- This article is about the sport. For the 2004 movie, see Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. For the GSN Show, see Extreme Dodgeball. For the website, see Dodgeball (website).
Dodgeball (or dodge ball) is the name of a traditional American game taught in physical education classes, usually in elementary school. It is also popular in informal settings and is often played by schoolchildren on a playground. There are many variations of the game, but each involve players trying to avoid being hit by a ball that players on the other team are throwing at them.
Players are usually split into teams, though sometimes people play individually. A number (although sometimes only one) of medium-sized balls, either sponge covered in latex or rubber (the same sort used in four square) are placed in a central location. The objective of each player is to hit an opponent, so as to eliminate him or her from the game. The game ends when one player (or team) remains.
In most cases, catching the ball enacts a reversal; if the target catches (rather than dodges) the ball, the thrower is eliminated. In some versions of the game, a catch (in addition to eliminating the thrower) also allows another player from the catching team to re-enter. In variants which do not allow catching, handling the ball counts as a hit, while punching or handling the ball with a closed fist does not. In all versions, a player who steps from his square to the enemy team's square is also eliminated.
One rule variant specifies that players who are hit, instead of stepping off the court, sit down where they are hit. If any of these players should later catch a ball thrown by the opposing team, the opposing thrower is out (and must sit down) and the player who caught the ball is back in.
Some rule variants include the hoop on an indoor basketball court, a common location for dodgeball games. Players can try to shoot the ball into the hoop on the opponents' team. If it makes it, all players from that team come back in.
Renaissance
The sport of dodgeball is experiencing new growth in recent years thanks to the release of the 2004 comedy, "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story". While the 2004 comedy can be partially attributed to the rebirth of the sport, the resurgence of dodgeball in certain areas was in full-swing before the movie debut. Leagues such as the National Amateur Dodgeball Association (formed in 2000), and other emerging entities such as the National Dodgeball League, have all existed since before the popularization of the sport through the media. The rebirth of this, and other school yard games, might also be attributed to the growth in popularity of culture, movies, and fashion of past decades such as the 1980's.
Variations
Several variations of dodgeball include Multi or Socko, Super Dodgeball, War-ball, Scramble, Pin-Dodge, Dr. Dodgeball, King's Court, King sting, "German" Dodgeball, Barrier Dodgeball, Battleship, Ultraball, and Prison Ball.
Multi or Socko is a schoolyard game played with an 8.5 inch rubber ball. The game takes place on a court with lines marked out like a tennis court. As many as 14 players are divided into two teams. One person from each team is designated the goalie. The two goalies stand at opposing ends of the court. The rest of each team stands on the other side of the center line. Thus, each goalie is separated from his or her team by the other team's players. Team members throw the ball back and forth with the team goalie in order to knock out the other team's players - but goalies are not targeted. A player is knocked out if he or she is struck with the ball below the waist or if the player tries to catch a ball thrown by a member of the other team and drops it. When a player is knocked out, he or she becomes another goalie. The object, of course, is to knock out all of the other team's players.
Fumbles, also called "Butt's up," "Asses Up," "Red Ass", "Suicide" and "Wallball" is a free-for-all schoolyard game that uses a smaller ball, usually a tennis ball or a spaldeen. It can be played anywhere with a relatively high wall, e.g the side of a building. The game starts when a player bounces the ball off the wall. If the ball is caught by another player on the full i.e before it hits the ground, then the player who caught the ball will throw it at the player who bounced it off the wall with the intention of hurting them. However, if the 1st player runs to the wall and touches it he is 'safe and the ball cannot be thrown at him. If the ball has bounced off the wall and it hits the ground first before someone catches it the 1st player is also safe. If the player who goes to catch the ball drops it or it hits any part of their body they are said to have 'fumbled' the ball and must attempt to touch the wall before the ball can be thrown at them. The game can also involve double or triple fumbles, i.e the player who moves to recover the ball after the other player has fumbled it also fumbles it, in which case he or she must also attempt to touch the wall as they are also elligible to have the ball thrown at them. This game is played in some Australian and Canadian schoolyards and is usually prohibited due to the ball being thrown hard at people with the intention of pain, but this does not stop it from being played.
Scramble, or sometimes in the Midwest it is known as "Scatter", is an every-player-for-himself variation which starts with a jump ball. The first player to possess the ball becomes the attacker and attempts to eliminate all the other players. No other player is allowed to possess the ball unless it is the result of a catch, in which the attacker is eliminated. If this occurs every player that said attacker eliminated returns to the game, and the catcher becomes the new attacker. The player who successfully eliminates all other opponents is the winner.
War-Ball is played like standard dodgeball, except players can not use body parts that are hit and are out when they are hit on the body or , if allowed, the head. If a player is hit on the arm (fingers to shoulder), the player must keep the arm limp and may not use it to catch or throw a ball. If a player is hit on the leg (toes to upper thigh), the player may not use the leg for locomotion and must keep the leg elevated off the ground. If a player loses both legs, they must sit on their knees or lay on the ground. From this position, they may roll as a means of locomotion. If a player catches a ball, that player may "remove" an arm or a leg from the player who threw the ball. If a player fails to catch a ball, all limbs touched while attempting to catch the ball are "removed" (excluding the head and body). If a ball rebounds off a player and the ball is caught, the player who was hit is not out, does not have any limbs "removed", and the player who cought the ball may "remove" an arm or a leg from the player who threw the ball. If a ball rebounds off a player and a failed attempt is made to catch the ball, all normal rules are applied. A player is out if they are hit directly on the body (chest, back, abdominals) or, if the game allows it, the head. A player is out if they use a limb that has been removed from the game.
Pin-Dodge or "Pinball" is played like standard dodgeball, except that each team has four wooden pins (like bowling pins, but narrower and more easily knocked over) at the back of their side of the court. If a team's pin gets knocked over, either by accident or by a ball thrown by the other team, all players on the other team return to play. Once knocked over, a pin must stay down. The game ends when all of a team's players are eliminated, or (more often) when all of a team's pins are knocked over.
Dr. Dodgeball (also known as Medic Dr. Dodge or "Doctor Doctor") involves a leader in each team who tries to avoid getting hit. When players are hit, they fall on the ground and wait for their teams "Dr. Dodgeball" to come and save them. When the Dr. saves the fallen players, they can get up and play again. The game ends when one team is entirely eliminated, which would happen a lot quicker if a team loses their "doctor". Another variation of the game ends as soon as the doctor is hit. Therefore, it is key for a team to pay attention in order to figure out who the enemy doctor is. Some teams employ a "fake doctor" strategy to throw the opposing team off-guard as to who the doctor actually is, but in some games the doctors are known to both teams before hand. One variant's rules are altered so that when the doctor is killed, a new player becomes the doctor.
King's Court also involves a leader. If the leader is hit, the game is over.
German Dodgeball is a free-for-all game with no boundaries. The ball cannot be carried, but must be bounced off a wall and caught. When a player is hit, he or she leaves the court and his or her victims return to the game. A variation on this is a game termed "Wall Ball"; if someone fails to catch the ball (after an attempt to catch it and touches it without the result of a catch) then they must endeavour to get to the wall before another player strikes them with the ball. More often than not the ball is thrown as hard as possible for incentive. If one is struck before getting to the wall then they are out. The winner is the last man standing.
Prisonball (also known as Nationball, Battleball, Teamball, Crossfire, Swedish Dodgeball; King's Court in Canada and Queimada or Queimado in Brazil and Heaven in New Zealand) is played much like the original dodgeball game, except when a player is hit, he gets put in "prison" behind the opposing team. To get out of prison, he must hit the opposing team from behind. This puts a lot more pressure on the teams as they can be sandwiched between enemies. "Prisoners" remain behind the opposing team until the game is over. Furthermore, in "prisonball," a ball thrown to a "prison," when caught, releases all the "prisoners" to their original side. Some variations make it so that prisoners can not attack opposing players, but if someone from their team on their side throws a ball and they catch it, they can come back in. In some cases, a "buddy ball" is used and when caught, 2 people come back in. Sometimes, a player in prison is not allowed to take an active part in the game at all, but when any player is put in jail, everyone they put in jail is free. Thus, if a player does not see who hit them, they are trapped for the rest of the game.
Munkenai is a variation of Prisonball in which teams face off on a rectangular playing court somewhat smaller than a full basketball court that is composed of four areas. Teams begin with all players in the two, larger partitions in the middle. Players in this area who are hit by the rubber ball (about the size of a basketball) or whose toss is caught are declared "out" and must cross to the opposite end of the court, behind their opponents. Players who step out of bounds are also declared out. Players who have moved to the rear sections of the court can retrieve loose balls, but have to return to the rear court before continuing play. They can then throw the ball at the opposing team from behind. Only players in the middle sections can be targeted. Depending on the size of the teams, up to five balls can be in play at one time. Once out, players stay out, but continue the game from the rear court until a winner is declared.
Court Dodgeball is played with two people on either end of a circle with one or two balls while everyone else is in the middle. When one person is hit they are then out and must join the others around the circle throwing the ball(s) at the other players.
Space Dodgeball is set up like so:(X=Team 1|A=Team 2|O=Balls).
A O X O A
X O A X
A X O A
X O A O X
It is played with both teams on one half of a Basketball Court. You can be attacked from any direction. Besides that, the rules are the same as regular dodgeball.
Army Dodge Ball Involves no true teams but is more of a free for all. Players who are hit in the legs or arms lose the use of that limb. If they are hit in the head or torso they are out. If they catch a ball thrown by another player he is not out but they regain one of their "missing" limbs. The last player standing wins.
Sticks has two phases to the game. In the 1st phase, two popsicle sticks are adjacently placed parallel on the ground leaning against a wall, supporting a horizontal half-length crosspiece. One team (the throwers) take turns attempting to strike the sticks with a ball from a fixed distance, while the other team (the catchers) try to catch the ball on the rebound off the wall before it hits the ground. If the ball is caught, the thrower is out. If not caught, the thrower goes to the back of the same throwers' queue they came from to await another turn. The 1st phase ends when a thrower strikes the sticks. If the ball is caught after hitting the sticks, the entire throwing team is out, and the teams swap roles. If the ball is not caught after hitting the sticks, the game proceeds to the dodgeball phase, the catchers attempting to strike the throwers while the throwers attempt to reassemble the sticks. When all throwers have been struck or the sticks are reassembled, the teams swap roles and the game returns to the 1st phase. In the non-team version of the game, throwers caught or players struck join the other team; the 1st player struck during the dodgeball phase becomes the sole initial catcher on return to the 1st phase.
Trench is a variation typically played inside of a large gym (spanning two basketball courts). The dividing line is the center line of one of the basketball courts (imaginarily spread across the gym). Both teams start on a line roughly 8-10 feet away from the center, where several balls are placed. When the whistle is blown, players run to grab those balls and a game of standard dodgeball begins, with one exception. Any time a player is hit, he must go stand behind the opposing team in the trench, a designated area, usually the out of bounds portion of that side of the basketball court. If a player in the trench catches a ball from one of his teammates, he can re-enter the game and is not a valid target until he is back on his side (but he can be eliminated as soon as he steps over that center line again). Play continues until one team has wiped out the other team.
A variation of Trench is Capture the Flag, which is played the same way as Trench except that each team has 8-10 flags in the back of their court (usually on the dividing line between the trench and the team's field of play). A player can attempt to steal an opposing team's flag by running across the center line, retrieving it, and returning it back to a bucket in the back of their court. While on the enemy side, a player can be eliminated only by being tagged. If a player is tagged or eliminated on his side by a ball, he must immediately drop the flag, which can either be picked up by another teammate or returned to its starting position by a member of the enemy team. No more than one flag can be picked up by a single person in one run. A team wins by either eliminating the other team or capturing all of the flags. In some versions of capture the flag, balls are not used, so it cannot be considered dodgeball.
Pin guard is played with two teams each with a pin and balls. The objective is to knock over the opposing team's pin or eleiminate all players on the other team. Players can get out by getting hit in the head and the player who hit the person is out. Also if a ball is thrown and a player catches it, the player who threw it is out. There are several variations such as if the game is played in a gym. If a player hits the basketball hoop's backboard then that team frees all eliminated players, (this only applies if there is one player left on team). The game is also sometimes played with two pins per team and variations of this game are also known as Bombardment or Battle Ball. Another variation changes the purpose of the pin, in this variation it restores all the members of the opposing team.
Ga-ga or GaGa is a form of dodgeball which is played within an octagonal enclosure when available, or in any other space that is completely enclosed by walls. The objective of the game is to eliminate one's opponents by hitting the ball with either an open hand or closed fist into the region at or below his or her knees. That player is then out and must leave the playing area. A player can also be eliminated by having his or her ball caught in the air. Touching the ball twice consecutively without the ball touching another player or the wall is grounds for elimination unless that player is attempting to catch the ball. Carrying, throwing, or catching the ball after a bounce also results in elimination. Hitting the ball out of bounds is grounds for elimination unless it is as the result of a defensive deflection. Pushing a player into the ball and any other physical contact is also a violation. This and other matters of dispute are settled by the game's judges. There is only one ball in play at a time in ga-ga. The game is started either by placing the ball in the center of the octagon with each of the players touching the wall, or by bouning the ball and repeating the word "ga" each time the ball touches the floor. After three bounces the ball is in play and the players may leave the wall. Any player touching the ball or leaving the wall before the third bounce is considered out. This is also the procedure for resuming the game after a stoppage of play. Stoppages of play result from the ball being hit out of bounds or the ball being caught. A player being hit at or below his or her knees is not grounds for a stoppage of play. The winner is the last player left in the playing area. The game can be played with a large group of people playing for themselves, in teams, or one on one.
Barrier Dodgeball is similar to Prison. In Barrier Dodgeball, multiple barriers are set up on each side of the area you are playing in (preferably a large gym that is capable of being divided in half with a partition). Often, the partition is broken apart or pulled out partially for a twist. In this version to start the game balls are evenly distributed to both teams. A referee signals the start. When a person is hit, like Prison Dodgeball, they are sent to the back of the opposing team's side, and can escape if they catch a ball out of the air, and hit the other team from behind. The game ends when one teams` players have all been sent to prison.
Battleship Dodgeball is unique in that you are not actually trying to sink the other team's ships. It is played in teams so that all of one team's ships are on one side and the others` on the opposite. The ships consist of a mat, which is large enough to fit about 5 people, with 4 pins placed at each corner of the mat. To sink a ship, the opposing team must throw balls and knock over all four of the pins on one of the other team's ships. However, only one person on each ship "crew" may step off the ship, and when he does, he may not throw any balls, and may only collect balls for his ship to use. All other crew members must stay on the ship at all times, and throw balls at the other team's ships. The game is won when one team sinks all of the opponent's ships, or if there is a time limit, the team with the most pins up at the end of the limit, wins.
Ultraball is played outdoors on a field with clearly marked boundaries (preferably a large circle). Players are divided into two teams and available balls are equally distributed. When play begins, normal dodgeball rules apply, with eliminated players leaving the bordered area. Active players can only leave the playing area to retrieve a ball, and can only do so when no player from their team has been eliminated. Holding or tackling players is discouraged, but not prohibited. Ultraball is unique because teams are free to completely encircle their opponents, and there is no rule restricting the distance between opposing players.
PresidentBall is played in a large enclosed room. Two teams are set, the Assassins and the Presidential Bodyguards. It is preferable that the Assassins have more people, to make the game more balanced. One man in the Presidential Bodyguard side is deemed President, and all other players must refer to him/her as President (insert last name). The President only has one life, and the bodyguards all have three lives. The assassins have one life. Normal dodgeball rules apply -- lives are lost when one gets hit by a ball or when one throws a ball that has been caught by the opposition. Note, however, that the President can catch the ball, but not throw it. If he/she catches the ball, it must be handed off to a bodyguard, unless all the bodyguards are killed. Once a player's life/lives have been extinguished, he/she must leave the field of play and watch the game. The assassins win when the President has been hit with the ball (though bodyguards may still be alive). The Presidential Entourage wins when all the assassins have been eliminated. The bodyguards, because they have three lives, may, as a strategy, form a protective wall around the president and lure the assassins into throwing the ball at them. The ball can be passed around amongst teammates in order to try and confuse the other team.
JailBall follows the same rules as normal Dodgeball, except that it encorporates the goal boxes on either end of the court; they are referred to as "jails." When a player gets out, he goes to "jail." In order for a player to get out of jail he must use a ball to get a player on the opposing team out. At this point the player is released from jail to play once more, and the other player goes to jail. This version dates back to 1979.
"Kingdom Dodgeball" has many rules and is hard to understand. First, each team has a leader. When the leader is hit twice his team loses. The "King" cannot throw a ball, but he may have a body guard. There is a "Doctor" who, similar to "Doctor-Doctor" may touch a team member to heal him if he is out. The "Reaper" is not assigned a team. In the beginning of the game he stands in the middle of the field and waits to be hit. When he is hit, the person that hit him tells him to attack a certain player. The "Reaper" will then walk to the targeted player. Only a ball from the targeted player will stop the "Reaper" who will then take orders form that player.
German "Nationsball" (literally from "Voelkerball") refers to Prisonball variants. The main variant in Germany uses a single ball and a "King". The king first goes to the jail zone and returns to the main field when all his men are in prison. The king has three lives allowing for players to get back in. Throws at the head do not count and if intentional then the player is taken out completely. There are many popular variantions of Voelkerball including a recent Beach-Voelkerball league.
In Free for All (sometimes called Terminator or Survivor) there are no teams, and no boundaries. 2 or 3 balls are thrown in and anyone can run anywhere, trying to avoid getting hit. Once you get a ball, typically you cannot move (or in some cases, can take only a few steps). When it is down to only a few players, this rule genrally does not apply. The last one standing wins. Sometimes, players might form "alliances" (which is where Survivor might come from) in which 2 or more players agree to not hit each other unless they are the only ones left. This strategy would allow them to roll the ball to each other in order to get a clear shot at someone else and also narrows down the number of enemies they must watch out for.
Annihilation is a free for all game played by a medium sized (6-15) group of players, usually inside of a closed area such as a gym. Play begins with each player standing against either one of the two walls furthest from the center of the area. Each player must have one hand touching the wall when play begins. All the balls are placed along the middle dividing line of the area. Once play begins, the rules are mostly straight forward: You are 'out' if you (or a ball you are carrying) are hit by an opponent's ball any where below the neck; You are 'out' if you are hit in the head only if your head was below its usual height (ex. crouching); You may carry as many balls as you like; While carrying a ball(s), you must throw or drop at least one ball for every three steps you take; If an opponent catches a ball that you threw before it rebounds off of any wall or ground, you are out; If you are hit by a ball which an opponent catches before it touches a wall or the ground, only the original thrower is 'out'; Once you are 'out' you must drop all balls you are carrying, raise your hands above your head to signify that you are 'out', proceed directly to any one of the four walls, and keep at least one hand against the wall for the duration that you are 'out'; When the opponent who got you 'out' gets 'out', you are back 'in' play (Ex. Jackie hits Bobby with a ball. Bobby is now 'out'. Jackie hits Miranda with a ball. Miranda is 'out'. Freddie hits Jackie with a ball. Jackie is now 'out', and both Bobby and Miranda are back 'in'). Once you are back 'in' you must remove your hand from the wall, but you do not need to signify that you are 'in' again in any other manner. Play continues until only one player is left 'in' (thereby having eliminated every other player consecutively without him/herself being eliminated). This variation is very fast paced, and requires a lot of attention be paid to who has gotten who 'out'. The game is playable with any sized group, but the game time increases dramatically as more players are introduced. A 'sudden' death mode is optional, where after some designated point (ex. 15 minutes of game time) all players are permanetly 'out' the next time they are hit (Note: players who are 'out' when sudden death is declared are allowed to return 'in' to the game one last time, in the regular fashion). A ball is considered legally thrown as long as at the point in time it was thrown, the thrower was 'in'. This leads to the occasional situation where two players hit each other 'out' at the same time. In this case, both players are still 'in', but they are required to drop all carried balls, and they are not allowed to pick up or throw any ball until they have touched a wall with at least one hand. During this time, they may still be hit 'out' by other players.
Nucum or Nuke'em Dodgeball is a form of dodgeball with only a small variation. In this game, you can only return after getting out if the person who hit you with the ball is sent out. If you step over a boundary, you can only get back in if another player on your team catches a dodgeball.
Dynasty is much like normal dodgeball. The only difference is how the game ends and the lack of the ability to block incoming throws with another ball. "Ball is body" means that if a ball is thrown and hits the ball you are currently holding, it is as if the ball had hit any other part of your body and you are out. If a player is "out," so to speak, the player does not leave the game. Instead, the player simply joins the other team. This continues until all the players are on one side and thus deemed a dynasty. Restricting the amount of space in relation to the amount of players left on the losing side may aid in making the game more interesting.
Controversy
Dodgeball, when it emerged in about 1922, was touted as the "nerd's sport". Since players normally were not part of a team, no player had to endure the teasing that would fall upon a player accused of "causing the team to lose." As well, the game was seen as having a light-hearted and self-deprecatory nature and, therefore, more amenable to non-athletic students. Dodgeball advocates also argue that dodgeball is a way for more aggressive students to use their violent energy on soft foam balls, rather than with their fists when they aren't under the supervision of a gym class teacher.
However, dodgeball has come under attack for failing to meet the needs of precisely those students. Opponents of dodgeball have argued that the game provides, for bullies, the excuse to abuse unathletic and unpopular students, by throwing the ball hard enough to cause injury. The aim of the variant King sting or Brandings is to throw the ball at others as hard as possible. In some cases, the rule may be used that a player hit above the shoulders is not out; this discourages the dangerous practice of aiming for the face.
After a series of publicized dodgeball injuries in the late 1990s and early 2000s, many schools have removed the game from their physical-education requirements, and some have even banned the game entirely. On November 18, 2002, the state of New Jersey banned the game from public schools. New York followed suit shortly after.
Many other schools, however, have taken a more moderate approach, allowing dodgeball by using soft foam balls instead of harder rubber balls. Most of these schools also instigate a variation on the "head shot" rule, where a person that throws a head shot is called out, much as if his victim had caught the ball.
College dodgeball
While the game of dodgeball has been met with disfavor in public schools, the game has risen in popularity among college-aged students. Many campuses across the nation have intramural programs and a number of institutions have dodgeball teams at the club sport level. Most of these schools are located in the Midwest United States and are members of the aptly-named Midwest Dodgeball Conference, a collective organization that oversees scheduling of matches, tournaments, and the standardizing of college dodgeball rules.
In spite of dodgeball's banning in several public grade schools for its propensity for violent behavior, most college dodgeball players prefer to use the "classic" playground ball as opposed to the foam-padded balls used by the National Amateur Dodgeball Association. They also prefer the allowing of balls to be thrown at players' heads. Aleks Bomis, founder of Michigan State University's dodgeball team, said, "While I understand the need for the (NADA) ruleset for youths and the general public, [college students] are not the general public. We're allegedly in the best shape of our lives, and the way things are [with the MDC rules] there are only two ways you get struck in the head: Either you're not paying attention or you don't even instinctively raise your hands up. In each case, you've only yourself to blame." This attitude has been expressed by all of the teams in the conference and has been the cause of animosity between the MDC and teams with rulesets similar to the NADA.
A second regional dodgeball league is in Boston, Massachusetts. The league began with Cambridge-based Lesley College's club dodgeball team before spreading out to neighboring schools. Currently, students from Bentley College and the Art Institute of Boston regularly gather once a week to play. The league is less formal than the MDC and more closely aligned with the NADA ruleset. Occasionally, the three main schools will band together into one team to play a formal match against another school. Previous matches have been against MIT and Harvard. The league ordinarly plays at Lesley College, but has played at both MIT and Bentley in efforts to spread the game.
Another league was created by Monmouth University student John Tronolone in September of 2005. Unlike the above leagues, it was organized outside the schools' jurisdiction. The "Not JUST a Game" documentary, produced and directed by the league's own Dan Spengeman, captured much of the action from the end of 2005 to the beginning events of 2006. The DVD was released to the public in February of 2006. The league sometimes referred to as East Coast Dodgeball will be celebrating their one year anniversary in September 2006.
Terms
Napoleon of the Court or more often simply Napoleon: Most dodgeball teams have at least one boisterous and very talented player who trash talks often, usually in a jovial manner. This player also gives various action directions to the rest of the team during play, like aiming at an individual or launching a teamwide volley. Also, this player is often the last one out during a losing game, displaying a great ability to dodge multiple balls and organize attacks at once, but becoming fatigued quickly in the process.
Common strategies
- Note: These strategies are only guaranteed to apply to the NADA ruleset:
- Bait-ball: One team member lobs a ball up in the air to distract the other team, while a second team member throws a ball at normal speed in hopes of getting someone out. The name refers to the first ball's status as bait to lure the team's focus away from the second ball. One player can try to throw both the bait and kill balls, but this is less effective.
- Suicide throw: In some rulesets, individuals can cross the center line while jumping. They are only out when their feet hit the floor. Suiciders take advantage of this by attempting to jump across the center line and throw the ball before their feet hit the ground. This is to get closer to an opposing team member in hopes of increasing the likelihood of getting that person out.
- Suicide Run / Kamikaze: Similar to the Suicide Throw, but instead of jumping across the center line, the player runs parallel to the line while throwing the ball. This tactic is a good way to trick the opposing team into throwing their balls to the other side, however, it will usually lead to the runner being eliminated.
- Peek-a-boo: The name here comes from Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. The tactic is very similar to how it is portrayed in the movie. One team member comes up in the shadow of another team member who is currently throwing in order to go unnoticed by the other team. The first team member then goes out from behind the shadow and quickly throws the ball in hopes of surprising the other team.
- Trick throws: Long wind-ups produce strong throws, but allow the other team to notice that the person is throwing and begin their dodges. To combat this, some dodgeball players develop trick throws that are less powerful but involve a much quicker throwing motion. Examples of these include balls flipped from an underhand or backhand position.
- Spinning Throw: Spinning throws are accomplished by rotating one's body 360 degrees before throwing. This produces a long wind-up but a ball that's usually thrown more powerfully than from a normal throwing motion.
- Mexican Flying Coffin Filler: Involves a blocker springing a thrower up off of his/her back to gain forward momentum on an aerial throw.
- Fake Doctor: This tactic can be used in Dr. Dodgeball. First, a selected teammate pretends to be 'out'. Of course, they really are not. Second, another teammate pretends to be the doctor and touches the teammate, bringing them back 'in'. The opposing team then thinks that the second person is the doctor, even though he is not. The entire team then aims for the second person, thusly sparing the real doctor.
- Fake 'Out' : A player sits down on the ground. Teammates of the other side assume that the player is 'out' and run past him. As soon as the targeted opposer runs past him, the trickster sits back up and hits him with their ball, catching them completely off guard.
- Big Man Little Man : This technique is used in Dr. Dodgeball/Medic dodgeball, where the smallest (and often quickest) player on a team is the Doctor, and the tallest/widest player provides a bodyguard for the Doctor, closely shadowing them. The benefit of this is twofold: 1. The doctor is protected from almost any ball-throwing, as the larger player blocks any thrown balls. 2. If the "Big Man" should be struck out (very likely), the Doctor can easily get them back in, as they are directly behind them.
See also
External links