Dodgeball Rules

Intramural Sports Policies and Procedures Manual

·  All participants are required to adhere to the Policies of the Colorado Mesa Intramural Program.

·  All participants must present a valid Colorado Mesa ID card at every game. Failure to present a valid Colorado Mesa ID will result in not being allowed to participate. NO EXCEPTIONS!

·  Changes to the rules from last season will be highlighted in grey.

All games will be held on the outdoor basketball court.

Rule 1: Equipment

a.  No jewelry allowed (watches, earrings, facial piercings, necklaces, etc.)

Exception: Medical alert tags are not considered jewelry and may be worn, provided all of the chain, necklace, band, etc., is taped to the body with the tag visible.

b.  Sweatbands and soft caps on the head are allowed. No hats with a hard bill, bandanas, or other headgear are allowed.

c.  Players must wear closed toe athletic shoes with non-marking soles.

d.  Players are allowed to wear braces, soft casts, and protective coverings provided they are covered with ½ inch high density padding or wrapped with similar material.

e.  Dodgeballs will be provided.

f.  Intramural staff reserves the right to rule on any equipment issue.

Rule 2: Timing

a.  All games shall consist of best 2 out of 3 games, 5 minutes in length each, or until all players on a team is out, whichever occurs first.

b.  No timeouts are allowed

Rule 3: Players

a.  Each team will consist of six players, with a minimum of 5 to start and continue play.

b.  Free substitutions are not permitted. However, if a team has more than 3 players of either gender, the additional players may begin the game in the “elimination line”, alternating gender, and enter the game when one of their teammates catches a ball.

Rule 4: Start of Play

a.  The game begins by placing an equal number of dodgeballs along the centerline on each side of the hash mark. A standard game consists of 6 balls, 3 on each side of the hash mark.

b.  Players take position behind their end line.

c.  Following the signal by the official, teams may approach the centerline to retrieve balls. Teams may only retrieve balls placed to the right (as they face the centerline) of the hash mark. If balls remain on the centerline after a team has retrieved and moved their balls beyond the attack line, either team may retrieve those balls.

d.  Opening Rush Rule

  1. Each and every ball retrieved at the opening rush must first be taken or passed beyond the attack line (the volleyball 10 foot line) and into the team’s back court before it may be legally thrown at an opponent.

Rule 5: General playing rules

Boundaries:

a.  The game will be played within the confines of the basketball court lines. Players may not go past the center court line, unless instructed to move forward to the opposite attack line.

b.  Players must not leave the boundaries to avoid getting hit. If they do, they will be called out.

c.  Players may leave the end line boundary to retrieve a ball, provided they immediately return to the playing area.

d.  Players who are out may wrangle loose balls.

An OUT is scored by:

  1. Hitting a player with a live thrown ball from the shoulders down.
  2. Catching a live thrown ball by your opponent.

Note: The team that caught the ball returns an eliminated player to their team. Players return to the game in the order that they were eliminated.

  1. If a thrown ball is deflected and then caught before it hits the ground, the thrower is out.
  2. If a thrown ball hits a player and a player on the same team as the hit player catches the ball, the player who was hit is not out, and the player who threw the ball is.
  3. Causing an opponent to drop a held ball as a result of contact by a thrown live ball.
  4. A ball rebounding off a “catch” attempt may be caught before touching the floor, wall or backboard by any in bounds player on the “hit” player’s team. If this occurs, the player hit is not out, and the player who threw the ball is out.

Stalling and 5-second Violation

  1. If the leading team controls all the balls they must get at least one ball across the center line and into the opponent’s back court. If this is not done within 5 seconds, a 5-second violation will be called.
  2. A team may avoid a 5-second violation by rolling or throwing a ball into the opponent’s back court, not throwing at the opponent.

Note: Only an official can call a 5-second violation.

  1. First Violation: Stoppage of play and the balls will be divided evenly between teams. Play will continue with “Balls in hand.”
  2. Second Violation: Free throw for opposing team – a penalty in which one player is allowed an unobstructed throw at their opponents without risk of elimination. Players may evade, but the player allowed the free throw cannot be put out on that throw.
  3. Third Violation: Ejection of one player from the offending team, at the choice of the opposing team.

Re-Entry Rules

a.  Out players may re-enter the game in the order that they were out if a teammate catches a thrown ball, or

b.  If a teammate throws a ball into the basketball hoop of the opposite teams court. In this situation all out players for the team who made the basket may re-enter.

Rule Enforcement

  1. Rules will be enforced primarily by the “honor system”. Players will be expected to rule whether or not a hit was legal or whether they were legally eliminated.

Note: Being ejected from a game will result in a meeting with the Intramural Coordinator to determine your continued participation in the program.

All rules not specifically discussed in this document will be enforced as NADA Dodgeball Rules. All rules are subject to change by the intramural sports staff.

“And remember the 5 Ds of dodgeball: Dodge, duck, dip, dive…and dodge.”

- Patches O’ Houlihan