LAWRENCE PARKS AND RECREATION
Adult Dodgeball By-Laws
I.
II.
II.
Revised February 6, 2017
STARTING TIME:
A.
Game time is starting time.
B.
Teams will be made up of 6 players, with no more than 3 men being on the floor at any time.
C.
If a team has less than four players, the officials will wait fifteen minutes before that team will
forfeit the match. The team that is late will then forfeit a game every five minutes till the fifteen
minute mark.
(1)
Example:
(1)
Game time: 7:00 pm
7:05 pm = 1 game forfeit
7:10 pm = 2 game forfeit
7:15 pm = Match forfeit
GAME DURATION:
A.
Teams will play seven matches with a single elimination tournament at the end of the season.
Each match consists of eleven (11) games or 40 minutes, whichever comes first. If time expires,
the team with the most number of players will be declared the winner of that game. If both
teams have the same number of players, then sudden death overtime will be played with the
winning team eliminating one member from the losing team. If the number of participants is
less than four, then both teams will add the appropriate number of players to equal four
players per team. The players that would be added would be the next available person(s) in.
The maximum number of males must be 3.
B.
There will be a two-minute break between the fifth and sixth game during the match to allow
for water breaks. All games will count towards the final standings.
RULES:
A.
The object of the game is to eliminate all opposing players by getting them “out”. This may be
done in the following manner:
(1)
During play, rules are enforced primarily by the ‘Honor System”.
(2)
Hitting an opposing player with a live thrown ball below the shoulders. If a ball
strikes another player in the head in any manner will be considered dead, and is
allowed to continue play. If the player intentionally “blocks” the ball with their
head, the player is considered out.
i.
If a player ducks and this is clearly the cause for the player being
hit in the head, the player is out and the throw is legal.
(3)
Catching a ball thrown by your opponent before it touches the ground. The
player that threw the ball is “out”. And a person from the team that caught the
ball rejuvenates a teammate that has been sitting out the longest.
i.
In coed dodgeball the players that are being rejuvenated must
alternate male/female, but must not exceed three males. The
next available female would then be in.
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
Any ball that hits the side wall, floor, or official is considered dead.
The ball is still considered live after it has legally made contact with an opponent
till the ball hits the ground. If a teammate secures the catch off of the deflection,
the teammate “saves” the original player that was hit but the thrower is not out.
A player may deflect a thrown ball with a ball that is already possessed.
After a player is deemed out, they must put both of their hands in the air to let
the other team know that they are out to prevent getting hit again. And proceed
to the designated out area.
When a player is rejuvenated, that player must immediately touch the back wall
to become eligible to participate.
B.
Opening Rush
(1)
Game begins with eight dodgeballs on center field (4 on the right side and 4 on
the left). The officials will signal to each team to acknowledge that they are
ready to begin. One player is elected from each team to “rush” and retrieve the
four balls on the right of the hash. The player that “rushed” to mid field is
considered an eligible target.
C.
Boundaries
(1)
D.
Stalling
(1)
E.
Games will be played on the court at East Lawrence Recreation Center. The
boundaries will be the walls and drop screen. If a player leaves the designated
boundaries they are considered out. Each team’s boundaries are the back wall to
the opposing teams 10ft line. The neutral zone can be entered and occupied by
both teams throughout the game.
A violation will be called if a team in the lead controls all eight balls on their side
of the court for more than five seconds. Teams may avoid violation by rolling or
throwing a ball onto the opponent’s side of the court. Teams cannot roll or
throw a ball into the “out of bounds” area; if they do so, that person would be
deemed out.
i.
1st Violation: The official will stop play and evenly divided balls to
each team.
ii.
2nd Violation: A free throw is an unobstructed throw at the opponent
without risk of elimination. A caught free throw does not result in an
out for the thrower.
iii.
3rd Violation: Ejection of one player from the offending team.
Substitutions
(1)
During time outs, teams may substitute players. Substitutes must be players who
did not start the game. Players who have been declared out are not eligible to
return until the next game with the exception of replacing an injured player
when no legal substitute is available. Injured players are not eligible to return
until the next game.
Note: Coed leagues may not substitute male for female.
F.
III.
Timeouts
(1)
(2)
(3)
Each team will be allowed one 30 second timeout per game.
Only the Game Official’s whistle starts and stops the clock.
All players are in jeopardy until the Game Official recognizes and signals the
beginning of a time out or end of regulation time. All live balls in flight at the
time of a Game Official’s signal to end regulation time or begin a time out remain
live and may eliminate an opponent.
REFEREES
A.
The referee makes the final decision. Players will be expected to rule whether or not a hit was
legal or if he/she was legally eliminated.
B.
The referee’s responsibility will be to rule on any situation in which teams cannot agree on.
C.
The referee is able to call technical fouls on those who display unsportsmanlike conduct:
(1)
Unnecessary Roughness
(2)
Arguing with officials, staff, participants, or fans
(3)
Cheating/Abuse of the honor system
D.
A technical foul is an ejection and a suspension of one match (nine games) and removal from
the facility.
E.
Ejected players must leave the facility sight within 60 seconds or the team will forfeit the games
played that day and any games left in that match. Any team with an ejected player(s) will lose
that spot(s) in their line-up and must finish the match one or more players down.