Dodge Ball

This requires a long wall or side of a house and a big rubber or kick ball. Everyone lines up and one person throws the ball at the wall in an attempt to hit a part of someones body. If they do, then that person is it and must now throw the ball. The object is not to throw the ball hard, but accurately in order to catch someone trying to dodge the ball.

Contributed by: Laura J. Rhinehart

OR

Kids would form two teams. One team would form two lines facing each other. They had playground balls for ammunition (two balls was the norm.) The other team would scatter about between the lines of the first team. The first team would then throw balls at team two. If a member of team two was hit below the shoulders, s/he was out and had to stand aside. If a player on team two caught the ball in the air (not after a bounce), s/he received a free "life" (ie-if s/he is hit again, s/he has used up a "life" and is not out.) A player may not receive more than three "lives." The fourth, fifth, etc. time a player catches the ball, s/he may bring players who were out, back into the game by calling a name. If and when all players of team two are out, the teams switch places.
VARIATION: If a player on the opposite team catches a ball you threw before it bounced, the thrower is 'out'

Contributed by Sarah Buhman

OR

We played Dodgeball in a circle (the circles were actually painted onto the blacktop on the playground). However many kids wanted to play, were divided up into 2 teams. One team was inside the circle and the other half spread out around the outside. We used a red rubber playground ball (about 14 inches in diameter) and threw it at the players inside the circle. The kids inside were allowed to run around where ever they wanted, but could not go out. We could only throw the ball to hit the kids inside below the waist. If a ball was thrown and hit someone above the waist, the thrower had to stop playing. If a kid in the center was hit, they became one of the players outside the circle. The game was over when only one person was left inside the circle.

Contributed by Cherie Robinson

OR

An indoor variation on the dodgeball theme.

You form a circle and choose a person to start. That person tosses a ball (preferably a soft one, like Nerf) to someone across the room. If you catch it, you toss it to someone else. If you drop it, you sit down. Last person standing is the winner. It's a good rainy day game and nobody gets hurt, and hopefully nothing gets broken. :)

Contributed By Jennifer Smith

OR

Variation 1: Setup: You need a large open space and at least enough soft-mediem hard balls to have one team have enough balls to have one per player. You can have a lot more, or a lot less. You divide into equell teams. Playing area: Mark a large rectangle with a line through the middle. Rules: You throw the ball tring to hit one of the members of the other team. If they catch the ball, the person is out. If the ball hits a person in the head, the person is out who threw it. That all happens before the ball bounces. If the team with a person out hits a member of the other team, all their members are in again. If it bounces, the ball does not follow any of the above rules.

Variation 2: The only change of rules is that the team with the person out must hit the player of the other team to get the team member in.

Contributed by Tom Bowersox

OR

You divide up in two teams.  Drag a garden hose or other similar divider between the yard.  The teams each go to their own side, and may not cross the divider.  Gather as many balls as possible and split them up between the two teams to start.  You throw a ball at the other team, if you hit them below the head, they are out.  If they catch the ball, you are out.  The last person in is the winner.

Contributed by Kari Busch

OR

Frisbee War:

This was Dodgeball played with frisbees instead of balls.  Usually there were two teams and a boundaries that you had to stay inside of.  We usually had a few frisbees, 2, 3 or 4, depending on how many kids were playing (sometimes up to 15 or 20 at a time).  We always played that if you caught someone's thrown frisbee then the thrower was out.  You
played until one person or team remained.

Contributed by Brian Litteral

Go Back