1.1) All events and leagues run by Dodgeball Winnipeg will follow the WDBF rules, which can be found here.

Additionally, the European set of Rules for the Cloth format can be found here.

1.2) Here is a short instructional video that covers the basic rules. New players should definitely watch it before their first game.

Rulings on rules we could not find in the rulebook:

1.3) You are allowed to reach over the side or center line to grab a ball, so long as no part of your body touches the line or out of bounds. If two people grab a ball at the same time priority is given in this order 1) Live player 2) If both players are live, then the player whose side the ball is on 3) If both players are live, and the ball is on center, then whoever’s side the ball came from will get priority

1.4) Any number of players may run in the opening rush.

1.5) If a throw ends with both feet in the other team’s side of the court, the ball will be dead and the thrower will be issued a yellow card. Stay on your side of half.

Rules that are commonly misinterpreted:

1.6) If a ball is out of bounds and on your side of center you may stop that ball and toss/roll/hand it to your team. Out of bounds means the ball is not touching the line (you can visibly see floor between the ball and the boundary line). It is only referees and non-participants who are forbidden from stopping a ball rolling towards the other side.

Players are revived by catches in the order they are knocked out. ie: First out first in.

1.7) All sudden death rounds require play to be stopped, balls to be redistributed (3 per side) and then the referee will restart play.

1.8) If two live balls thrown by opposing teams collide in midair, they are dead the moment they touch.

1.9) A dead player may not interact with a ball that is in play for any reason. Once knocked out, they may toss any ball already in their possession to their team, but any ball they purposely interact with that is already in play will be forfeited to the other team. This includes actions such as kicking a ball, stopping one on purpose that was rolling away, or reaching in from the sidelines and knocking a ball that was in play to a teammate. You must wait until it is out of bounds before a dead player can interact with a ball. A ball is considered dead the same time a player would be considered out (when it touches the sideline or the ground out of bounds).

1.10) A ricochet off a player that was already out is a dead ball. That means that after the ball hits the out player, it is dead and any players hit by it are safe, if the ball is caught the thrower is safe, and anyone hit prior to the ball hitting the out player is out.

1.11) Any live player interacting with a cell phone or other electronic device will be knocked out as if they had stepped out of bounds on the first offense, and will receive a yellow card as well as being knocked out for all subsequent offenses that match.

1.12) Timing:

1.12.1) The first five minutes after the scheduled start time will be for warm up. If games are running late or there is a restriction on time, this may be cut short, lengthened or skipped entirely at the referees discretion.

1.12.2)  Regardless of how many players are present, the game will start five minutes after the scheduled start time. At this time, in order to play, a team must have at least 4 players (1 female + 3 others) present at the time the game starts. Any team that does not will forfeit the match with a score of 0-10. If both teams are unable to reach the minimum requirements to start, both teams will be recorded as losing, but the score will be recorded 0-0.

1.12.3) Teams are required to have minimum two females on the court each round. If a team has only 1 female they will play short (4 male+1 female). If the team has no females, or less than four players at the time the game starts, then they will forfeit the match with a score of 0-10.

1.12.4) Game times may be changed up to 48 hours before the game without notice for the purposes of venue requirements, and a post will reflect the change on the front of the website.

2) Equipment

2.1) Gloves are not permitted.

2.2) Players wearing shoes must wear clean, non-marking indoor-only shoes. Bare feet are not permitted due to sanitary reasons.

2.3) Any equipment/clothing deliberately manipulated by the player to assist in the action of making a catch will render the catch invalid and the player will be out.

2.4) Players who wish to chalk their hands are encouraged to use liquid chalk, but may use powdered if they prefer. Any mess made by the chalk must be cleaned up immediately, even if the player is required to miss a round of play to do so. If a player is found making a mess with chalk and not cleaning it up, the player may be suspended from playing in further games.