Dodgeball
Encyclopedia
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
s in which players try to hit other players on the opposing team with balls while avoiding being hit themselves. This article is about a well-known form of team sport
Team sport
A team sport includes any sport which involves players working together towards a shared objective. A team sport is an activity in which a group of individuals, on the same team, work together to accomplish an ultimate goal which is usually to win. This can be done in a number of ways such as...
with modified rules that is often played in physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
classes and has been featured in a movie, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, commonly referred to as simply DodgeBall, is a 2004 American sports comedy film produced by 20th Century Fox and Red Hour Productions, written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and starring Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, and Rip Torn...
. In the United States, the game is typically played among children 6-12 in elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
. However, internationally, the sport has also emerged as a popular middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
, high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
sport. It is also popular in informal settings and is often played on a playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
, in a gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
, or in organized recreational leagues.
There are many variations of the game, but generally the main objective of each team is to eliminate all members of the opposing team by hitting them with thrown balls, catching a ball thrown by a member of the opposing team, or forcing them to move outside the court boundaries when a ball is thrown at them.
Players
Rules dictate both a minimum number of players needed to start the game and a maximum number of players allowed on the court at any one time. The minimum number of people per side is typically the same as the number starting the game. There is no universal limit on the amount of players allowed in a team/game; the person/people organizing the game choose the amount.After a player is eliminated, he may re-enter the match if another player on his team catches an opponent's thrown ball on the full (provided his team does not already have the maximum amount of players on the court). In some versions of dodgeball, where the game is played on a basketball court, if the ball is thrown into the opponent's basket or it is thrown and it hits the backboard on the full, everybody gets resurrected from the thrower's team. In some versions of the game, they make the players hit something else in order to revive the team. In some rule-sets, players must be resurrected in the order that they were defeated, but in others, the catching player may choose the player to resurrect.
Some leagues allow players that have been eliminated to assist their team by directing thrown balls back to the players on the court, while other leagues confine eliminated players to a designated area off the court and prohibit them from participating in the game until they are allowed back on the court.
England:
The current European Champions for the second successive year are England after winning the championships in Sweden. The official governing body of UK Dodgeball is the UKDBA. The sport is taking off massively around the UK featuring on BBC, ITV and recently in a dodgeball ad produced by Olympus featuring 6 of the England stars including Ryan Knight, Brett Koenig, James Cornwall and Ed Skinner.
Equipment
Any number of dodgeballs may be used in a game, but between five to ten is common. Exceptions are usually made if a court is particularly small or if many people participate.There is no standard worldwide measurement or material for a dodgeball;However, most dodgeballs are roughly the size of a volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
and composed of foam
Foam
-Definition:A foam is a substance that is formed by trapping gas in a liquid or solid in a divided form, i.e. by forming gas regions inside liquid regions, leading to different kinds of dispersed media...
with a thin plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
shell. Some dodgeballs are made of rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
. Some leagues allow the use of multiple sizes of dodgeballs in a single match, while others use one standard size for all balls.
Court
Basketball court
In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor with tiles at either end. In professional or organized basketball, especially when played indoors, it is usually made out of a wood, often maple, and highly polished...
, netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
court, gymnasium
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
, parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
, multiple tennis courts, fenced area or even an Australian Rules Football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
oval or soccer pitch. There is no fixed dodgeball court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
design. The game is picked on the best available surface that is usually one of the above mentioned. Unless it is a variation of dodgeball, the court must have a center line..
Uniform
The uniformUniform
A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces and schools and by inmates...
for playing dodgeball is usually physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
uniforms or short sleeve shirts, shorts and runners. Like the court, there is no fixed uniform. The players usually play in whatever clothing that they are wearing although they usually play in the clothing mentioned above.
Rules of play
When a player has been hit by a dodgeball on the full (i.e., without hitting the roof, the floor, any of the walls, or an outside object and rebounding off) and no one catches it before it becomes dead, that player has been eliminated and must move to his team's designated bench area (players are still out if the ball rebounds off another 8 *kalis the best* dodgeball and/or player and hits them on the full). The same rule applies if any number of people try to catch the ball but drop it. Depending on the rules and variation, "headshots" (balls thrown in dodgeball that hit an opposing player in the head) may either result in the thrower being out, or the person being hit being out.
If a player catches a ball thrown by the opposing team on the full, then the player who threw the ball is eliminated and the team that caught the ball can reinstate the player that has been out the longest (some variations increase the reinstatement limit). As long as the ball has been caught in any way and is held for two seconds, the thrower is out (i.e., even if the ball is caught between the legs, the thrower is still out). If a dodgeball hits an opposing player but gets caught by one of the hit player's teammates, the thrower is out, a player gets reinstated, and the player who got hit stays in. If the dodgeball game is played on a basketball court and a player throws the ball and it goes into the opposing basket and/or it hits the basketball backboard on the full, the whole team gets resurrected. (The ball is still counted to have hit the backboard or scored a basket on the full if it rebounded off another dodgeball or it was deflected into the backboard by an opposing player). If the ball hits the backboard supports and/or the ring but fails to hit the backboard or go into the hoop, there is no effect. Players cannot be caught out if the ball hits the backboard, backboard supports, and/or the ring.
Players can pick up dead balls and throw them back at the other team. Players are allowed to leave the confines of the court to gather balls that have rolled out of bounds, but cannot throw the ball until they are back inside the court. A ball thrown from outside the court cannot eliminate an opponent who is hit. It only succeeds in getting the thrower automatically eliminated. If that ball however is caught on the full, the opposition can reinstate the player that has been out the longest from their team. A player who moves completely out of bounds when a ball is thrown at them and does not catch that ball is also eliminated. If a player moves into the opponent's zone or picks up a ball from inside the opponent's zone without it fully rolling inside their zone, that player is out. Players can also get eliminated if their throw hits an opponent on the head, displays bad sportsmanship, or cheats. Kicking the balls is prohibited.
Depending on the rules of a particular game, a ball in the possession of a player can be used to block incoming balls thrown by the opposing team.
Once all the players on one team are eliminated, the game ends.
In popular culture
In literature, dodgeball in which smaller or weaker children are forced to play against older and stronger children is sometimes depicted as licensed bullying for the amusement of cruel gym teachers. Other writers retain better memories of it.- In the Babymouse series' 2nd book Babymouse: Our Hero, Babymouse plays dodgeball; she fails as a kindergartener but defeats her nemesis in the game when older. Dodgeball has made appearances in other books such as Babymouse: Heartbreaker & Babymouse: The Musical.
- The 2004 movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog StoryDodgeball: A True Underdog StoryDodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, commonly referred to as simply DodgeBall, is a 2004 American sports comedy film produced by 20th Century Fox and Red Hour Productions, written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and starring Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, and Rip Torn...
is generally credited with reviving interest in the sport, especially among young adults, despite referencing the sport as being about "violence, exclusion and degradation". - The South ParkSouth ParkSouth Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
episode "Conjoined Fetus LadyConjoined Fetus Lady"Conjoined Fetus Lady" is the fifth episode of the second season of the animated television series South Park, and the 18th episode of the series overall. "Conjoined Fetus Lady" originally aired in the United States on June 3, 1998 on Comedy Central....
" and Season 1 of Freaks and GeeksFreaks and GeeksFreaks and Geeks is an American teen comedy-drama television series, created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow, that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season...
depict dodgeball as a potentially violent sport. - In The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "My Fair LaddyMy Fair Laddy"My Fair Laddy" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons seventeenth season. It first aired on February 26, 2006. This is the first episode that centers around Groundskeeper Willie. The title and the plot is based on the Broadway musical and film My Fair Lady.-Plot:When Mrs...
", the new gym teacher Coach Krupt has the students play "Bombardment", a variant of dodgeball where Krupt throws balls at students while screaming "Bombardment". - In TV sitcom According to JimAccording to JimAccording to Jim is an American sitcom television series starring Jim Belushi in the title role as a suburban father of three children. It originally ran on ABC from October 3, 2001 to June 2, 2009.-Synopsis:Jim is an abrasive but lovable suburban father...
, Jim, the main character, while a kid, hits Pierson with a dodgeball during a game. Pierson calls for a timeout, but Jim argues that dodgeball does not have timeouts. Pierson never forgives Jim for that hit even after 30 years, when he becomes a vicar. - In the movie Chicken LittleChicken Little (2005 film)Chicken Little is a 2005 computer-animated science fiction family comedy film loosely based on the fable The Sky Is Falling. It was the 46th animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation...
during gym class, the little animals appear to be playing dodgeball. - The TV show Warehouse 13Warehouse 13Warehouse 13 is an American fantasy television series that premiered on July 7, 2009 on the Syfy network.Executive-produced by Jack Kenny and David Simkins, the dramatic comedy from Universal Media Studios has been described as borrowing much from 1980s television series Friday the 13th: The...
featured a Baylor Dodgeball, stored in the Warehouse for causing the deaths of 5 military cadets during training. It can launch itself at high speeds and multiplies upon contact. Reverts to a single ball if one is caught. - In the game BullyBully (video game)Bully, also known as Canis Canem Edit for the PAL PlayStation 2 version, is an open world video game released by Rockstar Vancouver for the PlayStation 2 on 17 October 2006 in North America, and 25 October 2006 in the United Kingdom...
at sportive hours in gym. - In the Total Drama IslandTotal Drama IslandTotal Drama Island is a Canadian animated television series which lampoons the conventions commonly found in reality shows. The show and its sequel seasons are collectively referred to as the Total Drama series. It premiered on the Canadian cable television specialty channel Teletoon on July 8, 2007...
episode "Dodgebrawl", the campers compete in a game of dodgeball. - In the series Ed, Edd n EddyEd, Edd n EddyEd, Edd n Eddy is an original animated television series created by Danny Antonucci and produced by Canadian-based a.k.a. Cartoon. It premiered on Cartoon Network on January 4, 1999. Ed, Edd n Eddy was one of Cartoon Network's longest running and most successful franchises and the longest-running...
, the character Edd never removes his hat from his head due to what he calls the "dodgeball incident." - In the 2006 movie Jackass: Number TwoJackass: Number TwoJackass Number Two is a 2006 American comedy film. It is the sequel to Jackass: The Movie , both based upon the MTV series Jackass. Like its predecessor and the original TV show, the film is a compilation of stunts, pranks and skits...
, one of the skits involves playing dodgeball both in the dark and using medicine balls rather than traditional dodgeballs. - In the Discovery Channel series Wreckreation NationWreckreation NationWreckreation Nation, a production of True Entertainment, is a travel/reality television show on the Discovery Channel, highlighting unusual recreational activities and amateur competitions across the United States. It is hosted by Dave Mordal....
, host Dave Mordal competes in a WASA Dodgeball tournament in Denver, Colorado. - In GreekGreek (TV series)Greek is an American comedy-drama television series, which follows students of the fictional Cyprus-Rhodes University , located in Ohio, who participate in the school's Greek system...
, the ZBZs take on the IKIs in an all-girl match, resulting in a winning blow by Jordan to Frannie. - In Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters, Percy and his friend Tyson must play a dodgeball game to the death against cannibal giants who want to eat him.
- The film Mr. Magorium's Wonder EmporiumMr. Magorium's Wonder EmporiumMr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is a 2007 film written and directed by Zach Helm. The film stars Dustin Hoffman as the owner of a magical toy store, and Natalie Portman as his store employee.-Plot:...
has a magical closet with a knob that turns to change rooms like the room of balls, where the three boys are amazed to see. It has every kind of ball including the redRedRed is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
giganticGigantismGigantism, also known as giantism , is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average...
dodgeball standing as a curious boy named Jason (played by Isaac DurnfordIsaac DurnfordIsaac Durnford is a young Canadian actor, best known for his role as Cory Schluter in the Canadian TV series Dino Dan.-Filmography:-External links:*...
) opens the curtainCurtainA curtain is a piece of cloth intended to block or obscure light, or drafts, or water in the case of a shower curtain. Curtains hung over a doorway are known as portières...
s by pulling the elegant ropeRopeA rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
. The ball bigger than him has the black letter "MMM is the thirteenth letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.-History:The letter M is derived from the Phoenician Mem, via the Greek Mu . Semitic Mem probably originally pictured water...
" (which stands for Magorium) on it and when he touches it with his pointing fingertip, it rolls amongst him and when the door is sealed, he gets squished by the ball he touched. Mr. Edward Magorium opens the door and describes the giant ball as "impossible to dodge". - In Episode S1E2 of Dexter's LaboratoryDexter's LaboratoryDexter's Laboratory is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky and produced by Cartoon Network Studios . The show is about a boy named Dexter who has an enormous secret laboratory filled with an endless collection of his inventions...
, the protagonist is forced to play dodgeball in P.E.Physical educationPhysical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
, resulting in him being bullied in the process. He eventually takes revenge on his bullies with the help of a freshly invented Powered exoskeletonPowered exoskeletonA powered exoskeleton, also known as powered armor, or exoframe, is a powered mobile machine consisting primarily of an exoskeleton-like framework worn by a person and a power supply that supplies at least part of the activation-energy for limb movement.Powered exoskeletons are designed to assist...
, dodgeball-style. - In episode 'Letters' of M*A*S*H (season 9, episode 2), the doctors receive letters from school children asking various questions. One child says she would be rather playing dodgeball, but her teacher is making her write the letter.
- In the TV show 'GleeGlee (TV series)Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
', this game becomes an important part of the character Kurt's campaign. He describes it a "modern day stoning."
In addition, the dangerous nature and associated risks of dodgeball have resulted in controversies, lawsuits, and calls to eliminate the game from school physical education programs.
World records
- The largest game of dodgeball was played by 4,488 participants. It was organized by the University of California, IrvineUniversity of California, IrvineThe University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
on September 21, 2011. - The longest game of dodgeball was played on April 5–6, 2011 at the Washington Avenue ArmoryWashington Avenue ArmoryThe Washington Avenue Armory, officially known as the Washington Avenue Armory Sports and Convention Arena and listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Washington Avenue Armory, is now a multi-purpose arena in Albany, New York. It was the home of the Albany Legends of the...
in Albany, New YorkAlbany, New YorkAlbany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
by the teams Hometown Dodgeball and Albany Dodgeball. The game lasted for 31 hr 11 min 13 sec.
Japanese version
Similar in concept, Japanese dodgeball have rules not found in other variations of rule sets. For example, the number of steps a player can take after receiving the ball is limited. Only one ball is played. The type of ball used is also different from the type commonly used in North America.Usage in American vernacular
In some American idioms, the act of avoiding something or someone mildly unpleasant can be referred to as 'playing dodgeball.' Additionally, in a variant of the same concept, the term "dodgeball" is sometimes used to describe a situation in which an individual is caught between two untenable positions, in a reference to the version of the game in which players from the same team can surround opposing players from two opposite sides.See also
- Ga-gaGa-gaGa-ga is a form of dodgeball.Ga-ga can be a large group of people playing individually, a group of people working as a team against another team, or even one-on-one matches....
- PrisonballPrisonballPrisonball Prisonball Prisonball (also known as Prison Dodgeball, Nationball, Battleball, Jail Ball, Jailbreak, Greek Dodgeball, German Dodgeball, Teamball, Crossfire,Warball, Swedish Dodgeball, Dungeon Dodge;Trench, King's Court in Canada, Queimada or Queimado in Brazil, Heaven in New Zealand,...
- U.S. intercollegiate dodgeball champions
External links
- Dodgeball Nation Information on Dodgeball event and leagues from around the world.
- National Dodgeball League, directions for member clubs, and leagues in the United States.
- National Amateur Dodgeball Association
- National College Dodgeball Association
- International Dodge Ball Federation
- UK Dodge Ball Association
- San Diego Dodgeball Leagues