Ultimate Frisbee is played by thousands of people around the world. Though it’s not as popular as other contemporary sports like basketball, soccer, tennis, or golf, it’s gaining popularity very quickly. A little bit of basketball, a little bit of American football, a little bit of netball, and a little bit of soccer, Ultimate Frisbee is played with little or no contact with a flying disc weighing 175 grams. Here’s a look at the history, rules, and prominent tournaments of Ultimate Frisbee.
Ultimate Frisbee was started by a Columbia High School student Joel Silver in 1968 when he threw the idea of forming a Frisbee school team to the student council. In 1969, the first Ultimate Frisbee game was played in the summer, loosely based on Frisbee Football. Together with a group of students at Columbia High, Silver laid down the rules of Ultimate Frisbee. In 1970, Silver took Ultimate Frisbee to the college level when he attended Lafayette College. A few years, the sport spread to the UK when the University of Cambridge and the University of Warwick formed Ultimate Frisbee teams. Then, it’s played internationally in championships featuring teams from around the world.
Ultimate Frisbee is played by two teams comprising of seven players. The field of play is rectangular with length of 64m and breadth of 37m with two “endzones” measuring 18m in length. A team has to pass the Frisbee to a player who is standing or running in the “endzone” to score a goal. The player who has the Frisbee is not allowed to run so he or she has to pass the Frisbee to an “open” player who is not tightly marked by the defending team. The “thrower” has ten seconds to throw the disc.
Other than the rules that regulate the field of play, movement, and scoring, there are other rules in Ultimate Frisbee. If the “thrower” fails to complete a pass to a teammate, there will be a change in possession so the defending team gets the chance to attack. Substitutions are only allowed during a timeout or after team scores a goal. In line with the “Spirit of the Game,” there are no referees in Ultimate Frisbee so players have to settle disputes on their own in a fair manner.
There are many Ultimate Frisbee tournaments around the world. On the international level, there are the World Ultimate Championships. For high school players, there are the High School Western Championships and High School Western Championships. On the college level, college teams compete in the UPA College Championships.
Ultimate Frisbee has come a long way since 1968. Its status as an alternative sport has boosted its popularity around the world. Compared to other sports, Ultimate Frisbee is easy to play but at the higher levels, it can be quite engaging.