What is Ultimate?
Ultimate is an exciting, non-contact team sport, played by thousands the world over. It mixes the best features of sports such as Soccer, Basketball, American Football and Netball into an elegantly simple yet fascinating and demanding game. To compete at the top level, Ultimate players require an unmatched degree of speed, stamina and agility. Yet the simplicity of the rules means it's easy and fun for newcomers to pick up.
Ultimate in 10 simple rules:
The Field -- A rectangular shape with endzones at each end. A regulation field is 70yd by 40yd, with endzones 25yd deep.
Initiate Play -- Each point begins with both teams lining up on the front of their respective endzone lines. The defense throws ("pulls") the disc to the offense. A regulation game has seven players per team.
Scoring -- Each time the offense completes a pass in the defense's endzone, the offense scores a point. Play is initiated after each score.
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 (“marker”) guarding the thrower counts out the stall count.
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.
Substitutions -- Players not in the game may replace players in the game only after a score or during an injury timeout.
Non-contact -- No physical contact is allowed between players. Picks and screens are also prohibited. A foul occurs when contact is made.
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.
Self-Refereeing -- Players are responsible for their own foul and line calls. Players resolve their own disputes.
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.
History:
In the fall of 1968, Joel Silver, then a student at Columbia High School proposed a school Frisbee team to the student council on a whim. The following summer, a group of students got together to play what Silver claimed to be the "ultimate game experience," adapting the sport from a form of Frisbee football, likely learned from Jared Kass while attending a summer camp at Northfield Mount Hermon, Massachusetts where Kass was teaching. The students who played and codified the rules at Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, were an eclectic group of students including leaders in academics, student politics, the student newspaper, and school dramatic productions. Key early contributors besides Silver included Bernard "Buzzy" Hellring and Jonny Hines. Another member of the original team was Walter Sabo, who went on to be a major figure in the American radio business. The sport became identified as a counterculture activity. The first definitive history of the sport was published in December 2005, ULTIMATE: The First Four Decades.
While the rules governing movement and scoring of the disc have not changed, the early Columbia High School games had sidelines that were defined by the parking lot of the school and team sizes based on the number of players that showed up. Gentlemanly behavior and gracefulness were held high. (A foul was defined as contact "sufficient to arouse the ire of the player fouled.") No referees were present, which still holds true today: all ultimate matches (even at high level events) are self-officiated. At higher levels of play 'observers' are often present. Observers only make calls when appealed to by one of the teams, at which point the result is binding.
Glossary of Ultimate Terminology:
Backhand -- To throw the disc from the left side of the body for right handed players (or from the right for left handed players). The motion is similar in some respects to the backhand in tennis. (Like the 'standard' throw that non-Ultimate players may be used to).
Break -- (side, pass or cut): The side to which the marker is trying to prevent the throw (or a pass/cut to this side).
Clearing -- To get out of the area where the thrower wants to pass the disc. Absolutely necessary after making an unsuccessful cut or after throwing the pass. The importance of this is often underplayed to beginners.
Cut -- An attempt to get free to receive the pass. Usually starting with a body fake and/or a sudden change in direction or speed.
Defense -- The team attempting to prevent a score.
Dump -- Player who stands behind the thrower in order to help out (must get free for an easy pass) when the offence gets in trouble.
Flow -- A series of quick passes to well timed cuts - should result in an easy score.
Force (or mark) -- To make it as difficult as possible for the thrower to throw the disc in one direction (usually one side of the field) in an attempt to make (force) him/her to make a pass to the other side. See the relevant section for how and why this is done.
Forehand (or Flick) -- To throw the disc from the right side of the body for right handed players (or from the left for left handed players). The motion is similar in some respects to the forehand in tennis.
Free (or Open) -- To be available to receive the pass. The "free player" may be unmarked or have managed to get away from his/her defender.
Hammer -- High overhead throw; the disc flies upside down in a parabolic type path. The grip, release etc is similar to the forehand.
Hand Block -- This is when the defender stops the disc directly after it is released by the thrower.
Huck -- A long pass; often nearly the full length of the pitch and high to a tall player in the endzone.
Layout -- When the player dives the catch or intercept the disc. Also referred to as "going ho" (from going horizontal).
Man-to-Man -- The most common type of defense. Each person on defense marks an offense player and attempts to stay as close as possible with the intention of getting an interception or forcing a mistake.
Open (side, pass or cut) -- (i) The side to which the thrower is being forced (or a pass/cut to this side). (ii) Sometimes used to describe being free to receive a pass.
Pivot -- When you plant your foot (left for right handers and right for left handers) and step to the side (allowing you the throw around the marker).
Poach -- When a defender moves away from their marker to try and make an interception on a pass to another player.
Pull -- The throw at the start of each point that initiates play.
Swing -- A lateral pass across the pitch - usually does not result in any upfield movement. This is useful to gain a better position or to reset the stall count.
Switch -- This is when two defenders exchange the offensive players that they are marking.
Turnover (or change of possession) -- When the disc has been dropped or intercepted and the offense becomes the defense.
Endzone -- Area at the either end of the pitch within which a point is scored.
Flying Disc -- Many people call it a "Frisbee." Ultimate players call it a disc. ("Frisbee" is the trademarked name for one particular brand of flying disc.) The disc is part of what makes Ultimate so unique - depending on the skill of the thrower, it can be made to fly straight or in a curve, hover in mid-air or drop like a stone.
Offense -- The team with possession of the disc.
Point (or score) -- When the disc is caught in the endzone by a player on the offense.
Stalling (or Stall Count) -- The player holding the disc has just ten seconds to pass it to a team-mate - the defender marking the player with the disc counts to ten out loud, and if the disc has not been released on "ten" the defender takes possession. Forcing the thrower to make a less-than-ideal pass as the "stall count" nears ten is the idea behind most defensive strategies.
Start of a point -- Each point begins with the two teams standing on opposite endzone lines. The team with the disc throws it as far down the pitch as they can, and the other team then takes possession where it lands.
After a point -- After a team has scored a point, they keep hold of the disc and wait while the opposition walks back to the other end of the pitch. The team that scored then throws off to start the next point. This way, the teams change ends after every point.
Links:
Rules
WFDF rules (world-wide, except Americas, and Worlds championship)
The Complete 11th Edition of the Rules of Ultimate, Approved 01/11/2007 (Americas)
5 on 5 and 4 on 4 Beach Ultimate
Leagues and Associations
USA Ultimate (formerly: Ultimate Players Association (UPA))
World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF)
Beach Ultimate Lovers Association (BULA)
European Flying Disc Federation (EFDF)
Canadian Ultimate Players Association (CUPA)
Where to Play
UPA's list of Teams, Pickup, Leagues, and Tournaments
