LXC SPORT & SOCIAL CLUB OFFICIAL 6v6 DODGEBALL RULES

Please read and understand these rules before you play in your first Dodgeball game. LXC Dodgeball Rules are based on International Dodgeball Federation Official Rules with the following exceptions/changes:

(1) HAVE FUN!! This league is meant to be a fun and social league so please don‟t be “that guy” or “that girl” who makes the league no fun!

(2) The referee‟s decision is final – NO EXCEPTIONS. Team Captains are the only players who may approach the referee between games only. Technical Fouls and Ejections will be issued to players at any time for violating the rules or displaying unsportsmanlike conduct before, during, or after the game. Rules discrepancies and clarifications can be directed to Ryan Cook; ryan@lxcsports.com.

(3) Please be honest when you get hit by a ball and remove yourself from the game immediately. We want to keep this league fun and fair for everyone!

(4) One Match per night. Each Match consists of 2 22 minute halves.  The team that wins the most games wins the match. 

(5) 4 Males/2 Females, or 3 Males/3 Females play each Game with substitutions between Games only. The first player who gets out will be the first player who goes back in the game if a catch is made by your team.

(6) You must THROW the ball to get someone out (No Kicking!).  You always have 5 seconds to throw the ball once it is in your possession (possession will be determined by the referee and does not necessarily mean ball-in-hand). Your team has 10 seconds to pick up a dead ball and another 5 to throw it back across the court.

(7) If the ball hits you, then hits the ground, you are OUT. If you hit someone in the head with the ball, you are OUT. The referee will issue warnings for high shots so keep the ball low (that‟s the strategy anyway, right?). Please see „Ricochet Rule‟ for a better explanation.

(8) If you touch the floor of the other side of the center dividing line (the line is neutral) with any part of your body, you are OUT. Please see „Lines & Out of Bounds‟ for more boundary lines.

(9) Technical Fouls and Ejections will be issued to players for displaying Unsportsmanlike Conduct before, during and after the „Match.‟ A Technical Foul will result in removal from one „Game‟ and your team will play one person down for the remainder of that „Game.‟ If a player on your team is Ejected your team must play one player down for the remainder of the „Match.‟ Please see the „Technical Fouls‟ and „Ejections‟ sections below. Teams/Captains should self-police their players to make sure their teammates are not putting themselves in a position to get ejected.

(10) HAVE FUN!! Yeah we know that was Rule #1 also, but it is the most important so it‟s worth mentioning one more time.

Please read and understand these rules before you play in your first Dodgeball game. LXC Dodgeball Rules are based on International Dodgeball Federation Official Rules with the following exceptions/changes:

The referee‟s decision is final – NO EXCEPTIONS. Do not complain to the referee about calls and do not ask for a rules clarification during the game. This is considered Unsportsmanlike conduct and you will be issued a Technical Foul (see „Technical Fouls‟ below) or Ejection (see „Ejections‟ below). Team Captains are the only players who may approach the referee between games only. If anyone else on the team approaches or yells at the referee or talks negatively to the other team, he/she will be issued a Technical Foul or Ejection.

Technical Fouls:

Please see Rule #4 on previous page to clarify meanings of „Game‟ and „Match.‟ Technical Fouls will be issued to players for violating the rules or displaying unsportsmanlike conduct. Any player that receives their first Technical Foul in any one „Game‟ may not play for the remainder of that „Game.‟ The First Out, First In Rule (see „Rules‟ section below) will still apply with the remaining 5 players of that „Game,‟ but the removed player may not sub back in until the next „Game.‟ A Technical Foul that is issued between „Games‟ counts toward the following „Game,‟ therefore the next „Game‟ must be played with 7 players as stated above.

Ejections:

The referee has the right to Eject players from the game without issuing a Technical Foul first. If a player is Ejected from the gymnasium the team must play one person down for the remainder of the „Match.‟ The Ejected player will also be suspended for their next scheduled „Match.‟ For extreme unsporting acts, including fighting or verbally assaulting the referee or another player, LXC reserves the right to suspend that player indefinitely.

If a male is ejected, a male player must sit out for the remainder of the „Match.‟ If a female is ejected, a female player must sit out for the remainder of the „Match.‟ Teams may play with the maximum allowed on the court at their next scheduled „Match.‟
Teams/Captains should self-police their players to make sure their teammates are not putting themselves in a position to get Ejected.

If an unsporting act occurs after the match or is reported at a later time, LXC reserves the right to Eject that player from their next scheduled „Match.‟

Honesty Policy:

Every player is required to leave the game once they are hit and know they are hit. This includes grazing of the shirt or body. The fun of this game hinges on the honesty of its players. The referee will call everything that he sees but cannot be expected to see every single play; therefore, we are instituting this policy in order to keep the game fun and fair.

Players:

The Coed team is composed of 5 males/1 female, 4 Males/2 Females, or 3 Males/3 Females on the court at one time. You must have a minimum of 5 players at start time otherwise you must forfeit. You have an exact 5 minute window before a forfeit is called. The other team may not override a forfeit, but you may scrimmage against/with each other after the referee calls the forfeit. There is a maximum of 6 players that can play in any game. Other than the 6 designated players, nobody else may play in that particular game. However, substitutions can be made between games.

 

Rules:

If a catch is made prior to the ball touching the ground, a player from the “Catching” team may return to
the game using the FOFI (First Out, First In) Method. Again only one of the 6 designated players is allowed to come back in the field of play. As soon as a player gets out, they must line up against their wall starting from the center and working their way out. Players that are not in the game need to stand or sit away from this line.

No Head Shots:
The player that is making a head shot is always out unless in the opinion of the official the player purposefully lowered their body to cause the ball to hit their neck or head.

No High Balls:
No throw may be made above the shoulders of the tallest player on the opposing team. If this action becomes persistent, the referee has the authority to ask the violating player to leave the game/match.

General:

The game is started when the referee blows the whistle and players rush the ball line.  The players have 5 seconds to get rid of the ball once the referee blows the whistle to signal the start of the game. If a female does not throw the ball within the first 5 seconds, the ball will be forfeited to the other team.

Balls caught or picked up by any player must be thrown by that player. Players have 5 seconds to throw the ball once in their possession.**Please note that the Referee will determine “possession” by if a player has control over a ball and may start the count once he/she deems possession has been made. This does not necessarily only include a ball in hand.** Failure to do so results in forfeiture of the ball to the opposing team. Once a ball stops dead on the court, that team has 10 seconds to pick it up and another 5 seconds to throw it at the other team. Failure to do so results in forfeiture of the ball to the opposing team. The referee will not count out loud to 10 seconds; it will be his call if he feels a ball has been dead for around 10 seconds. If one player has a ball in his/her hand, blocking an opposing team‟s thrown ball does not reset that person‟s 5 second count. Meaning everybody on the court only has 5 seconds to throw the ball—no exceptions.

Players may not deliberately pass or deflect a ball to another teammate. You may save the ball from going over the line by hitting it back towards your team, but you may not pass the ball to your teammates. This is most common in girl players passing the ball to guy players on her team. If a player passes a ball to another teammate, he/she will get a warning and the other team will get the ball. If the player passes the ball again, he/she will be called out for the remainder of that game. To be clear, the referee WILL ONLY CALL this if it is OBVIOUS that a player has passed the ball to his/her teammate.

Once a thrown ball touches an object other than a person in play, that ball is ruled dead and no plays may be made on that ball. Other objects include the floor, ceiling, the wall, another ball (even if a person is holding that ball and it drops from his/her hand), etc. That means, if the ball hits any of these items, it is dead.

Once play is stopped by a referee, the ball must start in the possession (in the hands of) any player on the team. Meaning that if a ball is on the floor and a whistle is blown to stop play, a player must have a ball in hand once the whistle is blown to re-start play.

Ricochet Rule:

If a ball hits someone on your team and then hits another player on your team before hitting the ground, the second player is ONLY out if he/she made an effort to try to catch the ball. (If he/she does catch the ball, then neither he/she nor the first person who got hit is out, and the person who threw the ball from the opposing team is out.) That is, if it hits somebody and then accidentally hits another player when he/she is not looking, that other player is to remain in the game.

***If the first ball is thrown, hits you and ricochets into the air, then a second ball is thrown at you, you catch the second ball and the first ball hits the ground after you catch the second thrown ball, you are out and a player on your team comes into the game. The player who threw the second ball that is caught is out.

***If the first ball is thrown at you, hits you and ricochets into the air, then a second ball is thrown at you, hits you then the floor and the first ball is caught by a teammate, you are out and a teammate comes in. The player who threw the ricocheted ball that is caught is out.

***If the first ball is thrown, hits you and ricochets into the air, then a second ball is thrown at you, you catch the second ball and the first ball is caught by a teammate, both players on the opposing team who threw the first and second balls are out and two of your teammates come in.

Lines & Out of Bounds:

Players are not allowed to cross the center court line at any point during the match. If they do, they will be called out. However, the line is neutral, so touching the line does not result in a penalty, it is when the player crosses the line that he/she is out. If a player crosses the line in the motion of or after throwing a ball, they will be called out and if a player on the other team is hit then they will be allowed to stay in the game. (e.g. No “suicide” throws allowed where a player jumps, throws the ball in mid-air, and lands on the other side of the line. That player will be called out and if anybody is hit, he/she will be allowed to stay in the game.)

Players are not allowed to jump out of bounds when trying to dodge a ball. (This typically happens in the

back corners of the court.) If the player jumps entirely out of bounds to avoid being hit, the referee will call that person out!