Lip or Rim: 

The outside wall of the disc.

Flight Plate: The flat surface on the top of the disc. The disc design (hot stamp) is placed on the
flight plate.

Lines of Headrick: The flight rings are named after Ed Headrick, the perfecter of the flying disc.
Adding these raised ridges helped stabilize disc flight. When Wham-O's patent for the flight
rings expired, Discraft added them to the Ultra-Star and became the go-to Ultimate disc.
Line of Shelton: The mold line that runs around the lip of the disc. Named after Jay Shelton, a
professor of physics and one of the first people to study the flight characteristics of a disc. Not
to mention, a world distance record holder, plus a champion disc golfer & an individual Frisbee
world champion.

Navel: The center of the disc, There is usually a small, subtle spot left over from
the manufacturing process.

Script Band: Acts like a big flight ring with an imprint of the disc name and model.

Slope of Morrison: Named after Fred Morrison, the inventor of the Frisbee. This is the bent
slope from the flight plate to the lip/rim. It was a major improvement from pie tins and popcorn
lids and kept the disc from turning on its side on every throw.
Important Events in Ultimate’s History
1940 – Frisbie Pie Company sold pies to neighboring Yale students. The owner of the pie
company is William Frisbie. The students threw the pie tins to each other for fun because they
actually flew pretty well.
1948 – Fred Morrison researched how to make a flat object fly straighter and further, and thus
the first patent for a flying disc toy was born (Flying Saucer).
1951 – The first mass-produced disc toy, called the Pluto Platter, was sold.
1957 – Frisbie Pie’s closed down. Yale students nicknamed the infamous pie-tins Frisbies, which
caught on enough for Whamo to change the name of the toy to “Frisbee.”
1966 - The invention of Ultimate, also known as "Ultimate Frisbee," occurred within a year of
the first mechanical patent on a flying disc, by Ed Headrick.
1968 – In Maplewood, New Jersey at Columbia High School Joel Silver and few other
students first introduced a Frisbee-based game to the student council.
1969 – The first team had been formed. They practiced on the high schools parking lot.
1970 – Joel Silver, Buzzy Hellring, and Jon Hines created the 1st edition rules. The first
interscholastic game took place between Columbia High and Millburn High. Columbia won 43 –
10
1972 – First intercollegiate game between Rutgers and Princeton, located at Rutgers University.
Exactly 103 years earlier the two teams battled it out on the same site in the first American
Football game. Rutgers won in both sports by a margin of two points.
1975 – First organized tournament took place. Eight teams attended at Yale University. Rutgers
won yet again.
1979 – Ultimate Players Association (UPA) was founded, now called USA Ultimate.
1983 – The First World Ultimate Championship which was located in Gothenburg, Sweden.
1984 – The World Flying Disc Federation was founded, the international governing body for all
disc sports.
1989 – Ultimate was shown as an exhibition sport during the world games in Akita, Japan.
2001 – Ultimate is officially a medal sport in the world games in Japan.
2012 – Over 100,000 players across the globe.
Present – Almost every college has some presence of Ultimate Frisbee, whether it be an official
team, club, or people that just meet up to play. Local town leagues are popping up everywhere
and many high schools are starting to add Ultimate into their athletic programs. Ultimate
Related companies are on the rise attempting to earn market share in the rapidly expanding
market. Who knows where Ultimate will be in another 80 years. Just respect the spirit of the
game and never stop playing, the rest is history.

Ultimate in 10 Simple Rules

1. The Field
A rectangular shape with end zones at each end. A regulation field is 64 m long by 37 m wide,
with end zones 18 m deep.
2. Starting Play
Each point begins with both teams lining up on the front of opposite end zone lines. The
defense throws (“pulls”) the disc to the offense. A regulation game has seven players per team.
3. Scoring
Each time the offense catches a pass in the defense’s end zone, the offense scores a point. The
teams switch direction after every goal, and the next point begins with a new pull by the team
that just scored.
4. Movement of the Disc
The disc may be advanced in any direction by completing a pass to a teammate. Players may
not run with the disc. The person with the disc (“thrower”) has ten seconds to throw the disc.
The defender guarding the thrower (“marker”) counts out the stall count.
5. Change of Possession
When a pass is not completed (e.g. out of bounds, drop, block, interception, stalled), the
defense immediately takes possession of the disc and becomes the offense.
6. Substitutions
Players not in the game may replace players in the game after a score and during an injury
timeout.
7. Non-Contact
Players must attempt to avoid physical contact during play. Picks and screens are also
prohibited.
 8. Fouls
When a player initiates contact that affects the play, a foul occurs. When a foul causes a player
to lose possession, the play resumes as if the possession was retained. If the player that the foul
was called against disagrees with the foul call, the play is redone.
9. Self-Officiating
Players are responsible for their own foul and line calls. Players resolve their own disputes.
10. Spirit of the Game
The foundation of the rules in ultimate is Spirit of the Game, which places the responsibility for
fair play on the player. Competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of respect
between players, adherence to the rules, and the basic joy of play.

The Rules and Regulations

THE GAME
Ultimate Frisbee is a fast moving, competitive, non-contact sport played by two
eight-man teams. The sport has a great deal of freedom and informality implicit
in the rules. Primary use among these is the spirit of sportsmanship, which
enables the honor system to be effective.
The object of Ultimate Frisbee is to gain points by scoring goals. The Frisbee
may only be passed, and a goal scored when a player successfully passed the
Frisbee to a teammate in the end zone, which that team is attacking. The team
with the most points is declared the winner.
EQUIPMENT
Individual players may wear almost any aids they wish, including hats, gloves, or
helmets, as long as they do not endanger the safety of any other player. For
example, shoes with cleats are permissible, but ones with sharp spikes are not.
No player may carry any sort of stick, bat, or racket.
PLAYING FIELD
The playing field may have any surface whatsoever, including grass, asphalt,
sand, snow, or the wood of a gymnasium floor. The main playing field for the
official Ultimate Frisbee game 64 m long and 37 m wide. Both end
zones are 37 m wide and 18 m deep. If a pass is completed outside the
lateral boundary, it is considered incomplete and the defensive team gains
possession of the Frisbee. In order to be considered in-bounds, a player must
land with both feet touching the inside or on the boundary line. Should the
Frisbee land outside the lateral boundary, it is returned to play on the main field
at the point where the Frisbee went out of bounds. The player throwing the
Frisbee in-bounds must have one foot on the line.
OFFICIALS
Self-officiated.
TIME
A game of Ultimate Frisbee lasts 40 minutes of playing time divided into 20-
minute halves. Half-time lasts for five minutes. The clock starts after every
throw-off when the receiving team touches the Frisbee. The clock stops after
every goal, at the end of each period of play, for time-outs, injuries, and on
every whistle that lasts two minutes of the game. The clock starts when the
Frisbee is thrown in or when both teams are ready to resume, and play continues
at the location of the Frisbee when the play stopped.
Each team is permitted two time-outs per half and one overtime period, each
lasting two minutes. Time-out may be called by either team after a goal and
before the ensuing throw-off. A team must be in possession of the Frisbee in
order to call a time-out during play.
In the event of a tie at the end of regulation time, there will be an overtime
period lasting five minutes. The captains flip a coin to determine which team will
throw-off. If there is no winner at the end of overtime, overtimes are continued
until the tie is broken at the end of one.
THROW OFF
Play begins with the throw-off. The captains of the two teams flip a coin to
determine which team will throw or receive, or choice of goal. The teams shall
alternate throw-offs at the beginning of each period. All players must be on or
behind their own goal line until the Frisbee is released. The receiving team must
stand on their own goal line without changing relative position.
A player on the goal lone throws the Frisbee towards the other team. As soon as
the Frisbee is released, all players may cross the goal lines. No player on the
throwing team may touch the Frisbee in the air before it is touched by a member
of the receiving team.
The receiving team may catch the Frisbee or allow it to fall untouched to the
ground. If a member of the receiving team successfully catches the throw-off,
that player has possession at that point. If the receiving team touches the
Frisbee and fails to catch it, the team which threw-off gains possession of the
Frisbee where it is stopped. If the Frisbee is allowed to fall untouched to the
ground, the receiving team has possession where it is stopped.
If the Frisbee goes out-of-bounds before crossing the goal line, the receiving
team makes the immediate decision of: 1) gaining possession at the point the
Frisbee went out-of-bounds, or 2) having the Frisbee throw-off again. If the
Frisbee goes out-of-bounds after crossing the goal line, the receiving team gains
possession on the goal line at the nearest corner.
Each time a goal is scored, the teams switch direction of their attack, and the
team, which scored throw-off on the signal of the receiving.
THE PLAY
The team, which has possession of the Frisbee, must attempt to move the
Frisbee into position so that they may score a goal. A player may propel the
Frisbee in any way he wishes. The Frisbee may never be handed from player to
player. In order for the Frisbee to go from one player to another, it must at
sometime be in the air.
No player may walk, run, or take steps while in possession of the Frisbee. The
momentum of the receiver, however, must be taken into consideration. Should a
player takes steps obviously not required to stop, play stops, he returns to the
point where he gained possession, and play resumes when both teams are
ready.
The player in possession may pivot on one foot, as in basketball. The thrower
may not change his pivot foot. Only one player may guard the person in
possession of the Frisbee and must be two yards away from the thrower. The
Frisbee may not be wrenched from the grasp of an opposing player, or knocked
from his hand.
The defensive team gains possession whenever the offensive team’s pass is
incomplete, intercepted, knocked down, or goes out-of-bounds. A rolling or
sliding Frisbee may be stopped by any player, but may not be advanced in any
direction. After the Frisbee is stopped, no defensive player may touch it.
Possession is gained at the point where the Frisbee is stopped. Any member of
the team gaining possession of the Frisbee may throw it.
A player may catch his throw only if the Frisbee has been touched by another
player during its flight. Bobbing to gain control is permitted, but tipping to one’s
self is not allowed.
ENDZONES
Any time a team gains possession in the end zone which they are defending, the
player may choose to resume play where the Frisbee is stopped, or at the goal
line. A player may carry the Frisbee up to the goal line provided that he
approaches it perpendicularly. The player may not pass the Frisbee as he
approaches the goal line. If a team gains possession in the end zone, which it is
attacking, the Frisbee is carried perpendicularly to the goal line, and play
resumes immediately from the goal line.
FOULS
A throwing foul is called only by the player fouled. It is defined as any physical
contact between offensive and defensive player sufficient to deter the flight of
the Frisbee. Contact occurring during the follow-through is not sufficient
grounds for a foul. If the pass is completed, the foul is automatically declined,
and play proceeds without stopping.
A foul is also called when physical contact occurs as a result of the offensive or
defensive players playing the man instead of the Frisbee. This includes pushing,
grabbing, kicking, clipping, holding, submarining, etc.
When a player is fouled, play stops, player gains possession at the point of the
infraction. Play continues when both teams are ready. Should a foul occur in
the end zone, possession is regained at the goal line.
A stalling violation occurs when a player guarded by another player holds onto
the Frisbee for ten seconds. If the Frisbee has not been released at the end of
the count it is turned over to the defense at that point.
SCORING
A goal is scored when an offensive player has two feet in the end zone after
receiving a pass from a teammate. A player in possession may not score by
running into the end zone. The team that scores receives one point.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Substitutions can be made only: 1) after a goal and before the ensuing throw-off, 2) to replace
an injured player, or 3) after periods of play 4) Substitutions.
On the 7th defensive foul of each half, the Frisbee will be automatically advanced
to the defensive goal line. In the event that time has expired, one additional
possession will be awarded to the offended team.
Fouls by the offense will result in loss of possession.
Offensive Strategy
 Vertical Stack – this is an offensive strategy in which players line up vertically in the middle of
the field. This gives them space on each side of the vertical stack in which to run to in order to
catch the Frisbee.
Horizontal Stack – there are several ways to play this offensive strategy. A basic one is to have
four cutters lined up evenly spaced horizontally across the field. In this setup, there are three
handlers also lined up horizontally where they can move the disc side to side until a play
develops. Cutters can cut in pairs with one coming in towards the thrower and the other cutting
away towards the end zone.
Defensive Strategy
Man-to-man defense (aka Man D) – This is a defensive strategy, where defensive players select
a specific person to play defense against for the entire point. People usually line up against the
person they want to guard on the other side of the field.
Zone defense (aka Zone D) – There are many different ways to play this defensive strategy.
Everyone must work together to make this defense work. Zone defense is most effective on
windy days and it is designed to make the short offensive game more challenging.

Ultimate Frisbee Positions

 Handlers - A handler in ultimate frisbee is someone who has good disc skills.
They will be responsible for fielding the pull, keeping possession of the disc, and
running the offense.
 Cutters - A cutter is someone who will typically be downfield of the disc and the
handlers. When the pull comes, cutters need to get downfield and start
preparing to cut for the disc.
 Poachers - camping out on the field, usually in a cutting lane, rather than playing
tight defense on the cutter the defender is supposed to be guarding.