List of dodgeball variations facts for kids

A list of fun and different ways to play the game of dodgeball from all over the world!

Bombardment

Bombardment (also known as Pin Guard, Battle Ball, or Bombardo) is a dodgeball game played by two teams. It's usually played in a gym, like a basketball or netball court. The court is split into three main areas. Each team has its own area, and there's a middle area called "no-man's land" where both teams can go.

If a player gets hit by a ball, they are out. But if a player catches a ball, a teammate who was out can come back into the game. The player who threw the ball is then out. You can also use a ball to block another ball.

In Bombardment, each team also has special pins or objects. The main goal is to knock over all the other team's pins. You can also win by getting all the other players out. If you're playing with kids, remember that hits must be below the neck to count!

Court Rules

If a player throws a ball and hits the basketball hoop's backboard on the other team's side, all their teammates who were out can come back into the game!

Other Ways to Play

One version of Bombardment changes what the pins do. If you knock over a pin in this game, it brings back all the players on the other team!

Another game called "Bombardment" divides the playing area into four sections. A different team plays in each section. Teams try to get players out from all the other teams until only one team is left standing. A version of this is sometimes called "German Bombardment."

Blob Ball

Blob Ball is a dodgeball game that's a lot like "Blob Tag." In Blob Tag, if the person who is "it" tags someone, that person has to hold hands and follow them, forming a "blob." When the blob gets to six people, it can split into two groups of three.

Blob Ball works the same way, but with dodgeballs. One person starts as "it." If they hit someone with a ball, that person must join hands and become part of the "Blob." Players in the blob who aren't the leader must follow the leader. However, they can still pick up dodgeballs and throw them. If they hit someone, that person also joins the blob! When the blob splits, the players choose a new leader for each smaller blob.

In one version, there's a special defense. If a player who is NOT in the blob hits a player in the blob with a ball, that player leaves the blob. The separated player then joins the person who hit them, forming a new "good" blob. Players in a "good" blob can't tag people to make them join. They can only get people to join if they hit someone from the "it" blob. The only way to break up a "good" blob is if someone from the "it" blob hits them. Then, they rejoin the "it" blob.

Doctor Dodgeball

Doctor Dodgeball (also known as Dr. Dodgeball, Hospital, or Medic) is a game where each team has a special player called the "doctor." Usually, the other team doesn't know who the doctor is. The doctor's job is to avoid getting hit!

When players get hit, they fall to the ground and wait. Their team's doctor can save them by touching them. Once saved, the player can get up and play again. The game ends when one team has no players left. This often happens if a team loses its doctor.

Another way the game can end is if the doctor gets hit. This means it's super important for teams to figure out who the enemy doctor is. They also need to protect their own doctor! Some teams even use a "fake doctor" strategy to trick the other team. But in some games, everyone knows who the doctors are from the start.

One version of the game lets a new player become the doctor if the first doctor gets hit. A similar game is King's Court, which also has a leader. If the leader gets hit, the game is over. Sometimes, pins are used with this game too.

Another version uses a "hospital" area. Players who are "injured" (hit and on the ground) can be helped by teammates to their team's hospital area. Once they reach the hospital, they are "healed" and can play again. But if they are taken to the other team's hospital, they join the other team!

Fireball

Fireball (also known as Family Style) is a dodgeball game with no teams! If a player has a ball, they can't move their feet. If you throw a ball and hit another player, that player is out. But here's the cool part: all the players that *you* got out before now come back into the game! There are many other versions of Fireball with different rules.

Team Fireball

In Team Fireball, there are two teams, and players *can* move while holding a ball. There might be a line you can't cross, like in regular dodgeball. Or, you might only be allowed to take a few steps while holding the ball.

Gaga

Gaga (also called Ga-Ga, Gagaball, or Octoball) is a type of dodgeball played inside a special eight-sided area, or any space with walls. The goal is to hit your opponents with the ball below their knees using an open hand or closed fist. If you hit someone, they are out and must leave the playing area.

You can also get someone out by catching a ball they threw before it bounces. If you hit the ball twice in a row without it touching another player or a wall, you're out. Carrying, throwing, or catching the ball after it bounces also gets you out. Hitting the ball out of bounds usually means you're out, unless you were just trying to block it. Pushing another player or making any other physical contact is also against the rules. A judge helps settle any arguments.

Only one ball is used in Gaga at a time. To start the game, the ball is placed in the middle of the octagon. All players touch the wall. The ball is bounced, and players say "ga" each time it hits the floor. After three bounces, the ball is in play, and players can leave the wall. If you touch the ball or leave the wall before the third bounce, you're out. This is also how the game restarts if the ball goes out of bounds or is caught. The winner is the last player left in the playing area. Gaga can be played with many people playing for themselves, in teams, or even one-on-one.

Hunger Games

Hunger Games, also known as Survivalball, is a dodgeball game inspired by the famous book series. It's usually played outside in a large area with obstacles like trees or playgrounds. This makes the game feel more like a survival challenge.

Players start in a circle around a "cornucopia," which is a pile of all the balls in the center. After a countdown, players can rush to grab a ball or run away. If a player gets hit, they are out for good. You can't catch the ball to save yourself. Your only choices are to dodge, block with your own ball, or run away. Players can form temporary teams, but they can also betray each other at any time! If the game goes on for too long, the playing area slowly gets smaller until only one player is left as the winner.

Killerball

Killerball is a dodgeball game without teams, popular with kids in Sweden. In this game, you throw a soft rubber ball at other players to "kill" them with a good hit. If you're "killed," you're out of the game, usually for a short time. The game is timed, and the last player left wins.

All players spread out in a gym or playing area. A ball is thrown into the air. Whoever gets to it first after it hits the floor or a wall can pick it up and throw it. Once you have the ball, you must stand still until you throw it. Sometimes, more than one ball is used.

You are "killed" if a ball hits you without you catching it. Usually, a hit only counts if the ball doesn't hit the floor or a wall first. Hits to the head are not allowed for safety reasons and don't count as "killing" a player. You can also catch a thrown ball. If you catch it, the player who threw it is "killed" instead! Some rules say that if the ball hits only your hands, it doesn't count as a "kill" because your hands are like shields.

"Killed" players wait outside the playing area. They can come back into the game when the player who "killed" them gets "killed" themselves. There are many ways to play this part:

"Killed" players can come back after a certain amount of time.
All "killed" players can come back at the same time to keep the game going.
There might be a limited number of spots for "killed" players to wait. When a new player is "killed," the player who has been waiting the longest comes back in.
Another version: A "killed" player sits down right where they were hit. They stay seated, acting as an obstacle. If they can get a ball that rolls near them, they can stand up and play again!
In one version, a "killed" player moves to the sideline of the other team. This player, called a "Ghost," stays in that area and can catch and throw the ball at the opposing team.

The game continues until only one player is left, having "killed" everyone else. Or, if the game is timed, the winner is the player who has "killed" the most players when time runs out.

Kill the Camper

In Kill the Camper, also known as Killers vs. Campers, players are split into two teams: the Killers and the Campers. It's a bit like "Sharks and Minnows." The Campers have to run from one side of a marked area to the other, trying to avoid getting hit. The Killers have dodgeballs and try to hit the Campers with them.

Usually, the game starts with three to five Killers. This is because players who get out don't join the Killers' team. The Killers start in the middle of the playing area with all the dodgeballs and must stay there. If they run out of balls, they can only get more after all the Campers have crossed to the other side.

If a Camper catches a ball, they can cross safely without being hit by other Killers. But if a Camper gets hit:

After the first hit, they can only use one arm.
After a second hit, they can't use either arm.
After a third hit, they can only use one leg.
If they get hit a fourth time, the Camper is out of the game and must leave the playing area.

King's Court

King's Court is like regular dodgeball, but with a twist. If a player gets out, they don't just sit on the side. Instead, they move to the back of the opposing team's side. If a player on the opposing team's side (who is now in the "King's Court") gets a ball, they must throw it at one of the enemy players. If they hit someone, they can go back to their original team!

Poison Ball

Poison Ball has the same rules as regular dodgeball, but there's one special ball that looks different (it's usually smaller and a different color). This "poison ball" cannot be caught or touched by players directly! Players can only hit or move the poison ball using other dodgeballs.

President

In President, each team secretly chooses one player to be their "president." If either president gets out, that president's team loses, and the other team wins! Players who get hit are out for the rest of the round, which makes the game quite fast.

Protect the Pin

Protect the Pin (also known as P.T.P, Dodgebowl, Pin Guard, Poison Pin, or Pinball) is played like standard dodgeball. However, each team has plastic bowling pins (or similar objects like cones) placed at the back of their court. Once a pin is knocked over, it stays down for the rest of the game.

A team loses if all its players are eliminated, or more commonly, if all its pins are knocked down. In Protect the Pin, you can use the balls to hit players, knock over pins, or block other balls. If a player catches a ball, the thrower is out, and a teammate who was out can come back into the game. This game can also be played with rules from other dodgeball games, like Doctor Dodgeball.

Some different rules for "Protect the Pin" include:

Players might have more than one "life," sometimes up to three.
Knocking down a pin might bring back the entire team of the player who threw the ball.
Teams might only have one pin each.
Players might only be allowed to roll balls instead of throwing them. If you get hit by a rolling ball, you're out, but you can block them. Bigger balls are often used for this version.

Prisonball

Prisonball (also known as Doghouse Dodgeball, Prison Dodgeball, Jail Dodgeball, Crossfire, or Jailball) is played much like regular dodgeball. But when a player gets hit, they go to a special "prison" area behind the opposing team. To get out of prison, a trapped player must catch a ball thrown by a teammate. Players in prison cannot get anyone out from the other team. "Prisoners" stay behind the other team until the game ends or they are released by the rules. In some versions, if a player makes a half-court shot into the opponent's basketball hoop, all their teammates in prison are released!

In a version called German Prisonball, the "doghouse" (prison) extends to the sides of the opponent's court, not just the back. No one can be released from this doghouse. However, anyone in the doghouse *can* collect balls and attack the opposing team, as long as they don't enter the main court. This makes the game very exciting because as players get out, teams can be attacked from all four sides! The last team with a player not in the doghouse wins.

Another version called German Dodgeball is like Prisonball, but players only return once the opposing player who got them out is hit or removed from the game. This means the game can go on for a long time until one team gets all the other players out without losing any of their own.

An actual German version of prisonball is Völkerball (meaning 'nationball'). It uses only one ball. Each team has a "king" player. The king is the first player on a team to go to the jail zone. The king returns to the main field when all their teammates are in prison. The king has three "lives," which lets players get back in. There are many popular versions of Völkerball, including a recent "beach nationball" league. Völkerball is an official sport in Germany, played by women and girls.

Seven Stones

In Seven Stones (also known by many other names in India), one team tries to throw a ball at a pile of seven stones to knock them over. Then, they try to rebuild the pile as fast as they can. The other team tries to hit the players rebuilding the pile with the ball to get them out.

Spider

Spider is a free-for-all dodgeball game played in a wide-open area. The game starts with all the balls piled up in a pyramid in the center. A randomly chosen player kicks the pyramid, scattering the balls. Each player then tries to pick up a ball and hit someone else.

Once a player is hit, they sit down right where they were hit. If a ball rolls near them (or is given to them), they can stand up and play again. The only way to win is for one player to be the last one standing, and they must keep the balls away from any players who are sitting down.

Spiderball

Spiderball is a version of Spider with slightly different rules: 1. Players can form temporary teams. But these teams are not official, and players can betray each other at any time. 2. If you throw a ball and another player catches it, you have to sit down. If a sitting player catches a ball, they can stand up, and the player who threw the ball must sit down. This doesn't happen very often. 3. When you're holding the ball, you can only take three steps. After three steps, you must get rid of the ball by throwing it at an opponent or passing it to a teammate. 4. You can't cheat the step limit by just tossing the ball a short distance and picking it up again. 5. If you don't have a ball, you can move as much as you want. 6. Sitting players can't just stand up when they get a ball. They must first hit a standing player with the ball. This makes the hit player sit down, and then the thrower can rejoin the game.

Since players can't just stand up as soon as they get a ball, winning Spiderball might be easier. The end of the game often involves teammates betraying each other!

Elimination

Elimination is very similar to Spiderball, but with one big difference: players who get hit by the ball are out of the game for good. They have to wait on the side of the court until the player who got them out is also eliminated. Once that happens, all the players that specific person got out can return to the game. The rules about taking 3 steps with the ball and forming teams from Spiderball still apply. However, winning Elimination is very hard because one player has to get everyone else out. Because of this, the game usually doesn't reach a single winner, and sometimes "alliance wins" are allowed if a team gets everyone else out.

Spud

Spud is a game similar to dodgeball. Each player is given a secret number. One person is chosen as "It." The "It" person throws the ball in the air and calls out a number. All other players run away, except the one whose number was called. That player must catch the ball and yell "Spud!" When they yell "Spud!", everyone else must freeze and stay in sight. The player with the ball then takes a set number of steps toward another player and tries to hit them.

If you get hit, you get a penalty letter (S, P, U, or D). If you get all four letters, you are out of the game. If you catch the ball that was thrown at you, the person who threw it gets the penalty instead! The game can end with the last two players sharing the win, or it can continue with a final round thrown by a player who was eliminated.

Trampoline Dodgeball

This version follows most regular dodgeball rules, but it's played on a court made of trampolines and trampoline walls! Players usually can't be pushed out of bounds. This means the game is all about hitting and catching. The trampolines make the game even more active and allow for amazing jumps as players bounce around.