General
Essentially, we're all just here to have fun so play clean, show good sportsmanship and be friendly! If you've never played in one of our leagues before, you should know that we're similar to 'Who's Line is it Anyway?': The points don't really matter and the rules are made up!
Don't take anything personal. None of us are really good enough to hit someone in the head on purpose, so if you get beamed in the face, just laugh it off. The balls don't really hurt, it's just your pride that stings. Also, there's a lot going on out there, so if you get hit but then are pummeled again three more times, it's probably because the other three people didn't see that you were already out. It's very unlikely that anyone has a personal vendetta against you and is orchestrating a conspiracy to assassinate you via spongy, foam dodgeballs.
Court
We play on a trampoline court specifically designed for dodgeball. The back ends of the court are angled for a forward launch attack.
Equipment
We provide high-quality, foam dodgeballs. Large, red 10" balls and small, black 6" balls. Each ball has specific rules for its use, so continue reading...
Teams
Teams will be comprised of 8 players with a minimum of 3 ladies. Each roster must have between 10 and 12 players with at least 4 ladies to be considered complete.
Sequence of Play
Each team will start with each of their players sitting on the back edge of the angled court. When the whistle is blown, everyone can run forward to collect their balls. You can grab a ball or knock balls back for your teammates.
You cannot dive or step across the yellow pad at any time (aside from the kamikaze shot, see below). You can stand on the yellow pad and you can reach across it to pull balls to your side.
If you are hit with a ball, you will quickly exit the court without getting in the way of oncoming balls and line up single file near the court entrance. If a ball is caught, the thrower is out and someone from the catching team is back in. The person who has been out the longest will always be the one to reenter play (i.e. first out, first in).
Substitutions
Substitutes can either sit out for the duration of the game or begin the game in the 'out' position and be included in the rotation (no more than 8 players on the court if a ball is caught before anyone on your team is out).
Outs
The ball must be in your possession before it can be counted as a throw. I.e., slapping or kicking a ball off the ground is not counted as a throw.
Only direct hits count as outs. If it hits the floor or wall or another person or is deflected by another ball before it hits you, it's not an out. There will be no double plays. One ball can only get one person out. When deflecting, make sure to keep your hand behind the ball. If it hits your hand or finger, you're still out. Don't be that person that only comes out if the ref tells them to. No one likes that person. If it hits you, be honest, leave the court.
A ball will be considered live as soon as it leaves the hand of the thrower. If two people release a ball at the same time and hit each other, they are both out.
If a direct ball is caught, the thrower is out and a team player from the catcher's side is back in. The player coming back in does not have to do so immediately. They can wait for an opportune moment to join the melee. They cannot be hit and considered out until they have fully entered the court.
If a direct ball is deflected off of a person and is caught before it hits the floor or wall, the person who was hit is saved. The thrower is not out, no one is out, no one comes back in, everyone just continues playing.
Head shots do not count as an out. Both the thrower and the person who just got lit up in the face are still in. Both parties just move on as if nothing happened...
If any part of a player besides their hand crosses the yellow pad in the center of the court, they are out. The only exception to this rule will be the kamikaze shot (when a player launches their body across the court to throw a close range ball while sacrificing themselves in the process). A kamikaze shot will only count if the ball is released before the kamikazer touches the ground. Once the kamikazer touches the ground, they are out.
There is too much going on for a ref to tell every single person whether or not a person is out. If you receive a direct hit, come off the court and get in the back of your team's single file line. If you have to think about it or if you're looking to the ref to make a call, it's a pretty safe bet that you're out.
Red Balls vs Black Balls
The red 10" balls are standard dodgeballs. They can be caught or deflected. Anyone can use them. They follow all the rules listed above.
The black 6" balls are ballistic dodgeballs. They cannot be caught or deflected. They MUST be dodged. If you or the ball you're holding (regardless of the color) are directly hit, you're out. However, ONLY LADIES ARE ALLOWED TO THROW THE BALLISTIC BALLS. Same rule applies to girls on the receiving end of a ballistic ball, it must be dodged. Guys can pick them up and hand them to a lady or use them to deflect red balls, but they cannot throw them. If a guy throws a ballistic ball, he's out.
Did you know we sometimes hide discount codes in the rule book? They tend to pop up near the start of registration and last until the limited number of discounts are used. They're sneaky. Be vigilent. Keep and eye out. Read the rules.
Scoring
Once all players have been eliminated from the court, a point is awarded to the team with players still left on the court. Then the balls will be reset and a new game will commence. The team with the most games won during a match is the winning team. For example, if you played a 30 minute match and your team won 6 games while the other team only won 4 games during that 30 minutes, the result of the match would be 6-4.
Rules We Make Up for the Fun of It!
If you're a little upset that you just got out and you purposely intercept an oncoming ball meant for a teammate on your way off the court, the other team will be awarded a full point (as if they won an entire game). So probably don't want to do that...
If you're whole team is hoarding the balls and taking too long to throw them (whether you're strategically 'parking the bus' or just being indecisive), the ref may commence a countdown at the end of which you must roll your balls over to the other team. This is meant to encourage the continuity of the game.
At any point during the match, and for almost any reason, a referee may award 'style points'. These can count as a full point or any fraction thereof.
