4 Way Dodgeball, quick, sneaky, and easily narrowed down to one winning team…
Start the game by dividing the space into 4 Equal Quadrants, using pylons, then you can start by dividing the group into 4 equal groups.
Here is where the game gets different.
It is 4-way dodgeball, but when you hit a member of the opposite team, that person joins your team. The more people that get hit the more players join that team. As the teams shrink, you close quadrants. As a quadrant closes the stakes get higher and soon the teams get bigger. The team with the most players is the winner.
The game can go rather fast, and the players are constantly switching sides. So being mindful of who is hitting who and getting strategic about who you target so that you can collect the most people the fastest
The Mods
Start with the dodgeballs along the wall, and all the players on the walls
Close the quadrants as the team members get below 5, instead of waiting for them to be picked off.
If someone is not being honest about getting hit, they must run a lap of the space before playing again.
The entire point of this game is to get the “Bacon” back to your team’s side without getting tagged.
The “Bacon” can be anything…
Shoe
Dodgeball
Homebase
Pinnie
Goalie glove
Rugby ball
Football
ANYTHING….
How to Play
Create 2 teams and place the “Bacon” in the middle of the space, on each team you need to number the players 1-10 (or however many you have). Line them up across the space from one another and the “Bacon” in a hula-hoop in the dead center.
The leader then calls out a number and a person from each team with that number runs out and tries to get the bacon before the other person. They need to take that “Bacon” back to their team as fast as they can without getting tagged. Once tagged you drop the “Bacon”, and it returns to the middle for the next round.
You cannot touch the other player until one of you has touched the bacon, keep it fair people.
If one player gets the “Bacon” back to their side of the field without getting tagged the team gets a point. First team to 10 points wins. (Or 5 or 20, whatever works for your group), or all the numbers have had a turn.
The Mods
The Leader can call more than one number, in which case several players from each side participate.
In some games, players may tag any player on the opposing team, in others, a player may only tag the player on the other team that they share a number with.
in some games, points are scored by carrying it to the other team’s side or either team’s side
Once tagged the “bacon” must be dropped. Then the other team’s player can pick it up and run, only stopping when they get to the other side or are tagged.
Remove the “Bacon” and use Dodgeballs, the first person to hit the other player/players gets them out. Last person standing wins.
Use this as a hockey drill, sticks, one puck and a net. First player to score a goal, gets the point.
Divide your space into 4 zones, or quadrants inside each quadrant you need to place a hula hoop and then the cone inside the hula hoop and then the volleyball on top of the cone. Place one of these insides each of the quadrants.
Now divide all your students into four equal teams each team is allowed 1 guard, that stands the (length of the hockey stick or a meter) away from the pylon and ball. The rest of the players do their best to knock the other teams ball off the pylon with the dodgeballs. Once the volleyball is knocked off that team loses, and their quadrant is closed. That team now stands on the side lines and the team that knocked down the ball takes over their quadrant. This continues until there is only 1 team remaining.
all four teams is also playing dodgeball as well. So, if you get hit with a dodgeball you need to stand on the sidelines till the person that hit you with a ball is hit. Or the Teacher/Leader calls “Jailbreak”
All shots are to be from the shoulders and down.
You can use the dodgeballs as shields.
If you catch someone else’s ball, they are out, and you are in.
You hit someone in the head you are out.
The Mods
Play so that the kids must only to hit the Volleyball. If they hit a player, they are out
Change out the Volleyball for a Dodgeball, then if that proves too easy, then shrink it down to a Tennis ball
If you hit someone with a dodgeball, they can join your team
If you catch someone else’s ball, you get yourself and another person back. and the person’s ball that you caught is not out.
Play to only knock down the ball, you are not down or out if you get hit.
Yes, this game is called Madball. I can not say as to why, either it’s the wacky rules, the highly competitive nature or you go mad trying to keep up with this style of Dodgeball game.
The best way I have found to play it is to set up as many Gym mats standing up as you can, spread them out so you have hiding places or ducking corners. The mats are up so players can hide, duck and avoid getting hit, making this a fun and sneaky game for everyone. This game goes WICKED fast. Players are out and in rapidly, dodgeballs are zooming through the air like snow in a blizzard. Be prepared to play and get involved, it is an amazingly fun game if you can keep up.
This is Everybody’s It Tag with Dodgeballs.
The Basic Rules:
You can hit anyone you want.
If you hit them they are out and need to sit down.
You can only get back up if the person that hit you with the dodgeball gets hit and sits down.
Or “Jailbreak” is called by the leader of the game.
There are NO teams
You can only hit from the shoulders down.
If you hit someone in the head, YOU ARE DOWN
You can only take 3 steps with the ball in your hand, then you have to throw it.
If you disagree about a hit/tag, you play Rock/Paper/Scissors winner gets their call.
There are no teams, there are no partners, it is everyone for themselves. You will be one of their main targets when you play. Yes, you should play.
I start with everyone on the walls of the room/gym and all the balls in the middle of the room. I go over the rules with the group, then step away from the dodgeballs and RUN! The minute you say GO, it becomes an intense, hilarious, and competitive game all at once.
The Mods
Sudden Death:
This is the hardest version as once the players are hit they are OUT. Like fully out. There is no return. The goal is to get a winner. I normally award the winner with a prize, bragging rights don’t always do it.
***I have allowed players to return if they complete a fitness challenge such as 5 jumping jacks, 5 push-ups, use your discretion taking in the physical ability of your players.
Alliances:
This allows for players to pick teams and work together in small groups. When you use this, try to make the alliances as fair as possible. There can be a lot of grief about this modification if the groupings are not fair. But it does allow for an upwards of 4 team groups playing at once.
This a great outdoor game to play in a park or hiking with a group of kids.
The Game
1 person starts as the “IT” closes their eyes and counts to 20 holding their arms outstretched and their palms to the sky as everyone playing then hides. The “IT” person then calls out “Food and Water” with their eyes closed they begin counting again down from 20. At which time everyone playing runs from their hiding spots and has to tag the outstretched hands of the “IT”, and then run back into hiding.
Then the “IT” gets to open their eyes and look around, they can not move from their spot, but they can turn in a circle. If they see any of the other players they are to call either their name or the colour of their clothing. These players are now in jail.
Now the “IT” closes their eyes again and starts counting from 19, then the process repeats and then they count from 18, 17, 16… and so on till they either catch everyone, or they get to 0.
For the next round, the first person found gets to be the “IT” and the game can go on.
Modifications for Gyms, Indoors, and COVID friendly:
Instead of tagging the person’s hand have the kids run and tag a place or a wall when Food and Water are called.
Yes I did just call a game 40/40. But it is more than just a game. It combines all we love about TAG, Hide and Seek and Relay Races. This game is made for the hiders, the runners and the sneaky loophole seekers.
The Rundown
1 person is “IT” and they pick a spot, say a tree or a certain wall in a gym, and then they go there and count to 40. Everyone else hides as fast as they can. Now the “Seeker” is finished counting, they can look around and see if they can spot anyone. If they see someone they can call “40/40 on Jack” Now Jack as to run from their hiding spot all the wall to the tree or spot and get there before the “Seeker” If the Seeker wins the race, Jack goes to jail.
If Jack wins, they are free and all of the jail is free and the “Seeker” has to start counting all over again.
Here is where the sneaky part comes in, if another player can sneak to the tree or spot without being seen and their name called then they touch the spot and yell “40/40 Free the Bunch” This frees everyone in jail and the “Seeker” has to start counting all over again.
If the Seeker catches everyone, than the first person to be found or the last person to be found is “It” and the game starts again.
Yes the “Seeker” can stand at the spot and call 40/40 on anyone they can see from where they are standing. It is not puppy guarding or cheating, its just the game.
If the players forget to say 40/40 Free the Bunch when they sneak up on the spot it does not count. “Go to Jail”
If the” Hider” goes for the spot and is seen and their name called then it is now a race to keep just them out of jail.
Helpful Suggestions:
As a group set the boundaries of where people can hide, and where they cannot. Keep it clear and simple.
2. Place the jail a good distance from the tagging spot, these kids are going to be running full tilt and you don’t want a crash.
3. Set some clear rules about hiding and about interfering with the game (you might have a little friend that likes to give away all the hiding spots)
Modifications for Outside
Pick a tree or something big and easy to get to as the spot the players need to tag.
Place the jail a bit of a distance away (Trust me)
Be clear about tree climbing or hazards before you start.
Modifications for Gyms and Inside spaces
Pick a wall or a distinctive place in the room that is large and easy to get to for people to tag.
Set up clear boundaries or areas they can and cannot hide
Make sure you give them lots of time to either create hiding spots before the game starts or arrange to use some mats or tables as hiding spots.
Have you played this before? If so what are some of your modifications?
Let’s take one of the versions that is my MOST requested game to play when you have a group of people and no equipment.
This game is not mine, a friend of mine taught it to me and I couldn’t help but love it, it takes agility, skill, speed and a big element of sneaky. In this version of Everybody’s It Tag, you are only allowed to tag someone on the Shin/calf area. So that makes all other tag attempts null and void.
Best way I have found to teach this game is have everyone touch their knee, then have them touch their ankle on the same leg. (Yes this means a little goofy balancing act, but visuals help!) If you get tagged between your knee and your ankle, you are down.
The only way to get back into the game is if the person that Tagged you is tagged and sits down, then you can pop back up and start tagging all over again. Or you can use the “Jailbreak” rule
This has led to endless laughter and racing about, in fields and in large gymnasiums, often with no matter how large a crowd of people that play, there is always those few that just have to catch everyone.
I have started this game with as little as 5 kids and soon was playing with a crowd of almost 30.
**Jailbreak Rule: If the leader of the game calls out “JailBreak” than everyone is free to stand and the game play goes on.
Play Beyond Limits 