Dodgeball Rules 2026: How Foam Dodgeball Works, Set by Set

This page follows the WDBF Foam Dodgeball Rules 2026, as of November 2026. That's the organised competition rulebook for the foam format. Schoolyard and playground versions vary, and the rulebook doesn't cover them, so this page sticks to the foam rulebook.

Foam dodgeball in numbers

Item	What the rulebook says
Court	18 metres long by 9 metres wide, split by a centre line
Space around the court	At least 1 metre free on every side, at least 4 metres clear above
Balls	6 polyurethane coated foam balls, 17.8 cm (7 in) across
Team roster	At least 6 and no more than 12 players per match
Players in a set	6 active players per team
Match length	Two halves of 20 minutes
Set length	Up to three minutes of regular play
Halftime	Up to five minutes
Timeouts	One 60 second timeout per team per half

Players who aren't active in a set wait at the team bench, and up to 3 of them can be named ball retrievers. A team can have no more than two team leaders, such as coaches or managers, in the playing area. Active players have to stay in their own half, their queue or the penalty area.

The opening rush, step by step

Every set starts the same way, and it's where most new players go wrong.

1. All 6 balls go on the centre line, 3 on each side. Each team's 3 designated balls are the ones on its right when it faces the centre line from its own back line.
2. Every player stands with at least one foot on the back line and no part of the body outside the boundary lines.
3. Officials call the teams ready, then give the start signal within two seconds.
4. Each team runs for its own 3 designated balls. Only once it has activated all three may it fetch the other team's balls. Players can touch or cross the centre line while retrieving.
5. A fetched ball becomes live only when it fully crosses that team's own activation line, drawn 3 metres from the centre line in its own half.

That last step matters. A ball thrown before it's activated can't get anyone out, and it can't be caught. So grabbing a ball and hurling it straight from the centre line does nothing.

Leaving early has a cost too. If a foot leaves the back line after officials have called a team ready but before the signal, that's a false start. The first one in a half gets a warning. After that, the offending player goes to the queue and starts the set as an out player.

When a hit counts and when it doesn't

Only live players can throw, and a throw can be one or two handed: overhand, underhand, sidearm or a chest push.

Here's the rule people get wrong. Being touched by a ball isn't enough on its own. A player is out when a live ball touches any part of their body, hair, equipment or uniform and that ball then touches a dead object, such as the floor, a wall or a bench, before a live team mate catches it. So a team mate can still save you by catching the rebound.

A trap doesn't save you either. If the ball touches you and the floor at the same time, that isn't a catch: the ball is dead and you're out.

You can also go out without being hit at all:

• touching a boundary line, or the floor outside your own half
• using a ball to stop yourself going out of bounds

Catching, blocking and getting back in

A valid catch is the best play in the game. The thrower is out straight away, and the catching team brings one player back. Players return in the order they went out, stepping over their own back line.

A catch only counts when the catcher has control and at least one point of contact with the floor inside the boundary lines of their own half. If your first contact with the floor is outside those lines, it doesn't count. Using clothing to pin or cradle the ball makes the catch invalid too, so no trapping it against your shirt.

You can block a live ball with one or more balls you're holding. The risk is the knock-on: if the block knocks your ball loose and it touches a dead object before your team regains control of it, you're out.

Burden: the ten second rule against stalling

Foam dodgeball polices stalling with something called burden. One team at a time holds burden, and it has ten seconds to make a valid attempt to hit an opponent. If it doesn't, play stops and that team hands over every ball in its control.

A valid attempt is a real effort to hit an opposing live player. A throw into open space, or one that clearly lacks power, is an invalid attempt. The first earns a verbal warning. On a second, the offending player is out. So a soft lob into an empty corner won't get your team off the hook.

When time runs out: no-blocking

If a set is still undecided when its three minutes are up, no-blocking is declared. Blocking is suspended, and a ball that hits a ball someone is holding counts as hitting the player. A catch can still save them. No-blocking carries on until the set is decided.

Scoring sets and winning the match

A set ends when one team has zero live players and the other has at least one. The winning team scores one point. Sets keep coming within the two halves, and the team with the most points at the end of regulation wins.

Two edge cases:

• If both teams reach zero live players at the same instant, it's a wash. No point is awarded, the elimination is cancelled and the set continues.
• If the match is drawn, a tie-breaking set is played: up to three minutes of regular play, then no-blocking. The first team to win it takes the match.

Cards and penalties

Card	What happens
Player yellow	Three minutes of active match time in the penalty area
Second yellow-level offence in the same match	Becomes a red card
Player red	Ejected; the team plays short-handed for the rest of the match and the player misses the next two matches
Team yellow during a set	That team forfeits the set immediately
Team red, for severe misconduct such as fighting	Immediate match forfeiture

My verdict for first-time teams

I'd drill the opening rush before anything else: fetch your own 3 balls first, then carry them past your activation line before you throw. It decides which balls your team can use first, and a ball thrown too early is wasted.

Next I'd learn the two rules that cause arguments, that a hit needs the ball to touch something dead afterwards, and that a catch needs a foot on the floor inside your own half. I'd skip the finer points of how burden is assigned until you're playing in a league, and just remember that your team gets ten seconds to throw for real. If your group likes this sort of team game, the kickball rules and the rules of ultimate frisbee are good next picks.

Frequently asked questions

How many players are on a dodgeball team?

6 players are active in a set. A team rosters between 6 and 12 players.

How many balls are used in foam dodgeball?

6 foam balls, placed on the centre line at the start of each set, 3 on each side.

What happens when you catch a dodgeball?

The thrower is out and one player from the catching team comes back in, in the order they went out.

How do you win a dodgeball match?

Win more sets than the other team. Each set win is one point, and a set is won when the other team has no live players left.

How long is a dodgeball match?

Two halves of 20 minutes, with a halftime of up to five minutes. Each set is up to three minutes.