By Brian Cassidy

What is the fascination with hurling a round object as hard as you can with the sole purpose of striking another person? This is dodge ball. This unique activity has survived countless attempts by many to be outlawed. It began in grade school were it was looked upon as a cruel barbaric activity designed to seek out and pick on the weak. There were even national campaigns designed to eliminate dodge ball-like programs from all school activities. Through all of these attacks, and thanks in part to Hollywood, dodge ball has reached the height of its popularity. It is easy to draw many social implications to the nature of this childhood game, but what I am going to look into is the physical benefits that may be gained by children, and even adult athletes.

I run a specialized training facility that is based on muscular reeducation used to rehabilitate injuries as well as increase athletic performance. I have been using dodge ball as an effective training technique to accomplish many goals. When I first opened my facility, the most popular activity was the once a week dodge ball league. It is difficult to understand what possible positive outcome can be gained through this game, but when used in the right progression it may be one of the most effective training techniques we use. Our training style is derived from the premise of how the body adapts to its environment. We become stronger by having to overcome increased demands on our bodies. The harsher the environment a body has to exist in, the stronger the body becomes. There is no better example of this environment than a competitive game of dodge ball.

For those of you who do not know the basic rules of the game, let’s take a closer look. There are many versions of the basic game: Prison Ball, Elimination, and Two Court to name a few. I will cover basic dodge ball, typically used with several rubber playground balls. There are two teams of equal number separated by a predetermined boundary. One team cannot cross into the other team’s side without risk of disqualification. The movie, Dodge Ball, demonstrated one version of a start of the game where the balls are lined up in the middle of the court and both teams run for the balls trying to gain possession. The goal is to try and hit a member of the other team by throwing the ball. If you hit a member of the opposing team their “out” and must stand outside of the playing square. However, if you throw at an opposing team member and he/she catches the ball then one of their players that was out can rejoin the game, and in some rules, the person who threw the ball is out. Once every member of a team is out, the other team wins. It is a very simple concept, yet one of the most dynamic games that anyone can play. Why is it so popular and is there any redeeming quality to this seemingly brutal game? YES!

Dodge ball contains all of the ingredients needed to increase overall athleticism. Dodge ball is the best example of what we call integrative muscular response. Once you have trained to develop a significant level of strength and endurance you must place your body in a performance environment, where your muscles can learn how to work together. Many training techniques are limited in their random movement requirements (walking, running, and cycling). When playing dodge ball, your body must react, there is significant motivation to avoid getting hit, and thus your muscles learn how to coordinate with each other. It provides an excellent hand/eye coordination exercise. It develops a mental awareness of your physical surroundings. It also provides a great cardiovascular workout and a healthy outlet for stress, anxiety, and aggression.

Not everyone is comfortable in this environment. I am sure you can come across someone with a traumatic childhood dodge ball experience, but for all its faults, it remains one of the most loved games from our youth. It is exciting to know we are just now discovering all the potential benefits that dodge ball provides.

Brian Cassidy is president/founder of Function Dynamics Inc. To contact Brian call 503-646-8482 or email him at cassidy@functiondynamics.com.