Dodgeball

One of my favorite games in elementary school was dodgeball. I used to think it was only played in elementary school, but there are actually several colleges that have intramural dodgeball and even dodgeball teams at a club level. I think that's hilarious!

In Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, we learn that "if you're going to become a true dodgeballer, you've got to learn the five d's of dodgeball: dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge." Some of my favorite official dodgeball strategies are:

• Fake 'Out' : A player sits down on the ground. Teammates of the other side assume that the player is 'out' and run past him. As soon as the targeted opposer runs past him, the trickster sits back up and hits him with their ball, catching them completely off guard.
• Bait-ball: One team member lobs a ball up in the air to distract the other team, while a second team member throws a ball at normal speed in hopes of getting someone out. The name refers to the first ball's status as bait to lure the team's focus away from the second ball. One player can try to throw both the bait and kill balls, but this is less effective.
• Tip Flick: This requires three to four players. One player, the setter, holds two 5" balls. Two players stand behind the setter. The setter then throws the balls in the air as the two behind run up, grab the balls in the air and throw them at the opposing side. A fourth player can be added to block for the setter.
• Psych-out: For this strategy a player feints having a ball behind his back, and at an opportunistic time will pretend to throw the "ball." While what this accomplishes is often debated, a well timed/executed psych-out will generally cause an opposing player to hesitate or cancel a throw, as well as serve as a distraction.

I think Hank Azaria said it best in Dodgeball when he said, "Dodgeball is a sport of violence, exclusion and degredation."