W.H.O. - Official Hodgeball matchplay rules

Facilities

  1. All W.H.O. sanctioned tournaments must be conducted with genuine international-spec Hodgeball kits consisting of two working writing implements and sufficient A4 paper of at least 80gsm.
    • In North America, Letter-size paper may be used as substitute provided that all parties agree and reasonable attempts have been made a priori to obtain A4 paper.
    • Participants must note that use of non-A4-size paper implicitly reduces the ranking status of a match/tournament to level 3, and increases the risk of paper-cut injuries to DEFCON 4 in accordance with the Maastricht treaty.
  2. Writing implements must match the following requirements:
    • Pens or quills are allowed provided the ink used has passed the INHALE (International Nasal Health Authority for Lower Emissions) standard, and has a non-smudgeage quotient of 2.3 sq.mm/s or less.
    • 2H or darker pencils may only be used if the diameter of the graphite-tip is 0.5mm or more, and must be freshly sharpened before use.
    • Chalk or other novelty implements may be used only for charity or exhibition purposes
    • Writing implements must be gripped using any of the 7 conventional Western styles, or the 2 main Indochinese holds. Changing grip during a game is permitted.
  3. All official tournaments must take place in conditions below 5000ft in altitude, and in less than 3 atmospheres of air-pressure.
  4. Players may not wear watches, bracelets, rings, or other limb jewelry during a match.

Openings

  1. Players must begin with the tip of their officially sanctioned writing implement (pertinent to the above regulations), (henceforth referred to as 'pen') in contact with the nearestmost edge of the paper, which must be aligned lengthwise between the two players.
  2. On the referee's signal, the players may begin.
    • False starts are punishable by awarding the opponent an advance of up to 2cm, at the referee's discretion.
  3. Following the advice of the 1978 W.H.O. A.G.M., Grecko-Swiss openings are now limited to 2 per set, and 5 per match.

Fouls

  1. The following are listed as fouls and are consequently punished by forfeit of the current game:
    • Pausing except where obligated to do so as a result of an official or medical timeout.
    • Leaving the paper surface by any of the 3 sides other than the target-side, or by allowing the pen-tip to lose contact with the paper.
    • Crossing the opponent's line. Note that tangential contact is allowed although the referee may call for a timeout and an inspecting-wand to confirm the legality of the manœuvre.
    • Nudging the opponent's hand or pen.
    • Causing an un-natural movement of the paper.
    • Distraction (by making owl-noises or otherwise).
    • Breathing too regularly.
  2. Fakes, dummies and shimmies are permitted if they do not constitute one of the fouls listed above.