Connecticut Dodgeball

Official Rules

Rec League Edition  ·  2026  ·  Based on USA Dodgeball v2026.0
League PhilosophyCompetition matters. People matter more. We play hard, call ourselves out, and keep the league welcoming enough that new people come back after getting absolutely cooked.Connecticut Dodgeball follows the 2026 USA Dodgeball rules for Foam and No-Sting gameplay, with one major format change: games are not capped at three minutes. Matches are played as two 20-minute halves, and each half ends with No-Blocking if a game is still active.
  • Dodgeball is played using an honor system. Players must exit immediately when they know they are out.
  • Good sportsmanship is expected at all times. Competitive is good. Being weird about it is not.
  • Referees have final authority on all rulings.
  • Players should help their teammates exit when they are out, even if the referee has not made the call.
Teams
  • Standard format is 6 players vs 6 players on the court.
  • Teams may start short if league staff allows it, but the standard on-court maximum is six players.
Balls
  • Foam and No-Sting games use six dodgeballs.
  • Three balls are designated for each team at the start of each game.
Court
  • A center line divides the court evenly.
  • The attack line, also called the clear line, is used to activate balls after the opening rush.
  • Matches run for 40 minutes total, divided into two 20-minute halves.
  • Teams switch sides at halftime.
  • Multiple games may be played within each half.
  • Games do not have a set time limit. Each game continues until one team has been fully eliminated.
  • If time expires during an active game, that game immediately transitions to No-Blocking until a winner is determined.
  • At the end of each half, the current game transitions to No-Blocking until one team is eliminated.
  • A new game begins after a full elimination only if time remains in the half.
Ball Placement
  • Six balls are placed on the center line.
  • Three balls belong to each team.
Player Positioning
  • Players start with one foot on the back line and the other foot inside the court boundary.
Opening Rush
  • Players may run to retrieve balls when the whistle blows.
  • Teams may retrieve only the three balls on their right side.
  • Stepping on a sideline during the rush results in an out.
  • Players may touch or step over the center line to retrieve their designated balls, but may not fully enter the opponent’s side of the court.
  • Balls must be brought behind the team’s attack line before they are live.
  • A ball becomes live once it fully crosses the attack line.
  • Throwing an inactive ball results in the thrower being out.
  • Inactive balls may still be caught, but they cannot eliminate a player.
  • Leaving the back line before the referee’s signal is a false start.
  • First offense results in a warning and the opening rush is reset.
  • Additional offenses result in the team beginning the game with one player out.
Plain EnglishBurden means the team that has to throw. If your team has the ball advantage, you probably cannot stand there admiring your collection.
  • The team with the majority of balls has burden and must throw.
  • If both teams have the same number of balls, burden is determined by player count.
  • If ball count and player count are both even, burden goes to the team that did not previously have burden.
  • Burden resets after every valid throw by either team.
  • No-Blocking is used when time expires at the end of a half while a game is still active.
  • During No-Blocking, players may still hold balls, but held balls act as an extension of the body.
  • A thrown ball that contacts a held ball during No-Blocking remains live and may still eliminate players or be caught.
  • The game continues until one team is fully eliminated.
  • Once burden is established, the team with burden has 10 seconds to throw.
  • The throw clock begins when burden is established, regardless of balls returning to the court or being held by retrievers.
  • Referees count the final five seconds aloud.
  • If the team fails to throw before zero, all balls are awarded to the opposing team.
  • Balls thrown before zero complete their sequence of play.
  • Throws made after zero are not allowed and are awarded to the opposing team.
A player is out if
  • They are hit by a live ball and the ball becomes dead.
  • They step on or over a boundary line.
  • They throw an inactive ball.
  • They are the thrower whose live ball is caught.
  • Their blocking ball is knocked loose and becomes dead after being hit by a live thrown ball.
  • Headshots count as outs, but intentionally targeting the head may result in discipline.
  • Players may block using a ball.
  • If the blocking ball is knocked away by a live throw and becomes dead, the blocking player is out.
  • Hands and fingers are not considered part of the blocking ball.
  • A blocked ball remains live until it is caught or becomes dead.
  • A valid catch eliminates the thrower.
  • One teammate may re-enter play per valid catch.
  • The catching player must demonstrate clear control of the ball.
  • A ball that hits a player and is caught by a teammate before becoming dead is a valid catch, and the hit player is safe.
  • Players may not use their jersey as a net to catch a ball.
  • Eliminated players form a queue in the order they were eliminated.
  • Players re-enter in that same order after a valid catch.
  • Players must re-enter from the back line.
  • The starting players for a game are the only players eligible to re-enter during that game, unless an injury substitution is approved by league staff.
  • Balls thrown by opposing teams that collide in the air become dead balls.
  • Balls thrown by the same team that collide remain live until they are caught or become dead.
  • Players who are out, inactive players, retrievers, and spectators may not interfere with play.
  • A throwing player may knock a ball away after hitting an opponent before a catch is secured, provided they remain active and in bounds.
  • Interference may result in a warning, player out, ball turnover, or ejection depending on the situation.
  • Referees may issue verbal warnings for minor violations or conduct issues.
  • Referees may call players out for rule violations.
  • Referees or league staff may remove players for unsafe play, harassment, repeated arguing, or unsportsmanlike conduct.
  • The league may apply additional discipline when conduct affects player safety, league operations, or the community standard.

Common Calls Quick Sheet

Referee NoteWhen in doubt, pause, make the fairest ruling available, and keep the game moving. The courts are not a courtroom. Thankfully.

Out

  • Hit by live ball that becomes dead
  • Boundary line violation
  • Throwing inactive ball
  • Thrower of a caught ball
  • Blocking ball knocked loose and dead

Safe

  • Blocked ball is retained
  • Inactive ball hits player
  • Same-team ball collision stays live
  • Teammate catches ricochet before ball dies

Catch

  • Thrower is out
  • One teammate re-enters
  • Player must show control
  • Jersey cannot be used as a net

No-Blocking

  • Used at end of each half if game is active
  • Held ball counts as body
  • Blocked ball stays live

Turnover

  • Failure to throw before zero
  • Throw after zero
  • Improper interference with stray balls

Discipline

  • Warnings for minor issues
  • Outs for gameplay violations
  • Removal for unsafe or repeated unsportsmanlike conduct
League PhilosophyCompetition matters. People matter more. We play hard, call ourselves out, and keep the league welcoming enough that new people come back after getting absolutely cooked.Connecticut Dodgeball follows the 2026 USA Dodgeball rules for Foam and No-Sting gameplay, with one major format change: games are not capped at three minutes. Matches are played as two 20-minute halves, and each half ends with No-Blocking if a game is still active.
  • Dodgeball is played using an honor system. Players must exit immediately when they know they are out.
  • Good sportsmanship is expected at all times. Competitive is good. Being weird about it is not.
  • Referees have final authority on all rulings.
  • Players should help their teammates exit when they are out, even if the referee has not made the call.
Teams
  • Standard format is 6 players vs 6 players on the court.
  • Teams may start short if league staff allows it, but the standard on-court maximum is six players.
Balls
  • Foam and No-Sting games use six dodgeballs.
  • Three balls are designated for each team at the start of each game.
Court
  • A center line divides the court evenly.
  • The attack line, also called the clear line, is used to activate balls after the opening rush.
  • Matches run for 40 minutes total, divided into two 20-minute halves.
  • Teams switch sides at halftime.
  • Multiple games may be played within each half.
  • Games do not have a set time limit. Each game continues until one team has been fully eliminated.
  • If time expires during an active game, that game immediately transitions to No-Blocking until a winner is determined.
  • At the end of each half, the current game transitions to No-Blocking until one team is eliminated.
  • A new game begins after a full elimination only if time remains in the half.
Ball Placement
  • Six balls are placed on the center line.
  • Three balls belong to each team.
Player Positioning
  • Players start with one foot on the back line and the other foot inside the court boundary.
Opening Rush
  • Players may run to retrieve balls when the whistle blows.
  • Teams may retrieve only the three balls on their right side.
  • Stepping on a sideline during the rush results in an out.
  • Players may touch or step over the center line to retrieve their designated balls, but may not fully enter the opponent’s side of the court.
  • Balls must be brought behind the team’s attack line before they are live.
  • A ball becomes live once it fully crosses the attack line.
  • Throwing an inactive ball results in the thrower being out.
  • Inactive balls may still be caught, but they cannot eliminate a player.
  • Leaving the back line before the referee’s signal is a false start.
  • First offense results in a warning and the opening rush is reset.
  • Additional offenses result in the team beginning the game with one player out.
Plain EnglishBurden means the team that has to throw. If your team has the ball advantage, you probably cannot stand there admiring your collection.
  • The team with the majority of balls has burden and must throw.
  • If both teams have the same number of balls, burden is determined by player count.
  • If ball count and player count are both even, burden goes to the team that did not previously have burden.
  • Burden resets after every valid throw by either team.
  • No-Blocking is used when time expires at the end of a half while a game is still active.
  • During No-Blocking, players may still hold balls, but held balls act as an extension of the body.
  • A thrown ball that contacts a held ball during No-Blocking remains live and may still eliminate players or be caught.
  • The game continues until one team is fully eliminated.
  • Once burden is established, the team with burden has 10 seconds to throw.
  • The throw clock begins when burden is established, regardless of balls returning to the court or being held by retrievers.
  • Referees count the final five seconds aloud.
  • If the team fails to throw before zero, all balls are awarded to the opposing team.
  • Balls thrown before zero complete their sequence of play.
  • Throws made after zero are not allowed and are awarded to the opposing team.
A player is out if
  • They are hit by a live ball and the ball becomes dead.
  • They step on or over a boundary line.
  • They throw an inactive ball.
  • They are the thrower whose live ball is caught.
  • Their blocking ball is knocked loose and becomes dead after being hit by a live thrown ball.
  • Headshots count as outs, but intentionally targeting the head may result in discipline.
  • Players may block using a ball.
  • If the blocking ball is knocked away by a live throw and becomes dead, the blocking player is out.
  • Hands and fingers are not considered part of the blocking ball.
  • A blocked ball remains live until it is caught or becomes dead.
  • A valid catch eliminates the thrower.
  • One teammate may re-enter play per valid catch.
  • The catching player must demonstrate clear control of the ball.
  • A ball that hits a player and is caught by a teammate before becoming dead is a valid catch, and the hit player is safe.
  • Players may not use their jersey as a net to catch a ball.
  • Eliminated players form a queue in the order they were eliminated.
  • Players re-enter in that same order after a valid catch.
  • Players must re-enter from the back line.
  • The starting players for a game are the only players eligible to re-enter during that game, unless an injury substitution is approved by league staff.
  • Balls thrown by opposing teams that collide in the air become dead balls.
  • Balls thrown by the same team that collide remain live until they are caught or become dead.
  • Players who are out, inactive players, retrievers, and spectators may not interfere with play.
  • A throwing player may knock a ball away after hitting an opponent before a catch is secured, provided they remain active and in bounds.
  • Interference may result in a warning, player out, ball turnover, or ejection depending on the situation.
  • Referees may issue verbal warnings for minor violations or conduct issues.
  • Referees may call players out for rule violations.
  • Referees or league staff may remove players for unsafe play, harassment, repeated arguing, or unsportsmanlike conduct.
  • The league may apply additional discipline when conduct affects player safety, league operations, or the community standard.

Common Calls Quick Sheet

Referee NoteWhen in doubt, pause, make the fairest ruling available, and keep the game moving. The courts are not a courtroom. Thankfully.

Out

  • Hit by live ball that becomes dead
  • Boundary line violation
  • Throwing inactive ball
  • Thrower of a caught ball
  • Blocking ball knocked loose and dead

Safe

  • Blocked ball is retained
  • Inactive ball hits player
  • Same-team ball collision stays live
  • Teammate catches ricochet before ball dies

Catch

  • Thrower is out
  • One teammate re-enters
  • Player must show control
  • Jersey cannot be used as a net

No-Blocking

  • Used at end of each half if game is active
  • Held ball counts as body
  • Blocked ball stays live

Turnover

  • Failure to throw before zero
  • Throw after zero
  • Improper interference with stray balls

Discipline

  • Warnings for minor issues
  • Outs for gameplay violations
  • Removal for unsafe or repeated unsportsmanlike conduct

Cloth Rulebook Coming Soon

USA Dodgeball recently updated the cloth-ball ruleset. We’re finalizing our CTDB adaptation so we can publish something that’s both accurate and easy to reference.

Check back soon, or follow us on Instagram for updates.

Play Hard. Be Cool. Throw Responsibly.