You folks submitted some awesome responses to my column last week, and yours truly couldn’t be happier! Here’s the next installment you’ve been waiting for, and keep those questions coming! I promise I will only dodge balls not issues.
Let’s get to the questions!
I love dodgeball! I play four times a week. When I hear “3, 2, 1, Dodgeball!” I start salivating uncontrollably. But when I tell outside people that I play in a dodgeball league, they laugh and don’t take me seriously as an athlete. How can I convince people that dodgeball is a legitimate sport?
— Pavlov’s Dodge
Pavlov’s Dodge,
This is a real bell ringer. Whatever barriers to dodgeball being considered a legitimate sport vary from person to person, as everyone has their own expectations. Different people legitimize their hobbies into sports with varying claims and definitions: maybe to be considered a sport it has to have paid athletes, over X number of participants/spectators, or a multi-billion dollar industry backing it, or an iconic figure everyone loves and hates depending on how the local team is doing…we don’t know, or really care. What we do know and have at VDL are a set of rules under continuous review for improvement, tiered play, large-scale tournaments, awesome dress and cheers and spirit, and a community where people discuss strategy advancement and playstyle.
Here is my challenge to you: have your friends experience dodgeball. Perhaps at the upcoming fireball tournament, have them sub for one of your four teams on a league night (make sure they sign their waiver). If your friends are still on the fence about playing or trying dodgeball out, then what I suggest is that they watch one of the awesome highlight videos on our YouTube channel.
Like this one:
Perhaps with some conditioning your friends could be our next tier 1 champions.
Yours loyally,
Dodge Savage
When playing dodgeball, I sweat like a pig in July. My teammates don’t want to hug me after we win a big game. Any advice?
—Keith Sweat
Hey Keith,
Unfortunately, the only constant in dodgeball is the post-game high five. You can’t really expect anything else from your team, but perhaps you can start a support group for sweaty players with some of our Tuesday/Thursday League Operators. As for your sweating, perhaps you can see a doctor about Hyperhidrosis which I’m told can be quite troubling. For the rest of us there are Aluminum cholorhydrates.
Stay dry,
Dodge Savage
I see many different opening rush styles in dodgeball, like when a player passes a ball to him or herself, or having one player get all the balls for the whole team. Sometimes a teammate will “pass” the ball to us but we miss it and the ball will roll over to the other side. What’s the best method?
—Tom Sawyer
Hey Tom,
There is no silver bullet to openings or any strategy for that matter. However, here are some general guidelines for the opening rush:
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Toss the balls back to your team so they are are receivable. The worst thing is having your own balls roll to the other team.
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No more than two people going for the balls; you need people to receive the balls after all.
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Spread the balls out amongst your teammates who are waiting to receive.
If a ball does start rolling towards the other side, someone needs to make a call on whether they think they are safe or confident enough to retrieve it versus whether the ball should simply roll over.
Everything else depends on team style and special strategies.
Openingly rushed,
Dodge Savage
Have a burning dodgeball question you need answered? Submit your question in the comments below!