So you have the basics down. Your team can run, catch and throw. You’ve tried a few simple tactics: aim to trap the other team on the sideline in the wind, or set up a deep cut after an upline cut.

But what’s next? How is your team going to develop offensive and defensive strategies that will give you a chance against any opponent of a similar ability? This simple guide to strategy should help you out.

Firstly: what is strategy and how does it differ from tactics? There are many definitions – and it gets nuanced in military settings – but I will keep it simple. Strategy is what you want to do, and tactics are how you try to achieve that. While I will keep it focused on strategies, I will aim to give examples of tactics that will help you to achieve each.

Defense

I’m going to start with defense because I think most people start with offense, and therefore the biggest gains are to be had by stopping your opponent from doing what they want to do.¹

Usually, a defensive strategy is a direct counter to an offensive strategy, or at least a perceived strategy. Often the slightest adjustment can make your opponent feel less comfortable, force them to reset the disc more often, slow down their offense, and hopefully all of that leads to more mistakes and therefore more opportunities for breaks. Fundamentally, defensive strategy is about finding out what your opponent can’t do, or at least can’t do well and/or consistently enough to beat you.

#1: If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

Caveat before we start: you are looking for something that works, not seeking to run through all of these options. As soon as you find something that seems to be working, stick with it until the opponent adapts.²

If your opponent is giving up the disc very easily then you might not really need to use any of this, although it could be argued that tweaking your defensive approach might continue to give marginal gains. There is always the threat, though, that changing something that was working could give your opponent a chance to breathe, resettle, then gain confidence and start playing much better. Choose wisely.

Sticking with one defensive look is a potentially controversial idea, and there are definitely different schools of thought on this. For instance, if you bring out a defense that works immediately, you could try putting it away again to deny your opponent the opportunity to figure out how to beat it. I would argue this depends on context: if you’re in the biggest game of your season, take every point. If you’re likely to see this team again at a more important time, maybe keep your secrets to yourself… but I admit to being defeated by this tactic personally.³

#2: Test Their Deep Game

So you’ve decided you need to make some changes. Can they throw deep well, with consistent results? If not, that’s the best place to start. You can save your team a lot of running by fronting all downfield defenders by a sufficient margin so they can’t get open underneath, and restrict their throwers to only deep targets.

This strategy is a good one when playing a weaker team in pools and you’re trying to conserve legs for more important matches later in the tournament. Never being able to hit an under can result in some very quick points.

If they have one amazing hucker (I’m looking at you 2022 WUCC assist-leader Sho Okajima) then you could try adjusting to deny them the disc but keep the rest the same.

#3: Make Them Break a Mark

Okay, so they can huck it. Tighten up the defense, and even back their cutters if they are very good at hucking.

Next task: can they break a mark? Ensuring that your downfield defenders maintain their responsibilities of protecting the open side first, this should push the offense towards attacking the break side more often. If they start to struggle, you’re on to something.

You can also start to increase the pressure from the mark; going from a passive “don’t break me” mark to an active “I’m here to create pressure” mark can have a big impact. And vice versa: sometimes taking a step back (literally) can be the solution, particularly when throwers are good at the “reach through” break throws.

#4: Never Lose Without Playing a Zone

I forget where I first heard this one, but I think it’s completely valid: when all else fails, throw a zone. Even if you don’t think it’s going to work. I’m sure we’ve all seen the legendary comeback win where Fury were 10-1 down to Riot, put on a zone, and went on to win Nationals.

You never know what your opponent’s weaknesses are until you test them.

#5: Play the Odds

How frequently your opponent can be expected to turn the disc over is highly variable. For elite teams, it could be just one or two turns per half. For lower levels, you might get that many per point. So: play the odds. If you had more success with one strategy than another, stick with it, even if you didn’t get a turn that point. This requires someone to keep track of some stats, rather than reacting emotionally to your opponent getting an “easy score.”

For example, let’s say you’re fronting as per #2. Even a team with poor hucking skills will connect on a few. Just because they score one doesn’t mean the strategy isn’t working; if you forced four turnovers on huck looks, then the odds are very much in your favor. See #1 above.

By this point the high-level, easy wins are basically over. Your opponent can huck, break marks, and beat a zone. Time to start looking in more detail.

#6: Focus on How They’re Beating You and Make a Change. Any Change.

Hopefully there’s a pattern to their play you can focus on. Do they like to huck from the sideline? Great: let’s remove that option and see how they adapt. Play more force middle, or put a straight-up mark on when they get to the sideline. Do they have a squirrelly handler who likes to break marks? Try a really tall defender with a huge wingspan, or an even shorter or quicker defender to contest every cut.

If you can’t work anything out, try a few different things. Switch up the marks: backhand, forehand, force middle. Put a few poaches in place. Switch a few defenders around. For instance, put a short, quick defender on a tall handler and see how that changes the way they play. As much as defenders might like to get to know their matchups, an offensive player can gain confidence as they get familiar with how to beat a single defender. Keep them guessing.

Remember, this is about forcing your opponent to adapt. Sometimes they will, and if so then fair play. But at least you know you forced them to prove they can beat you in lots of different ways, rather than letting them use their preferred option repeatedly. As Ben Wiggins once said – and I paraphrase – “make them beat you with Plan B, or Plan C, because they don’t practice that as much and aren’t as good at it.”

#7: Your Game Can Can Be Very Simple

It is tempting to over-analyze, like one of those English Literature assignments where you try to find meaning in a table being blue. Sometimes there is no hidden meaning, and sometimes you don’t need a complex strategy to win.

I’ve coached teams at world championships and won “upsets” over higher ranked teams where our entire defensive strategy has been as simple as “take half a step to the open side on the mark”, something that makes the inside break more challenging and encourages more around breaks, which – in the context of that windy day – made for more turnovers. Our opponent was unable to adjust, and the percentage shift worked in our favor.

As per #5, if you can see a pattern in your opponent, make that your starting move. As in chess, you are unlikely to have the entire game planned out; rather, you have a good opening gambit and will react as the game opens up. How quickly you can make these adjustments will determine how successful you are.

1. Stay tuned for the offensive follow up soon. ↩

2. Hopefully they don’t, and what could have been a close game turns into a 15-3 thumping. ↩

3. GB beat Sweden at EUC 2011 in power pools. They played zone for only a point or two and we never got comfortable with it. They played almost entirely zone in the final, which they won. ↩

We had Patrick Stegemoeller write a fictional version of a scenario where we fed an AI Chatbot every Tuesday Tips article ever written on the site and asked it for the best tips on how to play ultimate.¹ This is what it wrote, and thus, what we have wrought. We do not necessarily endorse or condone these tips, but felt that it was an interesting insight into the way online resources can be used for ultimate. The results are below.

Playing frisbee, which is a way to say ultimate frisbee which is a colloquial name of the sport that is called ultimate, is all about three things: Disc throwing. Athletic fitness. Mental toughness. The way to get good at playing frisbee is to develop skills in all three of these skill areas.

For disc throwing, the key thing to do is control your wrist. And the most important thing to do is keep your core involved. The power in throws is generated from your wrist and your core.

Here are Four Weird Tips That Will Give You Throwing Power

1. Throw Every Day
2. Strengthen Grip and Wrist Rotational Power By Opening All of The Jars Around You
3. Do Pull-ups At Work To Increase Grip and Wrist Strength. Your Boss and Peers Will Be Impressed!
4. Don’t Forget About the Butt! Flex Your Butt When You Huck to Send the Disc to Deep.

To get a powerful core for powerful throws you should be doing core exercises. For some examples of core exercises that you can do in your home or dorm room or gym here are 10 Crazy Core Exercises That Will Torch Your Abs

1. Push Ups
2. Plank Row w/ KB
3. Plank Plow w/ KB
4. Dead Bug Reverse Curl
5. Dead Bug Uncut Line
6. Lateral Bear Crawl x 30 sec
7. Elastic Ripper
8. Leg Raise Mechanical Drop Set
9. Banded Planking Dipset
10. Single Leg Martian Swings

For Athletic fitness. the best way to be good at ultimate is single leg deadlifts. With a kettlebell. There is no other training better or necessary besides single leg deadlifts with a kettlebell. In frisbee you need to jump and run and dive and skating style single leg deadlifts with a kettlebell imitates all of these motions and makes them stronger. Strong motions is the key to Athletic fitness which is one of the three keys to playing ultimate frisbee.

Mental toughness is a hard thing to train because the brain is not a muscle, and thus cannot be trained by single leg deadlifts. The key to a tough mind is to never know what the score is. Knowledge of the score is poison to the heart of the brain. All knowledge is poison. The most mentally strong player in the world is the one that emerges from a cocoon of isolation and ignorance onto the field. Starving the brain of information is key to mental toughness which is one of the three keys to playing frisbee.

The fourth tip to success in playing frisbee is supplements. The governing body of the sport has little to no drug screening capacity and there are many potions, powders, and pills that can make you great at frisbee. Xenomorphic-Infused Cacao, Super Soldier serum supplements, and Baboon Testosterone supplements have all proven effective at increasing capacity for single leg deadlifts and on-field performance. For brain supplement, caffeine is a psychoactive drug that can be consumed in large quantities with little to no regulation and will make your brain go fast and clear. It is recommended that while playing you ingest caffeine in liquid, solid, and gas states.

With these three tips, even you can become a great frisbee player. The barrier to becoming a great frisbee player is a willingness to attempt these tips. There are some social and financial drawbacks to following these tips that should be considered. Namely, the respect of your peers. The long term health of your body and mind. The cost of spending money on hundreds of kettlebells and supplements. The opportunity cost of not doing other activities such as hiking, kayaking, artistic expression, friendship, and many others. These are the things to consider before deciding to be a good ultimate frisbee player. Go frisbee, go frisbee, go!

1. Ok, really, it is Pat. ↩

LEBANON, OH — Tuesday was moving day for the Open division at WUCC. Teams in the Power Pools played cagey games, seeing how they measure up against more difficult competition, while the Lower Pools duked it out to keep their dreams of making the bracket alive.

Fun fact: There were 11 games today in the open division that were decided by one point. Eleven. There were only 40 total games played today in the division, meaning over a quarter of the games played today in the open division were decided by one point. This is absurd. And we hope it continues on Wednesday.

Frustrations Flare in Francophone Faceoff

Ultimate is not always a pacifist sport. During the Noisy-le-Sec Iznogood (FRA) vs. Montreal Mephisto (CAN) game, there was a scene resembling an MLB mound rush that resulted in a surprisingly deep moment of camaraderie between the two squads.

The game was physical to begin with, and frustrations were setting in. During a particularly contested point, a defender earned a huge block on the goal line and immediately faced his opponent to taunt them. Following this, the taunter was blocked on a deep strike, and the first team scored a hold. In celebration, a disc was spiked very close to the head of a bidding defender, and we can only assume that the player’s Friction Glove came off at the same time, because the gauntlet was thrown, and players from both sides took to the field to defend their honor. During the ensuing scuffle, participants got physical, and players had to be separated to prevent the situation from escalating.

After nearly two minutes of chaos, a spirit timeout was called and the players timidly gathered into a circle to try and reconcile the situation. I have no idea what was said, but it seems to have worked, because by the time the players dispersed, it felt as though all the tension on the field had been completely diffused. Mephisto went on to win by the count of 15-13.

As everyone returned to the sidelines, members of both teams were joking with one another and reenacting the very altercation that had just broken out. To say it felt surreal would be underselling it. One minute the field looked like the gang fight scene from West Side Story, the next everyone was making up and shaking hands.

It’s not uncommon for tempers to flare in a tight, physical match like this, but actual fights are incredibly rare. Still, they do happen, and it’s good to see that players are willing to look past the ugliness of it all and prove that spirit still counts for something in ultimate frisbee.

Where Did You Come From, Cotton-Eye Sho?

Sho Okajima has been something of a mystery this whole tournament for those not intimately familiar with Japanese ultimate. On the first day in Cincinnati, the centerpiece of the Rascals (JPN) notched 21 assists. Now, through Day 3, he has 47 assists and six goals, breaking the 50-point mark not even halfway through the tournament — by far the largest stat line in the division. It’s the kind of performance that has sparked instantaneous memedom in the Ultiworld Discord¹ and inspired reporter Jesse Strod to compose a haiku:

Sho Okajima
Is the best player alive
Where did he come from?

So, how does he do it? The Okajima brand of handling is a thing of beauty to behold. Regardless of where he is on the field, or where his teammate is cutting from, he has a supernatural ability to choose the correct throw, the technical skill to execute it, and nerves of steel to put it up, point after point after point.

The Japanese ultimate MVP when he was in college, Okajima is reserved, respectful, and always smiling. Despite his obvious knack for the game, Okajima is humble. “It’s not me. It’s because of my teammates,” he said.

He deflected the compliment like a pro, but there is still a lot of truth to that statement. Rascals have made a concerted effort to build the team around their star player. “Most of us have been playing in Japan not only for a few months, but four years, five years playing with each other. So we know how Sho likes to pass, and he knows how to pass [to us],” said fellow Rascal Genichi Nakano. With so much time together as a unit, Rascals have built a lot of trust with one another. They know what their teammates are thinking without needing to say a word, and when Okajima has the disc, they know exactly where to go to get it.

Keep following along with Rascals, and we’ll tally Okajima’s final stat count at the end of the tournament!

Power Pools

Pool I

Raleigh Ring of Fire (USA) went 2-0 today, cementing their dominance over the field so far. They were challenged in both of their games but seem to be untouchable, winning 15-13 against both Toronto GOAT (CAN) and London Clapham (GBR). Thus far, Clapham has only been beaten by Ring and they look a strong contender to get to the semifinals.

On the other side of the pool, GOAT and Tokyo Nomadic Tribe (JPN) played one of the best games of the tournament so far, with GOAT needing an epic goal line handblock on double game point to beat the Japanese team. Nomadic Tribe have looked extremely solid in this tournament but they have fallen short of beating the elite teams, going 0-3 in Pool I. They’ll be playing against Rascals (JPN) tomorrow, setting up for an excellent Japanese showdown at the midway point of the tournament.

Pool J

Pool J was wide open. Sydney Sunder (AUS) finished top of Pool J but not before losing on universe point to Iznogood, who were riding a wave called Joe White. However, it might have been just what Sunder needed to sharpen their focus for the rest of the tournament, proceeding to flatten CUSB 15-9 in their second game of the day without breaking a sweat. CUSB and Mephisto played a classic on the showcase fields, with CUSB pulling it out 14-13. In the last contest of the pool, Mephisto was able to top Iznogood to secure third place in the group. The story of that game was Malik Auger-Semmer vs. Joe White, which resembled more of a wrestling match than ultimate frisbee. When the bottom-place team in a pool beats the first-place team, you know it’s a competitive pool, and the excitement we saw in Pool J is exactly what we hoped for coming into WUCC.

Pool K

New York PoNY (USA) looks every bit the title contender their seeding and reputation pointed to. They started out a little slow in the first two days, but looked unstoppable all of Day 3. Jimmy Mickle, Ben Jagt, and Jeff Babbitt were simply too big to stop, and they walked through both Portland Rhino Slam! (USA) and Brussels Mooncatchers (BEL). The pool finishes with PoNY in first and Mooncatchers in second, allowing them to skip the crossover round, while Rhino and Bogotá Euforia (COL) drop down to face contenders from the lower bracket.

Pool L

Just like Ring and PoNY, Seattle Sockeye (USA) have been excellent at WUCC so far. They are undefeated and their closest game so far has been a 15-11 win today against Tokyo Buzz Bullets (JPN). Not too shabby. Buzz Bullets, to their credit, have been great… just not as great as Sockeye. Their only loss so far is to the Seattle outfit and their closest game has been the 15-12 win they took over Berlin Wall City (GER) in their first game today. That score looks close, but Buzz broke early and the game always felt in their control even before they pulled farther away. Wall City came in third after they defeated Cape Town Mutiny (RSA) 15-13, while the South African squad finished fourth with an 0-3 record in the pool.

Pool M

Pool M is the first of the Lower Power Pools that we’ll be mentioning today, and that means that only the top two finishers will remain in medal contention. In Pool M, Rascals (JPN) and Ghent Gentle (BEL) asserted themselves over Tenerife Guayota (SPA) and Tijuana Baja Ultimate (MEX). Rascals finished 3-0, bringing in their universe point win over Guayota before taking down Gentle and Baja, 15-12 and 15-10 respectively. Gentle put themselves in the crossovers with an easy 15-3 game over Baja, and a tougher 15-13 win over Guayota. Baja rounded out the group, with Guayota coming in third after grinding out a universe point win over the Mexican team. Even coming in fourth, Baja have a lot to be proud of and fight for.  “We are going to play every game as a competitive one and finish as high as we can,” said coach Carlos Ruiz.

Pool N

Things have not been easy for Melbourne Ellipsis (AUS) this tournament. With the exception of being on the receiving end of a walloping by Clapham in their first game, Ellipsis have had nothing but close contests for the entire tournament. Day 3 was no exception, as Ellipsis found themselves in back-to-back DGP situations. “We started off with a really tight game against Ibagué URO Monster (COL). They came out firing,” said Nicholas Whitaker, a New Zealand pickup for the squad. “We went down before half and then we were fighting back the whole way and managed to take that game on universe.”

After a battle of a game, the Ellipsis starting seven was running ragged, but the hardest was yet to come. “A similar thing happened in the afternoon against the Wildcats … it felt good to play hard the whole way through and end up with a similar universe point victory,” continued Whitlock. In short order, Ellipsis narrowly claimed the top spot in the pool, despite being just two points away from elimination. With Ranelagh having a great day, beating both Wildcats and URO Monster (also on DGP), they join Ellipsis in the crossover round.

Pool O

Københavns Frisbee Klub (DEN) and Glasgow Alba (GBR) will represent Pool O in the crossovers, but they did not win themselves a clear mandate. While Warao (VEN) finished 0-3 in the pool, KFK, Alba, and Heilbronn Bad Skid (GER) all finished 2-1. With Bad Skid beating KFK, KFK beating Alba, and Alba beating Bad Skid, WFDF had to dig into their tie break formulas to decide who would move on. Bad Skid will feel hard done by, but we all know that tie breaks almost never feel fair and yet ties always need to be broken to move forward with the tournament.

Pool P

The last of the Power Pools is Pool P, where Vancouver Furious George (CAN) were clearly the best team in the pool. Bringing in a tight 15-13 win over Pornichet Tchac (FRA), Furious dealt with Singapore Koels (SGP) 15-9 and then Birmingham Chevron (GBR) 15-11. Tchac finishing second in Pool P was the final example of the strength that was in Pool E, one of rumored Pools of Death.

After finishing fourth in Pool E, the French team dispatched Chevron 15-12 and then were able to pull out a defensive battle with Koels on universe, 15-14. Chevron finished in third place with a 1-2 record and Koels finished last in the pool with an 0-3 record.

1. A perk available for all Full and Plus Ultiworld subscribers! ↩

Tuesday Tips are presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author. Please support the brands that make Ultiworld possible and shop at Spin Ultimate!

In the last article we talked about what motivation(s) you have to play ultimate, as well as what motivates you to getting better as an athlete in this sport. We discussed the idea of journaling and writing down what your purpose is for playing frisbee; maybe pushing your boundaries, having fun with friends, or feeling alive/joyful, etc. I noted that getting some other senses involved could be beneficial, i.e. not only focusing on the visual, but also including tactile, gustatory, olfactory, and emotional aspects into your imagery. Today we are going to leverage the same ideas but have the imagery be directed towards a goal around improving as an athlete in the sport.

Enhancing Our Imagery

How could imagery make you a better frisbee player? Imagery is emotionally charged and therefore motivating. The more nuanced and refined an image – the more elaborate this image is – the greater its impact on our brain and on our motivation. The elaborated intrusion model highlights the connection between the mental effort we spend on a thought or experience and how distressing or motivating that additional effort or time spent makes something.

Adding senses to our imagery is like adding extra ingredients to a cake besides just flour, eggs, sugar, and water. With more ingredients like cocoa, peppermint, salt, or frosting we get a more delicious and satisfying cake. The same is true for incorporating multisensory imagery towards goals such as working out, practicing a throw, or learning more game tactics.¹

All of the above is applied to sport specifically via Functional Imagery Training (FIT). FIT takes the above concepts and applies them as interventions that are both practical and easily learned. Specifically, it is used for enhancing motivation in sport, such as increasing adherence to an exercise, diet, or skill regimen. It can also be used in situ for rapid motivation boosts as well as more routinely.

If one of your goals for this season is to be able to run a whole game without feeling gassed, you can use imagery to help you. Take a second to envision what it would be like to run a game all out, without being gassed. Picture it. What would your body feel like? How is your breathing? What is the weather like? What can you see, smell, taste, and touch? What does it feel like, emotionally, to have met your goal?

Now that you have your imagery for your specific goal, be it getting to the national championships or learning how to bid, we can talk about how to apply this imagery for motivation change. Below are two specific practices you can engage in with your imagery. You can do this daily while you are doing your morning routine or in the moment during a game to work towards your goal.

L.A.P.

• Locate your cue
• Activate your imagery
• Plan for change

Set your own cue. This can be anything, just remember it is for you to remember to encourage and/or motivate yourself. This can be a proactive daily practice which can facilitate short, medium, and long term goals pretty well, such as getting more in shape for the season as a long term goal with a short term goal of going for a run today and a medium term goal of going to the optional conditioning practices each week etc.

S.L.A.P.

• Stop and breath
• Locate your cue
• Activate your imagery
• Plan for change

This is more in situ or reactive. Perhaps you are feeling discouraged about a point or a throw. Re-center, take a breath (the cue in this case was probably feeling frustrated) and think about your imagery, and then plan for change.

For example: “I am going to shift my mark so they can’t go deep on me so easily,” or “I want to look downfield first next time.”

What It Looks Like

• Cue: can be anything, can be in situ as well
  • Putting my feet on the floor after I get up in the morning.
• Imagery practice: your imagery of the completion/attainment of your goal/motivation
  • “I am standing on the field with my team. I am drenched in sweat, but not gassed. I feel exhilarated. I am proud of how well I played on defense and that I didn’t give up on chasing my person deep. I can feel the wind, I can hear my teammates talking to each other and congratulating one another on a really good game. I can taste the cinnamon gum I usually chew while playing, I can see the pink cones and the field in my mind, the grass was just cut and smells green and earthy”.
• Plan: “What can I do today to get to that game? What can I do this week?”
  • Eat better, work out each Thursday, go for a walk on lunch today etc.

1. May, J., Andrade, J., Kavanagh, D.J. et al. Elaborated Intrusion Theory: A Cognitive-Emotional Theory of Food Craving. Curr Obes Rep 1, 114–121 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-012-0010-2

   https://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jnhs/papers/vol4-issue5/Version-3/J04535658.pdf ↩

Tuesday Tips are presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author. Please support the brands that make Ultiworld possible and shop at Spin Ultimate!

Since Ultiworld launched, streaming and post-produced ultimate has become more and more commonplace. Equipment is more affordable, knowledge more accessible, and the expectations have risen. Fans want to connect with teams and players more readily and meaningfully than reading about their exploits days later.¹

One of the most visible — or rather, audible — features of many ultimate productions is the commentary. The voices of ultimate act as the humble narrators, helping contextualize and bring to life the game. Great commentary can become intrinsically linked to the plays it covers. Most calls will not go down in the annals of ultimate’s history, but can still enhance viewers’ experience.

I’ve done hundreds of games across all sorts of divisions, teams, and events. On occasion, aspiring game-callers will ask me for advice on the topic, and whenever we bring on new commentators I’ll help provide some orientation. If you’re thinking about giving commentary a try, here are some lessons I’ve learned over the years.

Do: Arrive Prepared

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but being prepared will improve your commentary. A lot.

I know that commentary can sometimes feel like a pretty casual gig. Often commentators have personal and/or ultimate relationships with some of the players in the game they will be calling. That can make it feel more like you can just wing it. But even in those situations, putting in the extra time will pay dividends.

“Spend time covering your basics before your tournament weekend. Get rosters from coaches or tournament organizers, confirm pronunciations with reliable sources and ask coaches/captains for quick interviews in advance,” advises ESPN broadcaster Ian Toner. “Nothing loses an audience member faster than mispronouncing a name or speculating about a player’s status when information is available elsewhere.”

Great ways to prep:

• Talk to players, coaches, and others around the team. Get their pronunciation and pronouns. Find out interesting information about players and teams. Get quotes or anecdotes you can use during your broadcast.
• Create materials you might need. It could be printouts of rosters and info, it could be a spreadsheet you want to access, or ad reads you need to do. Or all of them! And plan for things to go wrong — have backup plans for anything critical.
• Watch film. Learn about teams’ playstyles, players’ roles, and familiarize yourself with what they do well and struggle with.
• Fill out context. One of the main jobs of the commentary crew is to give viewers context. What does this game mean? What is the result’s impact on the season? How does this performance fit within what the team has or will do? What’s the history or relationship between these two teams?

Do: Get to Know Your Stream Team

Calling games by yourself is both really difficult and, fortunately, pretty uncommon. Often commentators will operate in pairs or even trios. Coordinating with and building some chemistry between members of the broadcast team will go a long way toward improving the commentary.

It is helpful to have a sense of structure and roles. The most common setup is a play-by-play (PxP) commentator and a color commentary, with a third person sometimes coming in as an analyst, expert in a specific area, or just additional color. PxP is describing the game and driving the conversation — the host of the show, so to speak. The color commentator is adding more detail to the broadcast with information, analysis, or even more personality and levity.

While the best chemistry will come from reps together, just some conversation can do a lot. If everyone on the broadcast has a sense of everyone else’s point of view, you can direct conversation to help everyone succeed. For example, if a color commentator is a youth coach, the PxP can ask questions about the type of fundamentals associated with youth coaching. But beyond that, learning each others’ cadence, tone, and sense of humor can add a lot to the quality of the broadcast. Much like playing on the field, knowing your teammates’ strengths, weaknesses, preferences, and personalities will boost your performance.

Do: Practice, and Review

Like with preparation, putting in the time will help improve your game. While it is ideal to practice with your team, especially the other on-air talent, even doing some passes alone can smooth out verbal hiccups or inspire you with some ideas of things you’d like to include in your broadcast. Especially if you’re going to go live with little experience, getting to know the rhythm of the game can be both helpful and make you feel much more comfortable on air.

“Cue up any game whose events you haven’t committed to memory and mute the volume,” recommended Toner. “Record yourself calling one half. Playback your recording the next day. Critique yourself and even ask someone you trust to offer thoughts.”

All of us — even on-air vets — have verbal signatures that, when you listen back, draw an intense amount of your personal attention. “Do I really do that all of the time?” you’ll ask. We all know about the typical “umms” and “likes” that creep into speech, but maybe there’s a word or phrase you use more frequently around ultimate than you realized. Or you use “here” or “there” frequently when describing play. It’s only through noticing these things that you can try to break those habits.

Do: Check Your Biases

As I mentioned previously, many commentators will be associated with players or teams in the game they’re calling. That familiarity is part of why you’re probably asked to commentate! But while you might have a perspective, many fans prefer balanced commentary that fans of both fanbases can connect with and appreciate. While major pro sports can have home team broadcasts that can be tailored to the team — and thus have some homerism to it — that isn’t really an option for most ultimate events.²

If you’re hyper-familiar with one team, make sure to learn about the other. Attack your natural tendency to stay in your comfort zone, with stories, anecdotes, and the likes about the team you know better. Say the players names from both teams, and don’t use first names like you and audience are all friends with the players. Avoid presenting the game from one team’s point of view; “Team X needs a stop here,” “Team X is on a roll,” when sometimes you can make Team Y the subject.

We all bring other biases to the table, too, and we should be thoughtful about checking those before making assumptions or leaning into stereotypes about players based on their identifying characteristics. Understand the greater context in which your words will be heard and work towards equitable, fair, and inclusive commentary.

Don’t: Hide Your Personality

You have something to add to the broadcast! It might be your perspective, humor, insight, knowledge, charm, or even your joy. While there are some guidelines as to how to achieve a level of professionalism and a high level of communication, a lot of people feel like they need to be in a specific type of style they have heard elsewhere. In attempting to get to that mainstream, down-the-middle voice, they lose their own, and become robotic and somewhat lifeless. Don’t try to be something or someone you’re not. Bring your voice, but your voice dressed to the nines, like you’re giving the speech at the wedding.

On the same note, your personality will shine if you’re enjoying yourself. I worked in sales for years, and when making phone calls, we would be coached to smile while we spoke. People can hear it and you can feel it. Have a good time and it’ll enhance your presentation and make you a warmer host for the audience.

Don’t: Make Noises Where You Could Use Descriptive Language

This might just be a pet peeve of mine, but it drives down the professionalism of a broadcast quickly to me to hear a bunch of “Ooohs” and “Aaaahs” when exciting or nerve-racking moments occur. Even an exclamation such as “Wow” sounds much cleaner to me. But ideally, we should be describing what is causing that reaction, and letting our tone and word choices convey our emotions. Highlights can bring this out, but it feels even more common with close plays, like bids that come up just short or near collisions between players. We aren’t sitting on the couch with the audience.

Don’t: Overthink What You’ll Say

“Young broadcasters can get hyper fixated on coming up with ways to emphasize a goal call or offer up the perfect analysis, and the mental and vocal energy they devote to that doesn’t always match what they need to carry the rest of the broadcast,” said Toner. “If you can just focus on narrating the basics of the event unfolding before you, you’ll better inform your viewers, and with practice, that excellent highlight call or sharp analytical point will come to you naturally as you practice and get your reps.”

You don’t have to come up with a classic line one-liner that will be quoted decades from now. If you do, that’s great, but aiming for it is like watching a pot to get it to boil. Focus on the work that makes up the most of your broadcast.

1. Shout out to everyone who remembers waiting months for the quarterly UPA Magazine to get event recaps. ↩

2. And to be honest, I actually hate homerish super-biased commentary in major sports, but it seems to be more and more common. I can’t really deal with broadcasters only talking about their team, complaining about every call against them, and only acknowledging their own team’s strong play. Miss me with that. ↩

Tuesday Tips are presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author. Please support the brands that make Ultiworld possible and shop at Spin Ultimate!

Our motivation is the why of choosing one thing over another. It’s the difference between having power over our decisions as opposed to our decisions happening to us. Every day we make choices: when to wake up, what to have for breakfast, and how to spend our free time. On the field, we decide to chase our matchup deep, make one more 7-cut, and throw a scoober to the end zone. Sometimes we spend our free time playing frisbee and sometimes we spend it eating ice cream. Sometimes we decide to match up and are physical on defense and sometimes we decide we’d rather poach. Why did I choose to write this article rather than watch the newest season of Always Sunny In Philadelphia and eating some chocolate ice cream?

Understanding our motivation is a part of our mental fitness. Practicing and developing our mental fitness is intended to improve our performance as an athlete and our overall health a person who participates in sport.

When dealing with adverse circumstances, it can be incredibly powerful and helpful to have a reason why. Logotherapy, created by Viktor Frankl, posits that “those who have a why can endure almost any how” and is built around finding the things that drive us. In ultimate, we are presented with challenging situations: running a cup and being five minutes into the point and feeling gassed, making your 12th cut only to get looked off again, or perhaps getting skied for the third time by the person you are guarding. When disappointment, doubt, or shame creeps in, motivation can crater and having a clear and defined reason to continue playing at a high level of effort is crucial.

Furthermore, when we are more aware of our why, the amount of cognitive dissonance — we want to do or be this, but our actions do not line up with those desires — is reduced as well as any negative impacts from said dissonance (depression, anxiety, lassitude, or shame).

The next time you have a moment to think — say you are on a walk, in the shower, journaling, or doing something you find relaxing — I would encourage you to contemplate what makes frisbee something you choose over something you have to do, your why. Or better yet, make time for this type of introspective thought. The more that difference becomes defined with intentional thought and framed with feelings and sensations (touch, sight, scent, and hearing), the more motivated and in tune with our own desires and our why we become. This is often termed as self actualization in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and is a pretty high level activity, so be prepared for it to take some effort and be something that you refine over time.

For example, here are my reasons to play and put in effort to ultimate:

1. The culture of ultimate is amazing. I value the social camaraderie within the ultimate community. The sideline banter and heckling that goes on within and between teams is one of my favorites. Being a part of the community has led me to try fun experiences with new people I never would have otherwise.
2. I love bidding. The sensation of overcoming my own limits, the thrill of conquering uncertainty, and owning my abilities as an athlete and human is exhilarating. So many sensations: dynamic, strain, wind, zen-like flow, grass stains and odor, cheers, groans, effortless, powerful. Summarized in the words of Deadpool: “Maximum effort”

Watching the new season of Always Sunny and eating ice cream is next on my to do list!

In contemplating your why, know that all reasons are valid and that what brings you joy and fulfillment is ultimately the why that matters. This is what will lead to more motivation and enhanced outcomes for you, whatever your outcomes look like. Club players and pickup players will have wildly different goals and outcomes while perhaps having similar whys, or perhaps completely different whys. There is a wide range here and the idea is to find your own.

Tuesday Tips are presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author. Please support the brands that make Ultiworld possible and shop at Spin Ultimate!

Modern ultimate offense is predicated on spacing. Teams on offense set up structures and systems to allow downfield cutters the ability to attack the open side space, the break space, and the deep space. However, the spacing changes when the offense moves closer to the attacking end zone. There is no more deep space! Any deep throw 40+ yards will likely be out the back of the end zone and a turnover. Standard offenses run into issues in this area because downfield cutters can only go under towards the disc. Defenders know this, and can sit under their matchup and beat them to the space they are attacking on their cut.

That is why many teams have a separate endzone offense when they work the disc past the attacking brick mark. Because the spacing of the field has changed, they need to change the structure of their offense to attack the available space. Many teams try to isolate three or four players near the front of the end zone and have the other players near the back line of the end zone. This maximizes the space of the isolated players to attack and gives the thrower simple reads. The players in the back of the end zone try to draw the defense out of the way of the preferred attacking space. They are on standby and wait until the defense ignores them to move into open space and call for the disc.

Related: The Play Call – Issue 1: Endzone Offense

Offenses and defenses are always acting and reacting to each other strategically. There is a “meta” that goes back and forth about what the optimal strategy is. For example, Revolver dominated club in the 2010s with an isolation heavy offense against typically matchup defenses. PoNY and Machine develop junk/switch heavy defenses to neutralize isolation cutting offenses to make the Club National finals in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Sockeye then developed quick small-ball chemistry and creative break throws to beat junky defenses and won the 2019 club championship and dominated the 2021 regular season. PoNY then reverted back to intense one-on-one defense and beat Sockeye at the 2021 Club Championships.

Set plays are critical strategic elements on many popular teams sports. It is so much fun watching American Football, a sport build entirely on set plays, when a trick play is run. Sometimes it goes disastrously wrong, but it can be rewarding and effective when it goes right. Due to the continuous play of ultimate, we can’t have the same plays as football. Basketball runs plays, but ultimate possessions are too long and varied to emulate that exactly, although the red zone offers some chances to ape those concepts. In ultimate, there are certain instances when a team can run a play to try to score from a non-traditional cut that might disrupt the regular offense, but can be effective when timed properly.

Below are four such plays your team can run out of a timeout when you are in the red zone.

The Play

The Play Video

This play is ideally suited if you are 10+ yards out of the end zone and the disc is in the middle of the field. Line up in a vertical stack with your fastest player as the reset on what you expect will be the break side. Put one of your primary handlers at the front of the stack. This play is a simple “go” route where as soon as the disc is tapped in, the reset goes strike immediately to the end zone.

Since they are running across the field, it effectively turns into a dead sprint. Usually handler defenders are quicker as opposed to having top line speed, so this footrace puts them at a disadvantage. If the defense poaches off or the mark shifts over to help, then the bottom of the stack is looking to make a continuation cut to the opposite side from where the reset is attacking. This look is still a good outcome since the defense is scrambling and may not have the break side covered. Even if the defense does cover the play, you can still run your normal endzone offense after the reset to the bottom of the stack, and now the other team’s best handler defender is out of the reset space.

Reverse Zipper

Reverse Zipper

The classic zipper play is a vert stack pull play — a play run immediately off of the pull — where the top of the stack goes under to the open side, the second goes under to the break side, and the middle of the stack goes deep. The Reverse Zipper is exactly like the name suggests: it’s the same basic actions, but from the bottom of the stack. The player at the front of the stack goes to the back corner open side cone, the second from the bottom goes to the break side front cone, and the middle of the stack comes under straight to the thrower for a goal.

Just like the classic zipper, this play takes advantage of the defensive tendency of the middle stack defender to poach or let their guard down since usually the middle stack cutter is the least active. This is a play that should be practiced extensively, since slight changes in the positioning of the mark and the location of the disc on the field changes the spaces for the middle cutter.

In addition, the first two cuts are viable throwing options! If either, openside or breakside cut, is open right off the bat the handler should throw it to them. The advantage of predetermined cuts is the offense can read the defense and, if they are out of position for the cut, the handler can easily throw it into the space they know the cutter is going to. This play can work against a poachy defensive set since it immediately activates cutters and forces the defense to match up quickly instead of being in the lanes to help off. Lastly, if none of these options are available, the handler should stick with their reset and the stack should reorganize into your endzone offense.

Flood Side Stack

Okay, this one is a little fun! Again, it is a modified pull play for the end zone. You isolate your best offensive player in the middle of the end zone and stack the rest of the players to one side of the goal, with the reset directly behind the thrower. The perceived threat by the defense, is the throw to the isolated cutter with lots of space to work with. The defense usually sags into the middle of the field to help the isolated defender.

However, once the disc is tapped in, the stack floods to the middle of the end zone. The back of the stack waits a beat, then cuts under into the vacated open space, instead of following everyone else to the middle of the end zone. With the defense focused on the isolated cutter, hopefully this misdirection results in an easy goal. If the play is covered, the handler can look reset as the stack gets organized and flows into your normal endzone offense.

This play can also be tweaked slightly to suit how the defense is playing the formation. For example, if the defense doesn’t poach or help the isolated defender, you can call out of the play. Your best offensive player is now isolated with 30 yards of field to work with and they should be able to get open for a goal. Alternatively, you can have someone else in the stack be the designated cutter to cut under for the goal. If the defense has a defender poach strongly to aid the isolated defender, you can have a call or designate it as a rule that the cutter who is poached will come under instead.

System

This isn’t a play, but more of a script. One of the best aspects of this play is it can be run from anywhere on the field. Again, the team should be lined up in a vertical stack in the center of the end zone, with one handler in the middle of the field and the other handler by a sideline (preferably the open side sideline but this will work from either). Let’s start with the disc in the hands of the handler on the sideline. They should try to throw it immediately to the reset in the middle of the field. If that throw isn’t open, the reset will go strike. If the strike isn’t open, the handler will look to the front of the stack, who is filling into the reset position. If the reset gets it, they will look immediately to the break side for a continuation cut. If the cut is there, goal! If not, they will bounce it back to the side handler and go strike, trying to get it right back.

System End Zone

This pattern keeps repeating. Ideally, each person with the disc should not have it for more than four stall counts. This sequence puts a lot of pressure on the defense, especially the defender guarding the reset. If the reset gets it, they have to stop the continuation to the break side. However, if they overcommit, the reset will bounce it right back to the open side and go strike (as made famous by Dylan Freechild), leaving their defender a couple steps behind. The danger of this play is that if the defense recognizes it, they can poach or play certain actions tighter to gunk up the flow. For example, the defender guarding the open side handler could position very tight, forcing a couple moves to get open and not allowing the offense to immediately hitch and go.

Playing to Your Strengths

There are pros and cons to each play and I wouldn’t recommend running these on stall nine. But it’s good to have a play or two in the bag when near the end zone. Busting out a play can take advantage of the defensive tendencies or force them to play more conservative because they don’t know what might happen next. And feel free to design and try your own plays! You can learn a lot about spacing and timing going through the trial and errors of play design. And who knows? Your stall one thumber play to a break side cutter could just make the difference in your team’s season.

Tuesday Tips are presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author. Please support the brands that make Ultiworld possible and shop at Spin Ultimate! Part 1 of this two-part series offers information about the science behind ACL injury prevention. 

Shoulder instability is common in ultimate – likely more common than in any other non-contact sport – mostly due to the frequency of laying out, as well as the sudden maximal range of motion that can occur during a catch or going for a block. Ultimate players should know about shoulder dislocations because they may happen to you or a teammate, and it’s useful to know how to help in the moment and as the player thinks about taking care of the injury long term, given the risk of it happening again. In this article, I’ll sum up what ultimate players should know about the topic.

Anatomy

Understanding shoulder anatomy is key to understanding the joint’s instability. The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint that includes the humeral head (the ball) and the glenoid (the socket).

Unlike in the hip, where the socket is very deep and provides a lot of bony stability, the glenoid is quite flat, making the joint more like a golf ball on a golf tee. The benefit is incredible range of motion, but the downside is that there is less inherent stability to the shoulder. Without the bones providing much stability, the shoulder relies on soft tissues for stability – the labrum (a ring of tissue around the glenoid that effectively deepens the socket), joint capsule with its associated ligaments, and muscles (the rotator cuff and deltoid).

Of note, the AC joint (the bump on the top of your shoulder) is outside of the shoulder joint and can be injured in what’s called a “separated shoulder.” That is very different from a dislocated shoulder and is usually not a problem once the pain dissipates.

Basics of Shoulder Instability

Shoulder instability includes dislocations (i.e., the ball comes completely out of the socket) and subluxations (i.e., the ball comes partially out of the socket but immediately shifts back into place). In a dislocation, the shoulder usually stays out of place for a few seconds to minutes and needs to be put back in place by the athlete or by another person. Shoulders can dislocate anteriorly (out the front) or posteriorly (out the back). Anterior dislocations are much more common and occur when there is a force on the shoulder while it is in an abducted, externally rotated position – essentially the position of a high five (Figure 2). Naturally, the shoulder often gets into this position on layouts or when reaching for a disc overhead and out to the side.

Of course, we do these actions all the time without dislocating our shoulders. A first-time dislocation requires some extra force. That could come from a player laying out and landing mostly on the arm instead of taking the force with their chest, or they may be hit in the arm while they’re reaching outwards and upwards. A shoulder dislocation causes some degree of injury in the shoulder — usually a tear of the labrum, and possibly a small break/fracture in the bone. This injury to the stabilizing structures makes further dislocations more likely.

Preventing Shoulder Dislocations

Across the population, the people most at risk for shoulder instability are younger, male, contact or overhead sports athletes, and those who are ligamentously lax (i.e., their joints hyperextend compared to the average person). Ultimate players fit in multiple of these categories, and, particularly those who lay out a lot, would benefit from taking preventative measures to avoid shoulder injuries.

Injury prevention details could fill another article. The two key components are layout form and shoulder strength. Proper layout form involves taking as much force as possible on the chest/torso and less on the arms. Landing flat without twisting will avoid impacting the shoulders. Strengthening the shoulder muscles, especially the rotator cuff and deltoid, can help prevent shoulder dislocations because the shoulder relies upon muscles for stability. External and, especially, internal shoulder rotation exercises, as well as forward elevation (raising in front of your body), are the most targeted to the relevant muscles.

On-Field Treatment

When someone dislocates their shoulder, they most always know it by feeling the ball out of the socket. A goal is to quickly get the shoulder back in (“reduce the shoulder”) both to prevent continued stretch injury and to decrease pain. An athletic trainer or doctor is certainly best to reduce the shoulder. If none are nearby, the benefits of fast reduction are worth a gentle attempt by a coach or teammate if both people consent. There is low risk of further injury with only gentle use of force. If there is any concern for a fracture (break), largely from the athlete being in especially severe pain, then err on the side of leaving reduction to medical professionals and go to the emergency room.

There are many techniques to reduce the shoulder. A simple technique involves the provider gently straightening the arm down the side of the body with the palm forwards and then gently raising the straight arm in front of the body until just overhead (Figure 3). The shoulder will often reduce. If not, the arm can then be brought into the ‘high five’ position (Figure 2). Alternatively, the provider can help the person to their feet by pulling on the affected hand, which may be enough traction to put the shoulder back in. If these do not reduce the shoulder, the player should go to the emergency room for reduction of the shoulder.

Recovery from a Shoulder Dislocation

If a player dislocates their shoulder for the first time, they should be out of sports until the pain has resolved and the strength and range of motion have returned. Historically, it was recommended to be in a sling for over a week, but literature now shows that a sling for just a few days to a week is best before working on restoring range of motion early and then restoring strength (Paterson 2010). Physical therapy with a PT is best for this. Players most always return to a full level of activity, but with the added risk of reinjury.

Long-Term Treatment and Considering Surgery

There are two options for long-term treatment: no surgery (‘nonoperative’) or surgery. The problem with a shoulder dislocation is that there is a risk of it happening again and again, especially in a high-risk sport like ultimate, so the goal of treatment is to prevent recurrence.

Do further shoulder dislocations matter? Yes –- every dislocation causes some degree of injury, and that means future dislocations are even more likely. Multiple dislocations makes later surgery less successful and more complex and probably increases the risk of arthritis (Rugg 2018, Marshall 2017). Nevertheless, there are many very functional shoulders out there that have gone through a dislocation or two.

Nonoperative treatment involves physical therapy to maximally strengthen the shoulder. The shoulder should be kept strong with exercises for as long as the athlete is playing ultimate, and they should consider laying out less or not at all. This was the main recommended treatment in the past for a first-time shoulder dislocation. Newer studies, though, show up to a 75% re-dislocation rate without surgery, and perhaps higher in younger athletes in high risk sports (Provencher 2021).

Surgery, which usually is an arthroscopic (2-4 small incisions around the shoulder) repair of the labrum and capsule, no doubt decreases the risk of re-dislocation dramatically. Studies show that, compared to no surgery, it brings the risk of redislocation down from 67% to 10% and increases rates of return to sport from 81% to 93% (Hurley 2020). Yet surgery generally requires 4-6 weeks in a sling, with strengthening beginning around three months and return to play around 5-6 months.¹ Of note, surgery is highly recommended if an MRI shows a more severe injury to the shoulder than normal (e.g., a fracture/break of the bone).

The best approach after any dislocation is discussion with a doctor weighing the risks and benefits of surgery – how much the athlete wants to avoid dislocation versus avoid the rehabilitation process, where in the season they are, at how high of a level they want to continue to play ultimate, and whether they would give up laying out. There are certainly athletes with one or two dislocations who play ultimate at a high level without issue. This shows why trying nonoperative management is reasonable if the athlete is willing to commit to dedicated strengthening of their shoulder and understands the high risk of recurrence. After 2-3 or more dislocations, though, the athlete should even more strongly consider surgery if they wish to continue ultimate due to the increasing injury and recurrence risk.

Conclusions

Shoulder instability is common in ultimate, and most college or club teams will have one or more players with a shoulder dislocation. Proper layout form and shoulder strength are keys to prevention. Given the risk of reinjury, players should take the injury seriously and seek medical advice. There is often no obvious answer as to choosing surgery or no surgery in a first-time dislocation, so conversations with an orthopedic surgeon or sports medicine doctor on the risks and benefits are very helpful to learn more and make an informed decision about the best way to take care of the athlete’s shoulder.

References

Hurley ET, Manjunath AK, Bloom DA, Pauzenberger L, Mullett H, Alaia MJ, Strauss EJ. Arthroscopic Bankart repair versus conservative management for first-time traumatic anterior shoulder instability: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery. 2020 Sep 1;36(9):2526-32.

Marshall T, Vega J, Siqueira M, Cagle R, Gelber JD, Saluan P. Outcomes after arthroscopic Bankart repair: patients with first-time versus recurrent dislocations. The American journal of sports medicine. 2017 Jul;45(8):1776-82.

Paterson WH, Throckmorton TW, Koester M, Azar FM, Kuhn JE. Position and duration of immobilization after primary anterior shoulder dislocation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature. JBJS. 2010 Dec 15;92(18):2924-33.

Provencher MT, Midtgaard KS, Owens BD, Tokish JM. Diagnosis and management of traumatic anterior shoulder instability. JAAOS-Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. 2021 Jan 15;29(2):e51-61.

Rugg CM, Hettrich CM, Ortiz S, Wolf BR, Baumgarten KM, Bishop JY, Bollier MJ, Bravman JT, Brophy R, Carpenter J, Cox CL. Surgical stabilization for first-time shoulder dislocators: a multicenter analysis. Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery. 2018 Apr 1;27(4):674-85.

1. Surgeons’ exact protocols will vary by surgeon and patient. ↩

Tuesday Tips are presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author. Please support the brands that make Ultiworld possible and shop at Spin Ultimate!

In keeping with USA Ultimate’s two-year schedule of regular rules updates, the USAU Rules Committee has released a new version of the Official Rules of Ultimate for 2022-2023. While this update consists mostly of small adjustments to the last ruleset, the changes could be relevant in competition this year, especially when it comes to making and resolving calls.

Here’s a breakdown of the ten most significant changes for 2022. (You can also view the official ruleset with revisions marked here and a tagged list of substantive changes here.)

1. Captains can agree to whatever consequences they see fit for players “intentionally or flagrantly” breaking the rules. [2.C]

The changes to 2.C allows captains to agree to handle players “intentionally or flagrantly” breaking the rules in whatever way they agree is appropriate. This is a straightforward adjustment that helps team leaders work together to remedy any egregious issues that might otherwise obstruct the normal flow of self-officiated play, with or without observers.

2. Players should resolve disputes within 30 seconds or consider the call contested and proceed accordingly. [2.D]

An addition to 2.D states that most on-field discussions of a call “should not exceed thirty seconds before either reaching a resolution or requesting an observer to resolve the dispute. If both players have had an opportunity to state their viewpoint and it is clear that an agreement will not be reached, players have an obligation to accept that the call is contested and resolve it as such.” This helps codify some of the pace-of-play expectations, which should help at all levels to expedite discussions (no more reenactments!).

3. Players should consider their implicit bias and how it affects conflict resolution. [2.G.4]

The change to 2.G explicitly calls players to consider implicit bias — that is, unconscious assumptions that might lead them to perceive behavior from players of varying cultures or demographic groups differently — and how it can impact play and Spirit of the Game. It also specifically differentiates intent and impact, and expects players to be mindful that their good intentions can still lead to negative impacts for their teammates and opponents. (You can read more from USAU on how assumed norms about respectful behavior among competitors can affect fair and equitable implementation of spirit on their “EDI & Spirit of the Game” page.)

4. A disc that touches the ground while in a player’s possession is not a turnover. [3.J.2]

This statement may seem obviously true on first read, but this is a helpful wording clarification. This rule would come into play in a situation where a player completes a catch in-bounds, takes a rolling dive, brushes the disc against the ground while firmly maintaining possession, bobbles the disc for another reason (like if their elbow hits the ground and knocks the disc loose), then regains control before the disc hits the ground, that catch is not a turnover.

This is different from the old rule annotation, which would have negated the earlier possession as soon as the disc became loose, regardless of whether the player recovered possession after that. Very few people followed the previous rule to the letter, and the new rule better reflects both how the game is played and how people seem to think it should be played. (Of course, if a player loses possession when the disc is touching the ground, it’s still a turnover.)

5. When a team has incorrect personnel on the field for a point, a new rule expects somebody to identify the issue as soon as possible, and then allows the other team to restart the point or nullify a goal. [9.B.3.a]

This rule helps clarify the exact procedure and options available to teams when one or both teams have the wrong personnel on the field — either too many players or the incorrect gender-matching ratio on a mixed team. The personnel issue should be identified and violation called as soon as possible, the offending team should correct the mistake(s), and then the other team may substitute as many players as were changed by the offending team. The other team can then choose whether play restarts as if there was a timeout or with a re-pull.

Crucially, this also allows the other team to nullify a goal if it was scored during a point with incorrect personnel, even if they do not notice the infraction until after the goal is scored (although they do need to notice before the next pull is thrown). The rule also clarifies that players must call out this infraction as soon as they recognize it rather than waiting to see how the point plays out.

6. Offensive offsides is renamed to “false start” to clarify which team was out of position for the pull. [9.B.4]

The addition of the “false start” call is a welcome differentiation from “offsides,” which now is a call that only applies to the defense. It is uncommon — even with observers — for the offense to be called for this “positioning violation,” but now there will never be doubt about which team goofed.

7. Players that catch the disc and run into the endzone now set their pivot on the closest point on the front of the end zone instead of where they gained possession. [11.B]

This simplification shouldn’t have a big impact on the game, but will reduce any potential disagreements about exactly where a player should set their pivot when momentum carries them into the end zone. By requiring a pivot to be as close to where the player is rather than where they gained possession, this rule change will simplify those situations whenever they arise. It’s easier to know where you are than where you’ve been, in this case.

8. Discs that aren’t easily retrievable can be replaced. [14.A.4.a]

We’ve all seen the disc go sailing way out of bounds on pulls and errant throws. Sometimes it would be impossible to put the disc into play in 20 seconds. Now there’s a specific description in the rules for how we can restart play quickly and fairly: find a new disc, make sure both teams approve it, and get things going again.

9. When somebody other than the thrower is awarded possession due to an infraction, players return to their location at the time of the infraction. [17.C.6.b.2]

This update clarifies something that was already typically expected, but not explicitly stated in the rules. When a violation happens on a throw and possession reverts to the thrower, players return to their location at the earlier of the time of the throw or the time of the call. Now we also know explicitly that if somebody other than the thrower is awarded possession that players should return to their location at the time of the infraction.

10. The Ultimate 4s rules are formally included in the Official Rules of USA Ultimate. [Appendix F]

Small-sided games have long been a staple of tryouts and practices everywhere, but they now have an official USAU ruleset for the 4-on-4 format. If ultimate makes it to the Olympics, many think that 4s is the variation most likely to be added, so formally codifying the rules of the format is a no-brainer.

Tuesday Tips are presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author. Please support the brands that make Ultiworld possible and shop at Spin Ultimate!

Back in the ancient times before there was email and social media, we had a great bi-weekly pick up game at the park. Turnout was good most days, but when the weather got iffy — cold, thunder, or rainy — no one knew if the game was canceled or not. Later, people would say things like, “I would have gone if I thought others were going.” Thus, games were canceled for no other reason than people thinking other people wouldn’t show up.

A solution was decided upon: Never Cancel. Everyone knew the game was always on. In this way, we got through the summer and deep into the fall without canceling a single game. We found that rain and wind were not impediments to spirited play and a good time. When daylight savings came, which was the traditional end of the season, we decided that we would keep playing on Sunday afternoons. No matter the weather, we played. Winter set in to New England, and we just kept going. We played in sub-zero temperatures, biting wind, deep snow, and icy fields. The icy field presented a unique situation, because if you threw a hard pass and no one caught the disc, it would hit the ice and slide and slide; the wind might pick it up, and it would slide some more. Thus we created a new rule: whoever threw it, fetched it. We learned that all conditions could be fun to play in.

So we went on like this, and never missed a single game. My friend, David, explained: “There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices.”

There was one more problem to solve: numbers dropped off in the winter. We could not muster 7-on-7, so we had to invent different types of games. The challenge was to make the games interesting, fun, and competitive. Below are the games we came up with:

Seven-Person Dynasty

This game is played when seven people show up. The stall is seven, the field is about ⅔ of a normal sized field, there are half field bricks, and play is 3-on-3. Whoever gets scored on gets the substitute. The team that scored pulls and keeps their team together as long as they keep scoring. If your team scores four straight goals then you have beaten all the possible combinations and that gets you a Cycle — but no bragging rights. To achieve that, you then have to play 3-on-4 and still pull. If you can score then, you have a Dynasty. The team stays together until the team with four people scores or surrenders. Then the Dynasty team is broken up.

The advantages of this game are that every point is competitive. Each point is the potential beginning of a Dynasty. The teams keep changing, so you get to play with everyone. There are lots of touches. The intensity is high. Above all, it is fun. This game is a favorite.

Nine-Person Dynasty

Same principles as Seven-Person Dynasty except harder to accomplish, as you have to win five points to achieve a Cycle.

Then there was the problem of six people showing up. Alas, no way to play Dynasty. Enter:

Combinations

In this game, everyone keeps their own score, and you play games to one or two points and then change teams until all the possible combinations are played with and against each other. For instance, each person gets a number 1 through 6. Round 1: Players 1, 2, and 3, versus players 4, 5, and 6. When a team scores each member of that team gets a point. Round 2: 1, 2, and 4 versus 3, 5, and 6. It takes ten rounds to play all the combinations.¹ You then tally up your individual score.

Some days the numbers dropped even lower as the weather got worse, and for some strange reason some people thought the conditions weren’t good for playing. What to do when only five people showed up?

Bizarro

Like Combinations, everyone is playing for their own individual score. You play on “almost a full field”. How’s that for precision? For every round, there is one thrower, two receivers, and two defenders. You have four throws to move the disc to the other endzone. The thrower hits the receiver with a pass. The receiver immediately drops the disc and runs up field to receive the next throw. The thrower must sprint to the disc because the defenders, although not marking, are stalling the thrower the moment a catch is made. (Beware! If you like to stand there and admire your long throws — and you know who you are — while they are being caught you will be in for a rude shock as the defenders will keep counting and you may forfeit one of your plays before you reach the disc.) If the throw is incomplete, the disc goes back to where the previous completion was. If you can work it over the endline in four plays, the thrower and the two receivers each get a point. If you fail to work the disc past half-field the defenders get a point. If the defenders intercept any pass, they get a point. If you can score in less than four plays then you get a bonus play and can try to work your way back up to the other end zone for more points. Every player must play every position, which takes five rounds. I guarantee that after a few rounds of this game, you will notice that you are in the midst of a serious workout.

But what about when the wind is howling and the snow is outrageous and only four people show?² No need to despair. Time for:

Hot Box

Two teams of two, trying to score in the same five yard by five yard box. You are only allowed in the box for three seconds, then you must clear out. The stall count is to five. Every time there is a turnover, the disc must be cleared out about ten yards away from the box. Then you try to work it in. I prefer this game with boxing-out allowed. Way more fun, and a good upper body workout to boot.

Alas, the day comes that is cold, raw and windy, the rain coming down in sheets. Only two or three people show up. Not a problem. Time for:

Frisbee Golf (as opposed to Disc Golf)

No need for baskets because benches, signs, and trees make fine targets. Each person takes turns naming the next target, the obstacles you must throw around, and the par to get there. (There was a question about whether roots or branches of trees counted as hitting the target. We settled on “Tommy’s Rule,” which he says came out of Albany in 1979: the roots are part of the target but the branches are not.) Once the throw is made, you jog to your disc (to keep from getting cold) and throw until you hit the target, and then on to the next hole.

——-

Our streak of uninterrupted outdoor games ended after six years when a dome was built in our town, and we moved the game indoors in the winter. Better conditions, less fun, and more money. The game was revived 22 years later when Covid-19 came and the dome closed. We are now up to a year and a half without canceling. I am glad to be back outdoors.

1. The 10 rounds for Combinations are:
   1, 2, 3 vs 4, 5, 6
   1, 2, 4 vs 3, 5 ,6
   1, 2, 5 vs 3, 4 ,6
   1, 2, 6 vs 3, 4, 5
   1, 3, 4 vs 2, 5, 6
   1, 3, 5 vs 2, 4, 6
   1, 3, 6 vs 2, 4 ,5
   1, 4, 5 vs 2, 3, 6
   1, 4, 6 vs 2, 3, 5
   1, 5, 6 vs 2, 3, 4  ↩

2. Any Bob Dylan fans out there? ↩