The Spirit of the Game

Players discuss a foul call

One of the most defining characteristics of ultimate, besides the fact that the players use a flying disc instead of a ball, is the implementation of the Spirit of the Game (SOTG). Spirit of the Game is the term for mutual respect and sportsmanship that competitors agree to govern each other by as there are no referees in ultimate.

There are five aspects of SOTG that USA Ultimate (the governing body of ultimate in the USA) highlights; know the rules, avoid body contact, be fair-minded, enjoy playing, and communicate respectfully.

Know the Rules

Just like any sport, knowing the rules is a crucial aspect of the game. However, because ultimate is self-officiated, players must also call their own fouls. This requires a higher awareness of the rules on and off the field. It is each player’s responsibility to call a foul by shouting the name of the foul on the field. You cannot call a foul for another player unless they are unable to call it themselves.

Avoid Body Contact

Ultimate is a non-contact sport. Even so it is still a very physical game. Players are running, jumping, and diving around the field with others in play. Despite this, each player has a responsibility to avoid unnecessary body contact. There are even some instances where making a play on the disc would cause another player harm or put them in a dangerous situation. This is called a “dangerous play” and is an official foul that can be called.

Be Fair Minded

Ultimate is a fair sport and each player on the field expects others to adhere to that standard. Whether calling fouls appropriately or listening to others, each player should play with integrity in mind.

Enjoy Playing

Everyone playing ultimate should enjoy the game that they are playing. Disrespectful actions, such as spiking the disc on an opposing player, or trash talking can be grounds for a “Spirit Foul.” A Spirit Foul is a recognized foul that can be called if another player is not adhering to the SOTG principles on or off the field.

Communicate Respectfully

To resolve a foul, the player who called the foul and the player whom the foul was called on are permitted to discuss the situation. In that instance, the player who was called for the foul may contest or uncontest the foul called on the field. When discussing the foul, each player should remain respectful of the other and recognize each other’s perspectives.

 

The Be Calm Strategy when calling a foul from USAU

 

The Spirit of the Game plays such an important role in maintaining the integrity of the sport of ultimate. Without these five principles, ultimate would not be able to function as the same positive communal sport that it always has been and continues to be.

To learn more about the Spirit of the Game you can go to USAU's official website: https://usaultimate.org/spirit-of-the-game/

Zone Defense: Basic Cup Formation

Figure 1: Cup Defense

The most common zone defense in ultimate is a cup defense. The name is derived from the unique formation of three players that are assigned to marking and guarding the thrower with the disc. The other four defenders divide up the rest of the field into zones that they are responsible for guarding. A zone is typically used when there is a good amount of wind, which makes floaty or deep throws harder to complete.

The Cup

Since the cup formation is the most unique aspect of this zone defense, the most time should be dedicated to practicing it. The cup is composed of three defenders that have good chemistry with one another and great stamina. The job of the three defenders in the cup is to stay together and follow the disc on the field, guarding each new thrower.

Figure 2: Cup example in-game

Cup Spacing

The cup sets up as a three-person mark on the thrower. It is important to note that only one of those defenders can be within 10 feet of the person with the disc or else a double team may be called. As seen in figure 2, there is adequate spacing between the thrower and cup defenders.

Cup Movement

As mentioned above, the three defenders in the cup move together as one unit, guarding each new thrower. However, when moving from one thrower to the next, the cup is in a vulnerable position if the cup is not disciplined in its movement. The cup must stay together as one unit, whether guarding or moving across the field. This way the cup does not let the thrower throw in between or around them.

Zone Defenders

The other four defenders set up downfield taking away certain sections of the field, as seen in figure 1. The Deep Deep takes away any deep looks, not letting any offensive player get behind them on the field. The Wings are responsible for guarding any cutters that enter their side of the field. The Short Deep guards any cuts that enter the middle of the field and stop any throws that may get through the cup.

The Result

The goal of the cup is to force the thrower to throw to only one side of the field. In figure 1, the force side is in the south direction. The defense wants the offense to throw the disc to the southern side of the field. Once on the sideline, the offense will have limited options as to where they can throw the disc. The thrower will be forced to make a low percentage throw that may be affected by the wind. The zone defenders will also be able to react quickly and make a play on the disc. In the case that the offense gets within 15 feet of the endzone the Deep Deep or a captain may call “fire” which means switch to person-to-person defense.

Overall, cup zone defense can be very effective when applied in the right situations. It is important to remember that implementing the cup in a game should come after much practice, as each defender on the field needs to feel comfortable with their role and the others on the field.

Zone Defense: Bracketing a Vertical Stack

  

Zone Defense

In Ultimate, there are other defense structures than just a person-to-person matching defense. For example, zone defenses are an effective alternative. Like other sports, a zone defense places defenders on certain areas of the field in which they guard any offensive players that may enter their zone. Instead of being tied to guarding another person, no matter where they go on the field, the defender stays within their “zone.”

Figure 1: Bracket Defense

Bracketing is a specific type of zone that a defense can implement when the opposing offense is using a vertical stack. Instead of each defender guarding one offensive player, each defender guards a part of the field where the offense wants to catch the disc in. There are five zones downfield that the defense must guard. These different zones can be understood from the numbered red zones in figure 1.

Bracket Zone Responsibilities

Starting from the back, zone five has the responsibility of guarding the deep space. A good rule of thumb is to not let any offensive player get behind the five’s position. This would allow an offensive player to sneak deep and get a large gain. The five also has a larger zone to cover than the other zones because the five has more time to react to a deep throw.

Zones four and two are the most crucial in a bracket defense. Their responsibility is to take away any underneath cuts on the open side of the field. These two defenders must work together and communicate extremely well to guard such a large and busy space. Usually, defenders who are more comfortable with the zone are placed in these positions.

The three in the zone in responsible for any break side cuts. This is a similar position that the four and two are in but there is only a need for one defender because the handler defenders are taking away throws to the break side of the field.

Zone one’s main job is to take away any quick cuts from the front of the stack or cover an offensive cutter who may try to transition to handler. The one works with the handler defenders in the latter instance to prevent the handlers from resetting the stall count back to zero with a short pass.

The handler defenders are the last two defenders in the bracket, and they play tighter person-to-person defense on the handlers in the handler space below the stack as pictured above. If a handler clears out of the handler space, then that offensive player is no longer the responsibility of the handler defender.

Bracket Implementation

There are a few instances where the bracket zone needs to dissolve into person-to-person defense. The first is when the offense comes within roughly 20 yards of the endzone. The second is when the offense falls into a horizontal stack. In both cases, a captain or the five in the zone needs to yell “Fire” signaling to every defender in the zone to point to a person they will defend.

There are a lot of working parts in the bracket zone, so it is important to practice the bracket before implementing it in-game with your team. Each defender needs to feel comfortable in their space and with the other defenders in the zone. Keep this in mind when using the bracket in games against other teams.

 

Mixed Gender Play

Ultimate is a unique sport that, because of its non-contact rules and playing style, allows for a mixed-gender format. Often called just “mixed,” this format allows for both men and women to play together on the same field. The competition is still high but mixed can bring out a lot more team spirit and camaraderie between the players.

 

Gender Ratio

In mixed the ratio of men and women can fluctuate from point to point. The ratio is determined by a designated endzone chosen before the game by the captains of each team playing. This endzone is called the “genzone,” a combination of gender and endzone. No matter whether the team in the genzone is playing offense or defense, the opposite endzone must match the ratio that the genzone team has.

The only ratios that are always acceptable are four men and three women, known as 4-3, or four women and three men, known as 3-4. The team in the genzone may put out either ratio at any point. However, if decided by the captains prior to the game, other ratios may be acceptable. A common alternative ratio is 5-2, or five men and two women.

 

On-field Play

  Figure 1: Ho-Stack

Mixed teams often run a ho-stack offense in comparison to a vert-stack offense. Ho-stack gives each cutter and handler more room and space to make their cuts. Remembering from last week’s ho-stack explanation, each cutter is spread out evenly in a horizontal line as shown in figure 1. Each cutter can move without waiting on another cutter to initiate, giving the offense a more constant flow than vert-stack, which can be more stagnant as each cutter waits for the one behind to cut.

 

Figure 2: Poaching in Vert-Stack

Vert-stack can also be victim to poaching by off-gender defensive players. As shown in figure 2, in a vert-stack a woman on offense (white circle in the back of the stack) may be cutting from the five. A man on defense (the second diamond), who is supposed to be guarding a male offensive player (the second circle), may then jump out of the stack formation to make a play on the disc. This is called “poaching,” where the man on defense leaves his designated player in person-to-person defense, to play an impromptu zone defense or make a play on the disc. Poaching is a tougher defensive skill that can have consequences if done incorrectly. The offensive player who is then unguarded can do whatever they want without a defender to guard them against getting the disc.

 

Basic Offensive Formation: Horizontal Stack

Horizontal stack, short-termed to “ho stack,” is the second most basic offensive formation in Ultimate. Compared to vert stack, ho stack is much less formulaic. The secret to an effective ho stack formation is field awareness, disc movement, and good chemistry.

Figure 1: Ho stack

The Setup

First, let’s discuss how ho stack is set up. There are now three handlers back compared to the two in vert stack. This additional handler is needed because there is a lot more disc movement laterally compared to Vert Stack. The cutters are lined up horizontally in a line about 10 to 15 meters away from the handlers. The two outer cutters, C1 and C4, are called wings. Their job is to move up and down the field vertically, drawing their defenders out of the under space into the deep space, as seen in figure 1. They give the handlers a deep look but then can also come back under for a quick pass. The two inner cutters, C2 and C3, are called the poppers. Poppers must time their cuts into the under space to give the handlers a short pass opportunity. Usually, they work together in a diamond formation with C3 starting the cut into the under space towards H2, and C2 cutting out into the deep space. The diamond formation in figure 1 shows how C2 and C3 work together to make open space in the center of the field.

An Effective Ho Stack

As mentioned above, for ho stack to be effective teams must have great field awareness, quick disc movement, and solid team chemistry. Ho stack is a much more go-with-the-flow offense than vert stack is. Vert stack is formulaic which can be easier for beginners to learn and apply. Ho stack requires the cutters and handlers to be more aware of the field. This means knowing where the disc is, where each player is, and where each defender is. Good field awareness will tell an individual when he or she should cut to a space without cutting someone else off. Quick disc movement is also key to ho stack because it keeps the defense on their toes. If the other team learns how the ho stack is functioning, then they will try to clog up spaces where the disc is trying to be thrown. Quick disc movement prevents the defense from reacting. Finally, solid team chemistry is a must-have. Because there is no obvious first initiator, like the five in vert stack, the cutters must initiate off one another. If each teammate knows what the other is thinking then there is a higher chance that they can make a continuation cut, maintaining that quick disc movement.

Overall, ho stack is a very fun offense to run because of the unpredictability and flow on the field. However, most beginners can struggle with ho stack because they do not have a grasp on field positioning and awareness.

Basic Warmup Drills for College Teams

In this blog, I would like to cover two basic warmup drills that help keep a team’s skills sharp and ready for competition. These drills will range from improving throwing skills, cut timing, force marking, and defensive positioning.

As a disclaimer, many of these drills are common and used throughout college and competitive ultimate. As a result of this, they can go by many names and have slight variations wherever you go. Try to absorb the basic concepts of each drill and see what skills each drill is focused on honing. This will help you adapt and even create your own variations as you analyze which skills you need to improve on yourself.

 

Two Line Drill

Figure 1

Two line drill is one of the most basic and malleable drills for introductory throwing, cut timing, and marking. There will be two lines set up facing each other, as you can see in Figure 1 above, named Stack A and Stack B. The lines both have discs.

The player at the front of Stack A makes a sharp cut around the upper left cone of Figure 1 back towards the front of Stack B. The player at the front of Stack B had a disc and throws a right-handed forehand throw (flick) to the cutter from Stack A who then clears into the back of the line in Stack B. Then the player from Stack B makes a sharp cut around the bottom right cone of towards the front of Stack A. The player at the front of Stack A then throws the Stack B cutter a flick. The stack B cutter clears into the back of Stack A.

Then the process repeats itself. After each player has gone through twice (or as many times as needed) the drill flips with Stack A cutting around the bottom left cone and Stack B cutting around the upper right cone. These throws will now be right-handed backhand throws.

Variations of this drill include putting a mark on the thrower in each line. This is good practice for both the offense and defense. A soft mark (where the thrower is throwing to the side that the mark is forcing) can be applied or for more advanced players, a hard mark (where the thrower is throwing to the side that the mark is trying to take away in what is called a “break” throw) can be applied.

 

Four Line Drill

Figure 2

Four line drill is a great drill for warming up throws, cut variation, and cut timing. The setup includes four lines with the two outer lines (points A and D) being throwing lines and the two inner lines (points B and C) being cutting lines. The middle lines can make a variety of cuts depending on what needs to be worked on. The outer lines are throwing with line A throwing righty backhands and line D throwing righty forehands. A soft mark may be applied. After each player has cycled through each position twice, switch to the next cut progression. The progression of cuts is as follows in reference to Figure 2 above.

1.      Strike cut, outlined in black

2.      Reset cut, outlined in red

3.      V cut, outlined in magenta

4.      Deep cut, outlined in blue

After catching the disc, the cutter goes to the back of the line from which the throw he caught came. The thrower then goes to the back of the opposite cutting line. For example, the cutter at point B makes a strike cut for the thrower at point A. He then cycles into the back of point A. The thrower at A then goes to the back of point C’s line. The same applies to cuts from C cycling into D and throwers from D cycling into B.

 

How to be effective in the Endzone

 

The endzone is one of the most important spaces on the field to move the disc. When the disc is caught in the endzone that team scores a point. When discussing how to be effective in the endzone space deep throws are disregarded. When the offense is about 15 yards away from the goal is when the offense must make a significant change in how to approach moving the disc. This is because there is less field space to work with so the defense can generally condense and clog spaces that would normally be open. On the flip side, the offense only has to move the disc a few yards to score.

Offense Stacking in the Endzone

Figure 1 - Endzone Stack

As a result of there being less space to move the disc upfield, the offense must change. Normally vertical stack initiates cuts from the back of the stack. In the endzone, it is important to initiate cuts from the front. This is because the offense must focus on moving the disc only a few yards to cross the goal line. The one in the stack now initiates cuts in a horizontal plane along the goal line to score. The disc is usually caught in zones 1, 2, or 3 as shown above in figure 1.

Handler Movement in the Endzone

                        Figure 2 - Strike Cut                                            Figure 3 - Rail Cut

Handler movement in the endzone becomes crucial to maintaining possession of the disc. Within figure 1, the two handlers are set up outside the endzone. The off-handler, the handler without the disc, has the job of getting open in case the handler with the disc can not find a cutter within 10 stall counts. Handlers have the option of conducting a strike move, as shown in figure 2. The off-handler makes a diagonal cut upline from the handler with the disc and advance the disc. Another option is a rail cut as shown in figure 3. In this instance the off-handler fakes a strike cut and comes backwards to catch the disc. Both of these handler cuts are good moves to reset the stall count and have more open looks in the endzone for the cutters.

Basic Defense: The Force and Marking

In ultimate you are expected to be able to play both offense and defense when you take the field. At any point, the disc can turnover from a mistake on the offense or a good defensive play from a defender. The offense then switches to defense and the defense switches to offense. As a defender, you will use this to slow down the offense and hopefully get a turn. As an offensive player, you should be aware of defensive strategies to find holes and take advantage of exposed weaknesses. Therefore, if you want to make an impact on the field you need to understand defensive positioning and strategy.

Use the Force

Defense is Red, Offense is Blue, Disc is Yellow

In Ultimate, the mark, the person guarding the disc, orients themselves to “force” the offensive thrower to throw to only one side of the field. In the above diagram, the mark is forcing the thrower to the “away” side which is also a right-handed flick throw. This is called the force side of the field. The mark is not letting the thrower throw to the lane outlined in red on the “home” side of the field. This side of the field is called the break side as the thrower would have to “break” the mark’s force to throw on the red part of the field.

As a result, the defenders downfield who are guarding cutters can use this to their advantage. Downfield defenders in red can position themselves on the force side of the person they are guarding knowing that the mark will pressure any throw to the home side. The downfield defenders are responsible for blocking any throw made in the green open lane or throw made on the force side of the field.

In this way, the mark and the other defenders on the field work together in tandem to close off all parts of the field.

Setting a good mark

The mark is the basis of a good defense. If the thrower can get a throw off around the mark to the break side of the field, then the mark has let down the rest of the defenders downfield. The downfield defense begins to break down because of a break throw. Cutters have an open lane to cut to because the downfield defense sets up on the force side of the person they are guarding.

To set a good mark one should always be conscious on which side the defense is forcing. Keeping this in mind, the mark must not bite too hard on throws made to the open side of the field by the thrower. A common mistake many rookies make is to try to block every throw. This is not possible, and a good thrower can fake enough to eventually get around any defender, no matter how good they may be. The mark must always remember to stay at an angled defensive position with quick shuffling feet. Never reach or lean too much because a good thrower will be able to fake around and break you while off balance.

 

 

 

Basic Offensive Formation: Vertical Stack

 The first ultimate offensive formation or “stack” that many learn is called "vertical stack" or “vert” for short. Today’s post will discuss what vert stack is, why it works, and how to implement it on the field.

Figure 1

What is Vert Stack?

As shown in figure 1 above, the seven offensive players are arranged according to their respective positions. The two handlers, who are the main throwers for the team, set themselves towards the back of the field, farthest from the endzone in which the offense aims to score. The five cutters set themselves up in a vertical line in the center of the field. They are often referred to as the one, two, three, four, and five, starting with the individual closest to the handlers and ending with the player farthest from the handlers. A space of about 3 yards separates each player in the stack going backward.

The stack should stay relatively close to the handlers, about 5-10 yards between the handler and the “one,” or the front of the stack.

Figure 2

How does the formation work?

The responsibility of starting the formation often falls on the five in the stack or the player at the “end” of the line farthest from the handlers. However, there are many variations, and the first cut may come from a different player on the field. The initiator cuts away from the disc and then sharply changes direction, running back towards the handler with the disc as shown in figure 2. This “cut” creates space between the offensive player and the defensive player who is guarding him. This allows the cutter to catch the disc without the defender pressuring the catch. Because of the inherent nature of the vert stack, the cutter can choose to cut into any of the green spaces on the field, creating options for the cutter to shake his defender.

There are two common scenarios for a cutter when they make a cut. The first is that they are open, and the handler throws them the disc which they catch. As the disc is caught and yards are gained, the stack moves as one unit downfield (closer to the scoring endzone) maintaining 5-10 yards between the front of the stack and the disc on the field. The second scenario is that the cutter is not open, and the handler does not throw the disc. At this time the cutter must merge back into the stack, usually becoming the two in the stack.

 

Why is Vert Stack Effective?

Vert stack is more effective as it creates three zones, displayed as green circles in the diagram above, to where a cutter can run to and catch the disc. With the other players centered in an organized stack, there is more space on the right and left sides to catch the disc with ease. The deep space, the green circle in figure 1 above the stack, is also opened. Vert stack also creates a good rhythm that can be felt by the cutters on the field. The formulaic nature of vert is easy to understand in practice yet also effective. 

An Ultimate Introduction

What is College Ultimate like?

Now I know the hype video above is exciting but before you can start jumping into the end zone to win the game some fundamental terminology needs to be defined. Ultimate has a lot of its own jargon that players can tend to throw around on the field without realizing. Let’s review some of the basics and work our way up slowly.

Basic Rules

Perimeter Line Goal Line Team Line Equipment Line

First, what are the basic rules, and how does one team win? Ultimate is a 7v7 sport played on a 110 by 40-yard field with 20-yard endzones, usually imagined as a skinnier American football field. Refer to the diagram above for visual aid.

A point begins with each team lining up in opposite endzones. The team on offense initiates the beginning of a point by raising a hand, signaling to the team on defense they are ready. The team on defense then raises the disc in the air and throws the disc from their endzone to the other side of the field in what is called a “pull.” This is similar to a kickoff in American football. After the disc is pulled, both teams are free to leave their endzones and begin play. After a team catches a disc in the endzone they receive a point. Both teams then proceed to their respective end zones, with the team that just scored staying in the endzone they scored in. The team that scored will now start on defense and pulls to the other team in the opposite endzone, restarting the above process. Play continues until a team reaches a certain number of points, usually 13 or 15 for college purposes.

One of the most defining rules of the sport is that when holding the disc, one cannot move except around one “pivot” point, usually their non-dominant foot. This rule is very similar to how basketball travels and pivoting works. This rule requires that the disc be thrown, caught, and thrown again until a player on offense catches the disc in their respective scoring endzone.

To make sure that a player on offense does not waste time on the field, a defender is allowed to “stall” the player on offense who has possession of the disc. If the defender can count to ten before the disc changes possession, then a turnover occurs. A turnover may also occur if the disc touches the ground, is caught out of bounds or is intercepted by a defender. The defense then becomes the offense, and the offense becomes the defense.

 

Catching and Throwing

There are two crucial skills of ultimate that determine your ability to play the game, catching and throwing. Being able to catch the disc maintains possession for you and your teammates and being able to throw accurate passes makes catching the disc easier.

There are two throws that are the most common in ultimate. The first is the backhand, most likely the most popular way to throw a disc casually. The second is the forehand, also known as “flick,” which is less popular but just as fundamental to playing
ultimate. It is crucial to know how to throw both the backhand and forehand styles as it gives you the ability to throw on either the left or right side of your body without changing your dominant throwing hand.

A backhand grip modeled on the left and forehand grip modeled on the right

While there are other throws like the hammer or scoober, we are not going to focus on those, to begin with. I would encourage you to establish a solid backhand and forehand throw before branching out. You will be using these two basic throws for the rest of your ultimate career and can always be improved.

Fouls

Ultimate is also known as a self-officiating sport. Ultimate refers to this as “Spirit of the Game,” describing how players call their own fouls and resolve their own disagreements. Any fouls that occur must be called by one of the 14 players on the field. Depending on the foul, play stops and the individuals affected stop and discuss what occurred. After discussing the fouling player can then declare whether the foul is “contested” or “uncontested” depending on if they thought the foul call was valid. If contested, then the disc is sent back, and players return to their positioning before the foul was called. This results in a sort of do-over. If uncontested, then the foul is accepted, and play continues from that point after allowing the fouled player appropriate compensation.

Ultimate is also a non-contact sport. Any contact, intentional or unintentional, that affects play is considered a foul. 

There are many types of fouls that I aim to talk about in another post. Rules are an important part of the game because ultimate is a self-officiating sport. You will be at a serious disadvantage if you are unable to recognize fouls in the game and call them for yourself. The only one who can hold you accountable is you!

Positions

There are two positions in ultimate when playing offense. The handler and the cutter. Usually, there are three handlers and four cutters on the field at the same time. However, these positions are dynamic and can change as the disc progresses down the field. A handler acts as a main thrower for the team, meaning they can throw accurately and precisely. They also possess good decision-making to help the offense maintain rhythm and positioning on the field. Cutters on the other hand act as the main receivers of the disc. A good cutter is known for speed, stamina, and timing. Meshing these two skill sets allows the handlers and cutters to advance the disc down the field to score in the endzone.

Extra Resources

Some great external resources to use are USAUltimate and YouTube in general. There is so much content out there that I would encourage you to explore and find out more. If you’re not connected to an ultimate team on campus or in your area, try to find others that are more experienced in the sport than you are. Facebook groups are a great place to look for local pick-up games in your area so I would suggest starting there if you’re not plugged in. I like to think that you learn the best by doing, so get out there and play some ultimate!