Ultimate Frisbee Tips

Ultimate Frisbee was first introduced in 1968 by Joel Silver, who then was a student at Columbia High School in New Jersey. Silver created the first collegiate ultimate Frisbee team in 1970 when attending Lafayette College. About 10 years later, the Ultimate Players Association (UPA) was formed followed by the creation of the European Flying Disc Federation (EFDF) for international purposes. Ultimate Frisbee is a fun game to play and is easy to learn for beginners.

  1. Gripping the Disc

    • A player can use multiple grips to throw a disc. For beginners, a basic grip consists of the index finger placed on the outer rim and the middle finger pointed toward the center of the disc for stabilizing purposes. A power grip consists of the player tightly gripping the disc with a closed fist. This will allow for a stronger throw but also a decrease in control of where the disc might go. For advanced players, hybrid grips may be used where the player's fingers are pressed on the inner rim of the disc.

    Throwing Methods

    • One of the most common faults when throwing a disc is not putting enough spin on the throw. Spin is generated from arm speed and a flicking motion of the wrist, creating a quicker and more accurate disc throw. A popular kind of throw is the low and wide throw where a player puts extra spin on the disc and attempts to curl it around a defender to another teammate in stride downfield. When a defender is in tight, use the high release throw, where you use no windup and flick the wrist forward with the disc starting over your head, making it a nearly unblockable throw. The huck throw is where you launch the disc to cover a longer distance in a short amount of time. The advantages of a huck throw is a high and fast arching path of flight, a curving motion to both avoid defenders and to reach the receiver easily, and a shorter windup for the throw. This kind of throw requires a great deal of wrist flicking and upper body energy exertion in a short span.

    Controlling Speed of Throws

    • The speed of throws can be difficult to control and it's even more difficult to know when to add or take off some power on your throws during a game. To throw a slow disc, try to take your arm out of the process as much as possible. Concentrate on the flick of the wrist and not so much the swinging of your arm when throwing. Try to make your release point higher than normal, about eye level. This will create extra loft on the throw, resulting in a slower floating motion. To throw a fast disc, simply increase the flick in your wrist motion and use a proper angle of both your arm and hand/wrist. You want to make sure your motion is level with the ground to increase accuracy and minimize the loft on the throw.

    Catching the Disc

    • Catching the disc with two hands is the most basic method. It is most useful for throws that are low to the ground, above your head or close to the sides of your body. The four main variations are (1) the pancake catch, where the disc is caught with one palm on the top and one on the bottom; (2) the crocodile catch, used if the flight of the disc is heading directly your your chest area, where you catch the disc with your arms extended; (3) the rim catch, used if it is high above your head or near your ankles, where you catch the disc with one hand on each side; and (4) the layout catch, where you must dive to catch the disc by using either the crocodile or rim catching styles. One-handed catches should be used with throws around the ankles, well above the head, or very wide to either side of your body. When catching one-handed, your thumb should be pointed downward for the best opportunity to catch the disc.

    Playing Defense

    • Playing defense in Ultimate is just as crucial as knowing how to throw and catch the disc. If playing man-to-man defense, always keep an eye on the player you are responsible for. Take note of her tendencies and speed ability during the game. Do not commit too much to the disc and always be sure to read what kind of throw is being made, whether it is a high, low, fast, slow, or lofted throw. Keep about a 5- to 8-foot distance between you and your opponent, as this will allow you to avoid infractions and enable you to easily react to breaks and runs made by the player. Some teams will opt to play a zone defense if the weather conditions are not favorable to throwing, such as if it is rainy or windy. Two main advantages of a zone defense are that it cuts off easy passing lanes for the offense and, when a turnover of possession happens, it will make it difficult for the opposing team to quickly match up as the offensive team can immediately start a break upfield.