OSSO Sports & Social 6v6 DODGEBALL RULES

The Referee is in absolute control of the game will do the officiating. Captains are responsible for keeping their teammates & spectators under control. Misconduct of players & spectators can result in assessment of a penalty, ejection or forfeiture of the game. Only captains are allowed to have dialog with the Referee. The Referee shall have the power to make decisions on any matters or questions not specifically covered in the rules. Rules will be enforced primarily by the “honor system”. Players will be expected to rule whether or not a hit was legal or whether they were legally eliminated. The Referee’s responsibility will be to rule on any situation in which teams cannot agree. THE REFEREE’S DECISION IS FINAL – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Code of Conduct

  • Understand, appreciate and abide by the rules of the game.
  • Respect the integrity and judgment of game, Referees and OSSO staff.
  • Respect your opponent and congratulate them in a courteous manner following each match whether in victory or defeat.
  • Be responsible for your actions and maintain self-control.
  • Do not taunt or bait opponents and refrain from using foul or abusive language.
  • REMEMBER THIS IS A GAME PLAYED AGAINST OTHER AMATEUR “ATHLETES” FOR FUN.
  • All Dodgeball participants must complete an assumption of risk form prior to participating in the first game. This form can be acquired at the OSSO website when registering or at the registration table before the first game.

 

Roster/Format

  • A team will consist of six (6) players on the court at a time.
  • A team may start and play with as few as four (4) players.
  • The maximum roster size is ten.
  • A dodgeball match consists of a best three out of five game series.
  • Each game will have a five (5) minute running clock. If all players from one team are not completely eliminated at the end of the 5 minutes, the team with the most players remaining will be declared the winner of that game. If both teams have an equal number of players remaining at the end of a game, there will be an untimed sudden death period in which the team who first eliminates a member from the opposing team will be declared the winner of that game.
  • There will be a one (1) minute break between the games of a match.
  • Teams switch sides after every game.

 

Equipment

OSSO Sports & Social will provide all equipment. NOTE: The balls used for this League are “non-stinging” FOAM balls, but can still be thrown at a faster pace than a “nerf” ball. Thus, some amount of danger may be present if hit in an uncovered/sensitive area (i.e. head, stomach, back, etc.).

 

Attire

  • Proper athletic attire is required. No jeans, jean shorts, button shirts or hard-soled shoes will be permitted.
  • Shoes must be gym or running shoes with a rubber-soled bottom.
  • Headgear is not allowed to be worn by any participant during an Intramural event, except for one-piece head/sweat bands that do not have to be tied or do not have any form of knot(s).
  • Players must REMOVE ALL JEWELRY prior to participating, including any viewable body piercing.
  • The Intramural Sports staff member on duty will have the final call regarding all equipment.

 

Gameplay

  • Each game starts with six (6) balls lined up on the mid-court line.
  • Before play starts, each team member must be behind the baseline. Once the official sounds the whistle, play will begin. The 3 balls located on the teams’ right are designated to their team at the start of the game. Once the team goes to retrieve the ball from the mid court line the ball must come back to the attack line. From this point on, any person contacted by a thrown ball on the fly is out of the game.
  • Deflections off the wall or floor do not count, but deflections off a teammate will count.
  • A deflected ball off of a person is still a live ball.
  • Once a player has been hit, they should immediately raise their hand and run off the court to the out of bounds area/designated area on his/her team’s side.
  • Balls may be held and used to deflect other thrown balls. A player may not hold the ball for longer than 15 seconds. Any player caught “stalling” will be declared out.
  • We will be passive with this rule unless it becomes obvious a team is trying to stall and that stall will give them an advantage.
  • A player is only allowed to be in possession of up to two (2) balls at any given time.
  • In order to reduce stalling, a violation will be called if a team in the lead controls all six balls on their side of the court for more than five seconds. This also applies to teams in a tie situation.
  • If a held ball is used to deflect a thrown ball, the player holding the ball is not out, unless the deflected ball hits a part of his/her body and is not caught. If a deflected ball hits a teammate who does not catch the ball, or that ball is not caught by another player, the teammate who was hit is out.
  • The person throwing the ball is out if an opposing player catches the ball on the fly or off of a deflection from a person, not a deflection off of a wall or the floor. Once the ball is caught, the teammate that has been out the longest is the one who re-enters the game.
  • The neutral zone will be a free area where players from either team may cross into. Crossing past the neutral zone will result in a player being called out. The neutral zone will be marked with cones.
  • A player has crossed the neutral zone when any part of their body touches beyond the neutral zone.
  • If a player is called out for being beyond the neutral zone, any throw or attempted throw is nullified and does not get an opponent out or count as a catch.

 

Clarification/Points of Interest

If a player from Team A hits a player from Team B and that same ball deflects and hits another player from Team B, both players from Team B are out.

If a player gets hit with a ball but proceeds to catch the ball before it hits the ground that player can still play, and the player from the opposing team who threw the ball is out.

 

The Court

The parameters of the court will consist of a center separation line, sidelines, attack lines and end lines.

Players may not contact or go outside either of these lines unless they are going to retrieve a ball that has gone out of play.