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bdrx's Ultimate Frisbee (Other)

[January 19, 2009 12:36:41 AM]

= Intro =

The white object quickly zooms over everyone’s head towards the opposite end of the field. “It’s moving much too fast, there is no way he is going to catch it!” All of a sudden, like a bullet, someone is seen sprinting full speed towards the white blur. Then the blur begins to slowly lose speed, and a visible white object is seen gliding just slowly enough for the sprinter to leap full force, dive, and catch the round disk before it touches the ground. "Amazing. Spectacular score!" Most likely you already guessed that a game is being played. You may also be familiar with this particular game, but if not this a game of Ultimate Frisbee.

= Setup and Rules =

Ultimate Frisbee is a team game which consists of two teams, a plastic disk (Frisbee), and a field. Simply stated, the goal of the game is to score more points than the other team (usually a game is played to 7 points). The field, like in football, consists of a playing field and two end-zones; in order to score, a player must catch the disk in the opposing team’s end-zone. The twist is that while a player is holding the disk, that player cannot move from his or her current spot; the disk must be thrown to another teammate in order to move towards the end-zone. If the disk is caught or knocked down by the other team then that other team gains control of the Frisbee.

= Game Play =

Ultimate Frisbee draws elements from the games of football, soccer, hockey, and basketball. The most unique element of the game is the fact that it uses a plastic concave disk rather than a ball. Because the disk essentially floats rather than having the speedy trajectory of a ball, even the most uncoordinated player can catch the Frisbee. The disk can also easily be thrown a long distance by even the most inexperienced player. However, just because anyone can catch and throw the Frisbee does not mean that a player has no room for improvement. Even the most experienced players can always get better by learning how to do trick throws to curve the Frisbee as well by perfecting the accuracy of throws. Another great characteristic of the game is the ability to play with both a few number of people and a large number. Typically games are played with about 7 players per team, but games can be played with less or with far more. These aspects combined with the simple rules create an easy game for anyone to start and continue playing.

First session:
The first game we gathered into a circle and split up into two teams of seven each. The game began by my team throwing the Frisbee off to other team (similar a kick-off in football). Since everyone present had played several times before and was very familiar with the rules, play started off quickly and the score was soon 4 to 2 with my team winning. Shortly after three more people showed up to play. Two already knew how to play, so each joined on a different team and let one player on each team take a break. The third person had never played before, so the people taking the break quickly explained the rules to him. After watching for a couple of points, he joined in the game--excited but a little wary. Although he made several small blunders at first and forgot which team he was on several times, he soon was playing up to par with everyone else and having a great time. We played until both teams lost track of the score and decided that the team that scored next would win. My team scored and then we all took a break.

Second session:
After a short rest new teams were created, and we started playing shortly after. Although we had rested, everyone was obviously weary; the passes were much sloppier, and easy catches were dropped. However, we played the second game for almost as long as the first and had a great time.

One of my favorite aspects of Ultimate Frisbee is that the game is fast paced and everyone is constantly involved. Even though only one person has the disk at a time, everyone on the offense team must be moving around trying to get open and watching for the Frisbee. Everyone on the defensive team also much be alert in order to force a turn-over. Another enjoyable element is that Ultimate Frisbee is a very socially interactive game which requires much teamwork and communication.

= Overall =

Not only is Ultimate Frisbee an exciting, fun game to enjoy with a group of friends, it is also a great source of exercise. Whether playing for the first time or for the thousandth time, the game is always a blast.

This entry has been edited 2 times. It was last edited on Jan 19th, 2009 at 00:45:39.