Dodgeball refers to a collection of team sports in which players on two teams try to throw balls at each other while avoiding being hit themselves.

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.

Internationally, there are currently two world bodies: World Dodgeball Federation (WDBF), which uses foam, and the World Dodgeball Association (WDA), which uses cloth. The international dodgeball day is April 27. ^{[citation needed]}

The number of dodgeballs used in the game often varies, but three to ten are common. Exceptions are usually made if a court is particularly small or if many people participate. More balls generally adds to the amount of action in a game, but can result in stalemate with many blocks. World Dodgeball Association rules are played with five (international dodgeball is played with 6) balls.^[1] An odd number is generally favorable as one team will necessarily have a majority of balls in possession and should take the offensive role.^{[citation needed]}

Dodgeball is played with many different types of dodgeballs. The three most used are foam, rubber and cloth depending on the organizations that endorse the sport. Rubber is mostly played in the United States while Foam and Cloth are played in at least 16 countries worldwide.^{[citation needed]}

A typical dodgeball game is usually played on a basketball court, volleyball court, fenced area or even an Australian Rules Football oval, soccer pitch, or a football field. There is no fixed dodgeball court 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.

At the beginning of a dodgeball game, the balls are lined up on the central dividing line (in some versions of the game, the balls are thrown in the air for the players to catch or divided evenly to both teams before a match). The players then simultaneously rush towards the center line and try to grab one of the dodgeballs and throw or roll it backwards to their teammates; players cannot pick up a ball and throw it instantly. There may be a "check line" that the dodgeballs have to be behind before they are considered "live." This is known as the opening rush. Once the game has commenced, players throw balls at members of the opposing team to eliminate the players.

When a player has been hit by a dodgeball "on the full" (that is, without bouncing off the ceiling, the floor, a wall, or an outside object) 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 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.

If a player catches a ball thrown by the opposing team on the full, then the player who threw the ball is eliminated. As long as the ball has been caught in any way and is held for at least 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 was hit is also out. In dodgeball games that are played on a basketball court, if 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 scored a basket or hit the backboard 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. A thrower may delay throwing a ball to deny the opposing team ammunition. Players cannot leave the court to gather balls; balls must be returned to players by each team's designated ball retrievers. If a player steps outside the court, including stepping on a boundary line, that player is out. If a player moves into the opponent's zone, that player is out. Players can also get eliminated if their throw intentionally hits an opponent on the head, displays bad sportsmanship, or cheats. Kicking the balls is prohibited.

Once all players on either team are eliminated, the game is over and the team with players still on the court is the winner.

Optional rules may be in effect locally by consensus:

1. A player can use a ball to block incoming balls thrown by an opponent.
2. A player can be eliminated when a thrown ball makes him drop a ball he is holding.
3. "Headshots" (thrown balls that hit an opposing player in the head) may either result in the thrower being out, or the person being hit being out, or both.
4. When there are so few players on the court that dodging the ball is easy, ‘No Lines’ may be declared. This means that there are no team zones; players can go anywhere on the court to get a better shot at an opponent.

In Spain, there is a variation of the game which is called Datchball. This game was created by Roberto Navarro, a Physical Education teacher, in order to include the game in the school. Nowadays it is one of the most important games^{[citation needed]} played by the students in the north of Spain and we can find associations, championships and leagues of the game.

• In the Indian subcontinent a variation of the game is played called "Sekan-tadi" (सेकन-तड़ी). This is slang used for "slamming the hip". Other names are Gend Tadi and Maram Pitti.
• In China, a variation of the game is played called "Da Yi Mao" (打一毛). Instead of a ball, the game is played with a small round sand bag, which is also known as the kick-ball (毽). There are multiple techniques of throwing the sand bag, making it hitting the target more efficiently and harder to catch. This sport is very popular among primary school students as an after-class activity.
• The 2004 movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story is generally credited with reviving interest in the sport, especially among young adults, despite referencing the sport as being about "violence, exclusion and degradation".^[2]
• Also in 2004, Extreme Dodgeball, a dodgeball tournament broadcast as a game show, aired
• The videogame Stikbold: A Dodgeball Adventure (named after the Danish word for dodgeball, stikbold) features the sport of dodgeball, although the rules vary slightly from the actual game.^[3]

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.^[4]

• University of California, Irvine, reclaimed the largest game of dodgeball title on September 25, 2012, with 6,084 participants.^[5] The previous largest game of dodgeball was played by 4,979 participants at the University of Alberta on February 3, 2012.^[6]
• The longest game of dodgeball was played on April 27–29, 2012, at the Castleton State College in Castleton, Vermont. The game lasted for 41 hr 3 min 17 sec.^[7]

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.

• Dodgeball Ranking
• List of dodgeball variations
• Ga-ga
• Prisonball
• Killerball (sport)
• U.S. intercollegiate dodgeball champions

• National Dodgeball League Official Dodgeball Rules & Regulations of Play
• World Dodgeball Federation rule book
• D'Angelo, Chris (2008). If you got the Guts, We got the Balls: A book about Dodgeball. Dangerous Chris Print. ISBN 978-0-578-01564-4
• Keyes, A. (2005). The Complete Book About Dodgeball. AuthorHouse. ISBN 1-4208-7548-5
• Kassock, Isaac (2012). The Philosophy of Dodgeball: A Treatise. Createspace. ISBN 1-4700-4494-3
• YMCA School Playground Partners: Dodgeball Games YMCA of San Diego County

• World Dodgeball Federation World Dodgeball Federation
• World Dodgeball Association World Dodgeball Association
• National Dodgeball League Professional dodgeball league, directions for member clubs/leagues in the United States.
• World Dodgeball Society California, Chicago, New York
• Elite Dodgeball Invitational Tournaments and leagues within the United States. Invite only.
• National Amateur Dodgeball Association
• National College Dodgeball Association
• San Diego Dodgeball Leagues
• Dodgeball Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canadian league.
• Vancouver Dodgeball League A Vancouver, BC, Canada league.
• British Dodgeball National governing body for dodgeball in the UK.
• Dodgeball NZ, New Zealand's Official Dodgeball Organisation
• South African Dodgeball Association SA's First Dodgeball Association.