PLAYGROUND DODGEBALL RULES

Florida State University does not provide accident insurance coverage for injuries received by Intramural participants. Each participant should make sure that he/she has coverage either through family policies or the student insurance plan. We cannot emphasize this point enough.

Florida State University PROHIBITS possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages on University property. This includes the Rec SportsPlex, Main Campus Fields, and Tully Gym. Violators will be asked to leave the area. Failure to do so can result in forfeiture of the ball game, suspension of individuals and/or teams, and appropriate action by the University Judicial Office.

Food, flavored drinks, and gum are prohibited on the Tully Gym courts. Only bottled water is permitted in the court area.

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FSU IM Sports follows NADA (National Amateur Dodgeball Association) rules except for the following modifications.

I. PLAYER ELIGIBILITY

1. Participation is limited to currently-enrolled, fee-paying FSU students, faculty members, and full-time staff. FAMU & TCC students and members of the community are not eligible. All areas of eligibility are covered in the Intramural By-Laws which are available through the Campus Recreation Office and online at the FSU Campus Recreation web site.

2. In order to participate in an Intramural contest each player must present their validated FSUCard. Exceptions must be directed to the Intramural Sports Office for consideration by the IM staff during regular business hours (9:00am-6:00pm). Bring a photo ID and proof of payment to obtain a waiver from the IM staff. No such waiver will be granted at the game/match site.

3. All players must sign-in at the sign-in table or with a supervisor at the game site prior to each game to be eligible to participate.

II. TEAM COMPOSITION

1. Players can compete on one men's, women's, fraternity, or sorority team, regardless of league classification, and play for one co-rec team as well.

2. Each team will consist of six (6) players. Roster size is unlimited, but only six (6) will be active players on the court at a time.  Once a player has signed in for a team, that team is the player’s team of record and the player may not switch to another team.

3. All teams must have at least four (4) players to start a match and continue playing a match in the event of injury, disqualification, or ejection. Having only three (3) players at game time will result in a default; having only two (2) or less will result in a forfeit.

(Co-Rec) Co-rec teams must start each game with a minimum of two (2) players of each gender on the court. At no time may more than three (3) players of each gender be active participants on the court for a co-rec team.

4. Active players must be designated at the start of each game. Substitutes may not participate in any way during the game. Substitutes shall remain away from the return and retrieval areas and will not permitted to join the catch-and-return line for that game. Teams may declare different active players & substitutes for each game.

III. EQUIPMENT

1. Appropriate gym footwear must be worn. Cleats, boots, sandals, and flip-flops are not permitted.

2. Hats and any other head wear that has a hard bill or creates a knot-like protrusion are not permitted.

3. Jewelry, casts, or any items deemed dangerous by the official MAY NOT BE WORN during the game. This jewelry consists of any visible rings (including wedding bands), watches, necklaces, earrings, studs, bracelets, and any other such similar jewelry. Only medical alert bracelets are permitted. Each team will receive only one warning without penalty. Following the warning, any player from a warned team in the game found to be wearing prohibited equipment (jewelry, etc) will ruled out for the game and may not reenter for a subsquent game until the jewelry is removed.

4. Dodgeballs will be provided by the Intramural Sports staff at the game site. Each court will have their own color of dodgeballs. Only the designated color of dodgeball may be used on that court in the event of dodgeballs ending up on other courts.

IV. PLAYING AREA

1. For men’s and co-rec matches, the playing area shall be the normal basketball court (black lines in Tully Gym). For women’s matches, the playing area shall be the normal volleyball court (grey lines in Tully Gym).  Court lines are out-of-play. 

2. Out-of-play areas include any walls or curtains. The ceiling is also out-of-play. The basketball backboard, rim, and supports are out-of-play at all times. Spectators, substitutes, and inactive players are also considered out-of-play. Dodgeballs that touch out-of-play areas are immediately dead and cannot be caught for an out. Players hit with a thrown ball after it has struck an out-of-play area, out-of-play structure, or out-of-play person are not out.

3. Active, in-play players must remain inside the basketball court at all times. Active, in-play players may not leave the court, except on extremely limited occasions as described by the ball retrieval rule.

4. Any substitutes and spectators must remain along the designated sideline and outside the basketball court lines at all times.

V. MATCH FORMAT & GAME LENGTH

1. Each match will consist of as many games as can be played within the 30-minute time limit. For timing purposes, a new game starts as soon as the last player is put out in the previous game. Time will be kept for all matches on the overhead scoreboard. 

2. Teams earn 1 point for each game won. The team which has won the most games (has the most points) when the time limit is reached shall be declared the winner of the match.

3. If a game is in progress when the time limit is reached, the team with more players on the court will earn the point.  If tied, no point is scored.

4. In the event that each team has won the same number of games (tied) at the end of regulation, an instant overtime session will be played.

5. For the overtime session, each team shall begin again with six (6) players. At the signal, players will continue normal play. The team which first eliminates a member of the opposing team will be declared the winner.

VI. GAME PLAY

Note: An "active player" is one who started the game for a team and has yet to be put out. An "inactive player" is one who started the game for a team and has been put out in the game.

1. The object of the game is to put out all members of the opposing team.

STARTING A GAME / INITIAL RUSH

1. To start a game, three (3) dodgeballs are placed on the free throw line on each end of the court. 

2. The six (6) active players for each team will start outside of the basketball court with a foot on the end line.  At the signal, players shall retrieve the three (3) balls on their side of the court.  Once the ball is picked up, it may be thrown immediately or carried forward before being thrown. 

3. A ball that is contacted in such a way that it rolls out of reach of a team and into the opponent's side of the court may be collected and thrown immediately by the opponent.

4. Following the initial rush, dodgeballs may be collected and thrown from anywhere on the team's side of the court. The midcourt line extends indefinitely through the gym. Retrieval of dodgeballs from outside of the court must be made on the team's side of the midcourt line.

GETTING OUT

1. A player is out when...
(1) a player is hit anywhere at or below the shoulders (including clothing) by a dodgeball that is thrown by an active opposing player and that has not touched the floor or an out-of-play area / structure, unless the player is out-of-bounds actively retrieving a ball.
(2) a player throws a ball that is legally caught by an active member of the opposing team.
(3) a player commits an illegal throw.
(4) a player jumps or moves out of bounds (outside the basketball court boundary lines) while attempting to dodge a ball.
(5) a player touches any part of the opposing team's side of the court during ball retrieval.

2. A ball thrown by an active player remains live and able to put out an opposing player even if the thrower is subsequently put out while the ball is in the air.

3. When a player is hit in the head by a dodgeball...
(1) For the safety of participants, players hit in the head by an untouched/undeflected ball who are positioned between half court and the free-throw line extended shall not be out. In this case, the thrower is out.
(2) Players hit in the head with an untouched/undeflected ball who are positioned between the free-throw line extended and the back line shall be out. In this case, the thrower is safe.
(3) Players hit in the head with a deflected ball anywhere on the court shall be declared out. The thrower is also safe.
(4) At any time, if the person intentionally ducked to get their head in the way of the dodgeball, then the person being hit by the dodgeball is out.

4. If there is a discrepency between leaving the court in attempt to dodge a ball and leaving the court to retrieve a ball, the player will be called out for leaving the court while attempting to dodge a ball.

5. When a player is put out, he/she shall move to a position along the sideline or end line of his/her team's side of the court. If in possession of a dodgeball, he/she may toss or roll it to a teammate or place it on the court.

6. Team members who have been put out are considered inactive players for the game. Inactive players shall not interfere with game play on the court. Inactive players may deflect balls back into play, catch overthrows, and retrieve balls that are out-of-play. Retrieved balls may be tossed or rolled to a teammate or placed on the court. Inactive players may not toss a ball into the court in such way that interferes with the game play. If interference is ruled, a teammate shall be called out.

ILLEGAL HANDLING, THROWING, ROLLING, & PLACING OF A BALL

Players may not excessively squeeze or crush a dodgeball in an attempt to make the dodgeball more compact for throwing. In such cases, the player will be ruled out. Repeated violations will result in ejection (damaging the equipment of FSU Intramural Sports).

For each illegal throw, the thrower is ruled out. No illegal throw can put out an opponent. However, an illegal throw can be caught for a catch-and-return.

1. The thrower must maintain position inside the court boundaries on his/her side of the court before, during, and after a throw. If a player steps on or over an out-of-bounds line or the half-court line, the throw is ruled illegal. "Suicide throws" are illegal.

2. Dodgeballs must be thrown or tossed using the hands and arms. Dodgeballs that are kicked towards an opponent, struck or spiked with an open hand or closed fist towards an opponent, are considered illegal throws.

3. Balls may not be placed on the opponent's side of the court within the placing team's reach. The placer shall be out.

4. Balls rolled or tossed onto the opponent's side of the court without the intent of putting a player out must be rolled towards or tossed within the opponent's 3-point arc. Balls rolled or tossed that do not go through this area and go out-of-bounds in the corner or out a sideline are illegal throws. The thrower / roller / tosser shall be out.

5. Balls may not be intentionally heaved outside of the court area near or onto the back bleachers. The heaver shall be out.

DEFLECTIONS

1. A deflection occurs when a thrown ball hits off an opposing player or an airborne ball and remains in the air. A ball which deflects off of another ball that is on the court is considered to have touched the floor and is not a deflected ball (immediately dead).

2. All dodgeballs are live and are able to put people out until they touch the ground or any other object that is out of play and become dead. A thrown dodgeball may deflect off of multiple players, effectively putting out multiple opponents with a single throw.

3. Players who deflect a ball or are hit with a deflected ball are out.  Players may NOT use a dodgeball to deflect a thrown ball (the deflector is out).

4. A player may deflect a ball with any part of his/her body in an effort to keep it from hitting the ground. If the deflected ball is caught be the same person who deflected the ball before touching an out-of-play area or the floor, the player deflecting the ball is not declared out (saving yourself). This action is considered a catch and the thrower is out.

5. If a teammate of the player off which the ball was deflected catches the ball, the player who was hit is still out (no saving your teammate). The catcher is safe and thrower is safe is this case.

6. Deflections off of an opponent that return to the thrower's side of the court are considered immediately dead (for purposes of eliminating players) when they completely cross the mid-court line. Any opposing players hit by the deflected ball are out. The throwing team may immediately catch or retrieve and rethrow the ball.

CATCHING A THROWN BALL

1. A thrown dodgeball that is legally caught by an active, in-play member of the opposing team before it has struck an out-of-play area, the floor, or a teammate will result in the thrower being declared out AND the return of the first teammate in the catch-and-return line for the team, if that team has less than six (6) active players on the court. At no time shall more than six (6) players be actively participating on the court for a team. There are no stored catch-and-returns. Players returning as a result of a catch-and-return shall immediately return to the court from anywhere along their team's sideline (subject to being hit and re-put out immediately upon returning to the court with both feet in-bounds).

(Co-Rec) In a co-rec game, when a ball is caught by an active player, a member of the underrepresented gender must the be player to return to the court. If both genders have the same number of active players on the court, the first player in the catch-and-return line shall return. For example, when a team has two males and one female active on the court at the time of a legal catch, the player who returns to the court must the first female in the catch-and-return line.

2. A thrown dodgeball that is legally caught by an inactive, out-of-play member of the opposing team before it has struck an out-of-play area, the floor, or a teammate will result in the catcher RETURNING to be an active, in-play member of the game. The thrower is SAFE. Players returning as a result of a personal catch-and-return shall immediately return to the court (subject to being hit and re-put out immediately upon returning to the court with both feet in-bounds).

3. A thrown dodgeball that is legally caught by a member of the opposing team after it has struck a member of the opposing team (teammate) but before it has struck an out-of-play area or the floor does NOT save the original player hit with the dodgeball (still out). Additionally, the thrower is NOT out.

4. A legal catch for an active, in-play player occurs when:
(1) the catcher begins the catching action entirely inbounds (entire body including both feet)
(2) catches a ball that has not yet deflected off of another player or out-of-bounds object
(3) the catcher remains inbounds throughout any movement which follows the catch and establishes a stationary position inbounds while still in possession of the ball (ball may not be tossed to another player).

5. A legal catch for an inactive, out-of-play player occurs when:
(1) the catcher begins the catching action entirely out of bounds (entire body including both feet)
(2) catches a ball that has not yet deflected off of another player or out-of-bounds object
(3) the catcher remains out of bounds throughout any movement which follows the catch and establishes a stationary position out of bounds while still in possession of the ball (ball may not be tossed to another player).

6. If a player begins a catch inbounds, catches the ball, but he/she subsequently steps on or over an out-of-bounds line, or falls out-of-play, the catch is nullified. The catcher is ruled OUT for stepping out of bounds. The catcher is OUT regardless and cannot return via the catch-and-return rule as they began the catch as an active player. The thrower is safe as this is not a legal catch. All in-play catches must be completed inbounds.

7. If a player is holding a ball or multiple balls and attempts to catch another thrown ball, the player must maintain possession of all balls including the thrown ball to complete a legal catch. If any of the balls are dropped, it is considered a dropped catch and the failed catcher is ruled out.

8. An out-of-bounds catch following a deflection does not save that player. Thus, the player that the ball deflected off of is still out. This is not a legal catch by an out-of-bounds player (deflected ball) and therefore does NOT constitute a catch-and-return.

9. Players may not lift or support their teammates in catching a thrown ball.

BALL RETRIEVAL

1. When there are no inactive players (those which have been put out) available for a team, active players on the court will be permitted to leave the court to retrieve dodgeballs.

2. When there is at least one (1) inactive player, active players will be PROHIBITED from leaving the court to retrieve dodgeballs. Inactive players will serve as ball retrievers at all times.

3. During the limited period when all starters are active, players who leave the court to retrieve a ball are not eligible to be put out. Players shall return to the court immediately once they have retrieved the ball. Excessive delays are prohibited.

4. Players may not go across the mid-court line (and the mid-court line extended out from the court) for any reason. All players, substitutes, and spectators for a team must remain on their side of the court at all times.  A player may reach across the mid-court line and grasp a ball, but may not touch the opposing team's side of the court with any part of their body during retrieval.

5. Under no circumstances may a spectator or substitute pick up a dodgeball or otherwise try to help retrieve a ball for their team. If anyone other than the active or inactive players of the respective teams (the 6 starters) involved in the game grabs a dodgeball or impedes the progress of a member of the opposing team in ball retrieval, that dodgeball immediately becomes forfeited to the opponent. Spectators should always make their best attempt to get out of the way of the thrown dodgeballs and allow easy access for the players to get to them to retrieve them.

6. If three (3) or more balls become unretrievable, play may be stopped and all dodgeballs retrieved and moved onto the court. Balls shall be distributed evenly among teams (an even number per team regardless of the number of players remaining for a team).

STALLING

1. If at any time, a team has all six (6) dodgeballs on its side of the court, it shall be required to roll or toss one ball to the opponent's side of the court. The roll shall be directed towards the (basketball) free throw lane area of the court and must be rolled or tossed with enough force to pass unaided over the end line.

2. Teams and players must be actively involved and engaged in the game, either by attempting to put out other players, shooting shots, or retrieving balls. Regardless of the number of balls in team possession, inactivity including excessive rolling or heaving of balls without the intent to put out an opponent is considered unsportsmanlike conduct and may result in the stoppage of play by a site supervisor and forfeiture of the match to the opponent.

3. Both teams may be charged with stalling simultaneously. Inactivity by both teams will result in forfeiture of the match.

PLAY FAIR OR GO HOME

Sportsmanship violations, cheating, and other blatant rule violations will not be tolerated.  The Intramural Sports staff (site supervisors or administrative staff) reserves the right to stop any match at any time and disqualify one or both teams for such violations. 

1. When a single team is facing disqualification, an instant appeal to the disqualified team’s opponent will occur when a single team is disqualified.  The match-site team captain of the opposing team may select to take the awarded victory or continue playing the match. 

2. When both teams are facing disqualification, the IM staff will meet with both team captains to determine if the match shall continue.

The match clock will continue to run during all disqualification proceedings and discussions.  There is no appeal of a double disqualification or any further appeal of a single disqualification (no postgame protest or office appeal).

VII. SPORTSMANSHIP

1. The mission of Intramural Sports is to provide a recreational environment for the University community which is safe and enjoyable. While the game atmosphere is often competitive, ensuring participant safety, providing a fun, social atmosphere, and promoting sportsmanlike behavior among participants, spectators, and team followers are our primary concerns. The game atmosphere should remain good-natured at all times. Participants shall maintain good sportsmanship throughout their participation in all facets of the intramural program.

2. The Sportsmanship Rating System is intended to be an objective scale by which teams' attitude and behavior can be assessed throughout the intramural sports league and playoff seasons. Behavior before, during, and after an intramural sports contest is included in the rating. The team captain is responsible for educating and informing all players and spectators affiliated with his/her team about the system.

3. A team is responsible for the actions of the individual team members and spectators related to it. Additionally, FSU Intramural Sports does not recognize the use of coaches. Only the team captain shall speak to the officials regarding administrative matters (protests, ejections, disqualifications, etc). Furthermore, the team captain's efforts in assisting officials/staff to calm difficult situations and to restrain troubled teammates are key to controlling team conduct.

4. Sportsmanship is vital to the conduct of every Intramural contest. In order to encourage proper conduct during games, officials, administrative personnel, and supervisors shall make decisions on whether to warn, penalize or eject players or teams for poor sportsmanship. These decisions are final. The Intramural Sports administrative staff will rule on further penalties as a result of unsportsmanlike conduct.

5. Each participant should choose his or her team members carefully, as all team members will suffer the consequences of any disciplinary action taken by the Intramural Sports staff against that team for violation of the intramural rules and sportsmanship guidelines. Protests or appeals of sportsmanship ratings will not be recognized. The Intramural Sports administrative staff reserves the right to review any rating given to a team.

6. Additional information regarding team and participant sportsmanship including the rating method, factors, and scale is available in the Sportsmanship section of the Intramural Sports Handbook, available online at the FSU Campus Recreation web site.