The Rules Handbook
The handbook is the official word on any call or situation. Read it before you step on the court.
Quick Reference
New to the game? Here's the short version to get you up to speed:
- Standard dodgeball rules apply
- 6 active players per side on the court
- Elimination-style play: get hit, you're out
- Catch an opponent's throw and they're out; you bring a teammate back
- Headshots don't count: aim for the body
- If the ball hits the ground before hitting a player, it's a dead ball
Cheat Sheet
The short version, on one page. Handy before a first game, or when a call comes up mid-match.
It’s Just Dodgeball
We play to win and we play hard. We are also throwing rubber balls at each other, so keep it in proportion. Violent or aggressive behaviour is not part of the game here, and it ends your night.
Management can make a call on fairness even where the letter of a rule points the other way. The goal is a good game, not a technically correct one.
The Honor System
Dodgeball leans on the honor system more than almost any other sport. It only works because players call themselves out.
- If you are hit, take the hit and leave the court.
- Tell a teammate when they have been hit and have not noticed.
- Calling yourself out is your responsibility, whether or not a referee saw it.
- Not doing these things is cheating.
Repeatedly playing against the honor system earns a warning, and can end in expulsion.
League Expectations
Breaking the rules can carry real consequences, up to removal from a league with no refund, and restriction from future events.
The Code of Conduct covers how we expect people to behave off the court as well as on it.