Dodgeball Rules
Equipment and Players
- Game balls will be provided. Close-toed shoes must be worn (no sandals). Athletic Apparel is required.
- A team consists of 6 players. Each team must have 4 players checked in to start a match.
- Dodgeball is an open sports - there are no gender requirements for teams.
The Match
- The match will consist of one 24-minute game, with two 12-minute halves. The team with the most points at the end of the match will win the match.
- A team will earn a point after eliminating the entire other team.
- If the 12-minute time ends for the first half and both sides still have player(s) remaining, the next half will start with a reset of both teams.
- Teams will switch sides after the half.
- Overtime is only played during the playoffs. Regular season games will end in a tie.
- Overtime will be two minutes in length.
- If a whole team is eliminated, they lose the match.
- If at the end of two minutes no team has been eliminated, whatever team has the most players left wins.
- If there is an equal number of players on both teams left at the end of two minutes, the next team to have a player get out loses.
Starting the game
- All players must be touching the end wall at the start of each game. The officials will blow their whistle to start play.
- There will be six balls lined up at half court. When the whistle sounds, players may run to retrieve the ball. All balls must be brought back inside the three-point basketball arc before they can be used to attack the opponent.
- There are no boundary lines, other than the throw line which is located on the opponent’s half of the court between half court and the three-point line.
Game Rules
- Each team once they have possession of one or more ball(s) has ten seconds to throw a ball within ten feet of a player on the other team.
- Failure to do so will result in the whole team giving all their balls to the other team.
- The object is to eliminate all players on the opponent’s team by striking them with thrown balls or catching balls thrown by an opponent.
- A live ball is a ball thrown while still in flight. A ball that contacts the ground, goal supports, officials or walls is considered a dead ball.
- A player is out when:
- They are struck by a live ball by an opponent at the shoulders or below.
- If they deflect a ball thrown by an opponent off a held ball and into their body.
- If they are hit by a ball that is deflected off their teammates held ball.
- Throwing a ball that is caught by an opponent on the fly
- Throwing a ball that is deflected off an opponent’s body and caught by another opponent on the fly
- The person who the deflected ball is out, unless they deflect the ball with a held ball.
- Kicking a ball at any point during the match
- If a player is out and they kick the ball, the teammate nearest them will also be declared out.
- Receiving a technical foul for sportsmanship related conduct
- If a player receives a technical foul, they are out for the half. The team must play down a person to finish the half.
- They are struck by a live ball by an opponent at the shoulders or below.
- Once a player is out, they have to go to their bench and cannot touch a ball they didn’t have in their possession when they got out.
- Teams have one timeout for the whole game. Timeouts are one minute in length.