A captain that requests a switch pre-game MUST be accommodated.
b. Teams are comprised of 6 players. A default will occur if any team cannot field a minimum of 4 players by 10 minutes after the official start time.
c. Captains may agree to waive the rules regarding minimum people but this should be decided before the game starts. IF IT IS AGREED THAT THE GAME COUNTS, IT COUNTS!
d. The 6 players that start each game are the ONLY players that can play during that particular game (i.e. for that point). Substitute players must wait until the next game before playing with one exception - injured players can be substituted midway during a game if necessary.
3. Starting the Game and General Rules
a. 4 dodgeballs will be used for each game.
b. To start the game, each team stands at their respective back wall with two start of play dodgeballs each. A member of either team starts the game by stating, "3, 2, 1, Dodgeball".The start of play balls must be thrown within 5 seconds of the count ending and no team is allowed to throw a third or fourth ball (ones thrown from the opposition) with these original two. If this rule is not observed, any player hit with these start of play balls is not out.
c. Once play has started, players must remain on their own side of the half. We play with a soft line therefore you can touch the centre line with approximately half of your foot, but any more and you are out.
d. Players can lean over the half line to retrieve a ball, but the player cannot touch any part of their opponents half of the court (including the wall/benches/stage etc). If any part of a player touches their opponents' side of half, that person is out.
e. Players cannot remain static in areas that conceal or partially conceal their body. e.g. door entrance ways, climbers, etc.
f. A ball is considered "dead" as soon as it hits the floor, walls, ceiling or any other obstacles around the court (e.g. basketball hoops, etc). In addition, a ball that strikes a player who is already out and is leaving the floor is considered "dead". A player is not eliminated after being hit by a dead ball (i.e. if the ball hits the wall, then hits the player, the player is not eliminated). All other balls are considered "live" as soon as they are thrown by an opponent. Balls that collide in the air are NOT dead (i.e. If two balls hit in mid-air and one continues over the line and hits someone, that person is out.).
g. Eliminated players should sit on the opposite side/corner of their team bench and in the order of which they were eliminated (in an effort to clarify who is participating in that particular game).
h. Teams, and especially team captains are responsible for enforcing rules and ensuring fair play. If there is a stoppage in play (i.e. to discuss a play or settle an argument), captains should speak with each other privately so as to avoid confrontation or escalation between players.
i. This league is self-refereed therefore you may only call out members of your own team and must not call out opposition players. In some instances it is acceptable to let opposition players know they are out (i.e. you caught their ball and they hadn't noticed, or there was a ricochet that hit them) but under most circumstances teams are prohibited from making calls to opposition teams.
j. Players cannot use obstacles during play e.g. a player cannot jump onto a bench, stage, etc to dodge.
4. Throwing the Balls and Eliminating Players
a. Under most circumstances players can only be in possession of ONE ball at any given time except for the following:
Players may catch an incoming ball (or balls) while holding a ball in their hands (this counts as a catch), but they must place one of the balls on the ground before throwing.
Players may also place/drop the ball they are holding to catch an incoming ball, but only once an incoming ball has been thrown. A ball cannot be dropped in anticipation.
Players are permitted to pick up additional balls solely for the purpose of passing said ball(s) to a team mate or moving them closer to the line.
You are not permitted to do anything else with the ball(s) (i.e. block, throw, etc.). If a player purposely blocks a ball while holding two (or more), that player must roll ONE ball over to the other side of the court. If a player throws a ball while holding another ball, the opposing player is not out if they are hit, but if the ball is caught, the thrower is out.
b. Players can throw a ball in any manner (with the exception of squeezing the air out of the ball. DO NOT SQUEEZE THE BALL!) from anywhere on their own side of the court. A player/team cannot hold a ball in their hands in an effort to "stockpile" the balls on their own side of court, therefore balls have to be released (thrown – not dropped or placed on the ground) within 5 SECONDS.
c. Balls that are able to be picked up must be done so within 5 seconds (i.e. within reaching distance of the player). If the ball is not picked up within 5 seconds, the ball must be rolled over to the other team (Team captains are responsible for enforcing this rule.). If a ball is touched, i.e. through sweeping, or kicking/passing it across the court, these 5 seconds start immediately and the ball must be picked up and thrown. Once a ball is in your hand, the 5 second clock does not reset if you drop it or pass it to a teammate.
d. To eliminate an opposing player, a "live" ball must hit the player from the neck downwards. An opponent that is hit in the head is NOT eliminated regardless of whether or not they are crouching down. Neither is the thrower. NOTE: the ball's first point of contact is what matters (i.e. if a ball first hits the player in the leg or off a ball being used to block, and then bounces up and hits their head, the player is OUT). Players that have been eliminated should place a hand in the air to indicate that they have been hit and leave the court while trying not the screen players or interfere in the game in any way.
e. If a player catches a "live" ball that is thrown at them, the thrower is out. IN ADDITION, the team that caught the ball can return a previously eliminated player to the court. The player that returns to the game MUST be the first player who was ruled "out" during that particular game (and the order of returning players should be maintained...i.e. the third player to be eliminated will be the third player to return to the court). Upon re-entering the game, players must touch the back wall before beginning play, therefore if they are hit or catch a ball before this, it doesn't count.
f. If a player catches a ball against the wall or floor, call it a wash and the game continues.
g. Players are not out until the ball that hits them touches the floor or wall (or other 'dead' obstacle in the gym such as a bench or basketball net). Therefore if a ball is still in the air after hitting a player and they catch a live ball, that catch still counts but the player must also leave the court once the initial ball becomes dead.
h. Balls must be thrown in a manner intended to get an opposing player out. For example, players cannot intentionally throw the ball at the wall (obviously well to the left/right or above a player) to "recycle" the 5-second timer on a throw in order to sync up throws with their team.
i. A player that is holding a ball can use it to deflect/block another ball that is thrown at them by an opponent. However, if the ball being held is knocked out of their hand by a live ball, the person who dropped the ball is OUT. A deflected ball is still considered "live" until it hits the ground/wall/obstacle. (i.e. if it hits another player or the player using the ball to block before hitting the ground or wall, the hit player is out).
j. A live ball that rebounds off of a player (from an unsuccessful catch, hits off their body, is deflected by another ball, etc) may be caught by any other in-bounds player prior to the ball becoming dead (hitting ground or wall). As usual, the thrower is OUT, and the catching team can return a player.
k. Every time that only 2 players remain on the court (1 from each team), the timekeeper should announce that the two players have "one-minute" to eliminate each other. After the one minute has expired, if the game has not yet ended, each team will return one player to the court. (again, each team must abide by their order of returning players). Similar to Rule 4h, a player cannot intentionally throw the ball at the wall (obviously well to the left/right or above the opposing player) with the intent of running down the 60 second timer.
l. If there are any contested calls, call it a wash and keep the game going.
5. Scoring/Winning
a. Matches will consist of as many games that can be played in the 90-minute time period.
b. Each game won will count for one point.
c. If a game is still being played when time expires, the team with the most live players on the court at the time will win the game.
d. Ties are allowed during the regular season. If a match is tied at the end of a playoff game, teams will play for 2 more minutes, after which, the team with the most players wins. If it is still tied, then the game becomes sudden death. Teams should allocate a time-keeper for this last game.
6. Team Spirit
a. Teams should do their utmost to make sure games are fair and played in good spirit. This includes:
- Making sure all teammates sit off for an equal amount of games if you have more than 6 players at a match. Not only do we not want teams to unfairly stack their games by having their best players play more frequently, but also everyone has paid to be here so everyone should get equal playing time.
- Players should not pass balls to teammates they feel are better throwers. All players should attempt to throw any ball that they pick up and should not pass or kick balls over to 'stronger' players. We are all here to learn how to play and we encourage everyone to throw as many balls as possible to improve their game.
b. There is no punishment for not following these rules, but they are here as guidelines to help everyone have a better experience at games.