Basic Dodgeball Rules
Divide the room into two halves with a center dividing line- Place the dodgeballs on the center line and start the players on the back line of each side
- A player is OUT when hit by a ball from an opposing player that does NOT hit the ground, ceiling, wall, or anyone else
- A player is OUT if an opposing player catches their thrown ball that does NOT hit the ground, ceiling or wall
A player is OUT if any part of their body crosses the center dividing line- A player is NOT out if hit anywhere above the shoulders by an opposing player
“Elimination” Variation
- Elimination is different from dodgeball only in that it is everyone against everyone and there is no “two sides” or “center line” of the playing area—the entire playing area is fair game
- Once a player is OUT, then that player sits down with their legs crossed (criss-cross-applesauce) in the spot where they got OUT
- A player that is OUT cannot move, but they are still playing—if a ball rolls their way they may grab it and use it to get back in the game
- A player that is OUT may come back into the game by hitting a player that is not OUT with a ball (that player sits down while you are back in running around)
- Players may NOT have partners or stand with their backs against the wall
- A player who is OUT (or just got OUT) must be fully sitting with their legs crossed before they may get another player OUT
- The game is over when there is only one player still standing, or when a predetermined amount of time has passed
- In order for a player to get OUT, their opponent must THROW the ball, not just TAG the player (the ball must leave the hands of the player in order to get another player OUT)
Additional Options
- You may want to add that players cannot HOLD on to dodgeballs longer than 30 seconds (or your own determined amount of time) or more than one ball at a time. This keeps all the balls in play rather than in the hands of a few players.
Download: Elimination Dodgeball [204kb, PDF]
