How to Play Ultimate Frisbee

Ok, so ultimate frisbee may sound like a nerdy sport. And perhaps it is. Nevertheless, it is a very fun team game for those that give it a chance. Its popularity among college students in particular has been increasing in recent years. It is a fast paced game with almost non-stop action. Almost anyone can play and have a blast doing so.

The first thing you need to know about ultimate frisbee is that it involves a frisbee. Yes, that's right, that round, flat flying object you see people throwing to their dogs down at the park. As long as you can throw a frisbee, you can play ultimate. If you don't know how to throw one, just find someone who does and have them take you to a large open space with no cars nearby. Once you practice and get the hang of the throwing motion, it's a piece of cake. I've seen severely coordination-challenged individuals learn how to throw beautifully, so I'm sure anyone reading this can master this simple art as well.

Next, you need to find some other people who know how to throw frisbees. This should not be too difficult, considering throwing a frisbee is like riding a bike, and most people have learned how to do both somewhere along the line. Once you have a group of about eight, you can form teams. Technically, you could play with as few as six, though six to eight players per team is ideal. Any more than ten per team and things just get a little too crowded and confusing.

Now all you need is a large, open grassy area - most parks have a field that will do just fine. If you have cones, they make the best boundary markers, but extra shoes, shirts, or whatever else you have lying around will work just fine. While everyone is warming up, make sure they all know the rules. Oh wait, you need to know the rules, don't you?

Ultimate frisbee is similar to both soccer and football in some ways, so the best way to start is to base your understanding off of those sports. Like football, each team has an end zone that it is defending. If the other team makes a completed pass of the frisbee into your end zone, they score a point. Also like football, each team kicks off to the other team at the beginning of the game and after a score. The receiving team then begins its attack. Unlike football, there is no quarterback. Every member of the team has the opportunity to throw passes to other teammates. Once the frisbee is caught, the receiver can take two steps before they must throw the frisbee to another teammate. Throws can be as long or as short as you choose, and there is not limit to the number of throws used to advance down the field. Backward throws are also legal.

On defense, the team must assign each person to guard another on the opposite team. While guarding, contact is not allowed, unless the defender is going for a pass. Passes may be intercepted or just knocked down; either way, the defending team then immediately becomes the offensive team. If the frisbee is knocked down, the thrower cannot take two steps, he or she must throw from the place where the frisbee lands.

That, my friends, is ultimate frisbee in a nutshell. The key to becoming a good player is simply playing frequently. The best ultimate players know how to throw accurately and how to anticipate passes on defense. As with any other sport, speed and athletic ability help, but ultimate frisbee can be enjoyed at any level.