HRA DODGEBALL RULES

Eligibility:

1.       HRA Recreation Center members 16 years or older are eligible for this league.

2.      Team members must be current members of the HRA Recreation Center.

Player Equipment:

1.      Player must be in gym attire.

2.      No turf, black soled or steel toed shoes can be worn in the gym.  Only non-marking court shoes are permitted.

3.      The league director and game officialsâ?? decisions are final.

The Teams:

1.       Each team will begin play with 6 people on the court (minimum of 4 players allowed).  This is an â??open playâ?? league and there is no stipulation as to how many men or women there should be on the court at any time.

2.      All players must sign the appropriate documents (liability waiver) to become a member of the HRA Recreation Center.  Daily guests are not permitted to play.

Responsibilities of the Captain:

1.      The playing captain is the only player who may address the official and shall be the spokesman of the team.

2.      The captain shall make sure teammates and opponents are eligible to play.  Any roster change must be submitted to and approved by the HRA Recreation Center before a player will be eligible.

3.      The captain will be responsible for ensuring that 2 team members are available to officiate scheduled games.

The Game: 

Play will follow the official rules of the National Amateur Dodgeball Association ( http://www.dodgeballusa.com/rules) with the following exceptions/additions:

1.       All matches shall consist of the best 2 out of 3 games. Games will be 3:00 minutes in length.

2.      There will be a 5-minute grace period for each game.  Teams must have a minimum of four players to begin play within 5 minutes of the scheduled time or the contest will be declared a forfeit.

3.      Substitutions must be made prior to the start of the game.  No substitutions can be made during a game, except in cases of injury.

4.      A game may be forfeited at any time if, in the opinion of the officiating team and/or League Director, there is a possibility of injury to one or both teams playing in a repeated unsportsmanlike manner.  If the team to which the game is forfeited is ahead, the score shall stand.  If this team is not ahead, or the game has not yet begun, the score shall be recorded as 2-0.

5.      If a team does not have enough players to start a game, that team may â??pick upâ?? another player(s) for that game only, providing the other team does not object to the new player(s).  If both teams agree, the game will be played and the score will stand; otherwise it is a forfeit.

6.      Any eligibility protests must be made prior to the start of the second game.  If there are any questions, the team requesting the protest should notify the Official.  Protests made after the start of the second game will not be considered.

7.      All participants, guests and spectators must follow HRA Recreation Center rules.

8.      All injuries must be reported to the league director or HRA Recreation Center staff member.  An accident form must be filled out at the same time the injury occurs.

9.      Jewelry is prohibited with the exception of wedding rings.

10.   No player is allowed to cross the center court line. If a player crosses this line then he or she will be OUT. (Exception: the initial start of the game when you run out to grab the dodge balls, you are allowed to cross a foot over the line for a quick second due to the acceleration of running out to the balls.)

11.   Upon grabbing the dodge balls at the center court line in the beginning of the match, the ball must be â??clearedâ?? behind the â?? clearing lineâ?? before it is a live ball. You can either clear the ball yourself or toss the ball back to a teammate who is standing behind the clearing line where then that player is able to throw it at the other team.

12.   The Neutral Zone (see below picture) will only be in affect during the initial run out in the beginning of the game. During this time, you will not be allowed to hit a person inside the Neutral Zone. After all of the dodge balls have been cleared, the Neutral Zone will not exist.

13.   You are allowed to do a jump throw over the center line. If you decide to do this, the ball must release your hands before your feet touch the ground. Once your feet touch the ground then you will be ruled OUT.

14.   If you catch a ball from a player on the opposite team, the player who threw the ball is OUT and a player gets to come in on the team who caught the ball. (If all players are already in, no one else comes in.)

15.   Any ball that is kicked is immediately a dead ball. If you catch a ball that is kicked from the other team or get hit by a kicked ball, no one will be ruled out. Please do not kick the balls !

16.   If a ball is thrown your way, you are allowed to use a ball in your hands to deflect it. If the deflected ball happens to hit one of your teammates then he or she will be ruled OUT. If you happen to drop the ball that was originally in your hands (guard ball), then you are ruled OUT. If the ball that got deflected off of your guard ball is caught by one of your teammates that counts as a legal catch.

17.   Any time a ball hits the wall, basketball hoop/backboard, ceiling, projector, spin bike, or scoreboard it is automatically a dead ball. (Example: someone throws a ball at you, it hits your shoulder, and then bounces off the wall behind you and you catch itâ?¦you are still OUT because the ball died AFTER it hit you.) If a ball hits the wall and then it hits you, you will not be ruled OUT.

18.   All dodge balls must be caught within the field of play. It is acceptable if momentum pulls you out of play AFTER you have caught the ball with at least 1 foot inside the line of play.

19.   You are not allowed to stand outside of the lines during play. The only time you are allowed to go outside of the lines is when you are retrieving a loose ball but you are required to get back in play as quickly as possible. You cannot get hit and called out when retrieving a ball out of play.

20.   The players who are either OUT or not currently playing are allowed to retrieve loose balls for their team as long as they donâ??t cross the center court line.

21.   You are not allowed to step outside of the lines to dodge a ball that is thrown at you. If you do this you will be ruled OUT even if it was unintentional.

22.   If there is a tie at the end of the game there will be a 2 minute extra time awarded. This time will be a sudden death period. It will begin with only the players left on the court, at the end of regulation, and there is no re-entry to the game. Any of the above rules, which allow a player to re-enter the game are null and void (ie. Catching a ball does not allow a teammate to re-enter the game).

23.   Players may not hold the ball longer than 10 seconds. If they are caught holding the ball for more than 10 seconds, they must give up their ball to the other team.

24.   If you are intentionally or unintentionally hit in the face by a dodge ball, the person who threw the ball will be ruled OUT and you will stay in.

25.   All teammates who are OUT and waiting to get back into play should be lined up side by side and in order along the curtain or retrieving balls for their teammates. All other teammates who are currently not playing should be seated or standing on the opposite side of the court.

26.   Please self officiate. If you get hit but the official did not see it, please call yourself out to avoid controversy. The official has the final say if/when a controversial call arises.

27.   In the case of a tie, the Round Robin Champion will be determined by total match wins. If there is a tie of matches won then win percentage will determine the Round Robin Champion.

PLEASE SEE PICTURE BELOW FOR COURT AND LINE DESCRIPTIONS

                                                                                          

For every rule, there seems to be an exception.  Any such situation that may arise and is not covered in these of NADA rules will be considered a judgment call by the official(s) and will not be subject to approval.  At the conclusion of the game, each captain must report any injuries of team members, and must verify the score and sign the score sheet.