Here’s a guide to the game:
General
Rules of play
Strategy and tactics
Spirit of the game
General
Ultimate (also called Ultimate Frisbee) is a limited-contact team sport played with a 175 gram flying disc. The object of the game is to score points by passing the disc to a player in the opposing end zone, similar to an end zone in American football or rugby. Players may not run while holding the disc.
While originally called Ultimate Frisbee, it is now officially called Ultimate because Frisbee is the trademark for the line of discs made by the Wham-O toy company. In fact, discs made by Wham-O competitor Discraft are the standard discs for the sport, because they are more streamlined and have a softer curved edge for easier handling.
Rules of play
Indoor
Ultimate is sometimes played on an indoor football (soccer) field, or the like. If the field has indoor football markings on it, then the outer most goal box lines are used for endzone lines. Playing off the walls or ceiling is usually not permitted. Since indoor venues tend to be smaller, the number of players per side is often decreased. Depending of the size of the field, two types of game can be played : 4 on 4 or 5 on 5.
Some indoor leagues play Speedpoint, also known as Quebec City rules (4 on 4), in order to speed up play:
• Only 2 pulls every game: at the beginning of the game and after halftime. Each team pulls once.
• After a point is scored, play resumes from the point in the end zone where the point was scored.
• Maximum 20 second delay between the scoring of a point and the beginning of the next one.
• Players may only substitute between points.
• Each team is allowed one timeout per game.
• Timeouts cannot be called in the last 5 minutes of the game.
• In 5 on 5, substitution are allowed on the fly (while playing)
Indoor ultimate is played widely in Northern Europe during the winter because of frigid weather conditions. In North America, indoor ultimate tends to be played in venues that can accommodate a field of regular or near-regular size and the playing surface is AstroTurf or some other kind of artificial grass. In Europe, on the other hand, such facilities are rarely available, and indoor ultimate is usually on a handball or basketball court. In northern European and Scandinavian countries handball courts are the norm, whereas in the UK, Russia, and Southern Europe, basketball courts are more commonly used. Players often wear protection such as knee, elbow and wrist pads, much like in volleyball to avoid bruises and cuts when laying out.
European indoor ultimate has evolved as a variant of standard outdoor ultimate. Because of the small size of the court and of the absence of wind, several indoor-specific offensive and defensive tactics have been developed. Moreover, throws such as scoobers, blades, hammers, and push-passes are rarely used or discouraged outdoors because even a little wind makes them inaccurate or because they are effective only at short range, but they are common in the small and wind-free indoor courts. The stall count is reduced to 8 seconds because of the faster nature of the indoor game.
Beach
Beach ultimate is a variant of this activity. It is played in teams of four or five players on small fields. It is played on sand and, as the name implies, normally at the beach. Players are barefoot. The Beach Ultimate Lovers Association (BULA) is the international governing body for Beach Ultimate.
Most beach ultimate tournaments are played according to BULA rules, which are based on WFDF rules with a few modifications.
Intense
Intense Ultimate is a version of Ultimate made to play on a smaller field than regular Ultimate. It was devised as a way to play Ultimate in an urban setting for people who may not have enough space or grass to play regular Ultimate. Like Indoor Ultimate in many respects, games are usually played with 6 to 12 players.
• There is only one end zone. The side with the end zone is divided into 3 parts, with 2 parts being "dead" end zones, and the central part being a "live" end zone that you can score points in.
• If the disc is thrown so that is passes in-between the "dead" end zone "posts" and is caught anywhere in the end zones, the offensive team does not receive a point, but rather continues play and is required to pass the disc back onto the court before they are allowed to then score a point by catching the disc in the "live" end zone.
• Points awarded to catching the disc in a "live" end zone is counted like a regular end zone. As long as the disc passes in-between the 2 "posts" for the "live" end zone, it can be caught anywhere in any of the end zones and still count as being caught in the "live" end zone.
• Opposite the one end zone, instead of another end zone, is a transfer zone.
• Catching the disc in the transfer zone turns the end zone into "your" end zone, that only your team can score in. Otherwise, the end zone turns into a "dead" end zone. Gaining possession in the transfer zone counts as a catch in the transfer zone.
• The end zone remains "your" end zone until the opposing team catches the disc in the transfer zone, regardless of possession changes.
• There is no pulling, instead the scoring team hands the disc to the opposing team, who starts from the transfer zone. This counts as it being caught in the transfer zone. The team has 20 seconds to start after the score.
Strategy and tactics
Offensive
Players employ many different offensive strategies with different goals. Most basic strategies are an attempt to create open lanes on the field for the exchange of the disc between the thrower and the receiver. Organized teams assign positions to the players based on their specific strengths. Designated throwers are called handlers and designated receivers are called cutters. The amount of autonomy or overlap between these positions depends on the make-up of the team.
• 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 handler 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, leaving open just one larger cutting lane on the other side.
• Horizontal stack. In the most popular form of this offense, three handlers line up across the width of the field with four cutters up field, also lined up across the field. It is the handler's job to throw the disc up field to the cutters. If no up field options are available, the handlers swing the disc side to side in an attempt to reset the stall count while also getting the defence out of position. Many advanced teams develop specific offenses that are variations on the basics in order to take advantage of the strengths of specific players. Frequently, these offenses are meant to isolate a few key players in one-on-one situations, allowing them more freedom of movement and the ability to make most of the plays, while the others play a supporting role. Players making cuts have two major options in how they cut. 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 handler to throw a huck (a long down field throw).
• A feature: In this offensive strategy three of the cutters line up deeper than usual (roughly 5 yards farther down field) while the remaining cutter lines up closer to the handlers. This closest cutter is known as the "feature." The idea behind this strategy is that it opens up space for the feature to cut, and at the same time it allows handlers to focus all of their attention on only one cutter. This maximizes the ability for give-and-go strategies between the feature and the handlers. It is also an excellent strategy if one cutter is superior to other cutters, or if he is guarded by someone slower than him. While the main focus is on the handlers and the feature, the remaining three cutters can be used if the feature cannot get open, if there is an open deep look, or for a continuation throw from the feature itself. Typically, however, these three remaining cutters do all they can to get out of the feature's way.
Defensive
• The force: One of the most basic defensive principles is the force. The marker effectively cuts off the handler'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. This is done because, assuming 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 outmanoeuvre 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 centre" (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 off half the field and position themselves to aggressively cover just the open/force side. If they are playing one-to-one defence, they should position themselves on the force side of their marks, since that is the side that they are most likely to cut to. The opposite of the "force" is the "straight-up" mark (also called the "no-huck" mark). In this defence, the player marking the handler positions himself directly between the handler and the end zone and actively tries to block both forehands and backhands. Although the handler can make throws to either side, this is the best defence against long throws ("hucks") to the centre of the field.
• One-on-one defence: The simplest and often most effective defensive strategy is the one-on-one defence (also known as "man-on-man" or simply "man"), where each defender guards a specific offensive player, called their "mark". The one-on-one defence emphasizes speed, stamina, and individual positioning and reading of the field. Often players will mark the same person throughout the game, giving them an opportunity to pick up on their opponent's strengths and weaknesses as they play. One-on-one defence can also play a part role in other more complex zone defence strategies.
• Zone defence: With a zone defence 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 defence is frequently used when the other team is substantially more athletic (faster) making one-on-one difficult to keep up with, because it requires less speed and stamina. It is also useful in a long tournament to avoid tiring out the team, or when it is very windy and long passes are more difficult. A zone defence usually has two components. The first is a group of players close to the handlers who attempt to contain the disc and prevent forward movement, called the "wedge", "cup", "wall", 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 wedge is a configuration of two close defenders. One of them marks the handler with a force, and the other stands away and 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. The cup involves three players, arranged in a semi-circular cup-shaped formation, one in the middle and back, the other two on the sides and forward. One of the side players marks the handler with a force, while the other two guard the open side. Therefore the handler will normally have to throw into the cup, allowing the defenders to more easily make blocks. With a cup, usually the centre cup blocks the up-field lane to cutters, while the side cup blocks the cross-field swing pass to other handlers. The centre cup usually also has the responsibility to call out which of the two sides should mark the thrower, usually the defender closest to the sideline of the field. The wall involves four players in the close defence. One player is the marker, also called the "rabbit" or "chaser" because they often have to run quickly between multiple handlers spread out across the field. The other three defenders form a horizontal "wall" or line across the field in front of the handler to stop throws to cuts and prevent forward progress. The players in the second group of a zone defence, called "mids" and "deeps", position themselves further out to stop throws that escape the cup and fly up field. Because a zone defence 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 (the "deep-deep"), with two others defending the sidelines and possibly a single "mid-mid". Alternately, the mids and deeps can play a one-to-one defence on the players who are outside of the cup or cutting deep, although frequent switching might be necessary.
• Junk defence: A junk defence is a defence using elements of both zone and man defences; the most well-known is the "clam" or "chrome wall". In clam defences, 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 defence. This defensive strategy is often referred to as "bait and switch". In this case, when the two players the defenders are covering 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 thrower. 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 in cuts, deep cuts, break side cuts, and dump cuts.
Spirit of the game
Ultimate is known for its "Spirit of the Game", often abbreviated SOTG. Ultimate's self-officiated nature demands a strong spirit of sportsmanship and respect.
Many tournaments give awards for the most spirited team, as voted for by all the teams taking part in the tournament.
Cheers
At some levels of competition, it is still customary for teams to cheer their opponent at the end of the game. This tradition is an example of how the spirit of ultimate differs from most other sports, as these cheers are meant to be ridiculous, fun, and amusing. Cheers are songs or chants that teams make up and sing for each other at the end of a game. Cheers are known as calls in the UK and are usually reserved for organized league play: they are virtually non-existent in pick-up games. Cheers are also less common at the higher levels of play and in Men's Ultimate, although attitudes towards this custom vary between countries and organizations.
Spirit Games
An alternative to cheers, spirit games are sometimes played after a game of Ultimate, especially during tournaments. Often played in circles (such as "Big Booty," "Look Down, Look Up," "Pokey," "Miniature Tanks," "Bang" and the "Wa Game"), they can be extremely wacky and very amusing. Spirit games, like cheers, serve as a way for teams to get to know each other, have fun together, and often lessen tensions after an intense game of Ultimate.
Pick-up games
In the spirit of ultimate's egalitarian roots, there are many types of pick-up. Often this consists of tournaments played outside the championship circuit, including hat tournaments, in which teams are selected on the day of play by picking names out of a hat. These are generally held over a weekend, affording players several games during the day as well as the chance to socialize at night. Pick-up leagues also exist, hosting weekly pick-up games that may be played on arbitrary week nights. In addition, less formal games of pick-up are frequent in parks and fields across the globe. In all these types of pick-up games it will not be uncommon to have as participants the same people who play on nationally or globally competitive teams. Newcomers are always welcomed at pick-up games or whenever people are simply throwing, and enthusiastic players will sideline themselves to spend time teaching beginners the throws and manoeuvres necessary to play.
Hat tournaments
Hat tournaments are common in the ultimate circuit. They are tournaments where players join individually rather than as a team. The tournament organizers form teams by randomly taking the names of the participants from a hat.
However, in some tournaments, the organizers do not actually use a hat, but form teams taking into account skill, experience, sex, age, height, and fitness level of the players in the attempt to form teams of even strength. A player provides this information when he or she signs up to enter the tournament. There are also many cities that run hat leagues, structured like a hat tournament, but where the group of players stay together over the course of a season.
In both hat leagues and hat tournaments, there is an emphasis on forming new connections throughout the ultimate community. Hat tournaments have a strong emphasis on having fun, socializing, partying, and meeting other players. Players of all levels take part in such events from world-class players to complete beginners. The tournaments (and sometimes also regular tournaments) often have a theme, such as wild west, aliens, pirates, superheroes, etc. The organizers often name teams also according to a theme, such as: beer varieties, movie characters, etc.
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