Dizzy Bat is a drinking game where you chug beer from a hollow Wiffle bat, spin around the bat once for every second it took you to drink, then try to hit an empty beer can.
Sounds easy. It stops sounding easy somewhere around spin seven.
Dizzy Bat is a classic outdoor drinking game for tailgates, college parties, backyard parties, and Beer Olympics. The basic rules are simple, although plenty of groups use their own spin counts, penalties, and relay variations.
DIZZY BAT RULES — QUICK VERSION
- Pour your drink into the hollow bat.
- Chug while everyone counts the seconds.
- Your drinking time becomes your number of spins.
- Put your forehead on the bat and spin that many times.
- Stand up and have another player toss the empty can.
- Try to hit the can with the bat.
- If you miss, do 3 more spins and try again.
What You Need to Play Dizzy Bat
- 1 hollow plastic Wiffle-style bat
- Beer or another drink
- 1 empty beer can
- A timer or someone capable of counting without screwing it up
- Open outdoor space
- 3+ players is ideal
You can technically play with two people, but it’s better with a group. Someone needs to drink, someone needs to pitch the can, and someone needs to loudly count while everything falls apart.
How to Make a Dizzy Bat
The classic setup uses a hollow plastic Wiffle ball bat.
- Open the bottom of the handle so you can pour liquid inside.
- Add a small air hole near the other end so the drink actually flows.
- Wash the inside thoroughly before drinking out of it.
You can also buy a purpose-made drinking bat if you don’t feel like turning a Wiffle bat into barware.
Do not use a metal or wooden bat. You are about to make someone dizzy and hand them something to swing. Use your head.
How to Play Dizzy Bat
DRINK → SPIN → SWING
1. Fill the Bat
Pour the batter’s drink into the hollow bat.
Beer is traditional, but you can use a smaller pour, non-alcoholic beer, water, or whatever else makes sense for your group.
2. Chug While Everyone Counts
The batter starts drinking from the bat.
The second they start, everyone else counts the seconds out loud.
ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! FIVE!
Keep counting until the drink is finished.
That final number is important. It determines how many spins the batter has to do.
3. Your Chug Time = Your Spin Count
If it takes you 8 seconds to finish your drink, you owe 8 spins.
If it takes you 14 seconds, congratulations. You just created your own problem.
4. Put Your Forehead on the Bat and Spin
Plant one end of the bat firmly on the ground.
Bend over, place your forehead against the other end, and rotate around the bat.
Everyone counts the full rotations until you reach your required number.
The bat stays planted. You’re spinning around the bat, not just twirling around like an idiot holding it in the air.
5. Stand Up and Get Ready
As soon as the final spin is finished, stand up and get ready to swing.
This is usually the exact moment your brain realizes your legs have resigned.
6. Someone Tosses the Empty Can
Another player tosses the empty beer can toward the batter.
The batter gets one swing.
7. Hit It or Spin Again
If you hit the can: your turn is over.
If you miss: a common rule is 3 more spins before another pitch.
Repeat until the batter connects, or set a max number of attempts if your group doesn’t want one person holding up the game for fifteen minutes.
How Do You Win Dizzy Bat?
Traditional Dizzy Bat doesn’t really need a winner. Everyone takes a turn and the entertainment handles itself.
If you’re playing competitively, there are a few easy ways to score it.
First-Swing Scoring
- 1 point: Hit the can on your first swing
- 0 points: Miss
Give everyone the same number of turns. Most points wins.
Timed Dizzy Bat
Start the clock when the player begins drinking.
Stop it when they finally hit the can.
Fastest total time wins.
This is probably the cleanest version for Beer Olympics.
Dizzy Bat House Rules & Variations
There is no International Dizzy Bat Federation coming to inspect your backyard.
House rules are normal. Just decide them before somebody loses and suddenly discovers a very passionate interpretation of the rules.
10-Spin Dizzy Bat
Skip the chug-time rule and make everyone spin 10 times.
Simple. Brutal. Easy to score.
5-Spin Dizzy Bat
Everyone does 5 spins.
This is better if you’re playing multiple rounds and don’t want the game turning into a medical documentary.
Dizzy Bat Relay
Split into teams.
- Player drinks.
- Player spins.
- Player hits the can or completes your chosen challenge.
- Player runs back and tags the next teammate.
- Repeat until everyone has gone.
First team to finish wins.
For relays, fixed spins usually work better. Otherwise the slowest drinker controls the entire race and everyone else gets to stand around yelling at them.
Dizzy Bat Home Run Derby
Give everyone three attempts.
After the spins, toss the can and see who can hit it the farthest.
Longest hit wins.
Non-Alcoholic Dizzy Bat
Use water, soda, sports drinks, or non-alcoholic beer.
The game still works because, shockingly, spinning around a bat until you’re dizzy remains difficult without alcohol.
Best Dizzy Bat Rules for Beer Olympics
If you’re using Dizzy Bat as a Beer Olympics event, use standardized rules so nobody gets an easier round.
- Same amount of liquid for every player
- 5 fixed spins
- Same pitching distance
- Same pitcher if possible
- Clock starts when drinking begins
- Clock stops when the can is hit
- Each miss = 3 extra spins
- Fastest time wins
Fixed spins aren’t the classic rule, but they’re much fairer when you’re actually trying to compare times.
Don't Be an Idiot: Dizzy Bat Safety
Dizzy Bat involves intentionally wrecking your balance and then swinging an object.
So yeah, a little common sense goes a long way.
- Play on grass. Not pavement. Not concrete. Not next to a pool.
- Clear the area. Move coolers, tables, cars, chairs, and innocent bystanders.
- Use a lightweight plastic bat. Never metal. Never wood.
- Keep everyone behind the batter. Nobody belongs in the swing path.
- Don't force chugs. Smaller pours work fine.
- Stop the round if someone can’t safely continue.
Being dizzy is the point. Cracking your skull on a patio is not.
Dizzy Bat FAQ
How many spins do you do in Dizzy Bat?
In the classic version, your chug time determines your spins. If you finish in 7 seconds, you spin 7 times.
Five-spin and ten-spin versions are common house rules.
What do you hit in Dizzy Bat?
An empty beer can is the traditional target.
Another player tosses it toward you after you finish spinning.
What happens if you miss in Dizzy Bat?
A common rule is 3 more spins before another pitch.
You can also set a limited number of attempts if you want the game to move faster.
Can you play Dizzy Bat without alcohol?
Yes.
Water, soda, non-alcoholic beer, or another drink works fine. Alcohol isn’t required for the rules to work.
How many people do you need to play Dizzy Bat?
You can play with two, but 3 or more is ideal.
One person bats, one pitches, and somebody else counts.
What is another name for Dizzy Bat?
Dizzy Bat is also sometimes called D-Bat, Louisville Chugger, or The Spins. The basic idea is the same: drink from the bat, spin, then try to hit the can.
Is Dizzy Bat Relay the same game?
Not exactly.
Classic Dizzy Bat is an individual drinking, spinning, and batting game. Dizzy Bat Relay is a team variation that adds racing and tagging teammates.
Dizzy Bat in One Sentence
Drink from the bat, count the seconds, spin that many times, stand up, and somehow hit the damn can.
Simple enough.
If the group immediately starts screaming that somebody only did seven and a half spins, Dizzy Bat is working exactly as intended.
