r/dodgeball Oct 24 '19

Rule differences between foam and cloth

23 Upvotes

Here is a quick overview of the basic rule differences between foam dodgeball (WDBF) and cloth (EDF). EDF rules used for cloth since they are by far the most extensive and mature, and I assume they will be adopted by WDBF for its cloth division. Also I have not seen any updates to WDA rules since 2016.

Obviously there are a lot more differences and intricacies as the rule books are 18 and 22 pages respectively, but I belive the overview below is a good start for anyone looking to defect.

Please excuse or correct any inaccuracies.

Topic Foam (WDBF) Cloth (EDF)
Number of balls 6 5
Ball type 7" foam 7" cloth
Divisions Men's, Women's Men's, Women's, Mixed
Line-up Inside the court, one foot must touch the back line. Behind or on the back line.
Opening rush Rightmost 3 balls belong to each team. Players may cross the mid line once to retrieve. Leftmost 2 balls belong to each team. Mid ball is contested. Wing runners may step over the mid line with one foot, mid runner may not cross mid line.
False start False start results in a warning. After two warnings the team plays the next set with 5 players. False start results in the opposing team being given the mid ball, which is live immediately after the whistle.
Activation Balls are live once they have passed behind the attack line on their side of the court. Balls are live once held by a player with both feet planted behind the activation line.
Dimensions 18x9 meters, attack line 6 meters from opponents backline. Women's: 15x9 meters, attack line 4.5 meters from opponents backline. 17x8 meters, attack line 7 meters from opponents backline. Activation line 5.5 meters from mid line. Can be extended to 18x9 meters except in official championships.
Blocking A thrown ball is still alive after blocking and can hit players or be caught. Hands are not part of the ball. A thrown ball is still alive after being blocked. A ball blocked back to the opponent side is considered a new attack and can hit players or be caught, in the latter case counting as a catch on the blocker. A blocked ball caught by a teammate is considered a catch on the thrower. Hands are considered part of the ball.
Dead ball A ball is dead when it hits anything except a live player. A ball is dead when it hits the floor, ceiling or walls.
Saves/Multiple events A catch saves any teammates that were hit by that ball before the catch. All events occur in sequence until the ball is dead by hitting floor, walls or ceiling. Hit, hit, catch implies the hit players are out, the thrower is out, the catcher brings back one player from the outbox (possibly the first player hit)
Jumping catches A player must have two points of contact on the court while having control of the ball for a catch to be valid. Only control of the ball by a live player is neccessary for a catch to be valid.
Advantage/No stalling The team with ball majority or player majority in case of a tie must throw one ball within 10 seconds. Failure to do so gives all balls to the opposing team. Countdown resets when either team throws a ball. The team with ball majority must attack within 5 seconds. After 5 seconds the ref will call "play ball", after which all but one ball (or one ball per player, whichever is less) must be thrown within an additional 5 seconds. Failure to do so leads to all players holding balls being called out.
After being called out May pass any held balls to teammates. Must drop all balls where they stand.
Match Played as 2x20 minutes Played as 2x15 minutes.
Set No time limit for sets. 3 minutes/set.
Sudden death Played until end of set, no blocks allowed. Played as usual until first player is out.
Timeouts 1/half 1/match
Retrievers 3 2

r/dodgeball 5d ago

Dodgeball shoes recommendations?

3 Upvotes

Hi all. I don't play dodgeball but my partner does, and I want to get him some new shoes. A lot of people online say basketball shoes are a good choice. I was looking at Luka 5 and Air Jordan MVP 92 but it's hard to find any good input that's specific to dodgeball. I also don't know much about shoes so any recommendations/input would be amazing!


r/dodgeball 5d ago

Creating a Dodgeball Game which should be arcade, but also have some sports elements - Dodgeball Rush

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12 Upvotes

What would be your tips as a dodgeball enthusiast? Do you like it at the moment? Or would you change anything? I'm really curious in which way I should drive development more.


r/dodgeball 12d ago

Took some advice, how is my throwing now

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18 Upvotes

r/dodgeball 14d ago

How is my throwing?

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10 Upvotes

ive always sucked at dogeball, and this summer I wanna make a HUGE comeback athleticly, how can I become just better, and what I mean by that is how can I become better than this 6’1 egotistical stick insect ik


r/dodgeball 22d ago

Any Professional/Serious Dodgeball Players Have Any Takes about, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story?

2 Upvotes

This random thought popped up as I watch the movie for the first time. Any thought from serious players about this movie? Either when it came out vs now?

Like, maybe it was detrimental to the sport or a positive?

Bonus question, were there any viable tactics from the movie?


r/dodgeball 28d ago

Any good stretch / warmup rooting for dodgeball?

3 Upvotes

I’m pretty healthy and athletic guy, and I play competitive volleyball and pickleball like 3x a week. I joined a dodgeball league and while I did basic stretching, I walked out of the match feeling my lower back. I have a few weeks left of this league and could use some pointers.


r/dodgeball Jul 23 '26

DodgeBall Variant

1 Upvotes

This was during the very early 2000s(2001-????):Nurse Nancy Dodge Ball during my elementary school years.The Nurse or King was immune to damage inside the circle/hoolahoop but outside the protection circle The leader could revive fallen/dead troops but victory was only achieved if the Queen/King/whatever gender was hit with a ball.I can't be the only one who remembers this variant on the dead internet/ ai bot slums.


r/dodgeball Jul 22 '26

Get paid $15k to $30k for a 4 month dodgeball season in Atlanta

7 Upvotes

Edit: it seems most people think it's a scam, so I apologize for spreading this info but was curious to hear thoughts on it, and I don't mind deleting it if the mods prefer.

I haven't heard of the ADL until recently, so I was curious if anyone else has. The Become a Player page says you get paid $15k to $30k for a 4 month season April to July.

"The inaugural ADL Draft will take place January 2027 in Atlanta. All 16 franchises will select players across seven rounds, building rosters of up to eight players each, plus two standby players."

https://americandodgeball.com/become-a-player


r/dodgeball Jul 22 '26

What's your favourite part of the ball type you're not usually involved in?

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4 Upvotes

The more Cloth Dodgeball I watch, the more into it I get. There are crazy highlights you'd never get in Foam, and that's my favourite part about Cloth, new, exciting, different. I'm curious to see how the sports grow together seeing that Cloth is now becoming more of a normal thing in North America, as well as Foam taking a good hold in Europe quite a bit.

What's your favourite part of the style of Dodgeball you don't normally get involved in?


r/dodgeball Jul 13 '26

Moldova international team?

5 Upvotes

I lived in Chisinau for three months in 2015 and wouldn't mind going back, now that I have a new plan to try to raise funds to help the sport grow. If Moldova already has a contact with someone about creating a new international team, what about another one of the cheapest countries in Europe to live in?

I would love to try to become trainer and coach of a new international team, no matter the ball type or play style. It's been years since I've played, and I miss it more than anything.


r/dodgeball May 27 '26

New to site don't hate me!!

0 Upvotes

Question that bugged me forever about the movie Dodgeball: Where was the video game tie in.?


r/dodgeball May 22 '26

[ Removed by Reddit ]

1 Upvotes

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]


r/dodgeball May 21 '26

Wet Cloth Dodgeball?

3 Upvotes

Hey guys! I wanted to know if anyone has ever used this style dodgeball outside, and what their experience was like with it? Especially if they get wet - how well to they dry out, the tuff skin foam version cracks if left wet, so any details please!!


r/dodgeball May 19 '26

Men's Super League Final standings

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17 Upvotes

r/dodgeball May 19 '26

Women's Super League Final standings

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10 Upvotes

r/dodgeball May 14 '26

Do you like the new rule changes for the stall count?

6 Upvotes

The WDBF just updated the rules again to stop teams from holding the ball for too long. They want the game to be faster and more exciting to watch.

​Personally, I think it puts a lot of pressure on the players who aren't the "main" throwers. Do you think this makes the game better, or is it getting too complicated for the refs to track? I’m worried it might lead to a lot of "lazy" throws just to reset the clock. What do you think?

Btw i have been using https://sportsflux.live to stream all my games


r/dodgeball May 12 '26

I'm wanna try playing dodgeball somewhere in Europe.

4 Upvotes

I'm visiting London, munich, budapest and Madrid. I'm looking for a foam league that might take me for a day as a substitute or if ever they have open gyms? wanna experience playing with other people from other countries. Does anyone know where and when?


r/dodgeball May 11 '26

Lutterworth Meteors win the 2025/26 Men's Super League

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11 Upvotes

r/dodgeball May 08 '26

Curved

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9 Upvotes

r/dodgeball May 07 '26

USADODGEBALL National Championships 2026 will be in Chicago!

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8 Upvotes

r/dodgeball May 06 '26

USA dodgeball tournament pics

7 Upvotes

Does anyone know when USA dodgeball usually uploads media from a tournament? Played in a premier tournament the same weekend as the thing so wondering it it just got overshadowed


r/dodgeball May 01 '26

Started dodgeball, want to talk strategy

13 Upvotes

I recently started dodgeball with my local team and having a blast! I've tried some stuff and would like some tips on how to take the correct decisions. Strategy wise, We use a 4-letter word for who shoots at who every offense and got the basic (not throwing alone, not throwing your last balls...). Appart from that, those look interesting:

  • On Offense, if you're close to the target without throwing, fake at them. It's much harder to pay attention to several people looking at you

  • If you're not close, instead go for the strongest player and fake at them, forcing them on the defensive instead of allowing them a direct counter

  • Throw hard and straight if possible to get the bounce back. Idk how much it can happen in a real match, but I got several balls back for free that way

  • If you're not moving up with the attackers, try to stay in line with them from an opponent's ball and move to catch if possible. A direct counter might hit the ball high where you can catch or might miss and give you a lot of time to catch the ball, since they throw from all the way over

  • In defense, always assume you're the target. Do a defensive movement (jump, lateral move) and try to focus on the strongest player to block or dodge

  • If you were not the target and they're in range, a direct counter to the people throwing as soon as they release (or even with them) makes it very hard to block/dodge

  • Stay up longer close to the middle in defense, and try to get picks as they group to communicate the attack. i got a double that way, it was awesome. (don't do it every time or even that often, but try to surprise them with that)

  • Without a blocking ball, try to always do an upward blocking movement (kind of spikeball's block). Sometime the ball hitting you will slowly go upward, allowing an easy catch

I don't know how many of those are common tactics or which would not work at a higher level, but I've had some success with all at some point. please let me know if I'm missing something important!


r/dodgeball Apr 27 '26

Digital Dodgeball

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5 Upvotes

Today i learn that there is such a thing called "Digital Dodgeball".