Dodgeball - Rules
The game starts with players lining up on opposing baselines with 8 dodgeballs divided in sets of 4 on the mid-court line. On the referee's start of the game, players race towards the dodgeballs to retrieve them. Players who retrieve the dodgeballs from mid-court must ensure the balls cross back over their own baseline before attempting to eliminate opposing players.
No player may cross the mid-court line in an attempt to eliminate an opposing player until the referee signals that the teams will be permitted to move past the midcourt to another line, white or free throw. Referee's have the option to begin games at the white line or free throw and that will be announced at start of game.
Elimination occurs in one of four ways:
- A player gets hit with a dodgeball thrown by an opposing player before the ball touches the ground, walls, or other players;
- A throw is caught by an opposing player before the dodgeball touches the ground;
- A thrower dislodges a ball out of the opposing player's grip;
- Stepping over the forward-most throwing boundary that's been designated by the referee.
A clean caught ball eliminates the player who threw it and the team that caught the ball get a player back in the game, the team must adhere to rotation rule of bringing in the next player in line. If there are already 5 men on the court then a female player would be the one to enter the game.
You must field a team of 5 men and 3 women, in the event you do not have 3 females you will play down one male player for each missing female. Example a team with 2 females would be allowed to play with there 2 females and 4 men.
The referee is in charge of calling players out. However, during gameplay, the furious and fast-paced action may occasionally limit the ability of the referee to see every bit of action at all times. Please follow the honor system: If you are hit, whether the referee has seen it or not, you are out!
Each game continues until every player on one of the teams is knocked out.
Matches lasts up to 45 minutes, depending on start time and game speed.
The first team to win 5 games wins the match.
Rules distributed to captains at the start of each season overide these posted rules.
