Skills in Playing Ultimate Frisbee

Ultimate, a game once called "Ultimate Frisbee" that has since changed is named to avoid copyright issues, looks a lot like football but with a Frisbee-like disc. Players work their way up and down a space similar to a football field, throwing a disc from person to person and trying to intercept the disc (but without tackling each other). Like any sport, you can improve your worth as a player by mastering new skills. These skills, while they are practically endless, each fall into one of four general categories.

  1. Technical Knowledge

    • The most essential skill to Ultimate Frisbee is technical knowledge of the game. Most fields are 40 yards wide and 70 yards long with 25-yard end zones on each end. The field you're playing on may not follow these rules, so find out before hand. Other technical knowledge includes the rules of the game, such as when fouls occur, when and players can touch each other (usually not) and how the disc can be thrown. Additionally, you need a basic knowledge of the discs used in the game. Although commonly called a "Frisbee," you use a disc that doesn't carry the trademark Frisbee name. The discs are usually 175 grams in weight, if you're using official weight standards, and are thinner than discs most people are accustomed to.

    Throwing

    • Throwing skills include two common types of grips: the backhand and the forehand. The backhand throw is the type of throw most people think of. Grasp the disc with your thumb on top and fingers below the bottom rim. Stand with your feet about shoulder's width apart and your throwing foot forward. Rotate away from the direction you're throwing, then rotate forward as you put weight on the forward foot. Snap the disc out of your hand with your wrist. The forehand allows you to throw the disc with the inside of your arm exposed, giving you more control. Grip the disc between your thumb (on top) and first two fingers. Extend the index finger to the middle of the disk and lay the middle finger along the rim. Step forward with your non-throwing arm. Rotate away then toward the place you're throwing toward, shifting weight forward and releasing the disc.

    Receiving

    • Catching the disc when thrown to you is just as important as throwing it to someone else. Essentially, you can catch the disc in any way you deem fit, although most players recommend catching with two hands. However, you can learn a number of different styles that teach you how to catch the disc from just about any stance. For example, the pancake catch allows you to catch close to the body, so that if you mistime, the disc hits your chest where you can try to catch it a second time. Others include the rim catch and layout catch, where you catch the disc exactly as the names suggest.

    Strategy

    • Once you can throw and catch, you need strategy skills to get the disc to other team mates. A common strategy skill called "cutting" helps you put a defender off-balance and creates an open space to receive the disc. Most players achieve this by changing direction quickly. Another strategy, called "marking," teaches you to direct the throw of your opponent to limit his options. Marking helps you achieve a stall. As you mark someone, call out "Stall 1" and count upward to 10 at one-second intervals. If you begin to say the number "10" before the opponent throws, this results in a turnover and the disc is yours.