The Official Rules of the Hong Kong Dodgeball Association and the Rules and Regulations of the Hong Kong Dodgeball League are created by the Board of Directors. Players, coaches and team supporters of all dodgeball teams that are a part of the HKDA should abide by the rules set forth in this rulebook.

The rules are intended to uphold the fun spirit and the integrity of the sport for all participants. After the end of each season, the Board will review the Rules, and may institute revisions or changes based on feedback from players, coaches and spectators.

Each team captain is responsible for ensuring that all their players read and fully understand the rules and regulations. In the event that there is any confusion or controversy concerning the rules, the Board has the right to make a final ruling concerning the matter.

We wish you all a great new season that will be even more fun and exciting than previous seasons! We look forward to the opportunity for all of us to make some new lifelong friends in our dodgeball fraternity.

Live Ball: A ball that is thrown and hasn’t touched the ground or any dead objects.

Dead Objects: Anything that is not an active part of the match: The ground,the ceiling, dead players walking out of the court, referees, spectators or supporters.

Dead Ball: A ball that is no longer a Live Ball because of hitting a Dead
Object: Things that cause a live ball to be deemed as a dead ball:

1) A ball that comes in contact with any dead objects.
2) A ball that touches another live ball when both balls are in the air.

Out: A player that has been hit by a live ball, or a player whose live ball has been caught by a player on the opposing team.

Set: The duration it takes to get ALL six players of the opposing team out. Each set is worth 1 (ONE) point for the match.

Match: A contest between two teams to accumulate the most number of sets within two 20-minutes blocks of time.

Teams will be made up as 6-18 players. Only 6 (SIX) players per team will compete on court per set. Other players will be there to help pick up the balls and passing them back onto the court, as the six players on court cannot leave the boundaries unless they are eliminated from the game.

In coed dodgeball, of the starting 6 players, at least 1 player has to be female.If a team shows up with no female players, then the team must compete 5 men against 6 players.

The court shall be a rectangle 60 feet long and 30 feet wide, divided into two equal sections by a centerline and attack-lines (10 feet from and parallel to the centerline). This is the same dimension as a volleyball court.

The players must remain within the boundaries, and should a player step on the boundary lines, that player would be deemed as “OUT” the instant s/he touches out of bounds with any part of the body.

The official ball of the Hong Kong Dodgeball Association, used in tournament and league play will be a 7” rubber-coated foam dodgeball 140 grams in weight.

Any ball over 170 grams in weight will be deemed as inappropriate for play, as it might inflict bodily harm to the participants of the sport.

There is no dress code and it is not mandatory for the players on the same team to dress alike. To prevent injuries, it is recommended that players wear tennis/running shoes for the match.

The full time for the match is 40 minutes of game play, with 5 minutes reserved for sudden break. 1st half is 20 minutes followed by a 5-minute break during half time. The match will continue after the half-time break, and the teams will switch sides of the court.

There will be no ties in the match, so whichever team wins more sets after the hour will be deemed the winner of the match.

The object of the game is to eliminate ALL 6 players on the opposing team by getting them "OUT". This may be done by:

1. Hitting an opposing player with a LIVE thrown ball anywhere on their body, as well as their clothing.

- If a live ball hits an opposing player, and then bounces on another opposing player before hitting the ground, then both players will be "OUT".

- If a ball that is blocked by another ball is still deemed as a LIVE ball as long as it doesn't touch the ground/floor. So if a blocked ball hits an opposing player, then that player will be "OUT".

- If a ball hits a player that is deflected off a player that is dead already and walking out the court, that ball is deemed as a "DEAD BALL" and the hit does not count.

- A player that has been hit by a LIVE ball is not "OUT" until that live ball touches the ground or hits a dead object. So any action that the player does following the hit, and before the first ball touches the ground, shall be deemed as in play. For example, if two live balls are thrown at a player, the first ball hits and bounces in the air while the second ball is caught before the first ball hits the ground, then the catch is deemed a good catch. However, the player is out the instant the first ball hits the ground.

- A ball has to be thrown to kill a player from the opposing team. In other words, the ball has to leave the hands and be airborne to be a LIVE ball, so tagging a player with the ball doesn't count as a kill.

- A thrown ball that is released before the player got hit is a LIVE ball, so anyaction from that particular ball afterwards still counts.

Example: Player A throws a ball at Player B, but right before the ball hits, Player B throws a ball at Player A. Both players are out if Player A got hit by Player B's ball, such is called a "double out".

2. Catching a LIVE ball thrown by your opponent before it touches the ground.

- The instant that a live ball is caught, the person who threw the ball is "OUT".

- If a live ball hits an opposing player, and then bounces away and caught by another opposing player before hitting the ground, then the both players are safe and the player that threw the ball is "OUT".

- A ball that is blocked by another ball is still deemed as a LIVE ball as long as it doesn't touch the ground/floor. So if an opposing player catches a blocked ball, then the player that threw the ball will be "OUT".

-To complete a catch, the player must have complete control of the ball while being inbounds. Should the player lose balance and fall out of bounds, or walk out of the boundaries trying to chase after the ball, then it is not deemed a catch and that player is "OUT".

Catching a LIVE ball will bring back ANY player that was eliminated in that set back into the court. The player that comes back into the court must be one of the original six players that started the set. If a player comes back into the court that wasn't part of the starting six, then that team will lose the bonus of having a player come back to life.

NOTE: The regenerated player must enter back into the court from the baseline, and the first person to step back into the boundaries of the court is the one that comes back to life.

Blocking: Players may use the ball in their hands to block an incoming ball.

- A successful block is one where the player retains control over the ball that is used to deflect the oncoming ball. If the player loses control over the ball after the block, even if the opponent's ball doesn't touch the player, the player is deemed "OUT".

- The deflected ball is still a LIVE ball until it either touches the ground, so a deflected ball that hits another player may still result in an "OUT" if it hits another player, or considered a "CATCH" if it is caught.

During play, all players must remain within the boundary lines. If a player steps on the baseline, the sidelines, or the centerline, then that player is "OUT".

EXCEPTION: A player may legally step over the centerline only during the opening rush.

- A player is deemed "OUT" the instant s/he steps past the boundary.

- A thrown ball released BEFORE a player steps on one of the boundary lines will be deemed as a "LIVE BALL" and all action from the ball counts even though the player that threw is OUT regardless.

- A thrown ball released AFTER a player steps on one of the boundary lines will be deemed as a "DEAD BALL" as the player is OUT the instant he/she stepped on the line.

Game begins by placing 6 dodgeballs along the centerline - 3 (THREE) on one side of the center hash and 3 (THREE) on the other. Players then take a position behind the baseline, with at least 1 foot touching the baseline. Following the starting whistle by the referee, teams may approach the centerline to retrieve the balls.

This signal officially starts each game. Teams may only retrieve the three balls to the right of the center hash. Once a ball is retrieved it must be taken behind the attack-line before it can be legally thrown.

- Only the ball has to travel back behind the attack-line, not the player. So a ball can be passed back behind the attack-line and be thrown as a LIVE ball immediately, as long as the ball travels behind the attack-line. Any ball thrown before it crosses the attack-line is considered a DEAD BALL, and would not count towards a kill or a catch.

NOTE: All players must have at least one foot touching the baseline at the start of each set. At the discretion of the referees, the runners (i.e. the players who run to collect the balls at the start) may be penalized by the referees if they continually false start or if they are deemed to have blatantly cheated by not having at least one foot on the baseline. Post-match, the Board may penalize players if there is video evidence of continual cheating.

The first team to legally eliminate ALL 6 players from the opposing team will gain 1 (ONE) point for the set. The team with more points at the end of the full 40 minutes time frame will be deemed the winner of the match. Although there is no time limit per set, the referee will rush the teams to throw the balls to speed up the pace of the game. If neither team wants to throw, the referee will require a team to throw based on the following:

-The team with more balls on their side of the court to throw first. Even if some balls are on the ground outside the boundary, the team has to throw as long as more balls are on their half of the court.

-If both teams have 3 balls, then the side with more players on court has to throw first.

- If both teams have 3 balls, and the number of players on court is equal (such as the opening rush), then the team that won the last set is required to throw first.

Once a player is deemed to be OUT, s/he must leave the court in a timely manner and leaving the court at the nearest point of exit. If the player is still HOLDING one or more balls when s/he is out, the player is allowed to pass
those balls onto his/her teammates. If a player is NOT in possession of a ball at the instance when s/he gets out, then that player is NOT ALLOWED to touch any balls that may be on the court. At the discretion of the referees, a team may have a ball stripped from them and given to the opposing side, if an infraction occurs.

Once a player is deemed to be OUT, s/he must leave the court in a timely manner and leaving the court at the nearest point of exit. If the player is still HOLDING one or more balls when s/he is out, the player is allowed to pass those balls onto his/her teammates. If a player is NOT in possession of a ball at the instance when s/he gets out, then that player is NOT ALLOWED to touch any balls that may be on the court. At the discretion of the referees, a
team may have a ball stripped from them and given to the opposing side, if an infraction occurs.

Rules will be enforced primarily by the "honor system". Players will be expected to act honestly and rule whether or not a hit was legal or whether they were legally eliminated. However, because of the fast-paced nature of the sport, sometimes a player would not feel a ball skim their clothing or hair. There will be up to 4 game-officials, whose responsibility will be to rule on any situation in which teams cannot agree. THE GAME OFFICIAL'S DECISION IS FINAL – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Even though the nature of sport of dodgeball is fast-paced and competitive, it is expected that each and every player act with sportsmanship and conduct that upholds the integrity of the game. A blatant case of poor conductor sportsmanship will result in the expulsion of the player from the game, and the team will carry out the rest of the games in the match one player down. Such conduct includes the following:

- Racist or sexist comments directed to the other team
- Rude verbal taunting
- Intentionally inflicting pain or throwing a ball hard at close distance to another player's face.
- Excessive use of foul language
- Cheating
- Causing constant distraction to the game by a player that is not on court
- Squeezing and crumpling the ball before throwing it.
- Kicking the ball
Misconduct during matches will lead to YELLOW CARD or RED CARD for the player.

Yellow cards act as a warning for the player to his/her conduct on court, and the team should be warned that 2 (TWO) yellow cards for the team and the team will play one player short for the remainder of the match (see example below).

Red cards are for serious misconducts during the match, and may be given without prior warning to the offense. Should a player get a red card during a match, he/she is ejected from the match and the team will continue playing one player short for the rest of the match.

Example: Team A's player gets a red card. He is ejected from the game. Team A must start each subsequent set with 5 players or less.

2 yellow cards to the same player in the same match, equate to a red card, and that player will be ejected from the match. Should a player attain 2 red cards for the season, that player would be banned from the season indefinitely.

With the introduction of the high-definition cameras that record most the matches, players that suspect cheating and dishonesty on the dodgeball court may review the video after the match is posted on YouTube. Should there be clear evidence of wrongdoings and blatant cheating, the player in question may be subjected to a post-game red card.

A team is accountable for the actions of their team supporters, ball
retrievers, and audience.

Off-court Interference

Off-court players, coaches, ball pickers / helpers, and supporters should not interfere with the match. Interference includes:

1. Unnecessary sounds and actions aimed to distract
2. Rude gestures
3. Verbal insults to players
4. Physical contact with the other team's players, supporters

The referees have the right to penalize a team for interference.

Ball pickers / helpers

Ball pickers should NEVER enter the dodgeball court to retrieve or give balls to a player. Ball pickers that are always inside the active playing area will be deemed a distraction.

Once a dodgeball leaves the court's boundary lines, a team's ball picker can collect the ball and pass it to an on-court player. If a ball passes over the half court line, a ball picker CANNOT crossover to the other team's side of the court to fetch the ball.

(Note: if unmarked on the court, the half-court line is an imaginary line that splits the court into equal halves - this line extends from the actual on-court half-court line to the out of bounds area. The referees will determine whether a ball helper has crossed this imaginary line if there are no markings that extend out of the court).

If a ball comes to rest ON the half-court line, then either team's ball pickers can take the ball. Ball pickers are advised to act fairly and reasonably to avoid any unnecessary altercations. If there are any disputes, the referees have the final say on which team gets the ball.

Example: A ball picker stands outside the court's boundaries, s/he is allowedto use his outstretched arm to prevent the ball from rolling onto the opposition's side, as long as s/he is acting within the team's boundary.

All matches played in The Hong Kong Dodgeball League will be played under
the Official Rules of The Hong Kong Dodgeball Association.

The Rules and Regulations of the Hong Kong Dodgeball League are to be adhered to in addition to the HKDA Official Rules during league matches.

The Commissioner will send out a dodgeball update e-mail every Friday to all the captains of dodgeball teams. Included in this weekly e-mail is the updated schedule, updated team standings, and also any news or announcements regarding the league. If you or your team is not receiving the weekly e-mail, please make sure your contact information submitted is correct, or make sure your team captain is doing their job correctly and forwarding all vital information to the teammates. Updated information can also be found on the league website: www.hkdodgeball.com and also the twitter account: @hkdodgeball for the real time source to find out match results.

The schedule of the weekly matches will be given to the team captain 4 (FOUR) weeks in advance. Should teams need to reschedule the match, captains need to e-mail each other to move the match to a different date, time or venue. If no agreement can be made, the match will be played as originally scheduled. Even if there is an agreement from all teams concerned, matches cannot be moved without at least one-week notice.

For a scheduled match, if one of the teams is not ready to play when the starting whistle blows 10 minutes after the hour, that team is treated as having forfeited the match. A win by means of forfeit is counted as 10-0 for score. If both teams are willing, the match can be replayed at a later date at the team's expense of $550 ($250 for court fee, $300 for referees). The final score of this rematch will replace the original forfeit score of 10-0.

Should a team come to a match with only 6 players or less, that team will start with one of their players outside the court to pick up the balls. That player who is picking up balls is NOT ALLOWED to play in the set, as s/he is not part of the starting six at the time when the whistle is blown. Therefore that player cannot participate in that set even when one of the current players gets out, nor when one of the current players makes a catch. Likewise, any teammate who arrives after the start of a set must wait until the next set to be eligible to play.

A team that is short on players may enlist the help from players of other teams and/or spectators to help pick up balls at any time. Borrowing players that are on other teams' roster to play the match will be subject to the approval of the opponent team's captain, and should be established before the match begins. Once approval is given, it is valid for the entire duration of the match.

For matches where there are no video cameras recording the match, the team captains from each team are in charge of getting a team picture along with the opponent team (either at half time or end of the match) so that there is proof of all those that played in the match. At the end of the night, please e-mail to the Commissioner or one of the directors to keep as record.

Females playing in the women's league and/or coed league can cross over to the other side's attack line. (Added Spring 2009, and amended for Fall 2009 Season)

Time Wasting

There is no "shot clock" in the league matches, but it is generally accepted that teams should play at a fair pace. If neither team throws, the referees at their own discretion will indicate which team/player is required to throw first (see TIMING & WINNING A GAME). Once the referees have indicated who has to throw first, the team that is required to do so has 10 SECONDS to initiate a throw.

Referees may also penalize teams who are deemed to have taken an extra long time to make a throw. Penalties may include warnings, yellow cards, or the opposing team being given some of the balls in the possession of the team or player who is considered to be wasting time.

Example: Team A only has one player left on court and s/he is in possession of 5 balls, while Team B has 5 players left but have only 1 ball. Team A's player is required to throw first, but is stalling because the time is 9:54pm with Team A leading 8-7. Team B has the right to complain to the referees that Team A's player is stalling. If, after a verbal warning, Team A's player still refuses to throw or if there's apparent stalling, the referees may issue a penalty.

The Last Set

The last set of the match should start BEFORE 5 minutes to the hour (i.e. BEFORE 8:55pm; 9:55pm; 10:55pm etc). HOWEVER, the referees, or any member of the Board who is present, will determine whether there is enough time for the last set to be played -- based on how much time is left and the pace of the match.

Example: Team A has just won a set and now leads 9-8. The time is 9:54pm. A new set should be started, BUT the referees or any member of the Board who is present has the right to STOP the match, if they feel there is insufficient time to complete the "last set" and then a possible "Sudden Death" set.

Exception: If the score is TIED, then a new SUDDEN DEATH set will be started.

Example: The time is 9:54pm. Team A is leading Team B, 8-7. A new set has started and Team B wins to tie the score at 8-8. Even though the time now is 9:57pm, SUDDEN DEATH will be played.

Premature end to the match

There may be rare occasions that the referees need to end the match before the official time has ended. Such reasons for premature end may include and not limited to the following: safety issues, fire alarm, injuries, electrical and lighting problems, arguments and irreconcilable disputes between players. The Board reserves the right to make a decision about the final outcome of the match, as there are no draws in dodgeball. After a review of the case, the Board may do one of the following:

1) Award the win to the team that was leading in score before the match came to the premature end.

2) Award the win to the team that was losing before the match prematurely ended, based on wrongdoing or cheating from the other team. The score will be adjusted according to each and every set infraction that is found.

3) If the set score is tied at the time the match prematurely ended, the win may be awarded to the team with the most number of players who are still alive in the set. Under this ruling, if both teams have the same number of players who are still alive in the set, then the win will be awarded to the team that won the previous set.

4) Depending on the amount of time left in the match when it is prematurely ended, it may be decided that the entire match be replayed at a later time, or just the remaining time in the match. (Would only apply to matches that ended due to unusual circumstances and with more than 20 minutes remaining in the match)

In the event that a team is suspected of cheating and/or in hopes of overturning bad calls that could change the score and outcome of the match, video evidence must be submitted to the Commissioner or directors of the League within 1 (ONE) week of the video being uploaded.

Prerequisite conditions to do video challenges are the following:

- The final score of the match is difference of 1 point.

- The challenge will overturn the score and hence the victor of the match

- The play in question is a set-ending play had it been called correctly.

When there is a call for total overturn of the score where there was an infraction for more than half the total number of sets in the match, the final score will be changed to 0 – 0 to be fair to the other teams in the divisions. However, the win for the record goes to the other team.

Example: Team A beats Team B 15 – 5. However, it was proven that Team A had more higher division players in their starting six than allowed for all 20 set total. Instead of the score being changed to 20 – 0 in favor of Team B (which is unfair to the rest of the teams in the same division), the score will be changed to 0 – 0 with the win in favor of Team B.

The team roster is defined as what the captain submits AND what we see on the video. So if a player is seen in the video playing for a particular team, s/he will be put on the team roster even if "just helping out".

The Roster

Before the start of the season, Team Captains must provide a preliminary roster of their players to the Commissioner of the League. Team Captains may add players to their roster by notifying the Commissioner BEFORE the mid-point of the season (i.e. BEFORE a team has played half of their regular season matches). Team Captains must get a response from the Commissioner (usually via email) to prove that the addition to the roster has been successful.

After the 5th match of the season, players who are not on the team roster at the time of the match (checkable from the team list on the www.hkdodgeball.com website updated every week) may only play in a match if the opposing team agrees (Exception – during the playoffs, only players on the roster that have played at least 5 matches for the team are eligible).

After a match, if Team A discovers that Team B has used a player that was not on the official roster, they have a right to make a complaint to the Board, and the Board may or may not choose to penalize the team that fielded the nonroster player.

Defining a D1, D2, or D3 player

A player who is ON the official roster of a team is considered to be a player for that team's Division. Players are allowed to play for multiple divisions, but will be ranked as the higher division player.

There may be instances where a D2 or D3 player is invited to play in a higher division to help out certain teams. However, any lower division player who plays more than (TWO) matches for a higher division team will be considered as a higher division player for the remainder of the season – regardless if their name is on the higher division's team's official roster.

Division 2: No more than 2 (TWO) D1 players can be in the starting six during sets in Division 2.

Division 3: No more than 1 (ONE) D1 player can be in the starting six.

If there is one D1 player in the starting six, then NO players from D2 can play in the starting six. If there are NO D1 players in the starting 6, then no more than 2 (TWO) D2 players can be in the starting six. Any infractions by sneaking in higher division players will be deemed as cheating, and the team losses each set automatically. The result of a match may be overturned, should cheating be spotted from the videos after the match.

Exception: Female players can play in all three divisions without any limitations.

TEAM STANDINGS

- The ranking for the week are based on the teams' win/loss record. If some teams' win/loss record are the same, then it goes to the teams' winning percentages for the sets. If winning percentages happens to be exactly the same, then the higher ranking goes to the team that have played a higher number of sets in total.

- The team standings will be used to determine the playoff brackets during the playoffs.

PLAYOFFS

- Players for a particular team must play at least 5 (FIVE) matches for the team to be eligible to play for the team during playoffs. (Added Spring 2008 Season, and amended for Fall 2010)

- No player can play on multiple teams in the same division during playoffs. Players on multiple teams must choose their loyalty before the playoffs. (Added Spring 2008 Season)

AWARDS

Rookie of the Season Award
-Awarded to the player that, in the opinion of the directors of the Hong Kong Dodgeball Association, to be the best new player of the season. This award can only be won once.

Most Valuable Player Award
-Awarded to the player, who is voted by the team, to be the most valuable player for the entire season. The recipient of this award has to be from the team that wins the Championship/Gold Medal of their division.

Most Improved Team Award
-Awarded to the team that, in the opinion of the directors of the Hong Kong Dodgeball Association, shows the most improvement from start of the season to the end of the season.

Best Sportsmanship Award
-Awarded to the team, in the opinion of the directors of the Hong Kong Dodgeball Association, to have the best sportsmanship during the matches, and the most fun to play against. The team must not have any yellow or red cards for the season to be eligible.

Best Team Spirit Award
-Awarded to the team, in the opinion of the directors of the Hong Kong Dodgeball Association, to have the best team spirit, and give the impression of having the most fun playing the sport regardless of winning or losing.

Top Killer Award
-Awarded to the player that, according to the cumulative stats of the season, has the most kills per set played. Need to have at least 5 matches and/or played 50 sets with stats to be eligible.

Top Catcher Award
-Awarded to the player that, according to the cumulative stats of the season, has the most catches total.