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Introduction
When a ball dreams It dreams its a Frisbee

Dr. Stancil B. Johnson,
International Frisbee Hall of Fame inductee
U
ltimate is a noncontact, fast paced field sport played
with two teams of seven. The object is to throw a
frisbee up the field from teammate to teammate until its
caught in the opponents endzone. The game combines
elements from other sports - the running of soccer, the
jumping, pivoting, passing and continual turnovers from
offence to defense of basketball, and the long bombs into
the endzone of football. Its played year-round.
Ultimate began in 1968 in Maplewood, New Jersey by a
bunch a students from Columbia High School. The staff
members of the school newspaper, the Colombian, and
its student council developed a new game as a gag and
activity for their high-school evenings. Competitive play is encouraged,
but never at the expense of mutual
respect between players and the
basic joy of play
The game was freeform early on, with as many as 20
or 30 players allowed per team. Initially played as
Frisbee Football, the rules were slowly modified, eventu-
ally eliminating running with the disc and the system of
downs, and establishing a set of rules for the defense.
As the students graduated the game spread to the college
level.

Today, Ultimate is played by people from all walks
of life in 35 countries throughout the world. From
the 25,000 amateur athletes that compete through the
UPA (Ultimate Players Association) and the WFDF (World
Flying Disc Federation) to the even greater number that
play in informal leagues and casual pickup games; Ulti-
mate is a sport for everyone.
The best way to learn Ultimate is to play it. Take the
opportunity to join local pick-up games. This will give
you chance to play with some experienced players and
perhaps ask them questions. Some cities and leagues even
offer skill clinics which is a great way to receive top-notch
coaching.
The 10 Rules of Ultimate
1. The Field -- A regulation ultimate field is 70 yards by 40
yards. The endzones are 25 yards deep.
2. Starting Play - There are seven players per team. Each
team lines up across the front of their endzone at the begin-
ning of each point. The team with the disc will pull (i.e.
throw) the disc to the other team. This starts gameplay.
3. Movement of the disc - The offensive team can move the
disc in any direction by successfully completing a pass to
a teammate. Once a player has the disc they cannot run
with it. Only one defensive player is allowed to guard the
handler (i.e. the player who currently holds the disc). All
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other defensive players must be at least 10 feet away.
4. The Stall Count -The player with the disc (i.e. the
thrower or handler) has ten seconds to throw it. The
defender guarding the thrower (i.e. the marker) will estab-
lish this ten count (or stall count).
5. Change of possession (Turnover) -- When a pass in not
completed (e.g. out of bounds, drop, block, interception)
or a ten count occurs, the defense immediately takes posses-
sion of the disc and becomes the offense. This is called
a turnover.
6. Scoring - When the offense completes a pass into the
opposing endzone, this is a point.
7. Contact - No physical contact is allowed in the game of
ultimate. Picks and screens are also prohibited as they often
lead to injury.
8. Fouls - When a player initiates contact on another player
a foul occurs. The player who was fouled must immedi-
ately yell foul and gameplay promptly stops. If a foul
call disrupts possession, the play resumes as if the pos-
session was retained. If the player committing the foul
disagrees with the foul call, the play is redone.
9. Self-Refereeing - Players are responsible for their own
foul and line calls. Players resolve their own disputes.
There are no referees.
10. Spirit of the Game - Ultimates underlying philosophy
is sportsmanship and fair play. Competitive play is encour-
aged, but never be at the expense of respect between play-
ers, adherence to the rules, and the basic joy of play.
OFFICIAL RULES:
www.upa.org
More Info:
www.ultimatehandbook.com 3
Spirit of the
Game
The rules of Ultimate, like any sport, take
a while to learn. But the most important
concept is Spirit
Spirit of the Game, or SOTG, is the underlying philoso-
phy of Ultimate. Players are among the most courteous of
athletes and always maintain a high level of sportsmanship
and respect for their opponent. There are no referees in
Ultimate, which means that players must govern their own
conduct on the pitch. A player would never intentionally
violate the rules of the game, so there are no harsh penalties
to enforce these rules. If there is an infraction, it is the
responsibility of the players involved to call the foul. This
includes calling a foul on yourself if the person you fouled
does not call the infraction. In essence, Ultimate relies on
the honour system with the belief that no one would ever
intentionally cheat.
The rules of Ultimate, like any sport, take a while to learn.
But the most important concept is Spirit. Competitive
play is encouraged, but never at the expense of mutual
respect between players and the basic joy of play.
Five Ways to Bring More Spirit
to Your Games.
1) Always praise and support players on both teams.
If someone makes a great catch get your whole team
to make some noise. Alternatively, if someone makes
a mistake and is angry with themselves, it helps to
encourage them with a Nice try red team, go get it
back!!.
2) Introduce yourself to your opponents on the field.
While you are both stacking up, reach out a hand and
introduce yourself and wish them a good game.
3) Challenge your opponents to a silly point. All
hammer throws, skipping, holding hands, left handed
etc.
4) Share your food! Bring some extra cookies, cake or
fruit to the game and pass it around.
5) Maintain a positive attitude at all times. The most
challenging part of SOTG is to keep it going when the
going gets tough. You may be down 11- 2 but remember
that Ultimate is just a game and tomorrow the sun will
still rise if you lose. So you might as well lose with
style, spirit and class!
To the tune of Help from my
friends -Sung by Illegal Smile to
Hello My Name is, Vancouver Ulti-
mate League
What would you do if we gave you a name
Like Fuzzy, Rudolph or Jane?
How would you feel at the end of the game
now that well never see you again?
Well get by with a little help from your food
Do you feed everybody?
And give them nametags too?
Will you play us on Sundays and give us all
something to do?
Well get by if you say youre our friends
We can try if you say youre our frineds
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The Cheer
One of the unique aspects of Ultimate is that you must
cheer the other team at the end of each game. Were not
talking a quick hip-hip-hooray, that just doesnt cut it. You
want to create something that commemorates the fun you
had with your opponents. It usually involves taking a well-
known song and re-writing the lyrics, perhaps throwing in
some choreography, and most importantly, having lots of
fun.
Remember, enthusiasm counts more than talent. No matter
how bad or good your team does during the game, its
hard to take yourself seriously when a bunch of people are
massacring a perfectly good song.
There are a lot of approaches you can take when developing
a cheer. Get your entire team together in a circle immedi-
ately after the game. It always helps to have a leader when
developing your cheer. The song leader plays an important
role in activating the creative spark in your team. Keep the
team on track and attentive by involving everyone. Lead a
quick team brainstorm and ask the following questions:
1) Does your opponents name fit with a popular song,
nursery rhyme or TV commercial? Switch the words so
that they relate to your game.
2) Did something happen during the game that was
funny, embarrassing or worthy of praise? Add a line to
your song about it.
3) If neither of the above apply, you are going to have to
turn up the creative juices!! Perhaps a short skit, opera
spoof or dramatic performance is in order?
Once you have determined the direction your cheer will
take, you have a choice: write your cheer down or commit
it to memory. We are going to suggest you dont write down
your cheers! Memorizing cheers forces the whole team to
either participate or at least listen during the cheer writing
process. When cheers are written down, your teams eyes
are glued to piece of paper during the presentation and only
a couple of people will really know the song. At first, its
always hard to convince your team that memorization is the
easiest way.
Start by talking the cheer, line by line, until you reach
the point where you run out of words. Every time you add
a new line or verse, start from the beginning. Now you are
using all of the brains on your team to come up with more
lyrics! Add the singing when people get used to the new
version of the song.
Rehearse your cheer a few times so that you are putting
More Info:
www.ultimatehandbook.com
just as much effort into praising the other team as you
put into playing a great game! Remember, enthusiasm is
everything! You are not being judged on singing or acting
ability. People will appreciate an honest effort.
The cheer is what makes Ultimate so unique. It allows your
team to express how much fun you had and shows them
you appreciated the great time. The best way to clear the
air after an intense game is to give them a cheer they wont
forget!!!
To the tune of Call Me by Blondie
Call me, down the line,
you can throw it to me anytime,
Call me, its just ne
If you huck it, Ill be there in time
Call me!
Cover me with d