What is Ultimate Frisbee?

April 27, 2023

Discovering this emerging sport...

Ultimate is a non-contact team sport played with a plastic disc (Frisbee) and opposing two teams in different formats depending on the choice of the league: 4v4, 5v5 or 7v7. The objective of the game is to score points by progressing on the field through various successive passes. We score 1 point when we reach the opponent's end zone with the disc to make the point there. A match lasts an average of 45 to 60 minutes, depending on whether you are playing in a tournament or in a league.

The game evolves entirely around the disc. The person who owns it becomes the thrower and is not allowed to move. To advance "the game" and the object, this person must voluntarily make a pass to reach one of his teammates. The team that has the disc is on the attack and gravitates around the thrower. The other team is on defense and is trying to break down the pass. A turnover occurs when the disc touches the ground: there is therefore a change of possession. Offense becomes defense and vice versa until a point is scored.

This sport is played both indoors and outdoors on various natural and synthetic grounds, on sand (“beach”) or in a gymnasium. In addition, the Ultimate has several divisions to distribute the players well. In competitive mode, there is open (male), female and mixed. These groups are also divided by different age groups: junior, adult, “master” and “grand master”.

One of the great peculiarities and characteristics of Ultimate is that it is a self-refereeing sport. The players' association calls this aspect the “spirit of the game”. It is therefore the responsibility of each player to know, apply and respect the rules of the sport. The integrity of Ultimate rests primarily on the responsibility of players to adhere to the spirit of the game, and this responsibility is paramount. This does not prevent the sport from being high and highly competitive provided that the respect is mutual and shared. Therefore, there is no severe penalty for intentional or unintentional infractions but rather a method of restarting play correctly depending on the potential outcome.

A growing sport: