Ultimate Frisbee? Wha?

Ultimate is a fun, fast paced game- kinda like a mix of soccer and football- but where players score points with a frisbee. Yeah, that's right. I said with a frisbee.

Two concepts fundamentally distinguish Ultimate from most other sports:

Spirit of the Game (SOTG) : Ultimate's number one rule is respect for your teammates and your opponents. As it says in the rules: "Such actions as taunting opposing players, dangerous aggression... or other “win-at-all-costs” behavior are contrary to the spirit of the game and must be avoided by all players."

Self-officiating: working with the concept of Spirit of the Game, Ultimate is a self-officiated sport. Even at the World Ultimate Championships, players still make their own calls on the field without the help of refs (although there are observers on hand at high-level games to help resolve disagreements).

Best of all - Ultimate is cheap! As I learned in my university days, all you ever really need to go to an Ultimate tournament is cleats and a pair of shorts. It's that simple.

Yeah but, how do you play?

To get a basic grasp of how Ultimate's played, here's the often touted Ultimate in Ten Simple Rules (lifted from USA Ultimate):

  1. The Field: A rectangular shape with end zones at each end. A regulation field is 70 yards by 40 yards, with end zones 25 yards deep.
  2. Initiate Play: Each point begins with both teams lining up on the front of their respective end zone line. The defense throws ("pulls") the disc to the offense. A regulation game has seven players per team.
  3. Scoring: Each time the offense completes a pass in the defense's end zone, the offense scores a point. Play is initiated after each score.
  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), 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: No physical contact is allowed between players. Picks and screens are also prohibited. A foul occurs when contact is made.
  8. Fouls: When a player initiates contact on another player a foul occurs. When a foul disrupts possession, the play resumes as if the possession was retained. If the player committing the foul 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: Ultimate stresses sportsmanship and fair play. Competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of respect between players, adherence to the rules, and the basic joy of play.

Got it. Where can I learn more?

USA Ultimate has a great reference area.
If you're looking for the full set of rules (the venerable 11th Edition) here.
And if you want to learn more about strategy and plays, check out the Ultimate Handbook