Ultimate Frisbee
Rules
1. The Field -- A rectangular shape with endzones at each end. A regulation
field is 70 yards by 40 yards, with endzones 25 yards deep.
2. Initiate Play -- Each point begins with both teams lining up on the front
of their respective endzone line. The defense throws ("pulls") the disc to the
offense. A regulation game has seven players per team.
3. Scoring -- Each time the offense completes a pass in the defense's
endzone, the offense scores a point. Play is initiated after each score.
4. Movement of the Disc -- The disc may be advanced in any direction by
completing a pass to a teammate. Players may not run with the disc. The
person with the disc ("thrower") has ten seconds to throw the disc. The
defender guarding the thrower ("marker") counts out the stall count.
5. Change of possession -- When a pass in not completed (e.g. out of
bounds, drop, block, interception), the defense immediately takes possession
of the disc and becomes the offense.
6. Substitutions -- Players not in the game may replace players in the game
after a score and during an injury timeout.
7. Non-contact -- No physical contact is allowed between players. Picks and
screens are also prohibited. A foul occurs when contact is made.
8. Fouls -- When a player initiates contact on another player a foul occurs.
When a foul disrupts possession, the play resumes as if the possession was
retained. If the player committing the foul disagrees with the foul call, the
play is redone.
9. Self-Refereeing -- Players are responsible for their own foul and line
calls. Players resolve their own disputes.
10. Spirit of the Game -- Ultimate stresses sportsmanship and fair play.
Competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of respect between
players, adherence to the rules, and the basic joy of play.
The Basics of Ultimate
Both sides of the game can be learned easily with practice. The best way to
gain those skills is through exposure to the game. Taking the opportunity to
join pick-up games often means getting to play with some experienced
players. Some cities will even offer skills clinics which is an invaluable way
to receive top-notch coaching.
Running
A disc is like a pair of scissors. You're not supposed to run with either.
There's still a lot of running in Ultimate however. So, don't blame anyone if
you start feeling fitter and your clothes are getting baggy.
Offensive players are constantly on the look out for open areas to provide
the thrower, known as the "handler", with targets. This means sudden
changes in direction, speed and angle - "cuts" - to break away from their
check (i.e. the defensive player covering them). Defensive players are
reacting to those cuts and anticipating the next move. When on offense try
and think ahead and plan your cuts. If you find one that works against a
particular check, don't be afraid to exploit it a few times until they catch on.
When on defense try to anticipate where your check might go so you can
prevent, intercept, or block the throw.
Unlike other sports, particularly basketball, you cannot use any other player
on the field to impede the progress of your check. This is called a "pick".
This rule is designed to prevent injuries. Even an unintentional pick can
result in high-speed collisions between players. It's of the utmost importance
to make sure that everyone on your team knows how to spot and avoid picks.
One of the reasons there's a lot of running in Ultimate is that "turnovers"
occur. This means that during the course of uninterupted play you may
switch from being on offense to defense a number of times. When a turnover
occurs, yell "Turnover" or "TO" nice and loud so that the rest of your team
can change from offense to defense quickly. If you are on offense when the
turnover occurs and you are unsure where to go - just stick with whoever is
checking you. Also make sure that there are at least as many players from
your team as your opponents' between you and your end zone. If not, fall
back and check the unguarded player closest to the endzone. A simple way
to remember this is with the following phrase: "always take the runner"
(unguarded player).
Throwing
There are more ways to throw a disc than you ever imagined. A general rule
of thumb is: the sillier the name of the throw - the stranger the technique
required. Most of the time, however, you will rely on three kinds: the
forehand of "flick", the backhand, and hammer. The backhand is the throw
everybody used since day one to chuck a disc around on the beach. The
hammer is an upside-down forehand. The forehand is the most improbably
combination of physics and goofy body language ever invented. After about
a million throws you'll start to feel like you don't look somewhat silly when
you throw a forehand. Don't get your hopes up.
Catching
For most catches below your shoulder and above your knees the "pancake"
catch is your best bet. Simply trap the disc between your palms when it
approaches. For more extreme situations two or one-handed rim catches are
required. Try to practice one-handed and wrong-handed catches when
warming up or doing drills so that you are always improving your hand/eye
coordination.
Remember to watch the disc all the way into your hands and make sure you
have caught it before turning and looking for the next receiver. Another
important pointer is to never give up on a disc. Catches that seem
improbably are often quite catch able if they start to hand in the air due to
wind or flight angle.
However, do not crash into other players in an attempt to perform a leaping
catch. A rule called the "principle of verticality" stipulated that each player
is entitled to the space above his body. Nor can you hip check another player
or hold them down to prevent them from jumping up to catch the disc.
Anything beyond the most incidental contact between players is a foul in
What Happens During a Game
Captains from each team flip a disc simultaneously. A captain or third player
calls "Same" or "Different" before the discs hit the ground. If the player's
call is correct then his/her team has the choice to throw or receive the first
"pull", or to choose which end zone they would like to defend for the first
point. Generally speaking, choosing to receive the pull is the most logical
choice. The team which loses the flip takes the remaining option.
Each team lines up seven players on their respective goal line. The pulling
team must stay on or behind their goal line until the pull occurs. The
receiving team must stand on the goal line and maintain their positions
relative to each other until the pull is thrown - to make it easier for each
member of the pulling team to figure out who they will check. If you hear
the call "Hold your line" it means that a receiving team is shifting positions
on the line prior to the pull.
When the pulling team is ready to begin play, the puller holds the disc above
his/her head. When a member of the receiving team holds their hand above
their head to signal readiness, the pull can be thrown.
So, everybody is in position, smiling, and ready to go. The pull is thrown,
the disc sails gracefully towards the other end zone - a shining miracle of
aerodynamics - and the pulling team runs down the field to pick up their
checks and another game of Ultimate is underway. Now the fun really
begins.
On the pull, the receiving team does not have to catch the disc to take
possession. It can simply be allowed to land. However, whoever touches the
disc first ( either by catching it or picking it up from the ground) must be the
first handler. Usually a receiving team will designate a player to be the
handler before the pull, to minimize confusion. If the disc hits the ground
and begins rolling, any player on the receiving team can stop its progress
without having to become the handler.
Because you can't run with the disc once caught, players must establish a
pivot foot when they are in possession of the disc. Usually, if you are righthanded it will be your left foot, and vice versa for lefties. You can't drag or
lift your foot until you have thrown the disc. If you do so, it's a "travelling"
violating.
Unless you are very confident that you're going to catch it, let the disc hit the
ground. This is very, very important! If you try and catch the disc, and fail,
bobbling the disc and dropping it, then a turnover occurs (usually just a few
meters from your end zone). Which wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that
every person who saw the event will probably mock you mercilessly, your
team will be a tad disappointed, and you'll have to think up a lame excuse on
short notice. You have been warned!
In the event that the disc flies out of bounds and is caught before touching
the ground, the receiving team must begin on the sideline at the point where
the disc went out of bounds.
If the disc flies out of bounds and last the most common choice is invoke the
"Middle" rule. This means that before the disc hits the ground someone from
the receiving team raises his arm and calls "Middle". This allows the
receiving team to begin play in the middle of the field at the point where the
disc crossed the sideline.
If the disc lands in the end zone, then the receiving team can begin play
immediately from within the endzone, or walk the disc to the goal line, touch
it to the ground, and begin play from that point. You cannot decide to begin
play from the goal line, and then change your mind and throw the disc prior
to reaching the goal line.
If the disc remains airborne and flies out the back of the endzone, it is
considered a "Brick" and play is initiated in the middle of the field, three
meters forward of the goal line.
After the initial pull the receiving team becomes the offense. The offense
will usually try to form "stack". When you first begin playing, a stack will
seem far too pre-meditated and the best option will seem like running willynilly around the field. The sooner your team can shake themselves of this
misapprehension the better. Scrambly play may seem to work at the
beginner level, but it will quickly prove ineffective against more experienced
teams.
When forming a stack the offensive players should get to the stack as
quickly as possible, form a straight line between the thrower and the
opponents' end zone, and take their rest in the stack rather than jogging to
the stack. This reduces "clogging". Clogging is a situation where potential
receivers are stationary and occupying the "flat" (an open area where the
thrower could complete a pass to them).
Generally, one side of the field will be open to receivers because the person
checking the thrower, the "marker" is "forcing" (favouring one side of the
thrower to force them to throw to one area of the field) as he/she calls out
the "stall count". As a rule, try to decide which side your team will force to
(usually designated as "home" or "away") for the duration of the point so
that your players can anticipate where to mark if their player catches the
disc, and what area to guard when their check is cutting for a pass.
The marker counts (at one second intervals) "Stall one, Stall two, ... up to
"Stall Ten". If the marker reached Stall Ten (as soon as he/she begins to
speak the word) before the thrower initiates the pass then a turnover occurs.
A fast count is not only against the rules, it's very tacky. And who wants to
be tacky? In the event of a fast count by the thrower, two seconds are
deducted from the count and play is continued without interruption. A
second fast count call results in a foul. The disc is checked and the count is
reset to zero.
The key points for marking are: the marker must be closer than three meters
(before initiating the stall count) but no less than one disc width from the
thrower, they cannot straddle the thrower's pivot foot, and they cannot
prevent the thrower from pivoting. Only one person can mark the handler at
any one time.
In a perfect world, the handler completes his pass, runs to take his position
in the stack, and the process repeats as many times as necessary to get to the
end zone and score. Usually, however, there will be a turnover before a point
is scored and it's time to switch from offense to defense, or vice versa. Once
a point is scored, the teams swap ends and the scoring team pulls to restart
play.
How to Score
To gain points in an Ultimate game you have to have a member of your team
catch the disc in the "end zone". If you're close to the end zone and you
catch the disc... Stop! If your team-mates are yelling at you to "Check Feet!"
you're probably in the end-zone. The reason for their insistence if that if you
pass the disc inside the end zone, and the receiver fails to catch the disc, no
points are scored and a turnover occurs.
If you decide that you are outisde the end zone, continue play. If your are in
the end zone, stop play and prepare to smile graciously as everyone
compliments you on your skill, luck, timing, good looks, or combination
thereof. If you catch the disc, and your momentum carries you into the end
zone, go back to the place where you caught the disc and resume play. You
cannot intentionally tip or deflect the disc forward into the end zone (or any
part of the field for that matter) and then catch it, although unintentional
bobbling to control and catch the disc is allowed.
When a point is scored, it is the only time during the regular play that
substitutions can occur, unless the substitution is to replace an injured
player. You can't change the line on the fly as in hockey or when a time-out
is called.
So that's Ultimate in a nutshell. It's about fun, friends, and chasing a piece of
flying molded plastic around the sky until your tongue is dragging on the
field -- just so that you can make up a song about the whole experience.
Ultimate Frisbee