A Look at Ultimate Frisbee and Its Rules

Adam Porcher currently studies computer science at Mercer County Community College in New Jersey (NJ), where he has also participated in theater productions that include Lady Windermere’s Fan and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Outside of his academic pursuits, Adam Porcher also enjoys outdoor activities that include hiking, swimming, and ultimate Frisbee.

A non-contact sport, ultimate Frisbee features two teams of seven players that attempt to move the Frisbee down a rectangular field and score goals. Goals are scored by passing the Frisbee to a teammate in the opposing team’s endzone. 

Each ultimate Frisbee team must also abide by a number of rules. Players are not allowed to run with the Frisbee. Instead, they can only move it by completing passes to teammates. Moreover, the player with the Frisbee only has ten seconds to make a pass, or the possession switches to the opposing team. Ultimate Frisbee is also a non-contact sport, and sportsmanship and fair play is expected. Any contact with an opposing player results in a foul, which is called by the players themselves.

Understanding Ultimate Frisbee’s Spirit of the Game Philosophy

Adam Porcher is a computer science student at Mercer County Community College and member of its Academic Theatre Company. When he isn't studying or performing in theatre productions, Adam Porcher enjoys playing Ultimate Frisbee.

The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) is the governing body of Ultimate Frisbee as well as other similar sports such as disc golf and discathlon. As such, the WFDF sets the official rules of the sport and approves or denies any proposed changes. One of the unique aspects of the sport is that it doesn’t use a referee to enforce its rules; instead, it operates under the Spirit of the Game philosophy in which players are responsible for upholding the rules of the game and conducting fair play practices. The philosophy is used not only in a recreational setting, but also at the highest level of competition.

The philosophy was adopted during the earliest Ultimate Frisbee games and maintained a core element of the sport as it grew in popularity. Players are encouraged to treat their opponents as they would a close friend and trust that they would do the same. In regard to playing the game within the rules, players on both teams are expected to make fair and honest calls.