What is Ultimate Frisbee?

I grew up in an area where everyone knew about Ultimate Frisbee. Many of the teachers in my schools were some of the first people to play the sport. Outside of some Frisbee-crazy areas, the sport is not well known; however, it is wide-spread. Last year, the World Ultimate club championship tournament was hosted by Australia, and teams came from all over the world to participate. Ultimate Frisbee is an easy sport to pick up, and all you need are a disc and a few friends to play.

The field is set up with two end zones at either end. Each point begins with each time lining up along the end zone that they must defend. The Frisbee is put into play by the defensive team, who throws it as far down the field at possible. This is called the "pull." Once the Frisbee has been pulled, play begins.

The offensive team picks up the disc, and tries to get it to the opposite end zone. Players cannot run with the Frisbee, so they must use strategy and endurance to keep passing the disc from player to player to move it closer and closer to the goal. A good player is a fast runner, as well as an accurate thrower and good catcher. They need to use their speed to get to an open area of the field to make it easier for their teammate to pass to them. A point is scored when the disc is passed from outside the end zone to a player who is standing inside it. After every point, the teams switch end zones.

During a point, possession of the Frisbee changes when the offensive team drops the disc, or when the defensive team intercepts or knocks the disc to the ground. The offensive team also loses possession of the Frisbee when they step out of bounds, or when they hold the disc past the 10 second limit.

This limit is determined by the person on the defensive team who is covering them. This is because Ultimate Frisbee does not use referees or umpires, but relies on a concept called "Spirit of the Game." The players must be honest and fair for the game to run smoothly, and it usually works. The rules are very specific about how to handle calls and disagreements, so part of Spirit of the Game includes a thorough knowledge of the rules. Of course, if you are just having fun, there is no need to know every rule, but everyone should try and play fair!