The Shotgun
Who: The whole team, or at least 3 players.
When: Most effective when dominant in numbers and balls, but can be used anytime.
How: Get as many of the balls as you can to as many of your players as possible. Choose a target (it makes sense to target their strongest player) and charge the centreline as a team, all throwing at roughly the same time. One of the balls is bound to hit the target and send them packing. For more success, slightly stagger your throws so that they are even harder to dodge consecutively.
Key Tips: Remember to be ready for the counter-attack, especially if your opposition has 2 or more balls. Since you will all be focused on one target, there is an opportunity for an approach from the side for a point-blank throw if you aren’t careful. Try to attack the target from all angles to make dodging easier and to improve peripheral awareness of the counter-attack.
Who: The whole team, or at least 3 players.
When: Most effective when dominant in numbers and balls, but can be used anytime.
How: Get as many of the balls as you can to as many of your players as possible. Choose a target (it makes sense to target their strongest player) and charge the centreline as a team, all throwing at roughly the same time. One of the balls is bound to hit the target and send them packing. For more success, slightly stagger your throws so that they are even harder to dodge consecutively.
Key Tips: Remember to be ready for the counter-attack, especially if your opposition has 2 or more balls. Since you will all be focused on one target, there is an opportunity for an approach from the side for a point-blank throw if you aren’t careful. Try to attack the target from all angles to make dodging easier and to improve peripheral awareness of the counter-attack.
The Counter-Attack
Who: Anyone
When: As you notice the opposition launching an attack, or to combat against “The Shotgun”
How: This move is one of the staples of competitive Dodgeball. The key here is timing. If you see the opposition preparing a Shotgun manoeuvre, or anytime one of them approaches the centreline, the counter-attack is a great option. Simply time your run towards the centreline to throw so that you can release just as your target is throwing (at someone else). With correct timing an accurate throw will be impossible to dodge or catch, so even if they get one of yours you can settle the score instantly.
Key Tips: Beware of the double-counter-attack as you are throwing, particularly if the opposition has most of the balls. You are equally vulnerable to a ball to the guts from someone else as you enact your own counter-attack. Of course, this works both ways – if your team launches an attack which is countered by the opposition, hang back and bide your time for the next wave of offense.
The Hike
Who: Two people; your team’s fastest runner and your most powerful thrower.
When: At the beginning of a set.
How: The rules of Dodgeball state that a thrower must be behind the attack line before throwing their first ball. Generally speaking, the means that on the opening rush players sprint up to the centreline, grab a ball, and backpedal to the attack line to throw. However, if the fastest player in the team can sprint up to the centreline, grab a ball and ‘hike’ it back NFL style to the thrower who remains just behind the line, the opposition can be caught like sitting ducks right on or near halfway still fetching balls.
Key Tips: The ball hiker becomes very vulnerable to a hike-back by the opposition once they offload the ball to the thrower. Be sure not to unleash friendly fire! You will be throwing from behind one of your team mates.
The Cherry
Who: An accurate thrower.
When: With 3 or less opposition players remaining.
How: To perform the moonball, a player needs 2 balls. The first ball is the thrower, and the second ball will be the finisher. The player selects an isolated target in the front half of their area. They lob the moonball gently towards the target, to lure them into trying to make a successful catch. This first ball should be high enough so that the opponent’s gaze is taken upwards and away from the stone which comes immediately afterwards. This is a very difficult move, in which timing is everything. The finisher must hit the opponent before they catch the moonball otherwise the thrower’s finishing ball is dead as soon as they are caught out.
Key Tips: The moonball should have a steep trajectory, which either lands well short of or well over the target, so that their peripheral vision is not enough to see the finisher coming. It must give the player time to fire off the ‘finisher’ and have it hit the mark before the moonball can be caught. Clearly the finisher should be thrown as rapidly and as accurately as possible, just when the moonball is at the peak of its flight.
The Kamikaze
Who: Your team’s most accurate and athletic thrower, or someone with a quick wind-up.
When: With only one opposition player remaining and at least four of your own left.
How: As the name suggests, it’s basically a suicide mission which can be used to finish off the set for a team dominating with only one opposition player remaining. The aim is just to get as close to the enemy as possible to throw, so a player will run up and leap from inside his own half as far forward as he/she can and throw in mid-air. If the ball hits its mark and the Kamikaze lands after the ball hits the ground, wall etc they are not eliminated since the set is over as soon as the ball hits the ground. This should not be attempted without several players left on the court as there is every chance the Kamikaze manoeuvre will be unsuccessful.
Key Tips: Make sure you don’t step over the line before jumping, as you will be called out immediately. Keep one eye on your launch point and one eye on your target. Focus on leaping as high and as long as possible.
The Human Shield
Who: Two people; a good catcher/deflector and a fast, accurate thrower.
When: When the opponent has 3 or less players remaining and you have an advantage in numbers.
How: This one is simple. One person takes a ball and simply stands in front of another person with a ball as they make their way towards the centreline for a throw. The blocker simply does their best to deflect or catch any opposition balls, and sometimes he/she will just sacrifice themselves in the process. The player behind the blocker attempts to use the element of surprise to fire off an accurate throw from close to the centreline.
Key Tips: Try to use a physically larger player as the blocker and a physically small player as the intended thrower in this move for obvious reasons. This move should not be tried with even numbers for both teams on the court, nor when the opposition has more than 3 players left as this makes the blocking task almost impossible.
Who: Anyone
When: As you notice the opposition launching an attack, or to combat against “The Shotgun”
How: This move is one of the staples of competitive Dodgeball. The key here is timing. If you see the opposition preparing a Shotgun manoeuvre, or anytime one of them approaches the centreline, the counter-attack is a great option. Simply time your run towards the centreline to throw so that you can release just as your target is throwing (at someone else). With correct timing an accurate throw will be impossible to dodge or catch, so even if they get one of yours you can settle the score instantly.
Key Tips: Beware of the double-counter-attack as you are throwing, particularly if the opposition has most of the balls. You are equally vulnerable to a ball to the guts from someone else as you enact your own counter-attack. Of course, this works both ways – if your team launches an attack which is countered by the opposition, hang back and bide your time for the next wave of offense.
The Hike
Who: Two people; your team’s fastest runner and your most powerful thrower.
When: At the beginning of a set.
How: The rules of Dodgeball state that a thrower must be behind the attack line before throwing their first ball. Generally speaking, the means that on the opening rush players sprint up to the centreline, grab a ball, and backpedal to the attack line to throw. However, if the fastest player in the team can sprint up to the centreline, grab a ball and ‘hike’ it back NFL style to the thrower who remains just behind the line, the opposition can be caught like sitting ducks right on or near halfway still fetching balls.
Key Tips: The ball hiker becomes very vulnerable to a hike-back by the opposition once they offload the ball to the thrower. Be sure not to unleash friendly fire! You will be throwing from behind one of your team mates.
The Cherry
Who: An accurate thrower.
When: With 3 or less opposition players remaining.
How: To perform the moonball, a player needs 2 balls. The first ball is the thrower, and the second ball will be the finisher. The player selects an isolated target in the front half of their area. They lob the moonball gently towards the target, to lure them into trying to make a successful catch. This first ball should be high enough so that the opponent’s gaze is taken upwards and away from the stone which comes immediately afterwards. This is a very difficult move, in which timing is everything. The finisher must hit the opponent before they catch the moonball otherwise the thrower’s finishing ball is dead as soon as they are caught out.
Key Tips: The moonball should have a steep trajectory, which either lands well short of or well over the target, so that their peripheral vision is not enough to see the finisher coming. It must give the player time to fire off the ‘finisher’ and have it hit the mark before the moonball can be caught. Clearly the finisher should be thrown as rapidly and as accurately as possible, just when the moonball is at the peak of its flight.
The Kamikaze
Who: Your team’s most accurate and athletic thrower, or someone with a quick wind-up.
When: With only one opposition player remaining and at least four of your own left.
How: As the name suggests, it’s basically a suicide mission which can be used to finish off the set for a team dominating with only one opposition player remaining. The aim is just to get as close to the enemy as possible to throw, so a player will run up and leap from inside his own half as far forward as he/she can and throw in mid-air. If the ball hits its mark and the Kamikaze lands after the ball hits the ground, wall etc they are not eliminated since the set is over as soon as the ball hits the ground. This should not be attempted without several players left on the court as there is every chance the Kamikaze manoeuvre will be unsuccessful.
Key Tips: Make sure you don’t step over the line before jumping, as you will be called out immediately. Keep one eye on your launch point and one eye on your target. Focus on leaping as high and as long as possible.
The Human Shield
Who: Two people; a good catcher/deflector and a fast, accurate thrower.
When: When the opponent has 3 or less players remaining and you have an advantage in numbers.
How: This one is simple. One person takes a ball and simply stands in front of another person with a ball as they make their way towards the centreline for a throw. The blocker simply does their best to deflect or catch any opposition balls, and sometimes he/she will just sacrifice themselves in the process. The player behind the blocker attempts to use the element of surprise to fire off an accurate throw from close to the centreline.
Key Tips: Try to use a physically larger player as the blocker and a physically small player as the intended thrower in this move for obvious reasons. This move should not be tried with even numbers for both teams on the court, nor when the opposition has more than 3 players left as this makes the blocking task almost impossible.
