Ultimate Rules- Applicable for Coed Ultimate Frisbee
THE TOURNAMENT
Each team consists of up to seven players and unlimited substitutes. A team may begin a game with a minimum of four players, with at least two player of each gender present to avoid forfeiture. Each team may have a maximum of five players of one gender on the field at any time. Substitutions may be made at any time, but the player being replaced must leave the playing field before the new player comes on. One player must be designated as the captain. The captain is the representative of the team and must register the team on the score sheet prior to the game and include late arriving players on the team roster. At the end of the game the captain must verify the score, sign the score sheet, and return the clip board and other equipment to the Intramural Office.
THE GAME
Ultimate is a non-contact sport. The object of the game is to score goals by completing a pass from a player to a teammate in the end zone. The disc may only be moved by passing, as the thrower and catcher are allowed to take a limited number of steps. Whenever a pass is thrown out of a bounds or a violation or foul occurs play is restarted with a check. Whenever a pass is incomplete, intercepted, or knocked-down a change of possession occurs play may restart without a check. In a check the marker (defender) hands the disc to the thrower. The game consists of two twenty-five minute periods of running time with a brief intermission. Each team is permitted one time-out per half and one in playoff overtime games. During playoff games, if the score is tied after regulation time then two five minute overtime periods are played. If the score remains tied after the overtime periods then consecutive sudden life periods with a maximum of five minutes each are played to break the tie. A referee is not required to control the games. Instead, the game is self-officiated where players call their own fouls. The spirit of the game places the responsibility of sportsmanship and fair play on the players. Simply, it is an attitude which requires players to respect each other’s rights and to respect the intent of the rules of the game.
LATE POLICY
Teams are expected to be at the fields and ready to begin play at the designated starting time. If at the starting time a team has the minimum number of players then the game must begin immediately. If a team has fewer than the minimum at the designated starting time then the start of the game is delayed and the late arriving team is penalized as follows: up to 10 minutes after the original starting time the first ten minutes of the half are eliminated and the opponent is awarded one goal; after 10 and up to 20 minutes after the original starting time the first half is eliminated and the opponent is awarded a total of two goals; finally, at 30 minutes after the original starting time the game is forfeited and a four goal win is awarded to the opponent. If both teams are late in arriving then only the time is deducted until 30 minutes after the scheduled start at which time the game is declared a double forfeit and both teams receive losses.
ELIGIBILITY
Ultimate Yale Intramurals Page 2 of 3 Last Revised: April 2008 All undergraduate students and persons associated with a residential college except current club team players are eligible to All undergraduate students and persons associated with a residential college except current club team players are eligible to participate. Current players are those individuals who have participated with the club team anytime after March 1.
DEFINITIONS & RULES
Catch: A player may catch the disc with one or both hands, or trap it with the body. Once a tossed, uncaught disc hits the ground a turnover results.
Check: A check is a stoppage of play that occurs during a counting turnover, foul or violation. The marker restarts play by handing the disk to the thrower.
Disk Flip: To start a game both captains flip a disc into the air and on of them calls ‘same’ or ‘different’. The winning captain has the choice of receiving the initial throw-off or selecting a goal to defend. The loser is given the remaining choice. The second half begins with a reversal of choices. This procedure is repeated for all overtime periods.
Disc Movement: The disc can only be moved by passing. Once a player catches the disc, he/she must stop, establish a pivot foot, and attempt to throw to a teammate. Once the pivot foot is established, the thrower may not take any steps before passing. Teammates maneuver to receive the pass.
Goal: A goal is scored when an offensive player completes a pass to a teammate in the opponent’s endzone. Each time a goal is scored, the teams switch the direction of their attack and the team which scored throws off.
Marker: The defensive player who guards the thrower is the marker. Only one marker may guard the thrower within 10 feet. There must be one disc’s distance between the upper bodies of the thrower and the marker. The marker may not straddle the pivot foot of the thrower nor restrict the thrower from pivoting. Once a marker has established a set guarding position he/she may initiate a count by stating loudly ‘counting’ and counting aloud from one to ten (1-10) at one second intervals. If the thrower has not released the disk at the first utterance of the word ‘ten’ a turnover and check result. If the marker counts too quickly, the thrower may call ‘too fast’ and play stops and is resumed with two seconds subtracted from the current count.
Out-of-Bounds: Any area on or outside the perimeter lines is out-of-bounds. A disc is out-of-bounds when it contacts the ground, an object or a player out-of-bounds. If a player makes a legal catch and momentum carries him/her out-of-bounds, then play is resumed from the point where the player exited the field. A thrower may pivot in and out of bounds providing that part of the pivot foot contacts the playing field.
Receiver: Any offensive player not in possession of the disc is a receiver. After catching a pass the receiver is only allowed the fewest steps required to come to a stop and establish a pivot foot. Whenever momentum carries the receiver into the end zone he/she must return to the spot of the catch to make a throw. If the receiver catches the disk while running, he/she may throw the disk before the third ground contact without coming to a complete stop.
Throw Off: A throw off starts the game or restarts play after a score. Both the throwing and receiving team must be positioned on their respective goal lines. The thrower tosses the disc downfield toward the receiving team. If the disc is: caught by the receivers it must be put in play from that spot; is touched but not caught by the receivers it is put in play by the throwers where it stops; is untouched, uncaught and in-bounds it is put in play by the receivers where it stops; thrown out-of-bounds the receivers may request a rethrow or start play from the spot where the disc went out-of-bounds.
Turn Over: A turn over is a change of possession resulting from an incomplete pass, an interception, a knock-down, or an out-of-bounds. Once a turn over occurs the teams immediately change offensive and defensive roles and action resumes as soon as the offensive team is ready to play.
FOULS
Fouls are the result of physical contact between opposing players. A foul can only be called by the offended player and must be announced with the word ‘foul’ immediately after the occurrence.
Throwing Fouls: When an illegal contact throwing foul is called: between the marker and thrower before the disc is released, then play stops and possession reverts back to the thrower after a check; by the thrower while in the act of throwing and the pass is complete, the foul is automatically declined and the thrower utters ‘play on’ loudly; by the thrower while in the act of throwing and the pass is incomplete, then play stops and possession reverts back to the thrower after a check; by the marker while in the act of defending a throw, then play stops and possession reverts to the thrower after a check. Contact during the follow-through is not sufficient grounds for a foul.
Catching Fouls: A catching foul is called when there is contact between opposing players in the process of attempting a catch, interception or knock-down; when a player contacts an opponent before the disc arrives and thereby interferes with that opponent’s attempt to make a play at the disc; or, when a player’s attempt at the disc causes significant impact with a legitimately stationed opponent before or after the disk arrives. A certain amount of incidental contact during or immediately after the attempted catch is often unavoidable and may not be a foul. If a catching foul occurs and is uncontested, the player fouled gains possession at the point of infraction. If the call is disputed, the disc goes back to the thrower.
VIOLATIONS
Violations occur when a player violates the rules in a manner which does not result in physical contact but gains an unfair advantage. A violation may be called by any player on the field by announcing loudly the word ‘violation’ or the name of the violation immediately after the occurrence.
Double Team: Only one marker is permitted to guard the thrower. If the thrower is double-teamed, he/she should call ‘double-team’ and the defenders are required to use only one marker and the count is restarted.
Pick: A pick is when a player establishes a position or moves in such a manner to obstruct the movement of any player of the opposing team. The obstructed player must immediately call ‘pick’ loudly, play is stopped, he/she is permitted to regain position, and play is resumed after a check.
Strip: When a marker touches the disc while in the hand of the thrower. The thrower calls ‘strip’, picks up the disc and continues play. If a count was in progress it is halted and restarted when the thrower regains possession.
Traveling: When a player makes a catch he/she must control momentum and establish a pivot foot as soon as possible. If after the catch a player continues to move in order to gain an advantageous position or moves the pivot foot while attempting to throw, traveling may be called by the opponent. It results in play being stopped, the player retaining possession but returning to the original spot and play restart with a disc check.
ETIQUETTE
• If a foul is committed and not called, the the player who commits the foul should inform the infracted player of the foul.
• If there is ever a failure to come to an agreement over any call, the disc reverts back to the thrower after a check.
• If offsetting fouls are called on the same play, the disc reverts back to the thrower after a check. • If the call is against the defense, the count is reset at zero (0).
• If the call is against the offensive, the count continues from the point at which it was stopped, except the thrower must be given a minimum of five (5) seconds.
• In the case where a novice player commits a violation, it is common practice to stop play and explain the violation.