Ultimate Frisbee is a relatively new competitive sport that incorporates a disc instead of a ball or puck. There are many different rules and regulations one must obey while playing this game. The game is played with two teams of seven players, with the object of the game being to score in your opponent’s end zone.
An interesting fact about Frisbee is that when you have the disc in your possession you can throw it in any direction but are unable to move from your current position. The disc must be passed from player to player up the field until a legal pass is caught in the end zone, resulting in that team earning a point. An illegal pass or an incomplete pass is referred to as a turnover. In the event of a turnover, the disc is immediately switched to the possession of the other team. The game will run until the first team hits 15 points, with half-time occurring after one team reaches 8 points and lasting 7 minutes. Each team also gets 2 timeouts per half, or 4 for the whole game. A timeout can be called at any time by anyone on the team (on or off the field) and lasts 70 seconds.
Arguably the most important and crucial part of this game is the fact that Frisbee is a self-officiated sport, meaning there are no referees. The players from each team must swear a vow of honesty in making their game calls, forcing both teams to work together to govern the calls of the game.
This game is played on a vast number of different types of fields due to the field requirements being so vague and generic, you can pretty much play Frisbee anywhere. According to regulations, the playing field must be a flat, rectangular cleared area like a football field, soccer field or basketball court. Cones are used to mark the start and ends of both end zones, while the central zone remains clear. For clarification, the central zone is the playing area of the field, excluding the end zones. In the middle of the central zone, a cone is placed to represent the midfield mark, which, if placed correctly, should be exactly in the middle of both end zones.
Most of the rules and regulations for this game are aimed at keeping the players safe, due to ultimate Frisbee being a non-contact sport. With that in mind, things like cleats or sharp ended shoes are not allowed on the field. Clothes must also be baggy or sold as athletic wear to promote personal safety when running on the field in close contact with the other players.
Something new in the Frisbee game is hand signals. Some games like Football incorporate hand symbols that represent plays, and for Frisbee is it a very similar concept. Frisbee athletes used hand symbols while playing to communicate with the other players about a certain strategy they want to use, a player switching out with another (this is called a sub) or relaying a message from the president. Some of these hand symbols include making an X with your arms to indicate offsides, making a T with your arms to represent a timeout, or raising your left arm to shoulder level and holding your palm out flat to say someone is in/out of bounds.
While playing the game, there are two different positions the players must choose between; cutters and handlers. Cutters usually play downfield, receiving long or further distanced passes from handlers, and then make throws to one another to move the disc up the field to score. Handlers are the initiating pass to start an offensive play, and are responsible for being the primary thrower on the team. The handlers’ goal is to maintain possession of the disc and advance it down the field. Due to their increased responsibilities, handlers are often more experienced or talented in long distance throwing and accuracy. For our women’s Frisbee team, Kaitlyn Buckley occupies this role, with teammate and cutter Hannah Johanssen saying
“Kaitlynn is an amazing handler, like she has an insanely good arm.”
Other team members have agreed with this statement immensely with another cutter Grace Galarza adding
“I really couldn’t imagine anyone else doing a better job in that position than Kaitlynn”