How to Play


How to Play

 Playing Ultimate Frisbee is actually fairly simple once you get the hang of it. There are two end zones, exactly like football, and the goal of the game is to catch the disc in the end zone. The game starts with both teams facing each other standing in opposite end zones in a line. One team will choose one teammate to pull the disc, meaning they throw it as hard as they can to other team, like a kickoff. The game is now in play. This is a no contact sport so any intentional contact is considered a foul. Once a player catches the disc, they have 10 seconds to throw it to another player. Once they are in full control of the disc, they must not move from their spot, otherwise it is a travel, like basketball. Typically, man to man defense is used, so the man on you will count "stall one, stall two, stall three..." and if you reach ten without the disc being thrown it is a turnover. Players will make their way up the field and try to throw the disc to a player in the end zone to score a point. Games range in how long they are, but the league I played in would be 90 minutes with a halftime. However, sometimes the rules will change in which the game plays until a certain amount of points, such as first one to twelve points wins. If the score is 12-12 by the end of the game, the teams then go into Universe Point. Universe Point is when the next team to score, wins the game. In my experience, Universe Points are always nerve wracking, and never fun to lose to. With no referees, sometimes things can get a little heated, but players always think back to Spirit of the Game. Typically, if someone calls a foul, the other player will just agree and the game will go on. However if the foul is contested, which doesn't happen too often, the coaches will step in a help guide the next move. Some other fun terms pertaining to game play are layout and iso. A layout is when someone literally jumps and lays out to reach the disc. I remember in my last scrimmage before Covid took away my season, I had a layout into the end zone and caught the disc. That was definitely on my top ten memories list. Layouts can result in some injuries, like scrapes and grass stains, but it is very worth it if you catch it. An Iso is short for isolate, and is a play that can be called by the offensive team when they are very close to scoring. During an iso, one person on the offensive team will run around the end zone while the rest of the team stands back. This gives that one person a chance to juke out their defender and leave them open for catching the disc and scoring. Ultimate combines so many skills from sports most people already know how to play, making it the perfect sport to pick up if you are looking for some fun. 

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