SotG: Spirit of the Game. Your Ultimate Frisbee Portal to flying disc sports, games, training, tournaments, news and schwag

 

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Play Ultimate Ultimate Frisbee: The greatest game on Earth and growing FAST! The bombest sport ever! Two 7-player squads orchestrate non-stop movement, athletic endurance, and aerial passing skills with a hi-tech plastic disc on a large field. Score a point by catching a pass in the opponent's end zone. A player must stop running while in possession of the disc, but may pivot and pass to any of the other receivers on the field. Ultimate is a transition game in that players move quickly from offense to defense on turnovers that result from a dropped pass, an interception, an out-of-bounds pass, or when a player is caught holding the disc for more than ten seconds. Governed by the Spirit of the Game™, Ultimate maintains its tradition of sportsmanship that places the responsibility for fair play and respect on the players rather than referees. The game is played in more than 40 countries by hundreds of thousands of men, women, boys, and girls. Intro This section covers game instruction, official Ultimate rules, a game FAQ, calls and in-game player communication, and other fun stuff. We aslo include an overview of other flying disc games. Often associated with Ultimate, these variant games are frequently seen at tournaments. Not finding what you are looking for? Our Links page provides a place to visit other Ulti-related sites. Topics Click on a link below to learn more about Ultimate: Ultimate Handbook Spirit of the Game UPA & WFDF Rules Game Formats History of Ultimate FAQ Communication, Game Calls & Heckling Fun&Games Variant Games Links Facts & Trivia Thank you for visiting!

Ultimate is a non-contact, fast paced field sport played with two teams of seven players. The object is to throw a disc (Frisbee) from teammate to teammate on the field until it is caught in the opponent's end zone. The game combines elements from several other sports - the running of soccer, the jumping, pivoting, continual turnovers from offence to defense of basketball, and football's long bombs into the end zone. It exhibits speed, grace, and outstanding aerial passing skills.

A self-governing team sport, Ultimate focuses on sportsmanship, fairness, respect for players, fun, and the Spirit of the Game.

How to Play Ultimate

Academy of Ultimate Are you ready to move beyond the basics? Whether you wish to learn simple techniques or further develop the skills of your game, the Academy may be your obvious choice. We have assembled the important strategies & playbooks, tips & techniques, drills, and health & fitness articles. Academy of Ultimate ...

Spirit of the Game is the unique philosophy that differentiates this game from, and arguably makes it better than, any other sport. The effect of Spirit in Ultimate cannot be denied. The Ultimate community has created and nurtured this quality such that it permeates the culture and etiquette of the sport. That said, the application, perhaps even the understanding, of the Spirit of the Game, has ebbed and flowed since its conception in 1968. However, individual or team personalities aside, Spirit is alive and strong in the Ultimate community today.

By Spirit of the Game, we are not referring to the cheers, songs, mini-games, or Haikus that commonly celebrate a hard-played game and serve to deflate any strong emotions that may threaten to bleed into future matches. It is not the non-traditional uniforms (skirts, comical hats, or silly costumes) that reveal that fun is just as important as winning. Although these are related to Spirit, they should not be used to evaluate the degree of spirit in a team or player. Spirit is evident when players take back a poor call. It also reveals itself when national champioinships are held without referees.

Rather, Spirit is the demonstration of respect, the emphasis on joy of play, and honesty. Respect for both your fellow team-mates and your competitors is essential to the game. It becomes apparent by the digity and integrity that you bring to the field. It is vindicated when you understand that no matter how right you are, someone else's reality may turn out to be different, and you accept that disagreement without anger or heated argument. Honesty and integrity means that you play the game fairly. It is shameful conduct to mis-use the freedom in the rules of Ultimate to gain an advantage. Both the rules and the culture of this game actively dissuade any such behaviour. Intentional violations, attempts to bend or break the rules if an opportunity presents itself, or consistently pushing the rules are forbidden. There is no place in Ultimate for cheaters. Joy of play means that you do not play to win at all costs. Instead, you play to win fairly, honestly, and with joy. Your opponent is not your enemy, just your competitor. Playing with spirit implies that two teams can give their best effort on the field of play and still walk away smiling, regardless of the outcome.

Remember: Winning is not everything. It takes constant, unyielding effort to maintain the Spirit of the Game. Play fair; play hard; play for fun.

Spirit of the Game Spirit Rating Guide

There are two sets of nearly identical rules in common use: the UPA rules used in North America and the WFDF rules used in all other parts of the world. The two rule sets are very similar, but have some minor differences.

The official UPA rules of Ultimate can be found here. If you prefer, the UPA site has an abbreviated version of the rules, called the 10 Rules of Ultimate , that is a useful "quick-start" guide. The Association de Ultimate de Montreal has published their Visual Rules in PDF format.

An ongoing blog by the UPA Standing Rules Committee provides insight into current and upcoming rules.

The official WFDF rules of Ultimate can be found here.

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The UPA has published a number of guides to assist the Ultimate community.

Lightning Guidelines	UPA Lightning Guidelines.
Simplified substantive changes	The "quick and dirty" highlights of the changes in the 11th edition of the UPA rules.
Detailed substantive changes	A summary of the changes in the 11th edition of the UPA rules.
Visual Rules	Helpful schematic diagrams of the rules for specific situations.
Callahan Rules	The Callahan Rules are a series of modifications and additions to the rules of Ultimate. The Callahan Rules attempt to speed up play and to make Ultimate even more fun for players to play and spectators to watch by having a neutral Observer or Linesman make select calls.

Leagues & Tournaments ... Pick-up Games ... Hat Tournaments ...

Ultimate began in 1968 in Maplewood, New Jersey by a group of students attending Columbia High School. The staff members of the school newspaper, the Colombian, and its student council developed a new game as a gag and activity for their high-school evenings. It caught on.

History of Ultimate ...

Who threw the first disc? Are all discs the same? Where can I find more info to improve my playing skills? How hard is Ultimate? After all, it's just a Frisbee. Find out the answers here.

Frequently Asked Questions ... Technical FAQ ...

Communication enables a group of seven players to act in unison on offense and in concert on defense, greatly increasing the chance of success. It is one of the six basic principles of good Ultimate.

Sideline Calls (Defense) ... Sideline Calls (Offense) ... Communication On Defense ... Communication On Offense ... Who Can Call Infractions and Time-outs? ... Other Calls Relating to Infractions ... The Art of Heckling ...

Need ideas for some post-game cheers? Care to challenge your Ultimate knowledge and skills on and off the field! Check out our latest contests (coming soon).

Fun&Games (General) ... Games & Puzzles ... Cheers Hall of Fame ... Awards Games ... Contests ... Shortcut to Puzzles and Video Games ...

Other variant games can also be played with a flying disc. Many of these are played during Ultimate tournaments or as seasonal variations to the sport.

Beach Ultimate ... Cups (Fricket) ... Disc Golf ... Durango Boot ... Goaltimate ... Guts ... Hot Box ... Indoor Ultimate ... Mini-Ultimate ... Schtick ... Stop the Chump ... Double Disc Court ... Cower ... More Games ...

Ultimap: Find Ultimate anywhere in the world

Ultimate Links ... Organizations ... Schwag ... Sponsors ... Recommended Reading ...

Facts & Trivia We hope you enjoy our collection of interesting facts and trivia pertaining to the sport of Ultimate! Black web pages are 20% more energy efficient on monitors than white screens. In the United States, more Frisbees are sold each year than baseballs, basketballs, and footballs combined. The average player runs 10 kilometres in a game. Not surprisingly, it is considered one of the best cardiovascular activities on the planet. Demographic statistics: 80+% of Ultimate players have a university degree; Male to female gender split: 60 / 40. Reference: http://www.sob.bcit.ca/kevinw/ultimate/ultimate.htm 2007 Famous Ultimate Players: Bill Nye the Science Guy. Joel Silver (Hollywood film producer: 48 Hrs., Weird Science, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, The Matrix). The world speed catch record (i.e., catching a rocketing Frisbee disc cleanly in one hand) is 119.14 kph from a distance of only 14 metres. The current world distance record was set in 1998 by a man from Colorado who threw a disc more than 210 metres. In 1994 at the U.S. Open Flying Disc Championships, the women’s distance record was registered with a throw that flew over 136 metres. Frisbee was inspired by the Frisbie Pie Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut, a bakery which was founded by William Russell Frisbie in the 1870s. His empty lightweight pie tins, which were embossed with the family name, were tossed by students at Yale University as a game during the mid-1940s. In the 1950s, Walter Frederick Morrison, a Los Angeles building inspector, determined to capitalize on Hollywood's obsession with UFOs, designed a lightweight plastic disc based on the Frisbie bakery's pie tins, but changed the name to Flyin' Saucer to avoid legal hassles. Morrison sold the rights to the Wham-O Manufacturing Co. of San Gabriel, California and on January 13, 1957, Americans were introduced to the Frisbee. The Frisbie Pie Company went out of business in 1958, but was acquired by Mattel in 1994. In May 1989, Middlebury College in Vermont unveiled a bronze statue of a dog jumping to catch a Frisbee to commemorate the alleged fiftieth anniversary of the Frisbee. According to Middlebury legend, five undergraduates driving through Nebraska in 1939 suffered a flat tire. As two boys changed the tire, a third found a discarded pie tin from the Frisbie Pie Company near a cornfield and threw the circular disk in the air. Middlebury President Olin Robison told Time magazine, "Our version of the story is that it happened all over America, but it started here." In the fall of 1968, Joel Silver, team captain, brought an early form of Ultimate Frisbee to Columbia High School (CHS) in Maplewood, New Jersey. The game was developed with help from his friends Buzzy Hellring and Jonny Hines. After watching a skeet-shooting scene in the 1965 James Bond movie Thunderball, Joel Silver decided to call the opening throw in Ultimate a "pull". During the mid-1980's Boulder's Fourth of July Ultimate tournament, Louis Burke, the director, decided to penalize teams for pulling the disc out-of-bounds by allowing the receiving team to walk the disc 15 yards from the end zone line. Louis was given the nickname "Brick", due to his poor shooting skills in basketball and a play on his last name (Burke). Scoober: A throw dubbed by Laird Williams of Chain Lightning. One afternoon in Toronto, while on the quest for women to impress with their throwing talents, a team mate received the throw in front of an Ontario onlooker and exclaimed to Laird: "Nice. Scoop her, dude!" which Laird misunderstood as "Nice Scoober, dude!" Ultimate began in Canada in Victoria and on the beaches near Toronto about 1976. While Vancouver began pickup games in the late '70's, the Vancouver Ultimate League (VUL) was not founded until 1986. The first Canadian outdoor Ultimate tournament was held at the University of Waterloo in 1979. Currently, there are approximately 20,000 active Ultimate players in Canada. Vancouver has the second-largest league (after Ottawa) with 3,500 members. Lady Godiva, a women's team from Boston, is the best team that ever played Ultimate, finishing in the top two positions at the UPA Nationals 17 times in a row. The top Woman’s Team in Vancouver, "Prime," was also #1 in the world in 2007. The top Men’s Team in Vancouver is "Furious George," who were also #3 in the world in 2007.