Outdoor Games
How to play Dodgeball
Eliminate all six opponents with live throws and catches to win a set. Set wins, rather than total players hit, determine the match score.
What you need
Six approved foam balls, marked court, clocks, officials, and designated ball-retriever/queue areas
Set up the game
- Use six active players per side and an 18×9-meter court for adult men/mixed; women’s back lines shorten the playing length. Mark activation lines three meters back from center.
- Put six balls on center and players at their own back line. On the start signal each side may rush the three balls to its right. Bring rush balls fully behind your own activation line before throwing them.
Playing Dodgeball
- Throw rather than kick or spike. A live throw hitting a player can eliminate them when the ball becomes dead, but a valid teammate catch can change the outcome. Floor, walls and other dead objects end the live flight.
- A valid catch eliminates the thrower and returns the first eligible teammate in the out queue. Returning players re-enter from the back. Stay in your own fair territory; boundary contact can put you out.
- Block with a held ball during ordinary play. Losing control of that blocking ball puts you out; a blocked thrown ball remains live and can still hit or be caught.
- The team assigned burden must make a valid attempt within ten seconds. More balls takes burden first, then more live players, then the applicable last-throw/score tie-breaks in Rule 15.
- Eliminate every opponent for one set point. Adult halves last 20 minutes; timed sets transition to no-blocking after three minutes if undecided. Finish the active set when a half expires. More set points wins; use the rulebook’s tie-breaking set if tied.
A block is not the end of the ball
A live throw strikes Jo’s held ball, rebounds and touches teammate Kim before falling. The initial block did not make the thrown ball dead. Kim cannot ignore the contact as a harmless rebound. If a live teammate catches it before it becomes dead, resolve the catch; otherwise resolve the hit under the full sequence rules.
Use the full rules for close sequences
The short education sheet compresses activation and live-ball wording; this guide follows the full rulebook when they differ. Simultaneous last-player eliminations use the wash resolution instead of awarding both sides a point. For an informal session, announce any shorter match or no-head-shot adaptation before play; those are local modifications.
Beginner decisions
- Coordinate attacks so teammates know which opponent is targeted. Throwing every ball independently can leave the whole side unarmed together.
- Notice where the out queue begins. A catch can change a two-versus-one position immediately, so communicate the re-entry rather than assuming the catcher only saved themselves.
Common rule mix-ups
- Using cloth neutral-zone rules in foam.
- Treating an unactivated rush throw as a legal hit or catch opportunity.
Questions about this game
Are head shots automatically harmless?
Do not assume that. Dangerous throwing can be sanctioned; youth and local rules may have additional restrictions.
What changes in no-blocking?
A held ball is treated as part of your body for a live hit. A subsequent valid catch can still save the play.
Sources and edition notes
WDBF adult foam 2026, introductory overview of the May 2026 full rules. School, cloth and simplified playground variants differ.
Sources and stated format checked October 14, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
- WDBF: full Foam Rules 2026
- WDBF: adult foam quick-start sheet; consult full rules for activation details