Dodgeball

 INTRAMURAL SPORTS/RECREATION
DODGEBALL RULES

General Rules

• No ID No Play, No Questions: No form of identification other than an official Youngstown State University ID will be accepted. You MUST have your ID to play. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE FOR ANYONE FOR ANY REASON. If you do not have your ID for any reason, you need to go to Kilcawley Center and purchase a new one. 
• Game Time is Forfeit Time: Player check-in will begin 15 minutes before the scheduled game time. If a team does not have the needed amount of players to begin the game at the scheduled game time a forfeit will be issued. No Exception or excuses will be accepted for anyone or any reasons.
• Players Can Only Play for 1 Team: In any Youngstown State Intramural League participants are only permitted to play for one team per season.  If a player attempts to play for another team they will be suspended and the team that the player attempted to play for will immediately forfeit the scheduled game. Players are only permitted to play for the first team that they played for.
• Playoff Eligibility: Players must play in at least one regular season game in order to play in the playoffs.  Players can be added to a roster at any point in the regular season, but must play in at least one game prior to playoffs.
• The Officials Have Full Authority: While participating in a Youngstown State University Intramural Sports Program, YSU IM Officials will have full authority to call and make judgments according to their training. Any questioning of any official’s calls may result in an unsportsmanlike penalty. If a team deems it necessary to question a call of an official, the TEAM CAPTAIN ONLY, may address it to the Intramural Intern, or Intramural Supervisor present at the event. If questioning causes a disruption of game play, the Intramural Intern or Intramural Supervisor has all authority to end the game, and give the team causing the disruption a forfeit.  Any Intramural official or supervisor has the right to throw out any player from any game if it is deemed necessary from their training.
• All Games, All Weather: All games will be played during all weather conditions, unless otherwise informed of prior to game time, or until the Intramural Coordinator believes the playing conditions to be too severe to continue. Questions prior to game time can be answered at 330.941.3731
• Uniforms: Participants must be wearing athletic attire in order to participate in any intramural sport.  No open toed shoes, jeans, or cargo shorts will be permitted.  Any apparel or game equipment needed by players will be issued on a 1 ID basis. The ID will not be returned until the issued apparel or equipment has been turned back in.
• No Metal Spikes: No footwear with metal or metal-tipped spikes will be permitted for use during any Intramural event.
• Inappropriate Team Names: We will not accept team names that are deemed inappropriate by the Intramurals Staff. If you submit a team name that is not approved, you will be asked to come up with a new name. If you do not submit a new name, it will be changed for you.
• Two forfeits = removal from the league: If your team forfeits two times during the regular season, you will be removed from the league. The remainder of your games will be removed from the schedule and you will not be able to participate in post-season play.
• Forfeit Prevention: Each team in league play is permitted to use one forfeit prevention per season.  This involves using one official to play on their team in order to meet the minimum player requirements.  This is only permitted during the regular season and is only permitted if there are enough officials to officiate all games being played during that hour.
• Liability Waiver: All Participants must accept the terms of the liability waiver found on the participant’s IMLeagues profile. Failure to do so will make the participant ineligible for Intramural play. Participants must sign a separate wavier for each Intramural Sport that they play.
• Fighting: There is a zero tolerance policy for fighting at any YSU Intramural event.  Anyone involved in a fight will be immediately ejected and will be reported to YSU’s Student Conduct Board.

The Team

• The game shall be played between two teams of 7 players.
• A team must start with at least 5 players and will be allowed substitutions only during time-outs or in the case of an injury.
• All players must present a valid YSU ID at least 10 minutes before their match.

The Game

• The object of the game is to eliminate all opposing players by getting them “OUT.”  This may be done by either hitting an opposing player with a thrown ball below the shoulders, or catching a ball thrown by your opponent before it touches the ground.
• If a player catches a live ball (one that has not hit the ground), the thrower is out. A live ball deflecting off the body of player “A” remains live only to player “A”.  If “A” legally catches the deflected ball, the thrower is out.  Teammates of “A” may not legally catch the deflected ball.  In fact, touching of the deflected ball by another player causes it to become dead and player “A” will be out.
• A live ball is any ball that has been thrown and not made contact with a person, another ball, a wall, the ceiling, or the ground.
• A dead ball is any ball that has made any contact with a person, ball, wall, ceiling, the ground, or goes out of bounds.
• The game will begin by placing the Dodgeballs (8) along the center line.  Players will take a position touching their respective back walls.
• The intramural official will count 1, 2, and 3 and then blow their whistle to start the game.
• When the whistle is blown, each team will sprint to the center line to retrieve their 4 balls.
• Once the balls are retrieved from the center line, they must touch the player’s respective back wall before being thrown.  This can be done by either throwing the ball at the back wall or running to the wall with the ball and then touching the wall.
• The first team to legally eliminate all opposing players will be declared the winner.
• A player may defend himself by using another Dodgeball.
• A player may block a thrown ball with a ball being held, provided the holder does not lose control of the held ball as a result of the contact with the thrown ball.  The held ball does not need to strike the ground to cause the holder to be out, only to be knocked loose of the holder’s grip.  Even if the holder regains control of the held ball, they are still out.  Any action by the holder after the initial loss of control is ignored.
• All players are allowed to go up to the attack line (approx. ¾ of the distance of the playing court) for the entire match as long as they do not cross the line.  If a player crosses the attack line they will be out.  Any opposing player that was hit by a ball thrown by someone who stepped over the attack line will remain in the game.
• A 4 minute time limit has been established for each contest.  If neither team has been eliminated at the end of the 3 minutes, the team with the greater number of players remaining will be declared the winner.  In the case of an equal number of players remaining after regulation, sudden death overtime period will be played (the first team to lose a player will be eliminated).
• Match play will be utilized for the league.  Matches will be declared by using the “best of 7” format in which the first team to win 4 games will be determined the winner.
• A player cannot hold onto 2 balls at one time to either throw or protect and will be out if they have 2 or more balls.
• A player may not hold the ball for more than 5 seconds before throwing.
• A player may not touch the playing court with anything but their feet and hands.
• If a player holding a ball goes to catch a thrown ball, they must first or simultaneously drop the held ball before completing the catch of the thrown ball. Or the player will be holding 2 balls and will be out.
• Each team will be allowed one 60-second timeout per game.  At this time, teams my substitute players in the game.  Time-outs can only be called and directed to the official when all balls are in player possession and not in the air.  All balls will remain in the team/player possession on their respective back walls when a timeout is called play will resume by the official blowing his or her whistle.

Overtime

• Sudden death will be 3 on 3 when the 1st person is eliminated the other team will win the game.

Equipment

• The Department of Campus Recreation will supply the Dodgeballs for use in the games.
• Proper athletic footwear and athletic apparel are required to participate.

Co-Rec Rules

• Teams will consist of eight (8) players – 4 males and 4 females.
• If the game is started/played with seven (7) players, the numbers can be:
  • Four (4) males and three (3) females
  • Four (4) females and three (3) males.
• If a game is started or played with only six (6) players, the number of males cannot exceed three (3).
• Substitutions may be made for same gender only, with the following exception:  a female may make a substitution for a male.