Frequently Asked Questions

A: Ultimate is a non-contact team sport that involves passing a frisbee, also called a disc, down a playing field to an end zone.

A: No. Many players pick up the sport in high school, college, or even later. There will be lots of people with the same age and skill level as you.

A: "Ultimate in 10 Simple Rules", courtesy of USA Ultimate:

1. The Field: A rectangular shape with end zones at each end. A regulation field is 70 yards long by 40 yards wide, with end zones 20 yards 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.

A: Join a team. Good starting points are school teams and local recreational teams. Other options include attending pick-up games (a casual, scheduled gathering of people to play Ultimate games), learning to play at camps and clinics, and signing up with a local league.

If you don’t know where to start, look online, ask a friend who plays Ultimate, connect with a local coordinator, or check out the resources below.

USA Ultimate Learn to Play Program

Where To Play Ultimate in the US Spreadsheet

A: The number of hours you are expected to put into a team really depends on what type of team it is. High school teams usually practice about 3-4 times a week, for about 2 hours at a time, whereas a recreational team might only meet weekly for a few hours.

The number of practices a club team will vary greatly -- some might meet monthly, or some might meet every week. Because team members for youth club teams are usually few and far between, most teams will take into consideration the commute for its players and create their practice schedule accordingly.

A: Right now, all tryouts are postponed due to COVID-19. Hopefully, the Ultimate season can resume in the spring or fall of 2021.

A: Ultimate is a self-officiated game that follows a concept called “Spirit of the Game” (SOTG). SOTG is the idea that all players on the field know, administer, and follow the rules of Ultimate.

Click here to learn more.

A: Girlx can participate in teams of both divisions. Open division teams are generally only-boyx/only-girlx teams, however girlx can participate in Open boyx teams as well. Mixed/Co-ed teams require at least 3-4 girlx in a 7 person line-up, and often have a more even gender balance than Open teams.

A: The spring/summer season is usually played in Open teams (girlx and boyx playing separately). The rest of the year is usually the Mixed/Co-ed season.

A: Club Ultimate teams generally require more time commitment, a higher skill level, and attendance at more games/tournaments than recreational (or “rec”) Ultimate teams.

School-run Ultimate teams compete with other school teams in their district, and vary in their level of intensity. In areas with a strong Ultimate community, high schools might have A and B (like varsity and junior varsity) teams, where the A team usually consists of high-level players and upperclassmen, and the B team feeds into the A team. If you are just starting out with Ultimate, you might first want to check out a local school or rec team.

A: The average team size is 12-18 players. A regulation game has seven people per team on the playing field. In less formal games, the number of people starting on the end zone line can vary, as long as the numbers on both sides are equal.

A: A large water bottle, sunscreen, snacks, and cleats (soccer, football, or softball cleats will work). Most teams will ask you to bring a white t-shirt and a dark t-shirt (gray is not preferred unless it's very dark) to use as jerseys. If you have any discs, bring those as well.

More info on tryouts on our Tryouts and Throwing page.

A: Being able to throw a forehand and a backhand are useful skills to have before tryouts. However, don’t worry if your throws aren’t very accurate or far. Your coach will work with you and your teammates on throwing techniques throughout the season.

Check out this video to learn how to throw a backhand.

Check out this video to learn how to throw a forehand.

More info on throwing on our Tryouts and Throwing page.

A: If you have cleats, make sure to bring them. Most Ultimate players use soccer cleats, but some also wear either football or softball cleats.

Here’s a good starter pair from Amazon: Adidas Women’s Golletto VII FirmGround Cleats

A: You can buy discs both online and in stores. Although most disc brands will work for Ultimate, the standard “game disc” is a white Discraft 175 gram Ultra Star Sport Disc.

If you're looking to buy in bulk, Discraft sells discounted misprints of their discs that are functionally the same as any normal UltraStar.

A: Yes, mistakes are completely ok. You won’t be the only beginner at your tryout, and other people around you also aren’t going to be perfect.

A: Running endurance, consistent throws, sprinting speed, reading/processing the field, catching, and lots of resilience.