List of dodgeball variations

A subcategory of Defender, these games are which the object defended is a person, where if the person (called the VIP) is tagged, the defending team is out.

Annihilation

Annihilation or Limo is a free for all game played by a medium sized (6-15) group of players, usually inside of a closed area such as a gym. Play begins with each player standing against either one of the two walls furthest from the center of the area. Each player must have one hand touching the wall when play begins. All the balls are placed along the middle dividing line of the area. Once play begins, the rules are mostly straight forward: You are 'out' if you (or a ball you are carrying) are hit by an opponent's ball anywhere below the neck; You are 'out' if you are hit in the head only if your head was below its usual height (ex. crouching); You may carry as many balls as you like; While carrying a ball(s), you must throw or drop at least one ball for every three steps you take; If an opponent catches a ball that you threw before it rebounds off of any wall or ground, you are out; If you are hit by a ball which an opponent catches before it touches a wall or the ground, only the original thrower is 'out'; Once you are 'out' you must drop all balls you are carrying, raise your hands above your head to signify that you are 'out', proceed directly to any one of the four walls, and keep at least one hand against the wall for the duration that you are 'out'; When the opponent who got you 'out' gets 'out', you are back 'in' play (Ex. Jackie hits Bobby with a ball. Bobby is now 'out'. Jackie hits Miranda with a ball. Miranda is 'out'. Freddie hits Jackie with a ball. Jackie is now 'out', and both Bobby and Miranda are back 'in'). Once you are back 'in' you must remove your hand from the wall, but you do not need to signify that you are 'in' again in any other manner. Play continues until only one player is left 'in' (thereby having eliminated every other player consecutively without him/herself being eliminated). This variation is very fast paced, and requires a lot of attention be paid to who has gotten who 'out'. The game is playable with any sized group, but the game time increases dramatically as more players are introduced. A 'sudden' death mode is optional, where after some designated point (ex. 15 minutes of game time) all players are permanently 'out' the next time they are hit (Note: players who are 'out' when sudden death is declared are allowed to return 'in' to the game one last time, in the regular fashion). A ball is considered legally thrown as long as at the point in time it was thrown, the thrower was 'in'. This leads to the occasional situation where two players hit each other 'out' at the same time. In this case, both players are still 'in', but they are required to drop all carried balls, and they are not allowed to pick up or throw any ball until they have touched a wall with at least one hand. During this time, they may still be hit 'out' by other players.

Army Dodge Ball

Army Dodge Ball involves no true teams but is more of a free for all. Players who are hit in the legs or arms lose the use of that limb. If they are hit in the head or torso they are out. If they catch a ball thrown by another player he is not out but they regain one of their "missing" limbs. The last player standing wins.

Ball Tag

Ball Tag, less commonly Brandy, is generally played with a tennis ball. It is similar in most ways to tag (game), except that the person who is "it" uses a ball to tag other players.

Barrier Dodgeball

Barrier Dodgeball is similar to Prison Ball. In Barrier Dodgeball, multiple barriers are set up on each side of the area you are playing in (preferably a large gym that is capable of being divided in half with a partition). Often, the partition is broken apart or pulled out partially for a twist. In this version to start the game balls are evenly distributed to both teams. A referee signals the start. When a person is hit, like Prison Dodgeball, they are sent to the back of the opposing team's side, and can escape if they catch a ball out of the air, and hit the other team from behind. The game ends when one teams` players have all been sent to prison.

Basketball Dodgeball

Basketball Dodgeball is played on a basketball court, with two teams. One team is on each side of the half court line. If they cross this line they are out. Regular dodgeball rules apply in that if you are hit you are out and if they catch a ball you threw you are out. People on your team are only allowed back in if a ball hits the backboard on the opposing team's side. This happens one person per one hit. If a basket is made then everyone who is out on the team who made the basket gets to come back in. The game is over when every one on one team is out or when you get down to 1 or 2 players.

Basketball Dodgeball could also be easily translated into using basketballs as the dodgeballs.

Battleship Dodgeball

Battleship Dodgeball is unique in that you are not actually trying to sink the other team's ships. It is played in teams so that all of one team's ships are on one side and the others` on the opposite. The ships consist of a mat, which is large enough to fit about 5 people, with 4 pins placed at each corner of the mat. To sink a ship, the opposing team must throw balls and knock over all four of the pins on one of the other team's ships. However, only one person on each ship "crew" may step off the ship, and when he does, he may not throw any balls, and may only collect balls for his ship to use. All other crew members must stay on the ship at all times, and throw balls at the other team's ships. The game is won when one team sinks all of the opponent's ships, or if there is a time limit, the team with the most pins up at the end of the limit they Lose.

Benchball

Benchball is usually played inside a gymnastics area and is popular in British schools. The idea is to throw one of usually three balls to an end zone, where the keeper has to catch the ball (standing on a bench). However, the opposing team's court is located in between yours and can intercept the ball. If the keeper catches the ball, the player who threw the ball joins the keeper on the bench. The object of the game is to have all your players on your bench before the opposition. There is also another way of playing benchball. It's set up the same way but the keeper must try and catch the ball and hit the other team with it. If they are successful the person who is hit must join their teams keeper on the bench. The team that still has members off the bench wins.

Between Two Fires (Belgium)

Between two fires, mostly played in Belgium, similar to prisonball. The game is played with two teams each in their own zone except one, the captain in the zone behind the opposing team, called the captain zone. It's played mostly only with one ball, the aim is to kill the captain. However the captain doesn't come into play before only two members of his team are left over. They have the job to protect him, a difficult situation since this mostly happens at the end of the game and players played out have to go to the captain zone and may play out players from there. They can't be released however. The "dead" players can only play behind the field not at the side of the field. Any ball going over the last line goes towards the "dead" players or the captain. Balls going over the sideline are for the team where the ball went over, except when somebody pushed the ball over the sideline than the ball goes to the captain zone. A player is only out if he is hit directly with a ball and the ball bounces on the floor. Another player can save him by catching the ball thus. You are also out for going in the opponent's territory (not the captain zone). Mostly the captain has two lives, or three if the team numbers would be uneven. Played in Denmark under the name 'høvdingebold', but with the same or very similar rules (eg. the captain will go to the teams home zone only when one regular player is left)

Bombardment

Bombardment is a game played with two teams and five balls on an inside gymnasium divided into three roughly equal zones. Each team can roam freely in their own zone, or in the central no-man's land that divides their zones. If you're hit with a ball you're out, if you catch a ball the teammate who's been out longest returns to the game. Deflecting a ball with a ball that a player is holding is allowed.

Bombardment is played with two teams each with a pin and balls. The objective is to knock over the opposing team's pin or eliminate all players on the other team. Players can get out by getting hit, however it must be below the waist. Also if a ball is thrown and a player catches it, the player who threw it is out. There are several variations such as if the game is played in a gym. If a player hits the basketball hoop's backboard then that team frees all eliminated players, (this only applies if there is one player left on team). The game is also sometimes played with two pins per team and variations of this game are also known as Pin Guard or Battle Ball. Another variation changes the purpose of the pin, in this variation it restores all the members of the opposing team.

Capture the Flag

A variation of Trench is Capture the Flag, which is played the same way as Trench except that each team has 8-10 flags in the back of their court (usually on the dividing line between the trench and the team's field of play). A player can attempt to steal an opposing team's flag by running across the center line, retrieving it, and returning it back to a bucket in the back of their court. While on the enemy side, a player can be eliminated only by being tagged. If a player is tagged or eliminated on his side by a ball, he must immediately drop the flag, which can either be picked up by another teammate or returned to its starting position by a member of the enemy team. No more than one flag can be picked up by a single person in one run. A team wins by either eliminating the other team or capturing all of the flags. Terminator is another variation on Capture the Flag, not a true dodge ball sport in the case that its goal is getting the opponent's flag to your side of the field. The teams get a few minutes to put out barriers on their side, and then hide the flag(a colored string) so that it’s visible from at least one direction, so that teams can’t completely hide the flag. The balls are then placed on the middle of the basket court or wherever the game is played. If you are hit in any way by a ball, then you’re out for 5 minutes. In some versions of capture the flag games, balls are not used, so it cannot be considered dodgeball.

Commando Ball

Commando Ball or Special Forces Ball is a version of dodgeball where two to four forts (usually these forts are exercising mats) are set up on two sides. The two teams have "Commandos" who are allowed to cross the line like real commandos and wreak havoc on the other side by throwing balls on the backs of the other team and knock down the forts. Agent Ball is almost like Commando ball except the commandos are agents who cross the line and pretend to be on the other team but wreak havoc while pretending.

Dodgebarrage

This variation consists of three to four teams of a maximum of ten people and is played in a gymnasium. Like Barrier Dodgeball, each team sets up a set of exercise mats to form walls or barriers for their corner of the gym which remain in place until the game begins, after which can be moved freely. Teams are allowed to form, break and fake alliances with one or two of the other teams in play. Most regular dodgeball rules apply throughout the game except that all players may roam freely throughout the gym. The objective of the game is to eliminate the opposing teams by getting their players out one at a time. Eliminated players sit out on the sidelines and cannot return to regular game play. The team with at least one member remaining in the game wins. This game is normally played in several rounds, allowing each team the opportunity to win, the overall winning team being the one with the highest amount of rounds won.

Dr. Dodgeball

Dr. Dodgeball ( Dr. Dodge or "Doctor Doctor," but most commonly referred to as "Hospital") involves a leader in each team who tries to avoid getting hit. When players are hit, they fall on the ground and wait for their teams "Dr. Dodgeball" to come and save them. When the Dr. saves the fallen players, they can get up and play again. The game ends when one team is entirely eliminated, which would happen a lot quicker if a team loses their "doctor". Another variation of the game ends as soon as the doctor is hit. Therefore, it is key for a team to pay attention in order to figure out who the enemy doctor is. Some teams employ a "fake doctor" strategy to throw the opposing team off-guard as to who the doctor actually is, but in some games the doctors are known to both teams before hand. One variant's rules are altered so that when the doctor is killed, a new player becomes the doctor. Another variation is King's Court, which also involves a leader. If the leader is hit, the game is over. Sometimes used in conjunction with pins.

Dynasty/Loop de loop

Dynasty is much like normal dodgeball. The only difference is how the game ends and the lack of the ability to block incoming throws with another ball. "Ball is body" means that if a ball is thrown and hits the ball you are currently holding, it is as if the ball had hit any other part of your body and you are out. If a player is "out," so to speak, the player does not leave the game. Instead, the player simply joins the other team. This continues until all the players are on one side and thus deemed a dynasty. Restricting the amount of space in relation to the amount of players left on the losing side may aid in making the game more interesting.

Extreme Dodgeball

Extreme Dodgeball is a variation of the game played in very tight quarters, usually a netted area no-larger than 8 by 14 feet and sometimes even smaller. Each team consists of only 1 or 2 players, but with a 4 or even a full 6 balls in front of them. Because of the speed of the game, most times players get two lives. In addition, a referee is also kept in the center to rule when someone is hit.

Free For All

In Free for All (sometimes called Terminator or Survivor) there are no teams, and no boundaries. 2 or 3 balls are thrown in and anyone can run anywhere, trying to avoid getting hit. Once you get a ball, typically you cannot move (or in some cases, can take only a few steps). When it is down to only a few players, this rule generally does not apply. The last one standing wins. Sometimes, players might form "alliances" (which is where Survivor might come from) in which 2 or more players agree to not hit each other unless they are the only ones left. This strategy would allow them to roll the ball to each other in order to get a clear shot at someone else and also narrows down the number of enemies they must watch out for.

Ga-ga

Main article: Ga-ga

Ga-ga or GaGa is a form of dodgeball which is played within an octagonal enclosure when available, or in any other space that is completely enclosed by walls. The objective of the game is to eliminate one's opponents by hitting the ball with either an open hand or closed fist into the region at or below his or her knees. That player is then out and must leave the playing area. A player can also be eliminated by having his or her ball caught in the air. Touching the ball twice consecutively without the ball touching another player or the wall is grounds for elimination unless that player is attempting to catch the ball. Carrying, throwing, or catching the ball after a bounce also results in elimination. Hitting the ball out of bounds is grounds for elimination unless it is as the result of a defensive deflection. Pushing a player into the ball and any other physical contact is also a violation. This and other matters of dispute are settled by the game's judges. There is only one ball in play at a time in ga-ga. The game is started either by placing the ball in the center of the octagon with each of the players touching the wall, or by bouncing the ball and repeating the word "ga" each time the ball touches the floor. After three bounces the ball is in play and the players may leave the wall. Any player touching the ball or leaving the wall before the third bounce is considered out. This is also the procedure for resuming the game after a stoppage of play. Stoppages of play result from the ball being hit out of bounds or the ball being caught. A player being hit at or below his or her knees is not grounds for a stoppage of play. The winner is the last player left in the playing area. The game can be played with a large group of people playing for themselves, in teams, or one on one.

German Dodgeball

German Dodgeball is a free-for-all game with no boundaries. The ball cannot be carried, but must be bounced off a wall and caught. When a player is hit, he or she leaves the court and his or her victims return to the game. A variation on this is a game termed "Wall Ball"; if someone fails to catch the ball (after an attempt to catch it and touches it without the result of a catch) then they must endeavour to get to the wall before another player strikes them with the ball. More often than not the ball is thrown as hard as possible for incentive. If one is struck before getting to the wall then they are out. The winner is the last man standing.

Jail Ball

See prison ball.

Killer Dodge ball

Killer Dodge ball is usually played inside a padded area such as a wrestling room or a gymnastics area. It is every man for himself except if you make alliances, the rules are different from normal dodge ball games. If you have a ball then you can not move or block. If you are hit anywhere, you are out. If you catch it, the person who threw it is still in. You win if you are the last one standing which usually takes a long time.

Last Man Standing

Last Man Standing is played with as many people as you want, preferably a large group, on two sides. Each player has two lives. They lose a life by getting hit, or if their ball is caught. If one side becomes lop sided you can send players at random to the smaller side. Catching a ball does not give you any extra lives, and once your two lives are gone you are done for the game. The game is won when all are out but the Last Man Standing.

Last One Standing

Last One Standing is played with snowballs, with two sides. It is a Swiss Snowball fight. Each player has three lives. See also Last one standing - Swiss Snowball Association and World Snowball Union

Marathon Ball

Marathon Ball is a version where all dodgeball rules apply. It is played in a gymnasium. It is usually played with 15+ people on each side. If you catch a ball then everyone who is out on your team is now back in. This causes a flood in the late stages of the game from the sidelines if a ball is caught. This game is very long and active, supporting the name.

Medic

Medic or Medic-ball is a version of dodgeball played inside a gym. A player is out no matter where they are hit. However, instead of leaving the playing field, the player falls on the ground and shouts, "medic". The other players on their team may then rescue their player by dragging them, by their legs, to the back of their side of the gym. Players of different genders are kept in separate games for obvious reasons.

Second Version: There's a second version of "Medic-ball". Each team secretly chooses a medic. The goal for the medic is to "revive" any players that get hit by the ball. The medic also has to keep his role a secret because if the opposing team hits the medic that medic's team is out and the other team wins.

Multi

Multi or Socko or Shagball is a schoolyard game played with an 8.5 inch rubber ball. The game takes place on a court with lines marked out like a tennis court or a basketball court. As many as 14 players are divided into two teams. One person from each team is designated the goalie (or shagger). The two goalies stand at opposing ends of the court. The rest of each team stands on the other side of the center line. Thus, each goalie is separated from his or her team by the other team's players. Team members throw the ball back and forth with the team goalie in order to knock out the other team's players - but goalies are not targeted. A player is knocked out if he or she is struck with the ball at or below the waist, or if the player tries to catch a ball thrown by a member of the other team and drops it. When a player is knocked out, he or she becomes another goalie. Possession of the ball changes teams when a player being targeted is either struck with the ball illegally above the waist, or successfully catches the ball. The object is to knock out all of the other team's players.

Munkenai

Munkenai is a variation of Prisonball in which teams face off on a rectangular playing court somewhat smaller than a full basketball court that is composed of four areas. Teams begin with all players in the two, larger partitions in the middle. Players in this area who are hit by the rubber ball (about the size of a basketball) or whose toss is caught are declared "out" and must cross to the opposite end of the court, behind their opponents. Players who step out of bounds are also declared out. Players who have moved to the rear sections of the court can retrieve loose balls, but have to return to the rear court before continuing play. They can then throw the ball at the opposing team from behind. Only players in the middle sections can be targeted. Depending on the size of the teams, up to five balls can be in play at one time. Once out, players stay out, but continue the game from the rear court until a winner is declared.

Nations’ ball (Germany)

German "Nations' ball" (literally from "Völkerball") refers to Prisonball variants. The main variant in Germany uses a single ball and a "King". The king first goes to the jail zone and returns to the main field when all his men are in prison. The king has three lives allowing for players to get back in. Throws at the head do not count and if intentional then the player is taken out completely. There are many popular variations of Völkerball including a recent Strand-Völkerball (beach nations' ball) league.

Another version is played by the YMCA in the United States.

People’s Ball

People’s Ball (Nationball, Bulgarian Dodgeball) has two variations - Big and Small. The Small plays much like a free for all - there are 2 players called "Consuls" placed on each side of the play field, and the other players are in a crowd between them. The Consuls throw the ball aiming at the ones in the middle and each hit eliminates a player (the rule is that the ball must hit the ground after it hit the body; if it's caught before that, the player is "saved".) In some cases, rules of "saving" apply - if someone from the targeted players catches a ball he can "save" one of the players who have been hit. (The strategy demands that the best players are selected first to return to the game, to bring up the number of good catchers and save the others.)
The Big Peoples Ball is played competitively in schools. It's somewhat close to the Greek Dodgeball and Between two fires (below) and it's played by two opposing teams in a court. The play field is separated by the middle and each team is placed in its own part. Each team elects a Consul, who is placed on the borderline behind the opposing team's field - this way, each team is sandwiched between the opposing team and its Consul. Each hit takes a player out of the field and to the place where the Consul is. The players cannot be "saved" and return to the field, but can assist their Consul by throwing from the borderline. The Consul can enter the field and play his/hers turn as a regular player whenever he/she chooses. (This is a matter of strategy and play style.) Catching the ball means acquiring it for your team to throw at the opponents (it doesn't "save"). Two types of throws are recognized by the rules - aiming, targeting throw at an opponent, and "Overthrowing" - high arch pass to the Consul. (Overthrowing is mostly used to wear out opposing player who is running back and forth between the opponents and their Consul, trying to find a safer position for evading or catching the ball.) Hits in every part of the body count but the rule that the ball must hit the ground after it's hit the player applies. The game is played until all of the players of a team (including the Consul) have been hit in their field and sent out. Many tactics of disposition and formations exist that rely on different player styles/types and abilities. The Selection of the Consul is also very important. Usually, in competitions matches are played in sets of 3 with the team having 2 victories winning the match.

Pin Dodge

Pin-Dodge or "Pinball" is played like standard dodgeball, except that each team has four wooden pins (like bowling pins, but narrower and more easily knocked over) at the back of their side of the court. If a team's pin gets knocked over, either by accident or by a ball thrown by the other team, all players on the other team return to play. Once knocked over, a pin must stay down. The game ends when all of a team's players are eliminated, or (more often) when all of a team's pins are knocked over. This can be played in combination with other types, like Doctor Dodgeball. Another variation of this involves only one pin per team, which is usually guarded by an appointed team member. The game ends when one of the teams' pins is knocked down.

Poison Ball

In Poison Ball (AKA Court Dodgeball) there are no teams. The game is played inside a small field (of any shape). All players begin inside the field, except for one or two who begin as attackers. Attackers throw the ball into the field and try to hit the players. Any time a player touches a ball, he is out and joins the throwers. The last player in circle is the winner. A variation is to hit the player's shins only.

A variation exists where the ball may be thrown from one end of the field to the attacker at the other end. If the ball is caught before hitting the ground the attacker catching the ball must cry 'freeze'. All players must then freeze in place, providing the attacker easier targets for one throw. After the throw (regardless of the attacker successfully hitting a player) all players are free to move again. Sometimes local rules will allow players to call exceptions while the ball is in the air such as 'bunny hops' that allow the player to jump in place should the freeze be successful.

Another variant when played in a gym is to have the two throwers on either end of the gym and to have the rest of the people walk across the half-court line. If a person is hit s/he joins the side of his/her attacker and is allowed to throw balls along with the captain. Hitting a person on the other side has no use. The game ends when all people are on either side. The team with the most people wins.

Poison Ball can also be referred as a free for all dodgeball variant where the ball holder is limited in movement (in most games they can only take 3 steps). There is usually 3-5 balls and the games begin by throwing them up or against a wall. Player A- who got out by Player B- can only get back in when Player B gets out.

Possum Dodgeball

First, each team has a leader. When the leader is hit twice his team loses. The "King" cannot throw a ball, but he may have a body guard. There is a "Doctor" who, similar to "Doctor-Doctor" may touch a team member to heal him if he is out. The "Reaper" is not assigned a team. In the beginning of the game he stands in the middle of the field and waits to be hit. When he is hit, the person that hit him tells him to attack a certain player. The "Reaper" will then walk to the targeted player. Only a ball from the targeted player will stop the "Reaper" who will then take orders form that player. There will be one "possum" who gets a free for all and they cannot get out.

President Ball

President Ball is played in a large enclosed room. Two teams are set, the Assassins and the Presidential Bodyguards. It is preferable that the Assassins have more people, to make the game more balanced. One person in the Presidential Bodyguard side is deemed President, and all other players must refer to him/her as President (insert last name). The President only has one life, and the bodyguards all have three lives. The assassins have one life. Normal dodgeball rules apply -- lives are lost when one gets hit by a ball or when one throws a ball that has been caught by the opposition. Note, however, that the President can catch the ball, but not throw it. If he/she catches the ball, it must be handed off to a bodyguard, unless all the bodyguards are killed. Once a player's life/lives have been extinguished, he/she must leave the field of play and watch the game. The assassins win when the President has been hit with the ball (though bodyguards may still be alive). The Presidential Entourage wins when all the assassins have been eliminated. The bodyguards, because they have three lives, may, as a strategy, form a protective wall around the president and lure the assassins into throwing the ball at them. The ball can be passed around amongst teammates in order to try and confuse the other team. The difference between this game and other variations is the lack of boundaries, giving teams free rein to move anywhere within the limits of the playing field.

Prisonball

Prisonball (also known as Prison Dodgeball, Nationball, Battleball, Greek Dodgeball, Teamball, Crossfire, Swedish Dodgeball, Dungeon Dodge; King's Court in Canada and Queimada or Queimado in Brazil and Heaven in New Zealand) is played much like the original dodgeball game, except when a player is hit, he gets put in "prison" behind the opposing team. To get out of prison, he must hit the opposing team from behind. This puts a lot more pressure on the teams as they can be sandwiched between enemies. "Prisoners" remain behind the opposing team until the game is over or they released according to the current ruleset. Sometimes in "prisonball," a ball thrown to a "prison," when caught, releases all the "prisoners" to their original side. Some variations make it so that prisoners can not attack opposing players, but if someone from their team on their side throws a ball and they catch it, they can come back in. In some cases, a "buddy ball" is used and when caught, 2 people come back in. Sometimes, a player in prison is not allowed to take an active part in the game at all, but when any player is put in jail, everyone they put in jail is free. Thus, if a player does not see who hit them, they are trapped for the rest of the game. Another variation particular for when playing on basketball courts is that if the one team throws a dodgeball and it lands in the opposing teams basketball basket, all of their prisoners are freed. There are even more variations. Prisoners only get out of prison when someone on their team catches a ball, but prisoners can still throw balls at the other team to get them out. Prisoners are released in the order that they are put into prison. Another usually standard rule is that "caught" balls are equally considered such (for the purposes of getting taken out or put back in) whether they are thrown by active team member or prisoners. This variation of prison ball was invented in Adelaide, Australia.

Also known as Jail Ball or Jailbreak follows the same rules as normal Dodgeball, except that it incorporates the goal boxes on either end of the court; they are referred to as "jails." When a player gets out, he goes to "jail." In order for a player to get out of jail he must use a ball to get a player on the opposing team out. At this point the player is released from jail to play once more, and the other player goes to jail. This version dates back to 1979, and is also some times known as "Prisoner Dodgeball."

Also played with being released from jail by catching a ball thrown from your own team from across the court, they would then get free passage to the other side, this version is w/o the ability to hit the other team while in jail.

Scramble

Scramble, or sometimes in the Midwest it is known as "Scatter", is an every-player-for-himself variation which starts with a jump ball. The first player to possess the ball becomes the attacker and attempts to eliminate all the other players. No other player is allowed to possess the ball unless it is the result of a catch, in which the attacker is eliminated. If this occurs every player that said attacker eliminated returns to the game, and the catcher becomes the new attacker. The player who successfully eliminates all other opponents is the winner.

Soldiers And Guards

An Australian prisonball variant, Soldiers and Guards is played on a netball court. A guard is selected from each team to be behind the opponent's team. Players must remain within two of the three thirds of the court. The center third is shared, whereas the other 2 thirds can only be entered by one team. Guards must remain out of bounds, and may not move past the dividing line for their teams third. This encourages guards and soldiers to work together to trap soldiers within their protected zone. Only guards can retrieve a ball thrown out of bounds. If a soldier is hit, he becomes a guard. The aim is to convert all soldiers from the opposing side to guards. A throw from a guard that is caught by an opposing soldier on the full allows the soldier to revive any guard by calling their name. Both teams, however, need at least 1 guard. This variation of dodge ball was invented in Australia, Adelaide.

Tennis Dodgeball

Tennis Dodgeball is a version where most dodgeball rules apply. It is played on a tennis court. It is usually played with 2-6 people on each side each with a tennis racket. If you're hit with a ball then you're out, If you catch a ball then a team mate may join back in the game. The game is won when all players are out. This is designed to improve your serving reflexes and response times, and you will learn fast.

Traitor Ball

Traitor Ball plays similarly to team-based dodgeball variants, with each team on one side of a court or field separated by a center line. Before the game begins, all players choose by secret selection (i.e. both teams line up with eyes closed and hands behind backs to be selected by third party) a traitor, who is secretly moved to the other team, while remaining on the player's original side. In some versions, each team is informed who their traitor on the other side is. In Traitor Ball, teammates may attack each other if they suspect that the other is a traitor; hits and catches count even between non-traitorous teammates. The traitor is forced to decide the optimal time to turn against the team on his side of the center line, and may bluff or falsely accuse others during play. They may also attack when no one is watching.

Wall-to-Wall Dodgeball

Wall-to Wall Dodgeball is played with two set points directly across from each other. Players will run back and forth to each point trying to avoid getting hit. One person will be throwing the ball at people. Getting hit makes you the person throwing the ball, while catching it has no effect. Other rules have it so that getting hit gets you "out" with the last man standing becoming the thrower. If the ball hits you after touching the ground, it does not count as getting hit. Three people is the minimum amount of players.

Sources

• The Complete Book About Dodgeball by Andy Keyes
• International Dodgeball Federation rule book (Variations starting on page 34) http://www.dodge-ball.com/site/DodgeBall%20Rule%20Book.pdf
• YMCA School Playground Partners: Dodgeball Games http://ecke.ymca.org/docs/playgroundpartners/dodgeballgames.pdf

External links

• 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
• Fun and Games