Dodgeball Rules

• Made up of 6-10 players.  All must be UW Oshkosh students and must show their ID each time they play. A minimum of six players will compete on a side: others are available as substitutions.
• Substitutes may enter the game only during timeouts.
  

• 60 X 30 feet with a center line, two attack lines, two endlines, two sidelines and two restraining lines located 8 feet outside and parallel to each endline.
• Only active players, (those not out) are allowed to pass between the endline and restraining line.  Players who been knocked out are to stand behind the restraining line of their side.

 Boundaries

• During play, all live players must remain within the boundary lines.
• Players may pass through their end line only to retrieve stray balls.  Ball is removed from game if it is left on the ground and not picked up.  Players who have been knocked out and are behind the restraining line may retrieve balls that have gone behind the restraining line.  Those players can then roll or hand those balls to players on their team.
• When retrieving a ball, the player must also immediately re-enter the playing area only through their end line.
• Note: A player not immediately re-entering the playing area may be declared out by the referee.
• A player may be handed a ball, provided the player receiving the ball remains completely within their team’s field boundaries.  Players may not be handed a ball if they are outside their field boundaries.
• A player shall not:

A. Have any part of their body contact the playing surface on or over the sideline.

B. Enter or re-enter the field through their sideline.

C. Leave the playing field to avoid being hit by a ball.

D. Have any part of their body cross the center line and contact ground on opponent’s side of court.

• Penalty for above : Player is declared out.
• Exception:  During the opening rush many players cross the centerline.  Officials should refrain from calling players at this unless a definite advantage is gained by the action.

Equipment

• Official dodgeballs are the only balls to be used.  They are provided by the intramural department.
• Participants must wear athletic shoes, not street shoes.
• No facial jewelry can be worn.  This is a safety issue and is not negotiable.  Any player seen wearing facial jewelry will be expelled from the match and cannot play until the following week. 
• Players must wear shirts and shorts or sweatpants.  No jeans allowed.

• Matches begin with a coin flip to determine which side a team plays on for the first game.  Teams alternate sides after each game.  5 games comprise a match.
• The object of the game is to eliminate all opposing players before the 5 minute game ends.  (Knocking out a player is called an out). 
• An out is scored by:

A. Hitting an opposing ball with a live ball below the shoulders.  Note: If a player ducks, and this is clearly the cause for the player being hit above the shoulders, the player is out and the throw is legal.

B. Catching a live ball thrown by your opponent.

C. Causing an opponent to drop a live ball as a result of contact by another thrown live ball. (usually occurs when a ball is being used to block a thrown ball.)

D. An opposing player steps out of bounds.

• Live – definition – a thrown ball that strikes or is caught by an opposing player before contacting the ground, another player or ball.
• 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.
• Note: A ball deflecting off a held ball and striking the holder is no longer a live ball and does not eliminate the player with the held ball.

 Timing, Timeouts and Substitutions

•  Games are five minutes
• Each team is allowed one 30 second timeout /game.
• Only the court’s monitor’s whistle starts and stops the clock.
  
• All players are in jeopardy until the Court Monitor recognizes and signals the beginning of a timeout or the end of a game.  Exception: All live balls in flight at the time of an official’s signal remain live and may eliminate a player until they become dead. (being caught or hitting the ground).
• During timeouts, teams can substitute players.  Subs may be players that did not start the game or players who wish to re-enter after having been declared out. 

Beginning the Game

• Prior to beginning a game, an equal number of dodgeballs are placed along the center line on each side of the center hash mark.  (Six balls, 3 on each side of the center hash mark)
• Players then take a position behind their end line.
• Following a whistle by the official, teams may approach  to net the balls to the right of the center hash mark.  If balls remain on the center line after a team has retrieved and moved their balls beyond the attack line, those balls may be retrieved by either team.

Opening Rush Rule

• Each and every ball retrieved at the opening rush must first be taken beyond the attack line in into the team’s backcourt before it can be legally thrown at an opponent. 

Example: Following the opening whistle, a player rushes and is the first to secure a ball from the center line.  That player must carry or pass the ball into their backcourt before it may be legally thrown at an opponent.

 Declaring a Winner

•  The first team to legally eliminate all opposing players will be declare the winner.
• If neither team has been eliminated by the end of regulation, the team with the greater number of remaining players will be declared the winner.
• If both teams have an equal number of remaining it is a tie game.  No overtimes for league play.

Stalling and 5 second violation

• It is illegal for the leading team to control all the balls for more than 5 seconds.  If the leading teams controls all of the balls they must make a legitimate effort to roll at least one ball across the attack line to your opponent.  If this is not done within 5 seconds, a 5 second violation will be called.  Only the court monitor can call a 5 second violation.

Court Monitors (otherwise known as the GREAT AND POWERFUL OZ)

• Each court is supervised by one court monitor. 
• Rules will be enforced primarily by the honor system.  Players will be expected to rule whether or not a hit was legal or they were legally eliminated.
• The court monitor’s responsibility will be to rule on any situation in which teams cannot agree.  A team may appeal to the court monitor if they feel a player has not owned up to a rule violation.  THE COURT MONITOR’S DECISION IS FINAL!!!  NO QUESTIONS OR WHINING.
• Court monitors may warn players and call technical fouls on those who display unsportsmanlike conduct.  Any players receiving 2 technical fouls in a 5 game match will be ejected and suspended a minimum of one weeks play.  Severe infractions may result in total expulsion from the league.
• A court monitor is not required to warn a player before calling a technical foul. 

Unsportsmanlike Conduct:

Includes:

                Foul Language

                Hits above the shoulder

                Unnecessary roughness

Arguing with the court monitor, staff, participants or fans

Abuse of the honor system

 Scoring

•  In a 5 game match scoring  will be determined in the following way.

                outright win of a game – 2 points

                tie 1 point for each team

                loss – 0 points

• In a five game match the most points a team can get is 10 points.
• The team that has the most points at the end of the league will be declared the champion. 

Code of Conduct

• Understand, appreciate and abide by the rules of the game and the honor system.
• Respect the integrity and judgment of the court monitor and the intramural staff
• Respect your opponent and congratulate them in a courteous manner following each match, win or lose.
• Be responsible for your actions and maintain self control.
• Do not taunt or bait opponents and refrain from using foul language.