Dodgeball RULES
Team Composition & Gender Rules
- 6-on-6 format: Maximum 4 men and minimum 2 women on the court.
- Teams may start with a minimum of 4 players (no gender requirements) . If a team has fewer than 4 players, it will be a forfeit.
- Men may only throw large balls but can use both sizes for blocking. Women can throw either ball.
- No more than 4 men may be on the court at once.
Gameplay & Match Timing
- Game Duration: 7-minute games with no warm-up time on the court.
- If a game ends before the 6 minute mark, a Quick Restart will be issued. Games will not restart with less than 30 seconds remaining.
- Balls in play: 6 dodgeballs are used at the start of each match.
- Players must race from behind their end line to retrieve the balls at the start.
How to Get Out
A player is out if:
- Hit by a live ball (a ball that hasn’t touched the ground, walls, or another player who is already out).
- A ball they throw is caught by an opponent.
- They step over the center line or go out-of-bounds to avoid a throw.
- They throw a ball while out-of-bounds or kick the ball.
Headshots are illegal. If a defender is standing upright and hit in the head, the thrower is out.
How to Stay In
- A defender who catches a live ball can bring a teammate back into play.
- If a player is hit by a ball and a teammate catches it before it hits the ground, both remain in the game.
- Players remain in play if hit by a ball thrown by an opponent who was already out or stepped over the line.
Scoring
- The score at the end of the game is determined by how many players are left on each side. Example: If Team A has 3 players left and Team B has 0, the score is 3-0.
- Multiple games can be played within a 7-minute match, and the total score across all games determines the winner.
Boundaries & Lightning Round
- ¾ Line: This line serves as the boundary for gameplay and is where all dodgeballs will be placed at the start of each match. Players will rush to this line to retrieve the balls when the game begins.
- When only 1 player remains on a team, all players from both teams must stay within the front court boundaries.
- Lightning Round: If the game goes the entire 7 minutes without one team eliminating the other, a 3v3 lightning round is played regardless of how many players each team has on the court.
Fouls & Violations
- Ball Stalling: Teams cannot control 3 or more balls for more than 10 seconds without throwing them.
- Once a team has possession of 3 balls, they must throw them within 10 seconds or be penalized.
- Players called out must leave the court promptly and cannot interfere with ongoing play.
Substitutions
Teams may pick up non-roster players if short in the regular season but no substitutions will be allowed in the playoffs.
LEAGUE POLICIES
Forfeits
If you know in advance that your team is going to forfeit a game, we encourage you to call (201-528-5129) or email (info@hiveathletic.com) so we can notify your opponents and update the standings online.
Playoffs
- Playoff Qualification: 50% percent of teams qualify for the playoffs.
- Playoffs will begin immediately following the end of the regular season and will be typically played in one night.
- No substitutes will be allowed during the playoffs. All players must have signed the waived by the third week of the season.
- Playoff eligible teams will be determined on a league by league basis.
- Playoff matches are best 3 out of 5, with 7-minute games and a possible lightning round if necessary.
- Any team that would like to challenge the eligibility of an opposing player must do so before the start of the playoff game. No protests will be considered valid after the game has started.
Tiebreakers:
- Winning Percentage
- Head to Head Record
- Record Against Other Playoff Teams
- If still tied, a coin toss will determine seeding
WAIVERS
In order to participate in the league, each participant must sign the online waiver. Waivers are provided and must be completed and submitted in no later than the first night of play. Players must sign the waiver in order to be eligible for playoffs.
PLAYER ELIGIBILITY
Players who have been placed on the roster and signed the waiver are eligible for playoffs. A formal protest may be filed before a playoff game if an opposing player’s eligibility is in question. The player in question will be required to provide his/her player information (name, address, phone #) in writing to a HIVE ATHLETIC staff member prior to the start of the game. This qualifies as an official protest. Any protest made during a game or after a game will NOT be considered a formal protest. The game will then be played in its entirety as scheduled. If the protest is proven to be legitimate, it will result in the forfeiture of the game in question.
SPORTSMANSHIP
The idea of HIVE ATHLETIC is to have fun. We hope that all participants keep that in mind when becoming involved. Although the games may become intense, you still can be competitive while maintaining good sportsmanship. With this said, any behavior deemed unacceptable by staff may result in suspension and/or ejection from a game or the league. Abuse of staff will not be tolerated. HIVE ATHLETIC reserves the right to remove a player from a game or a league if they are considered to be bringing down the quality of the league. HIVE ATHLETIC will not tolerate fighting! Fighting will be an automatic ejection from any game and in most cases ejection from the league for the remainder of the season.
LEAGUE CANCELLATION/RAINOUT
Please call our weather hotline for the most up to date information on any cancellations (201-528-3271). Leagues may be postponed due to existing weather conditions, dangerous or unplayable field conditions, facility constraints, etc. HIVE ATHLETIC staff makes every effort to play all scheduled games, thus we will not cancel games until absolutely necessary. Therefore, if you are calling concerning a decision on a cancellation, remember we will not have an answer until close to the start of the league. If a game is postponed, HIVE ATHLETIC will change the weather hotline immediately. HIVE ATHLETIC will then email/text all of the captains to let them know if possible. It is then the captains’ responsibility to inform all teammates of the cancellation. If a league is canceled on site, HIVE ATHLETIC staff will attempt to contact those teams still scheduled to play the remainder of the league day/night. Depending on the time of cancellation, some teams will have to be notified on site or not at all. If we do cancel, follow next week’s schedule (ex. If April 13 is canceled teams should follow the April 20 schedule for their next game). The games that are canceled will be made up towards the end of the season. In extreme circumstances, HIVE ATHLETIC reserves the right to move games or weeks to an alternative location or schedule games on days other than your regularly scheduled league day/night if necessary.