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Ultimate (sport)
Encyclopedia
Ultimate is a 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 with the disc, and may only move one foot (pivot) while holding the disc.
While originally called ultimate frisbee, it is now officially called ultimate in many areas because Frisbee
is registered in some areas as a trademark, albeit genericized
, for the line of discs made by the Wham-O
toy company. In 2008, there were 4.9 million Ultimate players in the US.
, a student at Columbia High School
in Maplewood, New Jersey
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 proportion of rules developed by Kass, and those developed by Silver, is disputed. It was discovered in 2003 that the game that Kass and Silver played may have been more similar to Ultimate than had been thought. Regardless, the students who played and codified the rules at Columbia High School were an eclectic group of students, including participants 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 sport 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. A foul was defined as contact "sufficient to arouse the ire of the player fouled." No referees were present, which often holds true today: most Ultimate matches (even at high level events) are self-officiated. At higher levels of play referees called 'observers' are often present. Observers only make calls when appealed to by one of the teams, at which point the result is binding.
called Frisbee Football which later became known as Ultimate Frisbee. The event was chronicled by Sports Illustrated Magazine in their August 3, 1971 edition.
The first collegiate Ultimate club was formed by Sam Weingast when he arrived at Lafayette College
in 1970.
The first intercollegiate competition was held at Rutgers
's New Brunswick campus between Rutgers and Princeton
on November 6, 1972, the 103rd anniversary of the first intercollegiate game of American football featuring the same schools competing in the same location.
By 1975, dozens of colleges had teams, and in April 1975, players organized the first Ultimate tournament, an eight-team invitational called the "Intercollegiate Ultimate Frisbee Championships", to be played at Yale
. Rutgers beat Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
26-23 in the finals.
By 1976, teams were organizing in areas outside the Northeast. A 16-team single elimination tournament was set up at Amherst, Massachusetts
, to include 13 East Coast teams and 3 Midwest
teams. Rutgers again took the title, beating Hampshire College
in the finals. Penn State and Princeton were the other semi-finalists. While it was called the "National Ultimate Frisbee Championships", Ultimate was starting to appear in the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara
area.
Penn State hosted the first five-region National Ultimate Championships in May 1979. There were five regional representatives: three college and two club teams. They were as follows: Cornell University
-(Northeast), Glassboro State
- (Middle Atlantic), Michigan State-(Central), Orlando Fling-(South), Santa Barbara Condors-(West). Each team played the other in a round robin format to produce a Glassboro-Condors final. The Condors had gone undefeated up to this point; however Glassboro prevailed 19-18 to become the 1979 national champions. They repeated as champions in 1980 as well.
The first College Nationals made up exclusively of college teams took place in 1984 in Somerville, Massachusetts. The event, hosted by the Tufts University E-Men crowned Stanford its winner, as they beat Glassboro State in the finals.
In California, clubs were sprouting in the Los Angeles - Santa Barbara area, while in the east, where the sport developed at the high school and college level, the first college graduates were beginning to found club teams, such as the Philadelphia Frisbee Club, the Washington Area Frisbee Club, the Knights of Nee in New Jersey, the Hostages in Boston
and so forth. Arkansas also had a few formidable teams located in the towns of Pocahontas, Newport, and Batesville.
During this time, Ultimate arrived in the United Kingdom, with the UK's first clubs forming at the University of Warwick
and the University of Cambridge
. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, there were also clubs at the University of Southampton
, University of Leicester
, and University of Bradford
. Even Aston University
one of the smaller universities in the country with a student population of around 10,000 students has an Ultimate Club called The Hornets since 2006.
In Toronto Canada, The Toronto Ultimate League began in 1980 under the direction of Ken Westerfield
and Irwin Toy
Bob Blakely. Later the league was renamed the Toronto Ultimate Club. What started with four teams, now has 3300 members with over 250 Teams playing year round.
(UPA) was formed. The UPA organized regional tournaments and has crowned a national champion every year since 1979. On May 25, 2010 the UPA rebranded itself as USA Ultimate.
The popularity of the sport spread quickly, taking hold as a free-spirited alternative to traditional organized sports. In recent years college Ultimate has attracted a greater number of traditional athletes, raising the level of competition and athleticism and providing a challenge to its laid back, free-spirited roots.
In 1981 the European Flying disc Federation (EFDF) was formed.
In 1984 the World Flying Disc Federation
was formed by the EFDF to be the international governing body for disc sports.
Ultimate Canada
is the National Governing Body for the sport of Ultimate in Canada.
The Toronto Ultimate Club Since 1980, 3300 members
In 2006 Ultimate became a BUCS accredited sport at UK universities for both indoor and outdoor open division events.
s at each end. Play is with two teams with equal numbers of players, normally seven on seven though sometimes team sizes are smaller. Teams are permitted a maximum roster size of 27 players. International WFDF
rules use a field with smaller end-zones at 18 meters. In mixed Ultimate, at least 3 members of each gender must be on the field at a time.
Play begins with the defensive team (usually determined by flipping two discs, or by rock, paper, scissors
) fully within their end zone and the offensive team lined up on their end zone line. The defensive team player throwing the disc raises a hand to signal readiness to begin play. A player on the receiving team raises a hand to signal their readiness to begin play. After both sides have signaled their readiness, the defensive team throws ("pulls") the disc to the other team to begin play. This is equivalent to a kickoff
in American football
, and happens to start each point. If a pull goes out of bounds then the receiving team has a choice of putting the disc in play at the point on the sideline that it went out-of-bounds, or at the center of the field nearest to where it went out of bounds, or at the "Brick Mark" in the center of the field 20 yards from the endzone line the receiving team is defending.
Once a player catches the disc or the disc is picked up, the player must come to a stop and have one foot planted as a pivot until he or she throws the disc to another player (hand-offs are not permitted). The player has ten seconds to pass the disc, and this "stall" count must be announced, one through ten, by a defensive player within 10 feet of the offensive player in possession of the disc. If the ten seconds expire without the offense successfully passing the disc this is a "stall", and the defensive team becomes the offensive team and takes possession of the disc at the spot the previous thrower was standing. Possession also reverts to the defense in the case where the offense doesn't complete a pass (or the pass is dropped by the offense or knocked down by the defense) or the defense catches a pass. In these cases the defense (now offense) takes possession of the disc at the point where the disc lies or where they came to a stop after catching the disc. If the offense makes a throw that goes out of bounds and stays out of bounds, the defense takes possession of the disc at the point on the sideline where the disc went out of bounds.
If a player physically interferes with an opposing player, a foul may be called. If the foul is caused by the defense and disrupts possession, in most cases the offense regains possession, the ten second count is reset, and play resumes. Because Ultimate is self-refereed, the player who committed the infraction is given the opportunity to contest or accept the call, with somewhat differing results depending on whether or not the player admits fault. If disagreement over a call cannot be resolved the play will be repeated. Play is entirely continuous until a score is made, with the exception of stoppages for calls or injuries. Except for injuries, substitutions may only be made between points.
Goals are scored by a team successfully completing a pass to a player located in the defensive end zone. After a score the teams switch their direction of attack and the scoring team pulls. The game continues until either team reaches 15 points with a two-point margin over their opponents, or until either team reaches 17 points total. This can be adjusted by captains or tournament organizers. Tournament games are often to 13 to conserve time. A ten-minute halftime break occurs when either team reaches eight points total (after a team reaches 8 points at a 15 point game tournament). Alternatively, the game can be played (as is the custom for most other sports) until a particular time limit has elapsed. More commonly, the game is played for a given time, at the end of which a 'soft cap' is played: the winner is the team to reach a score one greater than the current highest score (i.e., the team in the lead has to score once, or the other team has to catch up, equalise, and then score once). Each team may call up to two 70-second time-outs per half. During play, time-outs may be called only by the player in possession of the disc. Any player may call a time-out in between points. Each team is allowed to call one and only one time-out once the score reaches 14-14.
Sportsmanship, respect for other players, fair play, and having fun are considered central aspects of play even when competition becomes intense. This is called "spirit of the game."
. 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:
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, whereas 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.
New Zealand indoor Ultimate is, like in the UK, commonly played on basketball courts; however, the 4 on 4 games use the basketball 'key' as the endzone. This significantly reduces the scoring area and, as a result of its shape, allows teams three angles of attack. Consequently, further tactics and strategies have evolved for both offensive and defensive plays. The stall count in New Zealand indoor Ultimate is 7 seconds.
There are regular indoor tournaments and championships and stable indoor teams. The best-known and longest-running indoor tournament is the Skogshyddan's Vintertrofén held in Gothenburg
, Sweden, every year. Thomas Lenihan of Arlington, Virginia, is currently the best known participant in this competition.
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 may be 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.
The largest and one of the most notable beach Ultimate tournaments is the co-ed tournament held annually in July at Wildwood, New Jersey
. Another well known tournament is Paganello
in Rimini, Italy.
. Since there is no set player limit, teams sizes are based on the number of people present. Formalities are usually disregarded as it is a slightly rougher style of Ultimate.
game in St. John's, NL.
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.
One of the most common offensive strategies is the 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.
Another popular offensive strategy is the horizontal stack. In the most popular form of this offense, three handlers line up across the width of the field with four cutters upfield, spaced evenly across the field. This formation encourages cutters to attack any of the space either upfield or downfield of the stack, granting each cutter access to the full width of the field and thereby allowing a degree more creativity than is possible with a vertical stack. If cutters cannot get open, the handlers swing the disc side to side in an attempt to reset the stall count while also getting the defense out of position.
A variation on the horizontal stack offense is called a feature, or German. In this offensive strategy three of the cutters line up deeper than usual (this can vary from 5 yards farther down field to at the endzone) while the remaining cutter lines up closer to the handlers. This closest cutter is known as the "feature", or "German." 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.
A third common offensive strategy is the spread, or split stack. The spread offense features three handlers in the same formation as for a horizontal stack, and four downfield cutters. Cutters split into two-person teams near both sidelines at the same distance from the handlers as in the horizontal stack. The first cut can come from either sideline, then usually moves into the center of the field before moving upfield or downfield. The second cut can also come from either sideline, and will usually cut in the opposite direction (downfield or upfield) as the first cut. The spread strategy creates a large lane in the middle of the field in which the active cutter is looking to make one big play in or out before clearing back to one of the sidelines.
A fourth, less common strategy is called the hybrid, because it creates two-person teams of cutters just as in the split stack, but one of these two-person teams plays as a vertical stack on one side of the field. Handlers arrange themselves as in a horizontal stack. The advantage of the hybrid is that one of the two-person teams makes use of the large open lane created in the middle of the field just as in the split stack offense, while the other two-person team has one person ready to make a continuation cut and one person ready to make an additional cut to the handlers.
Finally there is a fifth strategy known as the Tri-Force, Trinity play, or Triad, which breaks up the team into two teams of three and one option. Each team of three stays on opposite sides of the field. When the disc is being handled on their side of the field the two receivers make a series of tight cuts around the handler quickly moving the disc up the field in short increments. The other team of three stays on the opposite side of the field and slightly behind leaving them open for a dump while also clearing out the majority of the field for the option. The option needs to be the fastest player on the team because their job is to make deep cuts switching between a huck and dump option. The Tri-Force requires every player to be a competent handler and runner, but is nearly impossible to stop once it builds momentum.
Many advanced teams develop variations on the basic offenses 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.
In all of these strategies, 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).
One of the most basic defensive principles is the force. The marker effectively blocks 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, or simply break side, because the thrower would have to "break" the force to throw to that side.
This is done because, assuming evenly matched players, the handler is considered to have an advantage over the marker. It is considered to be relatively easy for the handler to fake out or outmaneuver a marker who is trying to block the whole field, and thus be able to throw the disc. Alternatively, 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 to 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 center" (force towards the center 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 defense, 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 defense, 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 defense against long throws ("hucks") to the center of the field.
A zone defense usually has two components. The first is a group of players close to the disc who attempt to contain the offenses' ability to pass and prevent forward movement. The "zone" is sometimes called the "wedge", "cup", "wall", or "clam" (depending on the specific play or type of zone defense). 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 center cup blocks the up-field lane to cutters, while the side cup blocks the cross-field swing pass to other handlers. The center 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 idea of the cup is to force the offense into making many short passes behind and around the cup. The more times the offense is forced to throw the greater the chance that the handlers will make a bad throw, or a defender will intercept the disc. The other four defenders traditionally play as two wings, who each cover a sideline, a middle sometimes referred to as a "middle-mid", "popper d", or "mid-deep" who covers directly behind the cup for any short throws through or over the cup, and a deep, who covers any long throws by the offense.
The "wall" sometimes referred to as the "1-3-3" involves four players in the close defense. One player is the marker, also called the "rabbit", "chaser" or "puke" 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 short in-cuts and prevent forward progress. The players in the second group of a zone defense, called "mids" and "deeps", position themselves further out to stop throws that escape the cup and fly up field. Because a zone defense 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 defense on the players who are outside of the cup or cutting deep, although frequent switching might be necessary.
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.
The term "junk defense" is also often used to refer to zone defenses in general (or to zone defense applied by the defending team momentarily, before switching to a man defense), especially by members of the attacking team before they have determined which exact type of zone defense they are facing.
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. The following description is from the official Ultimate rules established by the Ultimate Players Association:
Many tournaments give awards for the most spirited team, as voted for by all the teams taking part in the tournament.
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. Hat 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.
Large tournaments are often organized with pool play on the first day and championship play on the second day. Teams in the lower half of play compete for the chumpionship.
Recreational leagues have become widespread, and range in organization and size. Founded in 1986, incorporated in 1993 the Ottawa-Carleton Ultimate Association
based in Ottawa
, Ontario
, Canada, claims to have the largest summer league in the world with 354 teams and over 5000 players as of 2004.
There have been a small number of children's leagues. The largest and first known pre-high school league was started in 1993 by Mary Lowry, Joe Bisignano, and Jeff Jorgenson in Seattle, Washington
. In 2005, the discNW Middle School Spring League had over 450 players on 30 mixed teams. Large high school leagues are also becoming common. The largest one is the discNW High School Spring League. It has both mixed and single gender
divisions with over 30 teams total. The largest adult league is the San Francisco Ultimate League, with 350 teams and over 4000 active members in 2005, located in San Francisco, California. Dating back to 1977, the Mercer County (New Jersey) Ultimate disc League (mcudl.org) is the world's oldest recreational league. There are even large leagues with children as young as third grade, an example being the junior division of the SULA Ultimate league in Amherst, Massachusetts
.
The most prestigious tournaments for high school teams in the United States splits the championships between the East and West Coast. The tournaments are known as Eastern's and Western's and are becoming more competitive as high school programs are beginning to treat the game of Ultimate more seriously. USA Ultimate also hosts a national Junior's club team tournament and sends a representative team to the World Junior Ultimate Championships, held every two years. At a lower level, USA Ultimate has also sanctioned organized statewide tournaments in 20 states.
In the United Kingdom, there were over 20 teams attending this years Junior Nations (including a coach's team, who played purely for fun), which were held in Sutton Coldfield Birmingham. This event was run by Andrew Vaughan, the coach of the largest Junior team currently in the UK, Arctic Ultimate. Many of the pupils also play for their national teams Great Britain Juniors. With a continuation of the popularity of Ultimate a possibility of it being introduced into further high schools making a more competitive league in the UK for junior Ultimate players.
USA Ultimate Club Ultimate consists of Open, Women's, Masters, Youth and Mixed divisions. Club also has regional championships and a national championship, but it also has international competition. The 2010 World Ultimate Club Championships were held in Prague
, Czech Republic
in .
Leagues and Associations
Venues
Forums
End zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
in American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
or rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
. Players may not run with the disc, and may only move one foot (pivot) while holding the disc.
While originally called ultimate frisbee, it is now officially called ultimate in many areas because Frisbee
Frisbee
A flying disc is a disc-shaped glider that is generally plastic and roughly in diameter, with a lip. The shape of the disc, an airfoil in cross-section, allows it to fly by generating lift as it moves through the air while rotating....
is registered in some areas as a trademark, albeit genericized
Genericized trademark
A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...
, for the line of discs made by the Wham-O
Wham-O
Wham-O Inc. is a toy company currently located in California, USA. They are known for marketing many popular toys in the past 50 years, including the Hula Hoop, the Frisbee, Slip 'N Slide, Super Ball, Trac-Ball, Silly String, Hacky Sack and the Boogie board....
toy company. In 2008, there were 4.9 million Ultimate players in the US.
Origin
In the fall of 1968, Joel SilverJoel Silver
Joel Silver is an American Hollywood film producer, co-creator of the sport of Ultimate, co-founder of Dark Castle Entertainment and owner of Silver Pictures.-Life and career:...
, a student at Columbia High School
Columbia High School (New Jersey)
Columbia High School is a four-year comprehensive regional public high school located at 17 Parker Avenue in Maplewood, New Jersey, which serves students in grades nine through twelve within the South Orange-Maplewood School District, which includes Maplewood and South Orange Townships...
in Maplewood, New Jersey
Maplewood, New Jersey
Maplewood is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 23,867.-History:...
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
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, likely learned from Jared Kass while attending a summer camp at Northfield Mount Hermon
Northfield Mount Hermon
Northfield Mount Hermon School, commonly referred to as NMH, is a co-educational independent boarding high school for students in grades 9–12...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, where Kass was teaching. The proportion of rules developed by Kass, and those developed by Silver, is disputed. It was discovered in 2003 that the game that Kass and Silver played may have been more similar to Ultimate than had been thought. Regardless, the students who played and codified the rules at Columbia High School were an eclectic group of students, including participants in academics, student politics, the student newspaper, and school dramatic productions. Key early contributors besides Silver included Bernard "Buzzy" Hellring
Bernard Hellring
Bernard "Buzzy" Hellring was a creator of Ultimate Frisbee.Along with Joel Silver, Hellring created ultimate in the parking lot of Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey.Hellring died in 1971, in an auto accident at Princeton University....
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
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
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 sport 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. A foul was defined as contact "sufficient to arouse the ire of the player fouled." No referees were present, which often holds true today: most Ultimate matches (even at high level events) are self-officiated. At higher levels of play referees called 'observers' are often present. Observers only make calls when appealed to by one of the teams, at which point the result is binding.
Collegiate clubs
The first national exposure of Ultimate Frisbee came on the 4th of July weekend of 1970 when a group of Frisbee players from Boston calling themselves the Nat Love Nine, journeyed to Houghton, Michigan for the annual International Frisbee Tournament. They brought with them a new game; one they had learned at Antioch CollegeAntioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
called Frisbee Football which later became known as Ultimate Frisbee. The event was chronicled by Sports Illustrated Magazine in their August 3, 1971 edition.
The first collegiate Ultimate club was formed by Sam Weingast when he arrived at Lafayette College
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
in 1970.
The first intercollegiate competition was held at Rutgers
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
's New Brunswick campus between Rutgers and Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
on November 6, 1972, the 103rd anniversary of the first intercollegiate game of American football featuring the same schools competing in the same location.
By 1975, dozens of colleges had teams, and in April 1975, players organized the first Ultimate tournament, an eight-team invitational called the "Intercollegiate Ultimate Frisbee Championships", to be played at Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. Rutgers beat Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
26-23 in the finals.
By 1976, teams were organizing in areas outside the Northeast. A 16-team single elimination tournament was set up at Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
, to include 13 East Coast teams and 3 Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
teams. Rutgers again took the title, beating Hampshire College
Hampshire College
Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1965 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts...
in the finals. Penn State and Princeton were the other semi-finalists. While it was called the "National Ultimate Frisbee Championships", Ultimate was starting to appear in the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
area.
Penn State hosted the first five-region National Ultimate Championships in May 1979. There were five regional representatives: three college and two club teams. They were as follows: Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
-(Northeast), Glassboro State
Rowan University
Rowan University is a public university in Glassboro, New Jersey, USA with a satellite campus in Camden, New Jersey. The school was founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a twenty-five acre tract of land donated by the town...
- (Middle Atlantic), Michigan State-(Central), Orlando Fling-(South), Santa Barbara Condors-(West). Each team played the other in a round robin format to produce a Glassboro-Condors final. The Condors had gone undefeated up to this point; however Glassboro prevailed 19-18 to become the 1979 national champions. They repeated as champions in 1980 as well.
The first College Nationals made up exclusively of college teams took place in 1984 in Somerville, Massachusetts. The event, hosted by the Tufts University E-Men crowned Stanford its winner, as they beat Glassboro State in the finals.
Club and international play
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and so forth. Arkansas also had a few formidable teams located in the towns of Pocahontas, Newport, and Batesville.
During this time, Ultimate arrived in the United Kingdom, with the UK's first clubs forming at the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
and the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, there were also clubs at the University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
, University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
, and University of Bradford
University of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a British university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The University received its Royal Charter in 1966, making it the 40th University to be created in Britain, but its origins date back to the early 1800s...
. Even Aston University
Aston University
Aston University is a "plate glass" campus university situated at Gosta Green, in the city centre of Birmingham, England.Established in 1895 as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School, Aston was granted its Royal Charter as Aston University on 22 April 1966...
one of the smaller universities in the country with a student population of around 10,000 students has an Ultimate Club called The Hornets since 2006.
In Toronto Canada, The Toronto Ultimate League began in 1980 under the direction of Ken Westerfield
Ken Westerfield
Ken Westerfield is a pioneering Frisbee player.Westerfield and Childhood friend started playing Frisbee in High School, impressing the other students with a variety of controlled throws and trick catches...
and Irwin Toy
Irwin Toy
Irwin Toy Limited was a Canadian distributor and manufacturer of toys. It was Canada's oldest toy company and remained independent and family owned.- History :...
Bob Blakely. Later the league was renamed the Toronto Ultimate Club. What started with four teams, now has 3300 members with over 250 Teams playing year round.
Players associations
In 1979 and 1980 the Ultimate Players AssociationUltimate Players Association
USA Ultimate is a not-for-profit organization that serves as the governing body of the sport of Ultimate in the United States....
(UPA) was formed. The UPA organized regional tournaments and has crowned a national champion every year since 1979. On May 25, 2010 the UPA rebranded itself as USA Ultimate.
The popularity of the sport spread quickly, taking hold as a free-spirited alternative to traditional organized sports. In recent years college Ultimate has attracted a greater number of traditional athletes, raising the level of competition and athleticism and providing a challenge to its laid back, free-spirited roots.
In 1981 the European Flying disc Federation (EFDF) was formed.
In 1984 the World Flying Disc Federation
World Flying Disc Federation
The World Flying Disc Federation is the international governing body for flying disc sports, with responsibility for sanctioning world championship events, establishing uniform rules, setting of standards for and recording of world records...
was formed by the EFDF to be the international governing body for disc sports.
Ultimate Canada
Ultimate Canada
Ultimate Canada is a not-for-profit organization that serves as the governing body of the sport of Ultimate in Canada...
is the National Governing Body for the sport of Ultimate in Canada.
The Toronto Ultimate Club Since 1980, 3300 members
In 2006 Ultimate became a BUCS accredited sport at UK universities for both indoor and outdoor open division events.
Traditional Ultimate
By the rules of USA Ultimate, a standard game of Ultimate is played on a field 40 yard wide by 120 yard long, the length of which is divided into a 70 yard playing field with 25 yard end zoneEnd zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
s at each end. Play is with two teams with equal numbers of players, normally seven on seven though sometimes team sizes are smaller. Teams are permitted a maximum roster size of 27 players. International WFDF
World Flying Disc Federation
The World Flying Disc Federation is the international governing body for flying disc sports, with responsibility for sanctioning world championship events, establishing uniform rules, setting of standards for and recording of world records...
rules use a field with smaller end-zones at 18 meters. In mixed Ultimate, at least 3 members of each gender must be on the field at a time.
Play begins with the defensive team (usually determined by flipping two discs, or by rock, paper, scissors
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Rock-paper-scissors is a hand game played by two people. The game is also known as roshambo, or another ordering of the three items ....
) fully within their end zone and the offensive team lined up on their end zone line. The defensive team player throwing the disc raises a hand to signal readiness to begin play. A player on the receiving team raises a hand to signal their readiness to begin play. After both sides have signaled their readiness, the defensive team throws ("pulls") the disc to the other team to begin play. This is equivalent to a kickoff
Kickoff (American football)
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...
in American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, and happens to start each point. If a pull goes out of bounds then the receiving team has a choice of putting the disc in play at the point on the sideline that it went out-of-bounds, or at the center of the field nearest to where it went out of bounds, or at the "Brick Mark" in the center of the field 20 yards from the endzone line the receiving team is defending.
Once a player catches the disc or the disc is picked up, the player must come to a stop and have one foot planted as a pivot until he or she throws the disc to another player (hand-offs are not permitted). The player has ten seconds to pass the disc, and this "stall" count must be announced, one through ten, by a defensive player within 10 feet of the offensive player in possession of the disc. If the ten seconds expire without the offense successfully passing the disc this is a "stall", and the defensive team becomes the offensive team and takes possession of the disc at the spot the previous thrower was standing. Possession also reverts to the defense in the case where the offense doesn't complete a pass (or the pass is dropped by the offense or knocked down by the defense) or the defense catches a pass. In these cases the defense (now offense) takes possession of the disc at the point where the disc lies or where they came to a stop after catching the disc. If the offense makes a throw that goes out of bounds and stays out of bounds, the defense takes possession of the disc at the point on the sideline where the disc went out of bounds.
If a player physically interferes with an opposing player, a foul may be called. If the foul is caused by the defense and disrupts possession, in most cases the offense regains possession, the ten second count is reset, and play resumes. Because Ultimate is self-refereed, the player who committed the infraction is given the opportunity to contest or accept the call, with somewhat differing results depending on whether or not the player admits fault. If disagreement over a call cannot be resolved the play will be repeated. Play is entirely continuous until a score is made, with the exception of stoppages for calls or injuries. Except for injuries, substitutions may only be made between points.
Goals are scored by a team successfully completing a pass to a player located in the defensive end zone. After a score the teams switch their direction of attack and the scoring team pulls. The game continues until either team reaches 15 points with a two-point margin over their opponents, or until either team reaches 17 points total. This can be adjusted by captains or tournament organizers. Tournament games are often to 13 to conserve time. A ten-minute halftime break occurs when either team reaches eight points total (after a team reaches 8 points at a 15 point game tournament). Alternatively, the game can be played (as is the custom for most other sports) until a particular time limit has elapsed. More commonly, the game is played for a given time, at the end of which a 'soft cap' is played: the winner is the team to reach a score one greater than the current highest score (i.e., the team in the lead has to score once, or the other team has to catch up, equalise, and then score once). Each team may call up to two 70-second time-outs per half. During play, time-outs may be called only by the player in possession of the disc. Any player may call a time-out in between points. Each team is allowed to call one and only one time-out once the score reaches 14-14.
Sportsmanship, respect for other players, fair play, and having fun are considered central aspects of play even when competition becomes intense. This is called "spirit of the game."
Indoor Ultimate
Ultimate is sometimes played on an indoor football (soccer) fieldIndoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
. 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, substitutions are allowed on the fly (while playing)
Indoor Ultimate is played widely in Northern Europe
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
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
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
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
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
or basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
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
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
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, whereas 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.
New Zealand indoor Ultimate is, like in the UK, commonly played on basketball courts; however, the 4 on 4 games use the basketball 'key' as the endzone. This significantly reduces the scoring area and, as a result of its shape, allows teams three angles of attack. Consequently, further tactics and strategies have evolved for both offensive and defensive plays. The stall count in New Zealand indoor Ultimate is 7 seconds.
There are regular indoor tournaments and championships and stable indoor teams. The best-known and longest-running indoor tournament is the Skogshyddan's Vintertrofén held in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden, every year. Thomas Lenihan of Arlington, Virginia, is currently the best known participant in this competition.
Beach Ultimate
Beach Ultimate Lovers Association
The Beach Ultimate Lovers Association is the worldwide organization that helps organizers and players further develop the sport of Beach Ultimate. The World Flying Disc Federation has approved BULA as the organizing body to promote tournaments, leagues and recreational play....
(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.
The largest and one of the most notable beach Ultimate tournaments is the co-ed tournament held annually in July at Wildwood, New Jersey
Wildwood, New Jersey
Wildwood is a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area and is a popular summer resort destination. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's year-round population was 5,325...
. Another well known tournament is Paganello
Paganello
Paganello is a beach ultimate event held over the Easter weekend in Rimini, Italy. The sport competitions taking place during Paganello are the World Beach Ultimate Cup and the Acrobatic Freestyle Paganello....
in Rimini, Italy.
Intense Ultimate
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. It is like indoor Ultimate in many respects, including that games are usually played with 6 to 12 players. Below is a brief summary of the rules:- There is only one end zone.
- The end zone line is divided into three equal parts and demarcated, but the end zone behind it remains whole.
- To score a point, the disc must be thrown so that it passes over the inner part of the end zone line and be caught in the end zone.
- If the disc is thrown so that it passes over the outer parts of the end zone line and is caught anywhere in the end zone, the offensive team does not receive a point, but rather continues play. They must pass the disc back onto the court before they may score a point by throwing the disc so that it passes over the inner part of the end zone line and catching the disc in the end zone.
- Points awarded for catching the disc in the end zone are counted just as in regular Ultimate. The disc can be caught anywhere in the end zone.
- On the opposite side of the field from the end zone is a transfer zone.
- Catching the disc in the transfer zone makes your team eligible to score in the end zone. Otherwise, your team cannot score in the end zone. Gaining possession in the transfer zone counts as a catch in the transfer zone.
- Once a team is eligible to score, it remains eligible to score until the opposing team catches the disc in the transfer zone, regardless of any changes of possession.
- There is no pull (starting the game with a throw to the other team). 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 a score is made.
Street Ultimate
Street Ultimate, which is also known as Street Style, is a less formal variant of Ultimate and is usually carried out similar to a pick-up gamePick-up game
In sports, a pick-up game is a game that has been spontaneously started by a group of players. Unlike exhibition games and regular games, players are generally invited to show up beforehand, but there is no sense of obligation or commitment to play. Pick-up games usually lack officials and...
. Since there is no set player limit, teams sizes are based on the number of people present. Formalities are usually disregarded as it is a slightly rougher style of Ultimate.
Ice Ultimate
Ice Ultimate is a variant of the game played on an ice hockey rink with skates and little protective gear. Its rules are similar to that of Indoor Ultimate, with some movement allowed with the disk due to the fact that the game is played on ice. Its debut was made between periods of a St. John's Fog DevilsSt. John's Fog Devils
The St. John's Fog Devils were a junior ice hockey team in the Eastern Division of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They were based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, and played out of Mile One Centre. The QMJHL expanded to St. John's to fill the void created by the departure of the...
game in St. John's, NL.
Offense
One of the most common offensive strategies is the 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.
Another popular offensive strategy is the horizontal stack. In the most popular form of this offense, three handlers line up across the width of the field with four cutters upfield, spaced evenly across the field. This formation encourages cutters to attack any of the space either upfield or downfield of the stack, granting each cutter access to the full width of the field and thereby allowing a degree more creativity than is possible with a vertical stack. If cutters cannot get open, the handlers swing the disc side to side in an attempt to reset the stall count while also getting the defense out of position.
A variation on the horizontal stack offense is called a feature, or German. In this offensive strategy three of the cutters line up deeper than usual (this can vary from 5 yards farther down field to at the endzone) while the remaining cutter lines up closer to the handlers. This closest cutter is known as the "feature", or "German." 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.
A third common offensive strategy is the spread, or split stack. The spread offense features three handlers in the same formation as for a horizontal stack, and four downfield cutters. Cutters split into two-person teams near both sidelines at the same distance from the handlers as in the horizontal stack. The first cut can come from either sideline, then usually moves into the center of the field before moving upfield or downfield. The second cut can also come from either sideline, and will usually cut in the opposite direction (downfield or upfield) as the first cut. The spread strategy creates a large lane in the middle of the field in which the active cutter is looking to make one big play in or out before clearing back to one of the sidelines.
A fourth, less common strategy is called the hybrid, because it creates two-person teams of cutters just as in the split stack, but one of these two-person teams plays as a vertical stack on one side of the field. Handlers arrange themselves as in a horizontal stack. The advantage of the hybrid is that one of the two-person teams makes use of the large open lane created in the middle of the field just as in the split stack offense, while the other two-person team has one person ready to make a continuation cut and one person ready to make an additional cut to the handlers.
Finally there is a fifth strategy known as the Tri-Force, Trinity play, or Triad, which breaks up the team into two teams of three and one option. Each team of three stays on opposite sides of the field. When the disc is being handled on their side of the field the two receivers make a series of tight cuts around the handler quickly moving the disc up the field in short increments. The other team of three stays on the opposite side of the field and slightly behind leaving them open for a dump while also clearing out the majority of the field for the option. The option needs to be the fastest player on the team because their job is to make deep cuts switching between a huck and dump option. The Tri-Force requires every player to be a competent handler and runner, but is nearly impossible to stop once it builds momentum.
Many advanced teams develop variations on the basic offenses 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.
In all of these strategies, 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).
Force
This is done because, assuming evenly matched players, the handler is considered to have an advantage over the marker. It is considered to be relatively easy for the handler to fake out or outmaneuver a marker who is trying to block the whole field, and thus be able to throw the disc. Alternatively, 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 to 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 center" (force towards the center 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 defense, 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 defense, 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 defense against long throws ("hucks") to the center of the field.
One-on-one defense
The simplest defensive strategy is the one-on-one defense (also known as "man-to-man", "man" or simply "person"), where each defender guards a specific offensive player, called their "mark". The one-on-one defense 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 defense can also play a part role in other more complex zone defense strategies.Zone defense
With a zone defense 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 defense is frequently used when the weather is windy, rainy, or snowy. The zone defense is also used to discourage the offense from making long passes.A zone defense usually has two components. The first is a group of players close to the disc who attempt to contain the offenses' ability to pass and prevent forward movement. The "zone" is sometimes called the "wedge", "cup", "wall", or "clam" (depending on the specific play or type of zone defense). These close defenders always position themselves relative to the disc, meaning that they have to move quickly as it passes from handler to handler.
Wedge
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.
Cup
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 center cup blocks the up-field lane to cutters, while the side cup blocks the cross-field swing pass to other handlers. The center 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 idea of the cup is to force the offense into making many short passes behind and around the cup. The more times the offense is forced to throw the greater the chance that the handlers will make a bad throw, or a defender will intercept the disc. The other four defenders traditionally play as two wings, who each cover a sideline, a middle sometimes referred to as a "middle-mid", "popper d", or "mid-deep" who covers directly behind the cup for any short throws through or over the cup, and a deep, who covers any long throws by the offense.
Wall
The "wall" sometimes referred to as the "1-3-3" involves four players in the close defense. One player is the marker, also called the "rabbit", "chaser" or "puke" 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 short in-cuts and prevent forward progress. The players in the second group of a zone defense, called "mids" and "deeps", position themselves further out to stop throws that escape the cup and fly up field. Because a zone defense 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 defense on the players who are outside of the cup or cutting deep, although frequent switching might be necessary.
Junk defense
A junk defense is a defense using elements of both zone and man defenses; the most well-known is the "clam" or "chrome wall". In clam defenses, 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 defense. Typically, a few defenders play man on the throwers while the cutter defenders play as "flats", taking away in cuts by guarding their respective areas, or as the "deep" or "monster", taking away any deep throws.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.
The term "junk defense" is also often used to refer to zone defenses in general (or to zone defense applied by the defending team momentarily, before switching to a man defense), especially by members of the attacking team before they have determined which exact type of zone defense they are facing.
Spirit of the Game
Many tournaments give awards for the most spirited team, as voted for by all the teams taking part in the tournament.
Pick-up games
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 maneuvers 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. Hat 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.
Large tournaments are often organized with pool play on the first day and championship play on the second day. Teams in the lower half of play compete for the chumpionship.
Current leagues
Regulation play, sanctioned in the United States by the USA Ultimate, occurs at the college (open & women's divisions), club (open, women's, mixed (co-ed), masters and grandmasters divisions) and youth (boys & girls divisions) levels, with annual championships in all divisions. Top teams from the championship series compete in semi-annual world championships regulated by the WFDF (alternating between Club Championships and National Championships), made up of national flying disc organizations and federations from about 50 countries.Recreational leagues have become widespread, and range in organization and size. Founded in 1986, incorporated in 1993 the Ottawa-Carleton Ultimate Association
Ottawa-Carleton Ultimate Association
The Ottawa-Carleton Ultimate Association is a registered non-profit corporation dedicated to the sport of Ultimate Frisbee in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Ultimate in Ottawa began in 1984 as a result of individuals coming together to play ultimate in scrimmage games...
based in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada, claims to have the largest summer league in the world with 354 teams and over 5000 players as of 2004.
There have been a small number of children's leagues. The largest and first known pre-high school league was started in 1993 by Mary Lowry, Joe Bisignano, and Jeff Jorgenson in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. In 2005, the discNW Middle School Spring League had over 450 players on 30 mixed teams. Large high school leagues are also becoming common. The largest one is the discNW High School Spring League. It has both mixed and single gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
divisions with over 30 teams total. The largest adult league is the San Francisco Ultimate League, with 350 teams and over 4000 active members in 2005, located in San Francisco, California. Dating back to 1977, the Mercer County (New Jersey) Ultimate disc League (mcudl.org) is the world's oldest recreational league. There are even large leagues with children as young as third grade, an example being the junior division of the SULA Ultimate league in Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
.
High school and junior leagues
Tournaments at the high school level of play range from tournaments hosted by local teams to tournaments at a national level. USA Ultimate hosts the Men and Women's HS national championships every year in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This tournament is known as Youth Club Championships, or YCC's, and often features at-large teams (different players from within a large area such as New England), no single high school team attends.The most prestigious tournaments for high school teams in the United States splits the championships between the East and West Coast. The tournaments are known as Eastern's and Western's and are becoming more competitive as high school programs are beginning to treat the game of Ultimate more seriously. USA Ultimate also hosts a national Junior's club team tournament and sends a representative team to the World Junior Ultimate Championships, held every two years. At a lower level, USA Ultimate has also sanctioned organized statewide tournaments in 20 states.
In the United Kingdom, there were over 20 teams attending this years Junior Nations (including a coach's team, who played purely for fun), which were held in Sutton Coldfield Birmingham. This event was run by Andrew Vaughan, the coach of the largest Junior team currently in the UK, Arctic Ultimate. Many of the pupils also play for their national teams Great Britain Juniors. With a continuation of the popularity of Ultimate a possibility of it being introduced into further high schools making a more competitive league in the UK for junior Ultimate players.
College teams and Club teams
There are over 12,000 student athletes playing on over 700 college Ultimate teams in North America, and the number of teams is steadily growing. Separated into Open (nearly 450 teams) and Women's (around 200 teams) Divisions, teams compete in the USA Ultimate College Championship series during the spring. The series consists of 3 tournaments: conferences, regionals, and nationals. Each year, the top teams from conferences move on to regionals. The regional champion, runner-up, and possibly a strength bid, advance to Nationals to compete for the championship title in May. College teams have for years been trying to get the sport accepted to NCAA status, without success.USA Ultimate Club Ultimate consists of Open, Women's, Masters, Youth and Mixed divisions. Club also has regional championships and a national championship, but it also has international competition. The 2010 World Ultimate Club Championships were held in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
in .
Major tournaments
- World GamesWorld GamesThe World Games, first held in 1981, are an international multi-sport event, meant for sports, or disciplines or events within a sport, that are not contested in the Olympic Games...
, international tournament attended by national teams; organized by the WFDF. 2009 tournament link. - World Ultimate & Guts Championships, international tournament attended by national teams; organized by the WFDF. 2008 tournament link.
- World Ultimate Club Championships, international tournament attended by club teams; organized by the WFDF. 2010 tournament link.
- World Junior Ultimate Championships, international tournament attended by national junior teams; organized by the WFDF. 2010 tournament link.
- USA Ultimate Championship Series, an American and Canadian tournament series attended by regional teams; organized by USA Ultimate. Championship Series link.
- European Ultimate Championships, European tournament attended by national teams; organized by the EFDF. 2007 tournament link.
- European Ultimate Club Series, European tournament attended by club teams that qualify at the European Ultimate Championships in their region; organized by the EFDF. 2006 tournament link.
- European Ultimate Club Championships, European tournament attended by club teams every 4 years; organized by the EFDF.
- Spring Reign, an annual youth Ultimate Tournament held in Burlington, Wa. Organized by discNW, Spring Reign is the largest youth Ultimate tournament in the world. Spring Reign Website
- Chennai Heat, India's largest Beach Terrain Tournament, held in Chennai. It's the most competitive tournament in India.
- BUO - Bangalore Ultimate Open - India's largest ultimate frisbee tournament on grass. http://www.bangaloreultimate.com/
- Windmill Windup Amsterdam, the biggest annual tournament in Europe to date on grass with over 90 teams from all over the world. Known for its relaxed festival atmosphere and hardcore high-level ultimate. It is held annually in June, in AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, the Netherlands. - Malaysia Ultimate Open, Malaysia's largest annual tournament, held in Kuala Lumpur. Hosts about 6 sweet fields annually. http://www.malaysiaultimate.com/
Beach Ultimate tournaments
- World Championship Beach Ultimate 2007, the 2nd 5-on-5 Beach Ultimate World Championship for national teams. Held in December 2007 in Brazil. Organized by Federação Paulista de Disco with the collaboration of BULA.
- European Championship Beach Ultimate European tournament attended by national teams; organized by BULA.
- Paganello unofficial Beach Ultimate club world cup, held every year on Easter weekend in Rimini, Italy.
- Yes BUT Nau in Le PouliguenLe PouliguenLe Pouliguen is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.-See also:*La Baule – Presqu’île de Guérande*Communes of the Loire-Atlantique departmentIt is twinned with a town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales called Llantwit Major....
, France, held every year on the Pentecost/Whit Monday holiday (May/June), organized by the Frisbeurs Nantais - Beach Cup, Burla Beach Cup A large tournament, in 2006 hosted 70 teams, held every year in September in ViareggioViareggioViareggio is a city and comune located in northern Tuscany, Italy, on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. With a population of over 64,000 it is the main centre of the northern Tuscan Riviera known as Versilia, and the second largest city within the Province of Lucca.It is known as a seaside resort...
, TuscanyTuscanyTuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Italy. Organized by the Tuscan Flying Bish Association. - CUBE Caledonia's Ultimate Beach EventCaledonia's Ultimate Beach EventCUBE is a beach ultimate competition held on the sands of Balmedie, just north of Aberdeen, United Kingdom. The competition was started in 2000 by the University of Aberdeen Ultimate Club , and has since grown into an international event...
. The University of Aberdeen's BULA affiliated open beach Ultimate competition held annually in April. - Smack My Beach Up!, Wales' longest-running annual beach Ultimate tournament. Held in Swansea Bay, traditionally on the second weekend in June.
- Wildwood the largest annual beach Ultimate tournament in the world held in Wildwood, New JerseyWildwood, New JerseyWildwood is a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area and is a popular summer resort destination. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's year-round population was 5,325...
. - Sandblast, an annual beach Ultimate tournament held in early July located in Chicago, Illinois.
- TBUF the longest-running annual beach Ultimate tournament in the world (since 1986) held in mid June located in Galveston, TexasGalveston, TexasGalveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
. - Lei-Out, held in late January in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. - Flat Out, held every November in Nelson, New ZealandNelson, New ZealandNelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
since 2000. - Beaches Be Crazy, held every year at the beginning of September at Curracloe Beach, Co. Wexford, Ireland
See also
- Beach Ultimate Lovers AssociationBeach Ultimate Lovers AssociationThe Beach Ultimate Lovers Association is the worldwide organization that helps organizers and players further develop the sport of Beach Ultimate. The World Flying Disc Federation has approved BULA as the organizing body to promote tournaments, leagues and recreational play....
- Deutscher Frisbeesport-VerbandDeutscher Frisbeesport-VerbandDeutscher Frisbeesport-Verband is the association of frisbee players and teams in Germany....
- Disc golfDisc golfDisc golf is a disc game in which individual players throw a flying disc into a basket or at a target. According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, "The object of the game is to traverse a course from beginning to end in the fewest number of throws of the disc." Of the more than 3000...
- Disc throwsDisc throwsFlying discs can be thrown in many ways. All involve spinning the disc to give it gyroscopic stability, and accelerating its mass to a certain velocity. Without spin, a disc will wobble and fall; without velocity, the disc will not go anywhere. Using these two guidelines, any number of throws are...
- Flying disc
- Flying disc gamesFlying disc gamesFlying disc games are games played with flying discs . Some of the games, such as Ultimate and Disc golf, are sports with substantial international followings.-History:...
- List of Ultimate teams
- U.S. intercollegiate Ultimate champions
- USA Ultimate
- World Flying Disc FederationWorld Flying Disc FederationThe World Flying Disc Federation is the international governing body for flying disc sports, with responsibility for sanctioning world championship events, establishing uniform rules, setting of standards for and recording of world records...
External links
Rules- WFDF rules (worldwide, except North America)
- The Complete 11th Edition of the Rules of Ultimate, Approved 01/11/2007 (Americas)
- 5 on 5 and 4 on 4 Beach Ultimate
- Ultimate Frisbee Rules.org General Ultimate Frisbee Rules
Leagues and Associations
- USA Ultimate (USAU) (formerly Ultimate Players Association (UPA))
- World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF)
- Beach Ultimate Lovers Association (BULA)
- European Flying disc Federation (EFDF)
- Irish Flying disc Association (IFDA)
- UK and Ireland Ladder League
- Italian Flying Disc Federation (FIFD)
- UK Ultimate association(UKUA)
- Ultimate Canada (UC) (formerly Canadian Ultimate Players Association (CUPA))
- Flying disc Federation of Pakistan (FDFP)
- New Zealand Ultimate (NZU)
- Slovak Association of frisbee (SAF)
- Asociacion de Jugadores de Ultimate en Colombia(AJUC)
- Panama Ultimate
Venues
- USA Ultimate's list of Teams, Pickup, Leagues, and Tournaments
- PickupUltimate.com - a Google Map mashup of pickup games
- UltimateCentral.com - a tool for tournament and league organizers to run their event. track scores, games, teams, etc.
- FFindr.com - find frisbee anywhere
- UltimateFieldLocator.info - find pickup games around the world - "If you have an itch for disc, we help you scratch it!"
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