By Jason Chow:

In order to play a game of ultimate, you will need the following things:

8 cones

1 disc

2 teams of 7 or more players

Water

The Field

The first thing you should do is find a field to play on. The field parameters are easy to define. The playing field is a total of 120 yards by 40 yards. Fields are usually paced out, assuming that one pace is about one yard in length.

Start in one corner of the field, place a corner cone, and pace out one sideline. Begin by pacing the side of one end zone which is a standard 25 yards. The playing field in between the end zones should be 70 yards, followed by another end zone of 25 yards. After you lay out one sideline, turn 90 degrees and pace out 40 yards to determine the distance of the other sideline. Repeat this process back down until the other sideline is complete.

*If you do not have enough room for a full field, try shortening each dimension. Make sure to be consistent when altering field dimensions.

Beginning the Game

Play is initiated by the defense “pulling” to the offense, much like a kickoff in football. Each team begins in their opponent’s respective end zones. The goal is to score a point by catching the disc in their own end zone.

The goal of the offense is to advance the disc down the field by throwing passes to your teammates. Players get open to receive passes by running, but once they catch the disc, they must stop running and look for another teammate to pass to. If they violate this rule, the defense may make a travel call and play stops to prevent the offense from gaining an unfair advantage.

Change of Possession

Much like basketball, play is continuous on change of possession.

Change of possession happens when:

The disc hits the ground

There is a throw out of bounds

There is a defensive block or interception

There is a stall

Stall Count

The defense engages in a stall count once a player catches the disc. The “mark,” or the defender on the player in possession of the disc, counts to ten in one-second intervals. If the disc is not thrown within those ten counts, there is a change of possession.

*Each count must be at least one second apart.

Games are usually played to 15, with a half time taken when either team reaches 8. Like in basketball, the defense may decide between playing person-to-person and zone defenses.

Make sure to bring a white and a dark shirt so that teammates are easily distinguishable.

*Remember, Ultimate is a non-contact sport. Play safe and have fun!