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How To Play Ultimate Introduction Commonly referred to as Ultimate Frisbee or even Frisbee Football, Ultimate is a player-defined and -controlled non-contact team sport played with a flying disc on a playing surface with two end zones. This fast paced field sport is played with two teams of seven players. For such a physically demanding sport, the game play itself is simple to learn. See the UPA Ten Simple Rules for more details. The object of the game is to throw a plastic disc (Frisbee) from teammate to teammate until it is caught in the opponent's end zone. The game, which relies heavily on teamwork, combines elements from several other sports - the running of soccer, the jumping, pivoting, passing, and continual turnovers from offence to defense of basketball, and the long throws and dramatic catches of football. The sport can be played year-round. All actions are governed by the “Spirit of the Game™.” Rules are sometimes inavertently broken, but there are no referees. Instead, the game is self-officiating; players call the infractions (fouls and violations) and resolve disagreements between themselves on the field. This is the most apparent driver for Ultimate's reputation for being sportsmanlike. Topics This page is organized by the following subjects: Overview Strategy & Tactics Learn More

This section explains the basic game play for Ultimate. Where lacking in the rules, common conventions for playing the game are provided. However, for more specifics, see the Academy of Ultimate and the websites of the relevant rules organizations.

Objective

The objective of Ultimate is to score points by receiving a teammate's pass in the opponent's end zone. The outcome of a match is usually determined by the first team to achieve a score of 15 points. This ensures that a team can only win by scoring, rather than by running the clock down.

Teams

Regulation Ultimate is played between two teams of seven players. In mixed games, teams are usually made up of four men and three women. In informal "pick-up" games, the number of players on a team may vary. Substitutions are allowed between points and teams are usually able to have around 20 players on their roster in a major tournament.

Field

Regulation games are played on a rectangular field 64 metres (70 yards) long by 37 metres (40 yards) wide. Under UPA rules, end zones are 23 metres (25 yards) deep, while under WFDF rules, end zones are 18 metres deep. Ultimate is normally played outdoors on grass. Boundaries are marked by chalk lines and cones.

Start of Gameplay

The pull or throw-off: The players line up at the edge of their respective end zones, and the defensive team throws, or pulls, the disc to the offensive team to begin play. Pulls are normally long, hanging throws, giving the defense an opportunity to move up the field. Sometimes, though, a pull consists of a short throw intended to roll out-of-bounds upon hitting the ground. If the pull is touched by the receiving team while in the air, without being caught, it is a turnover.

Ro-Sham-Bo For fun, have the two teams play Rock-Paper-Scissors to decide the pull. Other variations include Ro-Sham-anything and Pokey.

The pull is often started by a member of the defending team who raises one arm with the disc to show that they are ready to pull the disc and begin play. When the offensive team is ready to receive the pull, one of its members will also raise a hand. The team that pulls to start the game is usually decided in a manner similar to a coin toss. The captain of each team (or designate) takes a disc and flips it in the air like a coin. A predetermined representative from one of the teams (usually the home team if there is one) declares "same" or "different" while the discs are in the air in reference to whether the discs will land with the same side up or not. Sometimes a single disc is flipped with "heads" or "tails" declared, referring to the design (heads) and blank (tails) sides of the Frisbee. The team that wins the toss may choose either to receive the pull first or pick which end of the field to start on. If the winning team picks the end zone, then the other team selects from which side to pull. Field position on the pull is important in relationship to dominant wind direction and the sun.

Moving The Disc

The disc may be moved in any direction by completing a pass to a teammate. The player catching the disc must stop as soon as possible (usually within a few steps to arrest their momentum). They must establish a pivot with one foot and can only move their non-pivot foot until after their throw.

Upon receiving the disc, a player (called the thrower) has ten seconds to pass it. This period is known as the stall and each second is counted out (a stall count) by a defender (the marker) who must be standing within three metres of the thrower. A player may keep the disc for longer than ten seconds if no marker is within three metres or if the marker is not counting the stall. If there is a change of marker, the new marker must restart the stall count from zero.

The thrower may only catch their own throw if the disc is touched by any other player while it is still in the air.

Ultimate Today Ultimate is now played by men and women from all walks of life in over 42 countries throughout the world. As such, it is a sport for everyone-from the 25,000 amateur athletes that compete through the UPA (Ultimate Players Association) and the WFDF (World Flying Disc Federation) to the even greater number that play in informal leagues and casual pickup games.

Scoring

A point is scored when any player catches a pass in the end zone that they are attacking. In older versions of the rules, only offensive players could score. UPA rules now allow a defensive player to intercept a pass in the end zone they are attacking to score a Callahan goal. WFDF rules, however, do not permit a Callahan goal. After a point, the teams exchange ends. The team that just scored remains in that end zone and the opposing team takes the opposite end zone. Play is reinitiated with a pull by the scoring team.

Change Of Possession

Whenever a pass is incomplete, the disc changes possession (called a turnover); the defense immediately becomes the offense. The offense then throws the disc from where it came to rest, or at the location where it first traveled out-of-bounds. Play continues without stoppage after turnovers.

Turnovers

A turnover results due to the following events:

• Drops: The player on offense accidentally drops the disc onto the ground.
• Blocks: A defender deflects the disc in mid-flight, causing it to hit the ground.
• Interceptions: A defender catches a disc thrown by the offense.
• Out-of-Bounds: The disc lands out-of-bounds, hits an out-of-bounds object, or is caught by a player who lands or leaps from outside the playing field.
• Stalls: A player on offense still has the disc after the marker counts out ten seconds.

The Greatest A disc is in play when it is in-bounds. A receiver who wishes to play a disc that is flying out-of-bounds may only do so if his last point of contact with the ground is in-bounds; otherwise, the disc is considered out-of-bounds, resulting in a turnover. If an offensive player leaps from in-bounds, catches, and then releases a throw in the air and another offensive player is able to catch the disc that is thrown in-bounds, the team completes a Greatest. If that disc is caught in the end zone for a point, it is considered a World's Greatest.

Stoppage Of Play

Play may stop for the following reasons:

• Fouls: A foul is the result of contact between players, although incidental contact (contact not affecting the play) does not constitute a foul. When a foul disrupts possession, the play resumes as if the possession were retained. If the player committing the foul disagrees with ("contests") the foul call, the disc is returned to the last thrower.
• Violations: A violation occurs when a player violates the rules but does not initiate physical contact. Common violations include traveling with the disc, double teaming, stripping the disc away from a player who has possession, and picking (moving in a manner so as to obstruct the movement of any player on the defensive team).
• Time outs and half-time: Each team is allowed two team time outs per game during normal time. An additional time out is permitted during over-time. Some clubs, tournaments, and captains may prohibit time outs when point or time caps are in effect. The halftime break occurs when one team reaches the half-way marker in the score. Since most games are played to odd numbers, the number for half-time is rounded up. For instance, if the game is to 15, half-time comes when one team reaches a score of 8.
• Injuries: Play stops whenever a player is seriously injured. This is considered an injury time-out. The injured person must normally leave the field and a substitute for each team may come in. This is not required if the injury was due to a foul or violation.

Substitutions

Teams are allowed to substitute players after a point is scored or for injured players after an injury time out. In the case of an injury substitution, the opposing team is also allowed to make a substitution for each injured player that leaves the field.

Referees

Ultimate is self-officiating. Players are responsible for foul and line calls. They resolve their own disputes. This demands a spirit of honesty and respect on the playing field. It is the duty of the player who committed the foul to speak up and admit the infraction. Occasionally, official observers are used to aid players in refereeing (see below).

Observers

Some additional rules have been introduced which can optionally overlay the standard rules and allow for referees called observers (called the Gen-X-Rules or Callahan Rules, named after Henry Callahan from the University of Oregon). An observer can normally only resolve a dispute if the players involved ask for his judgment. In some cases, observers have the power to make calls without being asked. Examples include line calls (to determine out-of-bounds and goals) and up/down calls (actively ruling if the disc has touched the ground before being caught). Misconduct fouls can also be given by an observer for violations such as aggressive taunting, fighting, cheating, etc., and are reminiscent of the Yellow/Red card system common to soccer; however, misconduct fouls are extremely rare and their ramifications not well defined. Observers are also charged with enforcing time limits for the game itself and many parts within the game, such as the amount of time defense has to set up after a time out or the time allowed between pulls. If a team does not honour a time limit, it is a turn over.
The introduction of observers is, in part, an attempt by the UPA to allow games to run more smoothly and become more spectator-friendly. Due to the nature of play and the unique nature of self-refereeing, Ultimate games are often subject to regular and long stoppages of play. This effort and the intensity that has arisen in the highest levels of competition have led many members of the Ultimate community to lament the loss of the Spirit of the Game. It should be noted that some of the differences between the UPA and the WFDF rules reflect a differing attitude to Spirit.

Basic Offense

The goal of any offensive strategy is to create open lanes in the field that are free of defenders. The thrower then throws the disc into these cutting lanes as one of the receivers cuts (makes a sudden sprint) into it to receive the disc.

A common offensive strategy is the vertical stack. In this strategy, the offense lines up in a straight line along the length of the field. From this position, players in the stack make cuts (sudden sprints out of the stack) towards or away from the thrower in an attempt to get open and receive the disc. The stack generally lines up in the middle of the field, thereby opening up two lanes along the sidelines for cuts, although a captain may occasionally call for the stack to line up closer to one sideline, creating one larger cutting lane.

Another popular offense strategy is the horizontal stack, similar to the spread offense in American Football.

Players making cuts have two majors options for their cuts. They may cut in towards the disc and attempt to find an open avenue between defenders for a short pass, or they may cut away from the disc towards the deep field. The deep field is usually sparsely-defended but requires the thrower to throw a huck (a long downfield throw).

One major variation involves deploying three handlers who position themselves in a horizontal line spanning the width of the field. Each handler attempts to throw the disc up field until the stall count reaches a certain point (usually 4 to 6). At that point, if a good up-field pass has not resulted, then the thrower swings the disc across to one of the other handlers, thereby resetting the stall count and prolonging the bid to advance their field position.

Basic Defense

One of the most basic defensive principles is the force. The marker effectively cuts off the thrower's access to half of the field by aggressively blocking only one side of the handler and leaving the other side open. The unguarded side is called the force side because the thrower is generally forced to throw to that side of the field. The guarded side is called the break-force side because the thrower would have to "break" the force in order to throw to that side–-a risky feat.

The reason this is done is that with evenly matched players, the advantage is almost always with the handler and against the marker. It is relatively easy for the handler to fake out or outmaneuver a marker who is trying to block the whole field. On the other hand, it is generally possible to effectively block half of the field.

The marker calls out the force side ("force home" or "force away") before starting the stall count in order to alert the other defenders which side of the field is open to the handler. The team can choose the force side ahead of time or change it on-the-fly from throw to throw. Aside from forcing home or away, other forces are "force sideline" (force towards the closest sideline); "force middle" (force towards the centre of the field); and "force up" (force towards either sideline but prevent a throw straight up the field). Another common tactic is to "force forehand" (force the thrower to use their forehand throw) since most players, especially at lower levels of play, have a stronger backhand throw. "Force flick" refers to the forehand; "force back" refers to the backhand.

When the marker calls out the force side, the team can then rely on the marker to block throws to half the field and, therefore, position themselves to aggressively cover just the open/force side. If they are playing one-to-one defense, they should position themselves on the force side of their marks, since that is the side to which they are most likely to cut (see the vertical stack diagram above).

Advanced Strategy Ready to move on to the next level? Our Academy of Ultimate contains advanced techniquest, strategies, and skills development.

The simplest and often most effective defensive strategy is the man defense (also known as man-on-man or one-on-one), where each defender guards a specific offensive player, called their "mark". The man defense emphasizes speed, stamina, and individual positioning, as well as field awareness. Often players will mark the same person throughout the game, giving them an opportunity to learn their opponents strengths and weaknesses as they play. Man defense can also play a partial role in other more complex zone defense strategies.

With a zone defense strategy, the defenders cover an area rather than a specific person. The area they cover moves with the disc as it progresses down the field. Zone defense is frequently used when the other team is substantially more athletic (faster, making man-on-man difficult to maintain), because zoning requires less speed and stamina. It is also useful in a long tournament to avoid fatiguing the team, or when under very windy conditions where long passes are too risky.

A zone defense usually has two components. The first is a group of players close to the handler(s) who attempt to contain the disc and prevent forward movement, called the cup, wall, wedge, or clam (depending on the specific play). These close defenders always position themselves relative to the disc, meaning that they have to move quickly as it passes from handler to handler.

The Cup involves three defenders, arranged in a semi-circular cup-shaped formation. One player (called the mid-mid) positions him/herself in the middle and back while the other two are on the sides and forward. The furthest away is called the off-point. One of the side players (the on-point) marks the thrower with a force, while the other two guard the open side. Therefore the handler will normally have to throw through or over the Cup to advance the disc, allowing the defenders to more easily make blocks. With a Cup, the mid-mid usually blocks the up-field lane to cutters, while the points block the cross-field swing pass to other handlers. The mid-mid usually also has the responsibility to call out which of the two sides should mark the thrower, which is usually the defender closest to the sideline of the field.

The wall involves four players in the close defense. One player is the marker (also called the rabbit or "chaser" because they often have to run quickly between multiple handlers that are spread out across the field). The other three defenders form a horizontal "wall" or line across the field maintaining a distance of 3 metres in front of the handler to stop throws to cuts and prevent forward progress.

The wedge is a configuration of two close defenders. One of them marks the thrower with a force while the other stands further away to the force side of the handler, blocking any throw or cut on that side. The wedge allows more defenders to play up the field, but does little to prevent cross-field passes (such as a swing).

One final zone defense strategy, known as the Clam or Chrome Wall, uses elements of both zone and man defenses. In Clam defenses, defenders cover cutting lanes rather than zones of the field or individual players. The Clam can be used by several players on a team while the rest are running a man defense. In this case, when the two receivers that the defenders are marking are standing close to each other in the stack, one defender will move over to shade them deep, and the other will move slightly more towards the handler. When one of the receivers makes a deep cut, the first defender picks them up, and if one makes an in-cut, the second defender covers them. The defenders communicate, and switch their marks if their respective charges change their cuts from in to deep, or vice versa. The Clam can also be used by the entire team, with different defenders covering the in cuts, deep cuts, break side cuts, and dump cuts. The Clam is often effective for a few throws by the handlers, upon which a switch to man defense (often after a predetermined number of passes) becomes necessary.

The defenders in the second group of a zone defense, called mids and deeps, position themselves further out to stop throws that escape the cup and fly upfield. Because a zone defense focuses defenders on stopping short passes, it leaves a large portion of the field to be covered by the remaining mid and deep players. Assuming that there are seven players on the field, and that a cup is in effect, this leaves four players to cover the rest of the field. In fact, usually only one deep player is used to cover hucks, with two others defending the sidelines and possibly a single "mid-mid". Alternately, the mids and deeps can play a one-to-one defense on the players who are outside of the cup or cutting deep, although frequent switching might be necessary.

The exact configuration of both groups of defenders depends on the specific style of zone defense. There are wide variations. One of the advantages of knowing a number of defense styles is to confuse the opposing team by switching or using an unknown style.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_(sport)

The best way to learn Ultimate is to play it. Take the opportunity to join local pick-up games. This will give you chance to learn directly from experienced players. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Certain localities even offer skills or beginners clinics which is a fantastic way to receive high quality coaching.