The Boston Society of Bombardment

The first Sunday in April will be the beginning night of the Boston Society of Bombardment’s 2008 season. This will consist of weekly dodgeball battles along with a few one-day tournaments in the works. Since many in the area have been curious as to the updated schedule, we have made it very simple:

Sundays @ 7:30 till end of summer.

Also some have been confused about who can play:

1. Open to all, bring an extra kickball if you have one.

There is no cost for the weekly pickup games, any donations for upkeeping the dodgeballs and other equipment is always appreciated!

If you have additional questions feel free to leave a comment on this post or email chris@bostonbombardment.com .

See you soon!

~ The BSB planning committee.

It is difficult to pinpoint the #1 thing to prepare for when joining a dodgeball league. A significant complaint heard often among the players is that winter’s hibernation mode has affected their throwing abilities. The good news is that you can utilize a few week period to bring your arm and physical abilities back up to speed.

As we start to go through the step by step process, we have begun the process of defining what are the issues:

• Blowing out your arm. Players get overly excited/adrenaline and go right into the season throwing their most powerful throws during the first couple nights of dodgeball. This is a perfect tactic a couple weeks into the season once your arm is strong and can support the toughest throws. A bad arm-pull is no fun.
• Don’t Break an Arm ( ouch! ). Players have not practiced throwing against wall/net to have proper throwing form. Practice the follow through.
• Overthrowing. Since the dodgeball is large in size (kickball/four square ball), it is typical for some to assume it has increased weight. There is so many issues stemming from this problem, not to mention the ball always going to high or low.
• Teams on both sides focus more on staying in than a lively game play. This is a double whammy because not only is the game boring but every time someone takes a chance, the opposition is sitting waiting for the throw. This is not a catch game, the whole objective is to trick the opponent with a change up throw, catch the player offguard, or simply throw the dodgeball so hard they simply cannot catch it.
• Good players doing nothing. Sometimes the best players will wait near the game lines to play to attack from the side. This is all fair and fun if utilized occasionally but this is rarely the case. Typically the player that waits near or behind the game lines is not fun to play with since they get extremely upset and unpleasant.
• Lack of Team strategy ( ! ) - This is proving to be the major factor between a team of great players and a really good team unity. It is evident that teams win and lose based on fervor and momentum. This momentum is built on good power plays and multiple team mates working together to whittle down the opposition.

The cold, icy winter is releasing its grip on our beloved Corporal Burns Park. This means but one thing: Bombardment is just around the corner. All the feedback from our inaugural season has been helpful and we are currently wrapping up the planning stages for the 08 season. We are still figuring out the night that will work best for all the students, professionals, and family men who want to attend. Another major factor will be having great weather in the upcoming weeks. Keep checking the site and we will post updates as they roll in.

As the fall semester is upon us, the BSB will take a brief hiatus from the weekly tournaments.

Stay turn during the winter and spring for the 2008 season which promises to be bigger than ever!

The definitive list of effective throwing methods in dodgeball / bombardment:

1. Throw-up: An amazing yet simple process of throwing one ball into the air towards an opponent then striking him out with another ball. A variation of the throw-up is the have another teammate throw the ball up from a different direction then striking the opponent out yourself.
2. Curve-out: This throw takes a lot of practice for accuracy but it proves to be one of the most effective throws in dodgeball. Start off by placing the dodgeball in between your hand and forearm. In one sweeping motion, throw the ball side arm and let it slide off your finger tips. The ball will literally curve in and then out! The best curve-out players will tell you that the primary method to aim is to throw the ball 3 feet to the right or left (depending on righty or lefty thrower) of the target.
3. Floater: An underestimated method of finishing off an opponent. Proceed to throw the ball overhand (see Fastball) and at the point of releasing the ball from your hand, let it slightly curve off the tips of your fingers. This will make the ball appear moving fast but in reality it will be delayed around 1.5 seconds. The beauty of this dodgeball throw is that the opponent often reaches out to catch it and after their arms fold around thin air, the ball hits their fore arms.
4. Fastball: A very typical throw in dodgeball games, the key is to concentrate on a particular target. Clutch the ball and throw it like a typically baseball pitcher would. Follow through with your through to ensure speed. Make sure not to underestimate how light a dodgeball can be, thus “throwing out” your arm for the next week.
5. Spinless: This throw is the closest you can get to a knuckle-ball in bombardment. You definitely need large hands to pull it off. Grasp the ball in your palm and extend your arm straight out to your side. Like a catapult, swing your arm straight and simply release the ball at the right moment. This will have the ball go very fast with No spin whatsoever. With no spin, the ball typically does some crazy motions while in flight.
6. High-low: While having a face-off with opponent, proceed to throw the ball with your arm releasing the ball at the furthest position possible. On release of the ball, send it in a severely angled direction towards their feet. While they expect to catch the ball around the head or midlevel, you will effective catch them off guard. Use this method sparingly since the opponents will catch on and will start catching low.
7. Low-high: Throw the ball in an upwards swinging motion, such as a sidearm or softball-style throw. As the swoop low to catch the ball, the trajectory should land squarely in the face.
8. Suicide Shot: This throw is among the highly difficult moves to successfully pull off. Basically when there is only 1 opponent left on a team, the player will run full force with ball in hand. Once reaching the boundary line he will jump over the line and throw ball towards opponent mid air. Once the player lands on the other teams side they are automatically out.
9. Cross Fire: Player stays near the fence, often holding ball behind his back even though everyone knows he has one. When players on the opposite side of the court enter the neutral zone throwing toward teammates, the sideline player takes him out from the side. This tactic can be neutralized by good team communication and spreading out cover fire to disallow the sideline player to make a move without being thrown at. It is effective when the thrower is not seen and an opposing player is hit by surprise.
10. The Gazelle: When an opposing player advances through the neutral zone and finishing throwing all ammunition, the Gazelle sprints toward the player attempting to trap him in the neutral zone without any cover fire to help him.
11. Firing Squad: Used in two different capacities, this technique is used to aim all fire at one specific player. It is often used when there are very few players left on one team, or in the beginning of a game when one team controls the majority of balls and wishes to take out skilled players.
12. The Stand Off: When ammunition is split evenly and the squads have even amounts of players remaining, oftentimes one team will advance through the neutral zone while the other retreats. This can last hours on end while players that have been ousted stand on the side line freezing and agitated by the lack of action. This is very common in the BSB as the skill level of players is extremely high which causes extreme amounts of caution in all players.
13. The Sacrificial Lamb: In an advantage situation (4 v 2, 5 v 3, etc.) one player rushes at a player in the neutral zone firing early and attracting the fire of the opposing player, while another comes from behind to take out the opposition.
14. The J Shot: Yet to appear in the BSB games, an infamous move during the epic Teen Camp battles. Player would Junk or “J” Shot and opponent with a fully inflated dodgeball causing severe and irrepressible agony.
    While game slows for a minute in respect of the fallen player, everyone is quietly laughing inside.
15. The T.K.O.: When a player is tagged out by a ball, he proceeds to throw the ball back at opponent out of rage despite needing to exit the court. Once player is on the sideline, he begins to pound the fence yelling “what the heck” and frowning for a few minutes. This occurs several times per game. The purpose is to intimidate opponents from making the mistake of hitting him ever again.
16. The McGuirk: Get everyone really mad at you and therefore making it a lot of fun and more competitive… awesomeness.
17. The Shot Put: This is when you spin in a 360* motion and release it. its not that effective but power is its essence [Thanks Dan Langhans!!]
18. Fake-out: The Player has their hand behind their back, as if to hide a ball; Buddied up with a teammate who actually does have a ball. The fake ball holder, goes through the motions of throwing “the ball”. When the opponent dodges, jumps, flinches, dives or tries to block; the real ball holder nails him unsuspecting.

The numbers keep on increasing, just about 25 players came out and we played till the Cops kicked us out at 11.

Welcome the newest members to the BSB:

• Mike McDuff
• Scott Malutinok
• Yuri
• Wade Gallon

Highlights of the Game:

• Jimbo and Scott catch dodgeballs with their legs in the SAME GAME!
• We introduced the current MVP representing the North Shore = Mike McDuff. He truly lives up to the Hype, taking on a team of 3-4 vs. himself alone.
• Forscher and Schnell began practicing their trapeze moves in between games.
• J.Trag added another notch to his belt when he jumped over and suicide shot Chris Koha… leaving Ben to await his destiny.
• Tyler spent his night in dress pants and was stuck at a seafood restaurant all night..
• Adam Larr and 1 other got J-Shotted, a first in the BSB
• The BeeSting Ball came out again in fullforce, missing its intended target everytime in a marathon game that went on for 20 minutes, highlighted by a Jay Rogers 1 on 1 elimination of Jon Buchholz to end it after a 9 on 1 come back of epic proportions fallen just short
• Half the players threw their arms out in the first half, resulting in unorthodox sidearm, chest pass, and overhead shots
• C-Trag finally accomplishes the Suicide throw after 3 attempts, absolutely LIGHTING UP the competition on his 3rd and final attempt
• The faceshot lives on as there were 5+ domes wrecked throughout the night

Our best night yet! With over 20 players in attendance, the games continued all the way till 11pm.

The New inductees/First-timers into the BSB:

• Mike Koha
• Ben Koha
• Jon Traganos
• Jesse Ghoman
• Drew Kennedy
• … did I miss anyone?

Highlights:

• Killea vs. McGuirk showdown – as we decided to implement the open court option after a countdown of 20 seconds, Tim and Tom went at it for their respective teams. Just when it seemed as if Tim was out for sure due to a close range shot, he jumped and caught the ball delivery quite the upset.
• Ghoman vs. the World – as discussed, Mr. Hessey Homan came into the BSB with a bang as he displayed superior taunting abilities and dodgeball skills.
• Jon vs. Mike Koha – Jon clinched the never before awarded MVP title when playing 1 on 1 against Mike Koha near the end of the night. In an unprecedented move, Jon jumped over their boundary and struck Mike with the Dodgeball to win [the Superman aka Suicide Move]
• The Assassination of Steven Schnell – With the introduction of the evil little dodge ball came a serious attempt on Sir Schnizz’s life – a firm hit to the face yet he played on.

Please welcome the newest members of the BSB:

• Mike Forscher
• Ben Wood
• Adam Larr
• Paul from Emmanuel
• Nathan Pierce
• Jay Rogers
• Adam Lazzara

Highlights of the Game:

• Jon Buc laid low and sniped people all night. Grrrr
• Lucas hid in the “Out” line for a few game winning shots.
• From the great land of the N^orth Shore came the man himself, Sir Adam Larr. Aggressive and on target, he represented his constituency with honor.
• Tyler kept the game moving by mixing things up and staying on the offense.
• We all experienced the “Forscher Delite” in a way most of us would never like to do so again…
• Jim Garten backed out due to cold weather… he may have been the smartest one since we are all getting sick the next day.
• Tim Killea nearly assaulted a few players on a few occasions
• Ben Wood played aggresive.
• The Emmanuel Crew represented in full force.. bringing with them the wonder that is PAUL. [Jay is near impossible to get out!!]
• The Worcester crew arrived with Adam from Florida in town, a great addition.
• Steven Schnell sat home and typed out a term paper, his skills were missed.
• Danny decided to shave his head into druid symbols all over… he’s a free man for the next few months.
• Chris Ramos and the Taunt button were also missed.

Down in Athens, Georgia is a rag tag group of unskilled Dodgeball players… [site]
They informed me that they could beat us with only half the players we would put up…
I responded that if we ever end up playing them and putting them to shame, they lose their right to use the word “yall” ever again.

• The Danny MacDougall incident creates ground breaking precedent:The BSB condones gratuitous headshots.
• Tom McGuirk and Chris Koha, two of the “maybe attending” arrive = a brilliant addition to the BSB.
• Niles Radl made the decision to wear bright orange shorts, a referee shirt, and an orange trucker hat..
• Trag caught the ball between his calves from a point blank throw.
• Lucas wrecked house, Tyler sported the matching blue sweatpants and hoodie.
• Jesse Brady and Chris Koha are nearly impossible to get them out.
• Steve Schnell arrived with a whiffle-cut.
• The appearance of Jim Garten grinning after you are struck out is infuriating.
• Chris Ramos and Killea located the “Taunt Button” on their controller’s
• Buchholz is just really good.