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Growing up, Vince Marchbanks played the usual sports in high school: football, track and baseball. And like many, he gave up competitive sports once he graduated and entered the real world.

And then after an invite from a friend to try it out six years ago, he found dodgeball. Competitive dodgeball, to be precise.

“Dodgeball is the most fun sport known to man,” he said.

Dodgeball has long been one of those sports that adults took out of recess and made into semi-serious leagues, like we’ve all done for kickball and whiffleball. But what made it even more humorous to many was the “Dodgeball” movie starring a steroid-ed dodgeball captain/gym owner played by Ben Stiller and classic lines like “if you can dodge a wrench you can dodge a ball.”

What made it especially funny was the comfort everyone took in those people couldn’t possibly be real. Or so we thought.

“To tell you the truth we are more intense than people in the movie,” Marchbanks said. “It’s not something I like to glorify but people get to the point where they want to fight because they’re so passionate about the game.”

While it may seem like something that’s easy to joke about, the money involved in semi-professional dodgeball is serious. Not quit your job serious, but Marchbanks said the team took home about $100,000 in prize money for winning tournaments last year.

There’s different types of competitive dodgeball. Marchbanks plays in the Ultimate Dodgeball Championship which incorporates mini trampolines into the game. There’s also leagues centered around more of the ridiculous aspects of the sport like having a ridiculous team name and outfits. And then there’s just the regular recreational dodgeball leagues that have popped up in cities around the country with varying skill levels.

To make money off the sport, Marchbanks said a huge part comes from just being “naturally gifted.”

“People always ask me ‘how do you throw so fast, can you teach me’ and I can’t. You have to have it,” he said. “But in order to get better you have to play.”

He recommends resistance training and also doing drills. His team gathers three to four times a week for practice that last two to three hours a day. They start by doing throwing drills including one where players pair up and each partner has a ball. They throw at the same time which helps with reaction timing.

They also spend time off the court hanging out.

“We’re more than a team, we look at each other as a family and I think that’s important when you’re trying to build a team,” he said. “ … You have to know each other, you have to like each other …

And most importantly, according to Marchbanks?

“You have to have respect for the game.”