Nevada Intramural Sports
Co-Ed Dodgeball Tournament Rules
THE COURT
• All Dodgeball competitions will be held in the Lombardi Recreation Center gymnasium.
PLAYERS
• Games are played with six players on the court.
• A minimum of four players per team is needed to begin a game.
• Co-Ed teams must have no more male than female players on the court to begin a
contest (at least 3 females).
o If starting with Four players, at least Two of them must be female.
o There must be at least 1 male on the court to start each game.
EQUIPMENT
• A standard 6v6 game will use six game balls that will be provided by the Intramural
Sports Program.
TIME REGULATIONS
• A match will consist of 2 sets of best of 5 games. If a tie breaking 3rd set is needed it will be best of
3 games.
• Each game will have a 3-minute time limit. If at the end of 3 minutes arrives before a
team is eliminated, the team that is ahead in that current game wins.
• Each team will receive one-30 second time out per set.
• If timeout is called during the middle of a game, play will resume with balls distributed
equally to each team and in hand.
• Only the referee's whistle starts and stops the clock.
• All players are in jeopardy of being eliminated until the referee signals the beginning of
a time out or the end of regulation time.
• Exception: All LIVE balls in-flight at time of an officials' signal (to end
August 2013 Page 1 regulation time or begin time-out) remain LIVE, and may eliminate an
opponent, until they become dead.
BOUNDARIES
During play, all players must remain within boundary lines (indicated by the side
basketball boundaries and the back wall). Players may pass through their sidelines to
retrieve stray balls, but must immediately re-enter the playing field. A player who does
not immediately re-enter the playing area may be declared OUT.
• A player shall NOT:
o Have any part of their body contact the playing surface over a sideline.
o Leave the playing field (sideline) to avoid being hit, or attempt to catch a ball.
o If a ball is caught out of bounds, both players are still “in”.
o Have any part of their body cross over the centerline and contact the ground on
their opponents' side of the court.
o Suicide leaps are NOT allowed at any time!
• During opening rush, players may slightly cross the centerline as they grab a ball. Officials
will refrain from calling players OUT at this time unless the player's actions yielded a
definite advantage.
• At any time throughout the game, a player may step on the centerline without penalty (as long
as they do not cross it.
• A player that is deemed "out" must exit the playing field at the nearest boundary.
• If a teammate catches a live ball, an eliminated player may rejoin the game through the
sideline at the prompt of the official.
August 2013 Page 2 GAME PLAY
While calls are ultimately at the discretion of the officials, the "HONOR SYSTEM" will
also be used. If a team fails to follow the “HONOR SYSTEM” consistently, it may result in
playing a game a man down.
• Six dodge balls will be placed along the centerline.
• Players will take a position on their end line at the back wall, with some body part
touching the wall.
• Following a signal by the official, no more than 3 players from each team may approach
the centerline to retrieve the balls (called the "opening rush.").
• Each/every ball retrieved at the opening rush must first be carried or passed beyond the
attack line (10-foot line) and into the team's backcourt before it may be legally thrown
at an opponent.
• The ball must completely be in control of a player who is behind the 10 foot line,
with both feet planted, before the ball is considered to be live and in play.
• 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 this clearly is 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 your opponent.
o An opposing player stepping out of bounds.
o Causing an opponent to drop a held ball as a result of contact by a thrown
LIVE ball (Note: Usually occurs when a ball is being used to block a thrown
ball).
August 2013 Page 3 o 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 with the thrown ball.
• The first team to legally eliminate all opposing players will be declared the winner.
• If neither team has been eliminated at the end of regulation, the team with the greater
number of remaining players will be declared the winner.
• Teams may have no more than two people behind the volleyball end line for more
than 5 seconds.
• When a team is down to their final two people, those players must stay in front of
the volleyball end line unless retrieving stray balls from the backcourt.
• A player that is out must raise their hand when leaving the floor, to avoid getting
hit and exit through the back end line or closest out of bounds point.
• A player can reenter the game anywhere on the sidelines.
• A ball has to be thrown either overhand or underhand; it cannot be kicked, punched, or
batted (i.e. volleyball serve).
• Players who have been declared out may not get in the way of live balls in
order to protect a teammate. If this happens both players will be called
“out”.
• Substitutions are allowed ONLY in the case of injury.
• Players eliminated during gameplay are not eligible to substitute in the event of an
injury.
GOLDEN HOOP: REGENERATION
• Teams can, at any time, regenerate their squad to the allowable number of six players
on the court by making a basket with a dodgeball in the hoop located on the
opponent's side of the court.
• The ball may hit any part of the basketball hoop, supports, or ceiling and still go
August 2013 Page 4 through the basket to count. Any ball (thrown or deflected) that hits any part of the
basket or support and/or goes through the hoop, becomes dead and cannot be caught
for an out or hit a player for an out.
• Air-ball shots may be caught for an out.
• A team may throw a ball at an attempted regeneration shot in order to block the shot.
• The ball thrown in order to block the shot does not need to be caught.
• However, a player may not ‘goal-tend’ in the cylinder of the hoop.
OVERTIME
• If an equal number of players remain after regulation play, a sudden death overtime
period will be played.
• The first team to legally eliminate any one opponent will be declared the winner.
• The overtime period will begin with each team having three "balls in hand" behind
their end line.
• No timeouts are allowed during overtime.
DEAD BALL
• The ball will be ruled dead anytime if:
o Hits and/or is caught by another participant after first striking another participant
o Contacts the floor, backboard, wall, ceiling and/or curtain
o Exception: A ball that contacts the backboard, ceiling, and/or basket support
system on a regeneration shot and goes in is okay.
STALLING AND FIVE-SECOND VIOLATION
Obvious stalling shall be called at the discretion of the official. It is illegal for the leading
team to control a majority of the balls for more than five seconds. If all balls are located on
either side of the court, the team must make a legitimate effort (i.e. thrown not placed) to get
at least one ball across the attack line and into the opponent's backcourt. If this is not done
within five seconds, a "five-second violation" will be called.
August 2013 Page 5 First Violation:
• Play will be stopped and the balls will be divided evenly among the teams.
• Play will continue with "balls in hand."
Second Violation:
• FREE THROW for the opposing team.
• A free throw is an unobstructed throw at their opponents' risk of elimination.
• A caught free throw will not result in thrower elimination.
Third Violation:
• Ejection of one player from the offending team.
Please note that the stalling violations do not apply to overtime.
Blood Rule
• A player with a bloody injury or blood on his/her uniform must leave the game.
The player may not return to the game until the wound is no longer bleeding, the
wound is covered and the uniform is changed.
SPORTSMANSHIP VIOLATIONS
A Yellow/Red card system will be used to control unsportsmanlike conduct and improper
behavior.
Yellow Card Infractions
• If a player receives a yellow card that player must sit out for two minutes and can then return to the
game.
• If there is less than two minutes left of game playtime, the player will be done for the duration of the
game.
August 2013 Page 6 Red Card Infractions
• If a player receives a red card that player will be ejected from the game and must
leave the facility or risk further sanctions, which could extend to the team as well.
• Any participant that receives a red card during dodgeball tournament play will be
removed from the tournament and will have to meet with the Intramural Sports
Coordinator.
A player that is receives either a yellow or red card cannot be substituted for and
the team must play down a player.
August 2013 Page 7