Dodgeball Tournament Rules
Any rule and situation not specifically covered are subject to the current National Amateur Dodgeball Association’s (NADA) Rules Book and the judgement and discretion of the Competitive Sports staff.
All rules are subject to change at the discretion of the Competitive Sports Office, and the Competitive Sports Office has the final decision on all situations covered and not covered by the rules. When there is a conflict between the SIU IM Dodgeball Rules and NADA Rules, the SIU IM Dodgeball Rules shall take precedence.
Rule 1: Player Eligibility & Registration
Player Eligibility Currently enrolled Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) students as well as Recreational Sport and Services (RSS) members who have purchased a semester or annual membership may participate in intramural activities. Prior to each contest and event, participants must present a valid SIUC or RSS ID Card. Players can compete for only one open league team and one co-recreational team. Once he or she signs in for one team, that player cannot transfer to another team for the duration of the tournament. Current professional athletes are prohibited from playing in their sport or related sport. Former professional athletes cannot participate in their sport or related sport for a period of three calendar years (1,095 days) after their professional career has officially ended. The Coordinator of Competitive Sports shall make the final decision on eligibility issues. Registration Teams should register on the SIUC IMLEAGUES site by the posted deadline. The team captain must pay the forfeit deposit by the regularly scheduled captains’ meeting.
Rule 2: Tournament Format & Team Composition
Tournament Divisions Open Co-Recreational Tournament Format The tournament shall be a two week event. o The timeline may change due to the number of registered teams. The number of registered teams shall determine the tournament elimination format. Match Format Each match shall be best two-out-of-three games. The first team to win two games shall be the winner. Team Composition Each team will have four players on the court at one time, and a minimum of three players are required to start the game.
Rule 3: Defaults, Forfeits, Grace Periods, & Protests
Defaults A default is an unplayed game without penalty (e.g. being assessed a fee). To receive a default, the team captain or representative must notify the Competitive Sports Office by 4:00 PM on the day of the contest. Forfeits A forfeit is defined as one of the following: o Failing to field a team for a contest without contacting the Competitive Sports Office. o Receiving three or more conduct penalties before, during, and after a contest. o Having ineligible players participate during a contest Upheld forfeits will result in loss of the forfeit deposit, and the monies will be deposited into the Competitive Sport account. Grace Period If at least one team member has signed in at game time, the team will be granted a five-minute grace period and shall forfeit the first game. Once a team reaches the minimum number of players to start the game, the second game shall start immediately. o A team may not wait for additional players once the minimum number of players has been reached. If the team has not reached the minimum number of players by the end of the grace period, the match shall be declared a forfeit. Protests Protests regarding the judgement of the game officials will not be recognized. During the contest, team captains may protest the misinterpretation or the misapplication of a rule. The protest must be submitted immediately during a live ball or before the ball becomes live. When protesting player eligibility, the protest must be submitted before the start of the contest. Protests made after the start or end of the game will be not recognized.
Rule 4: Playing Area & Equipment
Playing Area All games will be played in Student Recreation Center. Each court shall be divided by a centerline. Teams must occupy their half of the court during the contest.
Game Balls The Competitive Sports Office shall provide the dodgeballs for competition. Clothing & Equipment All attire and equipment is subject to the approval of Competitive Sports staff. Competitive Sports staff reserves the right to ask participants to remove or conceal clothing that, in the opinion of Competitive Sports staff, displays offensive or demeaning language or imagery. The Competitive Sports Office strongly recommends that players wear loose fitting clothing that allows freedom of movement and remove any items or clothing that may pose a danger to players on the court. Non-athletic clothing including but not limited to jeans, dress pants, dresses, and khakis is prohibited. Footwear o Players are required to wear athletic shoes (e.g. basketball shoes, running shoes, tennis shoes). o Footwear including but not limited to boots, cleats, open-toed shoes, crocks, and sandals is strictly prohibited. Jewelry o Religious or medical jewelry is permitted and must be taped down against the body. o All other jewelry is prohibited and must be removed prior to the contest. Headwear o Players may wear knit or stocking caps, headbands, and hair control devices made with soft and non-abrasive material. o Headwear including but not limited to baseball caps, bandanas with knots, hard plastic hair devices, bobby pins, and safety pins is strictly prohibited. Pads/Braces o Leg & knee braces covered with soft, pliable material and free of any sharp edges are allowed. o Compression sleeves and wrist sweatbands are permitted above the waist. o Casts and other equipment made of hard, unyielding materials may not be worn above the waist. Blood o Participants that are bleeding, have an open wound, and/or have an excessive amount of blood on the uniform will directed to leave the game. The bleeding must be stopped, the open wound must be covered, and/or the bloody uniform must be changed before the player can return to the game.
Rule 5: Timing
Game Length Each match has a time limit of fifteen minutes (15:00). Each game shall have a time limit of five minutes (5:00). The intermission between each game shall be one minute (1:00) in length. Determining the Winner If neither team has been completely eliminated at the end of the five (5:00) minute time limit, the team with the higher number of remaining players will be declared the winner. Extra Period In the case of an equal number of players remaining after the first two games, a one-minute (1:00) sudden-death period will be played. The first team to lose a player loses the game. In the case of an equal number of players remaining after the third game, a one-on-one sudden death duel will be played. o A team shall pick a player for each duel. o The player must remain within the duel zone on his or her half of the court. . A player’s duel zone is the area of the court bounded by the attack line, neutral zone, and sidelines. o The first player to strike his or her opponent with a legal shot shall be declared the winner. Timeouts There are no team timeouts. The court official may declare a timeout for an injury or other reasons.
Rule 6: Playing Rules
Playing the Game Opening Rush o Six dodgeballs will be placed on the centerline. o Players will start behinds their team’s endline. o The Court Official will verbally count down and blow his whistle to start the contest. o The players may dash to the line and retrieve a ball. The retrieved ball must cross of the plane of the attack line before a player can attempt to hit an opponent. o Players may not dive or slide when attempting to retrieve a ball. Objective o The objective is to eliminate all members of the opposing team. Live Ball vs. Dead Ball o Live Ball . A live ball is a ball that has been thrown and has not touched anything, including the floor, walls, the Court Official, or an item outside of the playing court. . A deflected ball is still considered live until it is declared dead by rule. o Dead Ball . A throw ball is dead when it has contacted the floor, the walls, the Court Officials, or any item outside of the playing court. . Balls thrown after a timeout are considered dead. Out of Bounds o Thrown balls that enter out of play areas (e.g. team benches and spectator area) shall be declared dead immediately and given to the nearest team.
OUT o A Player is OUT when . He or she is struck by a live thrown ball that contacts him or her below the shoulders. . A live ball thrown by that player is caught by an opponent before becoming dead. The thrower is OUT, and everyone hit by the thrown ball remains in the game. A teammate may reenter the game per catch. . He or she steps over the midcourt line. . He or she is struck by a ball that was deflected by another ball that was either in the air or being held by a teammate or opponent. . He or she attempts to deflect a thrown ball with a held ball and drops the ball. o Exceptions . A player that is stuck by a teammate’s throw is not OUT. However, if an opponent legally catches the thrown ball, the throwing player is OUT. . A player cannot intentionally catch the thrown ball of a teammate. Play shall continue. Headshots o Illegal headshot . A thrown ball hits a standing player in the head or neck. The thrower shall be OUT. o Legal headshot . A thrown ball hits a player in the head who is prone, bending, or ducking. . A player may not move his or her head into the path of the thrown ball. . The struck player is OUT, and the thrower remains in the game. Stalling/Delay of Game o When one team controls all six balls, that team has five seconds to throw a ball toward the opponent’s court. If the team fails to throw a ball within five seconds, the court official shall call a timeout, and the team must roll all balls to the opponent. o When both teams are stalling or delaying the game, the court official will declare a reset. Reset o When the court official declares a reset, all balls shall be return to the centerline. All remaining players shall touch the back wall, and the court officials shall signal a rush. Cards & Penalties o Yellow Card . Three yellow cards issued to a single team will result in forfeiture of the contest. . A single participant can only earn two yellow cards towards the team’s totals. . A yellow card shall be issued for behavior including but not limited to the following: Entering or leaving the court without permission from the Court Official Foul or abusive language directed at another player or Competitive Sports staff Failing to follow the requests of Competitive Sports staff Unsportspersonlike conduct o Red Card . A player receiving a red card shall be ejected and must exit the gym immediately. . Ejected players cannot return to play until he/she has been cleared for participation by a professional Intramural staff member. . A red card shall be issued for behavior including but not limited to the following: Two yellow cards Foul or abusive language directed at another player, an official, or IM staff Attempting to kick or strike an opponent, official, or IM staff Threatening another an opponent, team, official, or IM Staff