4v4 Dodgeball Rules
Team Roster
 Games are played 4v4 but teams may play with as few as 3 players. The maximum number of
players on a roster is 8.
 The minimum number of players must be on the court ready to play no later than 10 minutes
after the official game time. Teams not ready to play by this time will get a “No-Show” loss.
 A player may compete for only one team in a league (Men’s or Women’s). Once a person has
played with a team they cannot play with any other team.
 A player may be added to a roster up to the start of the last regular season game.
 All players must sign-in at the score table before every game by presenting their Maroon Card.
Playing Surface
 All games will be played in Alumni Gym.
 The size of the court will be 60 feet x 30 feet and within the black lines of the volleyball court.
 Teams must stay within their half of the boundary lines at all times. Players who leave the
court to retrieve balls must exit and re-enter through their end line.
Equipment
 All players must wear matching color pinnies.
 All players are required to wear non-marking, athletic sneakers (no sandals or bare feet).
 Wearing jewelry (rings, necklaces, earrings, etc.) while playing is not recommended.
 It is strongly suggested that players wear athletic shorts or pants. Denim is not permitted.
 Players may not wear headwear that is hard, unyielding, stiff material, including billed hats, or
items containing exposed knots (ex. bandanas, skull caps and baseball hats). Players are
permitted to wear sweatbands, as long as they are located around the forehead or wrist.
Sweatbands around the neck are not permitted.
 4 dodgeballs will be provided for official use during the game.
Timing
 A match is the best of 3 games. A match is completed when a team wins 2 games.
 There will be a 3-minute rest allowed between games.
 There are no timeouts during the game.
 The court monitor will start each game with a whistle.
Substitutions
 Teams cannot substitute in the middle of a game, but only between games.
Initial Setup
 Rock-paper-scissors will decide which half of the court the teams will start on.
 Teams will switch sides between games.
Opening Rush
 Four balls will be placed along the center line; two on the right and two on the left. A team can
only retrieve the two balls to their right.
 Players then take a position behind their team’s end line.
 On the whistle, players of both teams will receive their two balls from the center line.
 After the opening rush, balls must be brought back across a team’s own end line before it may
be legally thrown at an opponent.
The Game
 The object of the game is to eliminate all opposing players by getting them OUT. An OUT is
scored by:
o Hitting an opposing player with a live thrown ball below the shoulders.
 Note: If a player ducks and is clearly the cause for the player being hit above the
shoulders, the player is out and the throw is considered legal.
o Catching a live ball thrown by an opponent.
o Causing an opponent to drop a held ball as a result of contact by a thrown live ball.
o An opposing player stepping out of bounds. Stepping on the line is considered OUT.
 If a player is hit by a ball and a teammate catches it prior to the ball hitting the ground, the
player who was hit is still in the game and the thrower is OUT. The player hit by the ball is not
eliminated.
 A player may block a thrown ball with a ball being held, provided the held ball is not dropped as
a result of the contact. A thrown ball deflecting off a held ball is no longer considered a live
ball. No one is OUT if a thrown ball is deflected by a held ball and then caught.
 The first team to legally eliminate all opposing players will be the winner of that game.
Stalling
 It is illegal for the leading team to control all 4 balls for 5 seconds or more. If a team has all 4
balls then they must make a legitimate effort to get at least one ball across the attack line and
into the opponent’s court. If this is not done within 5 seconds, a “5-second violation” will be
called.
 A team may avoid a 5-second violation by throwing or rolling a ball into the opponent’s court.
This does not include throwing a ball well over the opponent’s end line.
 There are penalties for stalling based on the number of violations in a game. This number
resets after each game.

Penalties for stalling:
o First violation: play stops, balls will be divided evenly then play continues with “balls in
hand”
o Second violation: free throw for the opposing team in which one player is allowed an
unobstructed throw at their opponent(s) without risk of elimination
o Third violation: one player of the offending team will be OUT
Role of Court Monitor
 All games will be supervised by a court monitor (scorekeeper or referee) and an intramural
supervisor.
 Game are self-officiated so players will be expected to rule whether or not a hit was legal or
whether they were eliminated.
 The court monitor will also enforce 5-second violations.
 The court monitor (and supervisor, if needed) will clarify rules as necessary and make a decision
on any situation in which teams cannot agree. The decision of the court monitor and
supervisor is FINAL.
 Players may be ejected for displaying unsportsmanlike conduct. The court monitor may caution
a player with a yellow card and eject a player with a red card.