Dodgeball League Rules
1. Teams are required to have a minimum of 4 players. Only 4 players on the court per
team at a time. A minimum of 1 female is required.
2. Six balls are in play during each game. Each team starts with 2 balls and 2 balls are
placed on the center line as community balls before game play begins. The game starts
as soon as each player has one foot on the back base line and the referee announces
“dodgeball”. Game play begins as this announcement is made.
3. Once the game begins players are not allowed to touch outside the boundary lines or
they are out. The players off the court are Shaggers and are not allowed to touch inside
the boundary lines. Shaggers are not allowed to cross the center of the court to retrieve
balls behind their opponent’s side of the court.
a. *The only exception is players are allowed to reach across lines to grab balls as
long as they don’t touch the floor, the walls, or any other players.
4. All men must throw from behind the Men’s throwing line. Women are allowed to throw
from anywhere on their side of the court. Men are also not allowed to catch any
woman’s throws. All men must dodge or deflect a female thrown ball.
5. Any legal catch results in the thrower being out and the team that made the catch gets a
player back on the court, up to a maximum of 4 players on the court at one time.
6. When re-entering the court during a game, such as when a teammate catches a throw,
players must re-enter in the order you were knocked out (first knocked out, first back in)
and must re-enter through the back base line and have both feet on the court to be live.
7. If a player is struck by a thrown ball they are out.
a. Exceptions include:
i. If after striking the player the ball is caught before hitting the ground,
ceiling, net, or walls then the player is no longer out. If the catch is made
by a teammate it saves the person hit by the throw. If the catch is made
by the player who was originally struck then it’s considered a catch and
the thrower is out and the catcher’s team receives a new player back on
the court. If the player who was originally struck catches a ricochet that
bounced off of a teammate it is considered a save and not a catch.
ii. A throw that strikes anything before hitting a player is considered a dead
ball; including the ground, the walls, the ceiling, the nets, other balls, or
other players. So a throw can only knock out one player.
iii. A throw that ricochets off a man that was thrown by a woman cannot be
saved.
8. Players are allowed to block a thrown ball using another ball. The block must be a clean
deflection meaning the deflection cannot immediately strike the blocking player.
a. Exceptions include:
i. If the deflected ball is immediately caught by the blocker it is considered
a catch as long as it’s not a woman throwing at a man.
ii. If the blocking player has the ball knocked free from their hand by a
thrown ball then the blocker is out, unless the dropped ball is caught by
someone before touching the ground, wall, ceiling, or net.
9. A throw ball that is caught must be made with at least one foot in bounds and the ball
cannot touch the ground at any point during the process of the catch. If the ball touches
the ground while being caught it is considered a trap and neither the thrower nor
catcher is out.
10. “5 seconds”: at any time during play if the referee calls “5 Seconds”, the team with the
most players is required to throw a ball. If both teams have the same number of players
then the team with the most balls is required to throw a ball. If both teams have the
same number of players and balls, then one team must throw within the 5 seconds or
the game is considered a draw and the court is set up for the next game. If neither team
throws before the 5 second rule expires then the team that was required to throw loses
that game.
11. For a team to be considered to ‘have a ball’ then they must have access to it and it must
be behind the men’s throwing line on their side of the court.
12. If the “5 second” rule is announced when there are only two players left in the game,
then the player required to throw now alternates regardless of how many balls each
player has.
13. Regular season games are 20 minutes long and consist of 2 ten minute halves.
Elimination and Tournament games are 15 minutes long and consist of 2 seven and a
half minute halves.
14. Special single day tournament games will run 12 minutes long with 2 six minute halves.
15. Games consist of running time except for the final minute of regulation, if the teams are
within 3 points of one another then the clock stops upon the completion of each game.
16. If a game runs past the final buzzer and the result ends in a tied game, then a one game
tie breaker is played.
17. In the effort of safety if a male player throws a ball that strikes a woman either in the
head or in her arms while protecting her head the thrower is out. The only exception to
this is if the throw strikes her in the head but is thrown below the shoulders.
18. ***Disclaimer: This league is for fun. The people refereeing are not paid professionals
they are just people who love playing. I want you to know that we will make mistakes
because things move very fast from the side line so if someone misses a call please just
step off the court, it’s nothing personal. There will be no arguing with referees.
19. If a situation arises during a game that we haven’t covered in the rules then we will
replay the play and determine a ruling for future play after the game.