Minnesota Dodgeball tournaments use USA Dodgeball rules as the foundation, with Minnesota Dodgeball adaptations. Recreational tournaments are meant to be fun and social. These are the complete rules; where the tournament's Player Guide gives a format detail (match length, ball type, number of courts), the guide applies.
1. Spirit of the game
- Tournaments are peer-reffed: refs keep the game moving and rule on unclear plays, with a focus on everyone playing safely. It is not the ref's job to police players.
- Everyone follows the rules whether or not a ref sees it. If you are hit, leave the court. #HonorSystem
- Some refs are new. Be patient and kind, and self-regulate when a call is missed.
2. Teams, balls and gear
- A team needs at least 4 players to start a match. Late players may not join a game already in progress.
- Each game uses 6 balls, all the same color. The ball type is set for each tournament.
- Athletic tape, liquid chalk, protective wear and sweatbands are OK. No gloves and no tar tape.
3. Matches and the global timer
- Match length is set for each tournament and listed in its Player Guide, followed by a 3-minute no-blocking period and a 3-minute transition.
- The tournament runs on a global timer. Matches start and end on time, and the timer does not pause for courts that are not ready. Have your team on the court and ready before the timer starts. For a major incident, such as an injury, the Tournament Director decides.
- 3-minute games: any single game that reaches 3 minutes goes into No Blocking. The refs step onto the court and call "No Blocking"; play resumes on the next whistle, and players may throw as soon as it blows. Balls do not reset.
- Wash: if players remain on both sides when the clock runs out, nobody scores for that game.
- Teams do not switch sides until bracket play.
- There are no timeouts.
4. No Blocking
- Balls reset only when play goes to overtime, never when a game reaches 3 minutes.
- During No Blocking a held ball is an extension of the body. A blocked ball is not dead at the block, and the blocker is not immediately out: they are out only once the ball completes its play and is dead, so they can still save themselves.
5. Starting a game, burden and the clock
- Players start each game with one foot on the back line.
- Home team burden: the home team starts with burden in the first game of a match; after that, the winner of the previous game starts with burden. The ref sheet shows which team is home.
- Burden goes to the team with more balls; if equal, more players on the court; if equal, the team that did not throw last.
- Burden starts once the balls are in the active playing area or held by shaggers. Teams may hold balls on purpose, and held balls count toward burden. If burden cannot be determined, the count does not start.
- Burden clock: 10 seconds to make an active, offensive throw. Every valid throw restarts the count.
- Ball activation: a ball becomes active once the ball fully crosses the attack line.
6. Lines
- Lines are lava: touching any part of a line is an out.
- The center line is a hard boundary. You may reach over it in the air, for example for a ball, as long as you do not touch beyond it.
- During the opening rush only, players may touch or step over the center line to retrieve their own balls, but may not fully enter the other side.
7. Hits and outs
- Hit out: a thrown ball hits you and is not caught. Clothing counts.
- Live ball: a live ball can hit several players out until it is dead.
- Deflections count: a live ball deflected off a blocking ball into your body or a teammate is an out once the ball is dead.
- Traps are out: a ball that hits a player and the floor at the same time puts that player out.
- Flight kills ("suicides") are not allowed: the first time is a warning, the throw does not count and the play is reset; after that, the player is penalized.
- Wild throws: refs may warn a player for wild throws or throws nowhere near an opponent. No one is called out for them.
Headshots: three points of contact. A ball that hits a player's head, including hair, a hat or anything worn on the head, is an out only when the receiving player is on three points of contact. If the receiver is ducking, squatting or jumping, both players are safe. Headshots are strongly discouraged: headhunting and repeated high throws draw a warning, then a penalty.
8. Catches
- A valid catch needs control of the ball before it hits the ground, and one point of contact in bounds: any body part, not just a foot.
- A ricochet off a teammate can be caught before the ball is dead: the catch counts and the teammate who was hit is safe, even if they have already stepped off the court.
- A catch puts the thrower out and brings in the first player from your queue.
9. Out queue, re-entry and shagging
- Out queue: the first player out stands on the marked spot on the sideline so refs and teams can track the out order. If you are the only player out and there is no shagger, you may step out to retrieve a ball; once a shagger is available or another player goes out, the first player out goes back to the spot.
- Players line up in the order they went out. Teams are responsible for having the right players in line.
- Re-entry after a catch: the returning player has 5 seconds to enter, through the back line or the side doors, never from the center line. Returning players are live once they have two points of contact in bounds.
- Unaware walk-off: a player who left the court on a play that turns out not to count may come back in at the ref's discretion.
- Shagging: rely on your team to feed you balls; line refs help shag too. Do not step out to shag unless the ref allows it. Players on the sideline may hold balls and pass them to teammates on the court.
Entering out of order: if a player comes in out of order by mistake, the correct player may come in instead, as long as the swap happens within a reasonable time and does not interfere with play. If the wrong player throws or is hit before the swap, they leave the court and nobody enters in their place; a catch by the wrong player does not count.
10. Bracket play and overtime
- Standings and seeding go by total matches won, then match ties, then total match points, then point differential, then head to head, then a coin toss.
- Round-robin matches can end in a tie. Overtime is played only in bracket matches.
- Tied bracket matches: if the score is tied after the match's final No Blocking period, players and balls reset for Double Overtime: one game with blocking allowed, played until a team is eliminated. If there is no winner after 3 minutes, the refs call No Blocking and play continues, without a reset, until there is a winner.
11. Refs and disputed calls
- Every team refs: each assignment needs 2 main refs and 2 line refs, and the rest of the team helps as ball retrievers.
- Line refs stand on opposite sides of the court and watch the lines. Main refs may ask for their input.
- In bracket play your team usually refs one more match after it is eliminated. Stay in the gym until you are cleared to leave.
- Disputed calls: pause play, huddle at center court and rule with your best judgment. The clock keeps running unless the Tournament Director is needed.
- Only captains may speak to refs about a call.
12. Injuries
- Stop play immediately for an injury. The player has up to 2 minutes to recover. If they are substituted, the injured player sits until the following match.
13. Cards
Blue Card: a formal warning before a yellow or red card, to restore calm after a minor infraction or unnecessary disruption. The player is removed for that game; if it is given to a player off the court, the captain removes a player on the court. Examples: a non-captain arguing with a ref or the other team, a captain arguing aggressively or excessively, pinching the ball (after a first warning), mean-spirited taunting, wearing gear that is not allowed after a warning.
Yellow Card: the player is out immediately and sits out the next game. Given between games, the player sits out the next game and the team plays one short. Examples: kicking or spiking balls, cheating, throwing at an opponent after being eliminated, excessive foul language, being combative, distracting players on the court, taunting or pointing at opponents, refs or ball retrievers.
Red Card: for abusive or unsporting language or behavior. The player is removed from the current match and the next; in severe cases, from the tournament. Examples: aggressively crossing boundaries or trying to fight, discriminatory comments based on sex, gender, sexual identity, race, religion, creed, ethnicity or age, deliberately inflicting pain, throwing excessively hard at a player's face from close range.