Dodgeball rules: how to play, get people out and win
By EggVerse · · 5 min read
In dodgeball, two teams stand on opposite halves of a court and throw balls at each other. Hit an opponent with a throw before the ball touches anything else and they are out. Catch a throw and the thrower is out, and one of your teammates comes back in. The team that gets every opponent out wins the game.
That is the whole idea. The details below are the ones most gym classes, rec leagues and backyard games share, but leagues write their own rulebooks, so check the house rules before the first whistle.
The court and the setup
- Teams: two even sides. Six a side is common, but anything from a handful upward works.
- Court: a rectangle split by a centre line. Each team must stay in its own half and inside the side lines.
- Balls: several soft foam or rubber balls, often five or six, lined up along the centre line.
- Start: both teams wait at their back line. Many groups also add an attack line a few steps from the centre.
The opening rush
On the whistle, both teams sprint for the balls on the centre line. In many leagues a ball grabbed during the rush has to be carried back behind the attack line before it can be thrown, so nobody gets hit point blank in the first second. Grab what you can reach and retreat; diving for the last ball is how people get hit.
When you are out, and when you are not
| What happens | Result |
|---|---|
| A thrown ball hits you before touching the floor or a wall | You are out |
| You catch a ball thrown at you | The thrower is out, and one of your benched teammates returns |
| You step over the centre line or out of bounds | You are out |
| You block a throw with a ball you are holding, and drop it | You are out |
| You block a throw with a ball you are holding, and keep it | You stay in |
| The ball bounces before it hits you | Not out: it is a dead ball |
| A throw hits you in the head | In many leagues it does not count, or the thrower is out instead |
Why catching matters so much
A catch is the biggest swing in the game: one throw costs the other team a player and gives yours one back. Teammates usually return in the order they went out, so the person who has waited longest on the bench comes back first. That is why good throwers aim low and fast at feet and hips, where a catch is hardest, and why a team down to its last player is never quite finished.
House rules you will meet
- A time limit: games are often timed, and the team with more players standing when time runs out wins.
- A holding limit: a team, or one player, must throw within a few seconds of picking up a ball, so nobody can stall.
- No catches: some school games drop catching, which makes the game faster and a lot less forgiving.
- Jail: in prison or jail dodgeball, out players stand behind the other team’s back line and can still throw at them from there.
- Medic: one player per team can tag teammates back in until that medic is hit.
Play dodgeball online: Dodge Yolk
No gym and no friends nearby? Dodge Yolk is free gym dodgeball on EggVerse for two to eight friends in a browser, or a solo 3v3 against bots. Players split into red and blue across the centre line of a wooden gym, and the rules will feel familiar.
- Throw: pick up a yolk ball on your own half, hold the throw button to charge and release to throw.
- Catch: press Catch just as a throw reaches you. The window is short, and it needs a couple of seconds to recharge, so you cannot just hold it.
- Catches count: the thrower goes to the bench, and your teammate who has been benched longest comes back.
- No stalling: hold a ball for six seconds and your egg throws it anyway.
- Bench help: benched eggs can roll a stranded ball on their side to a standing teammate.
- Rounds: each round lasts up to 60 seconds. Clear the other side to take it, or have more eggs standing when the clock runs out. First team to three rounds wins the best of five.
On a computer, move with WASD or the arrow keys, hold and release Space to throw and press Shift to catch. On a phone, use the joystick, hold Throw and drag to aim, and tap Catch.
Dodgeball questions
If you catch the ball in dodgeball, does someone come back in?
In most rules, yes. The thrower is out and the catcher’s team brings back one player, usually the one who went out first.
Does a ball that bounces count as a hit?
No. Once a ball touches the floor or a wall it is dead, and getting hit by it does not put you out.
Are head shots allowed in dodgeball?
Usually not. Many leagues ignore a head shot or put the thrower out instead, but check the rules where you play.
How many players do you need for dodgeball?
Two even teams of any size. Dodge Yolk works from two players online, splitting the room into red and blue.