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New to the game, or just looking for a refresher, here is a quick explanation of how the game works
Overview:
A dodgeball court is shaped like a volleyball court but with no net. Each team starts with 6 players on the back line of their side of the court and 3 balls (6 balls total).
Players are not allowed to cross the centre line. They throw balls at the opposing players. When someone is hit, they are eliminated.
Each round/game, when all team members from one side are eliminated, the opposing team wins 1 point. The team that accumulates the most points in a match’s allotted time (in our case, 25 minutes) wins the match!
Every week, each team will play two 30-minute games
How to get eliminated from a round:
Getting Hit: If you get hit by a ball thrown by a member of the opposing team, you are out. This includes fingers, clothing, hair, wigs, etc. Once eliminated, please put your hand up and walk off the court immediately. The integrity of the game relies on each player’s honesty!
Blocking: If you are holding a ball and one is thrown at you, you can block the thrown ball with the ball you are holding. If it touches your hand/fingers while blocking, you are eliminated.
Catching: If someone throws a ball and you catch it, the thrower is out and your team gets to bring back someone who has already been eliminated that round.
Live Ball: Once thrown, a ball is considered live (able to eliminate opposing players) until it touches a "dead object": the floor, the ceiling, a wall, a bench, a person who is not playing or has already been eliminated, etc.
If you block the ball with your ball and then it hits you, you're out
If you block the ball with your ball and then it hits your teammate, your teammate is out
If you get hit by a ball and then another teammate gets hit by that ball while it is still live, you are both out
If you get hit by a ball and a teammate catches it while it is still live, you are safe and it counts as a catch
Knocked Ball / Disarmament: If you are holding a ball and a live ball knocks it out of your hands, you are eliminated
Crossing the centre line: A player can be eliminated by crossing the centre line. Often, refs will give players a warning, but if they persist to cross the line, they will be counted as out, so watch your feet!
“Crossing the line” means your body touching the floor on the other side of the line. You can reach across the line to grab a ball, as long as you don’t touch the floor.
Each team has experienced players who are well-versed in the rules of a game, so if you'd like any clarification on rules or gameplay, please ask your captain or another experienced player.
Some basic dodgeball strategy:
Catches Win Matches: Catches are very important and often shift the course of a game since the reward is double. So try to take actions that avoid getting your ball caught, such as throwing low (at people's legs) or coordinating your throw with teammates.
Get ready to catch: By standing in a pose that looks like you’re going to catch, you’re (1) likely to intimidate the opposing team and make them reconsider throwing at you, and (2) more likely to actually catch. Be brave and fight the instinct to turn away when the ball is thrown at you - getting hit does not hurt.
Coordinating a throw with teammates is useful for hitting an opponent (less room to move around) and preventing that player from catching balls - it’s very hard to keep track of multiple balls being thrown at you at once.
Players are vulnerable when they’re throwing, so a teammate can also help you out by putting pressure on opposing members with balls by pretending to throw.
Conversely, a well-placed sneaky throw when an opponent is not paying attention can catch the opponent off guard, just don’t forget about…
Ball possession: a team holding more balls is at an advantage, since they can more easily control the game. So it is highly recommended to not just pick up balls and throw them carelessly: think about how your team can make the most use of that ball, which is often holding onto it or using it to intimidate the opposition.
Sweeping is the act of collecting balls on your side before they have the chance to roll back to the other side, helping to regain the advantage of majority ball possession. Without sweeping, an aggressive team can keep throwing at you over and over again until your full team is eliminated, since balls often roll back to the other side.
Ball pumping (faking a throw) is a very common tactic that keeps opponents on their toes and messes up their coordinated throws. Swing the ball like you're going to throw it without actually letting go. This can be used to make an opponent think twice before picking up a ball that’s rolling back to your side, winning ball control for your team. You can get a lot of mileage out of a ball without throwing it!
Corners: The player on the far left and far right of the court is called a corner. A common strategy is for teams to pass balls to the corners to make sure they're always armed. These positions are somewhat protected by the court boundary and are thus in a good position to throw, so they can often catch opponents by surprise and prevent them from coming right up to the line to throw.
When does my team have to throw?
To keep the game moving, there is always one team that has 10 seconds to throw a ball (any ball):
If one team has more balls on their side of the court (4+ balls), that team has 10 seconds to throw at least one ball
If both teams have 3 balls, the team with more players has 10 seconds to throw one ball
If both teams have 3 balls and the same number of players, the team with the drag ball (different coloured ball) needs to throw
Note that anyone on any team can throw a ball whenever they want, and as soon as a ball from either side crosses the centre line, the 10 second count gets reset
If a team fails to throw a ball after the 10 second count runs out, that team must roll ALL balls to the other side. This is a very rare occurrence; it is more likely players will panic and throw as the time runs out.
For those who have played in other leagues
How is Rainbow dodgeball different from HSSC (Halifax Sport and Social Club) dodgeball?
We will be playing with six 7" foam dodgeballs (as opposed to four 8" foam dodgeballs like HSSC)
Head shots are discouraged but do not cause the thrower to be eliminated from the game.
Players are allowed to hold as many balls as they want.
Players are allowed to crouch, kneel, jump, and slide around as they please. Unlike HSSC, you do not need to be standing when the ball is thrown at you.
Rainbow Dodgeball’s differences from WDBF Rules (used by Metro Dodgeball league), posted at the bottom of this doc
In order to keep within the spirit of the league and to accommodate for the venue we are using, we have made a couple of small changes to the attached WDBF rules:
There is no rush for the balls at the beginning of each match. Each team will start with 3 balls on their side.
We are not strictly enforcing "out" boundaries on the sides and back of the court. However, if you step on/over the centre line, you are eliminated
Games will be 40 minutes in length. In the final round, the game will stop and balls will be reset. The remaining players will continue under sudden death rules (no blocking, catches do not bring a player back onto the court as usual) until one team is eliminated.
When rounds get down to 1v1 (all but one player on both sides are eliminated), we go into sudden death / no-blocking mode to prevent the game from going on forever.
If you have any questions or need clarification at any time, please get in contact with your team captains or with us.
A FEW QUICK THINGS:
Please remember to bring water to the game to keep hydrated
Typical dodgeball attire is gym clothes and gym shoes. Many players choose to wear volleyball knee pads.
Our league is a recreational league. We’re fun-competitive, and we value honesty, sportsmanship, inclusion, and a good attitude from all of our players.
If you love reading rules, you can see the full official WDBF rules here: https://worlddodgeballfederation.com/rules/
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