DSSC

Dynamic Sport & Social Club

Official Rubber Dodgeball Rules Updated 9/9/14

Honor Code

Coed Dodgeball is played on the honor system.  It is important to remind yourself and your teammates that everyone in the league is here to have fun and meet new people. Unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated.  Food and drinks other than water are not allowed in the gymnasium.

  1. It is your responsibility to declare yourself “out” if you are hit with the ball.
  2. Likewise, it is your responsibility to tell a teammate to leave the court if he/she is “out”, whether knowingly or unknowingly.
  3. Referees/Officials do the best they can to make accurate calls.  Only team captains may talk with the officials.  Players should respect the decision of the official. All decisions are final.
  4. Players/Spectators should refrain from unsportsmanlike behavior, vulgarity, verbal and physical attacks, and any other behavior that detracts from the spirit of the league.

Team

  1. Team rosters generally have 10-14 players, with at least 3 of each gender.
  2. Teams may field up to 8 players to start a game, with a minimum of 5 to prevent a forfeit. 
    1. There must be a minimum 2 of each gender to prevent a forfeit.
    2. A team with 2 women may play with 7 players total on the court
    3. If a team does not have a full 8 players, they may add up to 2 subs from other Dynamic Rubber Dodgeball teams to reach 8 players (must uphold gender minimums), but they may not add players to have more than 8 total, and all players must be registered with the league.
  3. Substitutions on the court (must be on team roster or 2 subs) may only occur between games except in the event of an injury. 

Match Forfeits

  1. Each team has 2 minutes from the scheduled match time to meet a minimum of 5 players including 2 women to prevent a forfeit.
  2. A team that uses a player not on their roster will forfeit their game (except for up to 2 subs from other DynamicSSC Rubber Dodgeball teams)
  3. A forfeit shall count as a win of 7-0 for the winning team, and a loss of 0-7 for the forfeiting team. These scores will be used in the event that a tiebreaker is necessary for determining playoff seeding.
  4. Any team that forfeits two or more games, including “party foul” (not showing up to referee) forfeits, will be ineligible for the playoffs.

Court and Equipment

  1. The court shall be marked with a centerline, attack lines, sidelines, and baselines.
  2. Each game will use 6 Dodgeballs.
  3. The official ball will be an 8.5” rubber ball provided by DynamicSSC.
  4. Colored Dodgeball shirts will be provided 
  5. In order to play in a match, all players must wear their team t-shirts
  6. Non-marking, closed-toe shoes are required.  Sandals and street shoes are prohibited.
  7. No gloves allowed. Splints and braces are allowed for medical reasons.

Game Play

  1. Opening Rush
    1. To begin the game, three balls will be placed on the centerline on each side of the court.
    2. All active players must line up on their respective baselines to begin the game.
    3. On the Official’s whistle or signal, each team may rush towards the three balls on the right side (from their perspective). Any ball remaining on the centerline for more than 5 seconds can be retrieved be either team.
    4. If a player leaves the baseline prior to the Official’s whistle or signal, the rush will be redone. The ref MAY opt to move one of the 3 balls from the offending players side to the other teams side if the ref feels it was an attempt at cheating. This results in a rush for 4 balls on one side and 2 balls for the offending team.
    5. If a player grabs the other team’s ball(s) the player will be out and have to give the ball to the opposing team.
    6. Players must “clear” each ball behind the attack line before throwing at the opposing team. A ball is cleared by when it crosses the attack line.
      1. If a ball is not cleared, the throw will not count and the player is out.
  2. Slow-Play/Ball Possession
    1. The team with the most balls must throw within 15 seconds or a player will be called out. If both teams are holding the balls and each team has the same number of balls, the team with the odd colored ball shall have to throw within 15 seconds. A ball shall be considered “held” even if it is on the ground in the general vicinity of the player if the team has more than one player in the game. 
    2. Count-downs will not begin until the referees see the slow play occurring 
    3. No hiding the ball under your shirt.
    4. After ten seconds, the official will issue a warning. After the warning, offending player/team will have 5 seconds to get the ball to the other team’s side of the court and PAST THE ATTACK LINE.  If they don’t move the ball to the other side of the ATTACK LINE (not the center line) within the 5 seconds, they will be declared “Out”.
    5. When a team is down to one player, it is permissible to collect the balls on their court and move one ball over in a timely manner.  However, the other team will not be required to throw back until they have two balls.
      1. The final player may also choose not to have a ball in their hands so that they may catch a ball thrown by the other team as long as they are moving a ball over regularly and not intentionally delaying the game.
  3. Court Boundaries
    1. A player must remain within the boundaries of his/her half of the court.
    2. A player may reach outside the boundaries to retrieve a ball as long as he maintains contact with the floor “in bounds”.
    3. A player may jump, but must land in bounds or will be declared “Out”.
    4. A player may not cross over the centerline to retrieve a ball from the other team’s side of the court, but MAY reach across the centerline provided the player does not make contact with the ground on the opponent’s side of the centerline.
    5. A player may not cross over the centerline even if they’re stepping out of bounds. i.e. Straddling the side line with one leg out and past what would be the centerline will result in the player being out even if the inbounds leg is behind the centerline.
    6. A player may step or reach out of bounds but must maintain contact IN bounds with some body part (EXCEPTION: the centerline boundary - see above).
    7. If a catch is made while in contact with the floor in bounds, and the player falls out of bounds after controlling the catch, the throwing player will be declared “Out”, and the player that fell out of bounds will also be “Out.”
  4. Ball Shaggers
    1. Each team may provide ball “shaggers” to retrieve balls from out of bounds for their team. 
    2. “Shaggers” may not touch the ball when it is on the court or in play.  Doing so shall result in the ball being given to the other team.
    3. “Shaggers” may not cross the centerline, but may reach across to retrieve a ball as long as they do not touch the other side. Touching the other side will result in the ball being given to the opposing team.
  5. Game/Match Format
    1. The object of the game is to eliminate all of the opposing team’s players.
    2. The team winning the most games in a match shall be declared the match winner and receive 3 points in the standings. 
    3. No game shall begin after 18 minutes have passed in each half.
    4. There will be a 2-minute half time in between halves.
    5. Each game within a match will be limited to 4 minutes to speed up game play and get more players back on the court. At the end of 4 minutes, the team with the most players on the court will win that game.
    6. There will be a 1 game overtime in the playoffs if there is a tie.
  6. Suicide Jumps
    1. Suicide jumps are not allowed. A suicide jump is intentionally jumping (usually a running jump) into the opposing team’s side of the court while throwing at an opponent. The hit player, if any, will not be declared out.
  7. Outs
    1. An “Out” occurs by:
      1. Hitting a player below the neck with a live ball thrown by an opponent.
        1. A live ball is a ball thrown by an opponent before contacting another surface (i.e. ground, wall, ceiling, basketball hoop, ball).
    2. Catching an opposing player’s live ball.
      1. Mid-air catches (jumping): At least one foot must land in bounds for the catch to be valid. When landing, no contact may be made across the center line or the catch will not count and the catching player will be out.
      2. When holding a ball in your hand and a thrown ball causes you to drop the ball you were holding
      3. Failing to maintain contact with the court within the boundary lines (EXCEPTION: Jumping, as long as the player lands within the boundaries).
      4. Touching the ground on the opposing side of the centerline.
      5. Throwing a dangerous high throw, at the discretion of the referee. The Head Ref will have final say and may issue a warning before declaring a player out.
      6. ”Pinching” the ball. The ball must be held with the fingers extended so as to palm the ball. Any squeezing, pinching, or other attempt to alter the flight of the ball shall result in the offending player being declared “Out”.
        1. Exceptions
          1. If, after being hit, the ball is caught by a teammate before hitting the ground, the hit player is “saved” and both the hit player and the throwing opponent shall remain in the game
          2. If a ball hits a player, then hits a teammate, and is then caught by the original player all before hitting the ground, it will count as a “Save”.
          3. As above, if a ball is dropped as the result of being hit by a live ball, and is caught by a teammate before hitting the ground, the player who dropped the ball shall be “saved” and may remain in the game.
  8. Out Queue
    1. After being declared “Out” a player MUST raise his/her hand to signify their removal from the game and QUICKLY proceed to the Out Queue.
      1. Players must enter the Out Queue in the order they are eliminated from the game, with the first eliminated player standing nearest the baseline.
      2. First out, first back in!
      3. After a live ball is caught, the opposing throwing player is “Out” AND a teammate may re-enter the game from the Out Queue in the order they were eliminated. Players must enter the court from the baseline.
      4. A player must be PHYSICALLY IN the Out Queue at the time of the catch in order to be eligible to re-enter the game.  i.e. not walking towards the out queue from the court when the ball is caught. This means HURRY to the Out Queue!
      5. A re-entering player must enter the court before grabbing a ball.
      6. If a player tries to re-enter out of order, intentionally or not, the offending team will forfeit the right to re-enter for that occurrence.
  9. Head Shots
    1. Head-shots are not allowed under any circumstances.  Dangerous high throws will result in the thrower being called “Out”.
    2. If a player is hit above shoulder level, the throwing player shall be declared“Out.”
      1. If the official believes the hit player intentionally moved into the path of the ball, the hit player will be “Out”.
      2. If a player is hit in the head by a low throw while ducking or bending over for a ball, the hit player should usually be declared out unless the official believes the thrower was aiming for the head.

Officiating

Coed Rubber Dodgeball is a player-officiated sport, and each team is responsible for designating players from their team as referees for other games as indicated on the provided season schedule:

  1. Under the “Officials/Referees” section of the schedule will be your team name. For each listing, you must provide FOUR officials for the game unless otherwise noted, one of which must be the Captain (special circumstances may allow for an assistant captain to take their place).  If your team is officiating 2 games simultaneously (both courts), a total of EIGHT officials will be needed.  
    1. Have 2 referees on each side of the court, 1 watching each half.
    2. A team failing to provide a minimum of 3 officials in accordance with the schedule will result in a "Party Foul" forfeit in the team's record, which will count toward its total number of forfeits. This party foul forfeit does not count as a loss. Teams with two or more forfeits, including match forfeits, will be ineligible for the tournament or playoffs.
    3. The team-designated official is the designated league official for the game.
    4. Only team captains may talk with the Officials.
    5. All decisions by Officials are final.
    6. Any player who commits the following infractions shall be declared out at the Officials discretion:
      1. No player shall use abusive language. 
      2. No player shall engage in any unsportsmanlike conduct.
      3. iNo player shall argue with a DynamicSSC staff member or Official.
      4. No player shall intentionally throw at any player’s head.
    7. Any player who breaks the above rules twice in one match shall be ejected.
    8. Any player ejected twice in a season shall be removed from the league.
  2. Official Duties 
    1. The official will be responsible for 
      1. Starting matches 
      2. Keeping time 
      3. Recording each win and loss
      4. iEnforcing the slow-play/ball possession rule
      5. Enforcing the honor system
      6. Enforcing all penalties
      7. Managing the game
      8. Turning in the final score to the field manager
  3. Sportsmanship and Cards
    1. Any player or team may be removed from the league for the remainder of the season, and denied registration for subsequent seasons due to unsportsmanlike conduct at the complete discretion of DynamicSSC if it is in the best interest of the league.
    2. Officials and DynamicSSC staff members may give warnings and subsequently issue suspensions at their discretion. 

PLAYOFFS

Not all teams can make playoffs, but we will try to take as many as possible and have two separate skill divisions for playoffs when possible. Standard DynamicSSC tie-breaker rules will prevail. For more info, visit our FAQ page. 

REMEMBER TO ALWAYS HAVE FUN AND DON’T TAKE DODGEBALL TOO SERIOUSLY…DON’T BE “THAT GUY”