Sunday, 4 September 2011

Ultimate





Traditional Ultimate

The USAU outdoor Ultimate field
By the rules of USA Ultimate, a standard game of Ultimate is played on a field 40 yards (37 m) wide by 120 yards (110 m) long, the length of which is divided into a 70-yard (64 m) playing field with 25-yard (23 m) end zones at each end. Play is with two teams with equal numbers of players, normally seven on seven though sometimes team sizes are smaller. Teams are permitted a maximum roster size of 27 players. InternationalWFDF rules use a field with smaller end-zones at 18 meters. In mixed Ultimate, at least 3 members of each gender must be on the field at a time.
Play begins with the defensive team (usually determined by flipping two discs, or by rock, paper, scissors) fully within their end zone and the offensive team lined up on their end zone line. The defensive team player throwing the disc raises a hand to signal readiness to begin play. A player on the receiving team raises a hand to signal their readiness to begin play. After both sides have signaled their readiness, the defensive team throws ("pulls") the disc to the other team to begin play. This is equivalent to a kickoff in American football, and happens to start each point. If a pull goes out of bounds then the receiving team has a choice of putting the disc in play at the point on the sideline that it went out-of-bounds, or at the center of the field nearest to where it went out of bounds, or at the "Brick Mark" in the center of the field 20 yards from the endzone line the receiving team is defending.
Once a player catches the disc or the disc is picked up, the player must come to a stop and have one foot planted as a pivot until he or she throws the disc to another player (hand-offs are not permitted). The player has ten seconds to pass the disc, and this "stall" count must be announced, one through ten, by a defensive player within 10 feet of the offensive player in possession of the disc. If the ten seconds expire without the offense successfully passing the disc this is a "stall", and the defensive team becomes the offensive team and takes possession of the disc at the spot the previous thrower was standing. Possession also reverts to the defense in the case where the offense doesn't complete a pass (or the pass is dropped by the offense or knocked down by the defense) or the defense catches a pass. In these cases the defense (now offense) takes possession of the disc at the point where the disc lies or where they came to a stop after catching the disc. If the offense makes a throw that goes out of bounds and stays out of bounds, the defense takes possession of the disc at the point on the sideline where the disc went out of bounds.
If a player physically interferes with an opposing player, a foul may be called. If the foul is caused by the defense and disrupts possession, in most cases the offense regains possession, the ten second count is reset, and play resumes. Because Ultimate is self-refereed, the player who committed the infraction is given the opportunity to contest or accept the call, with somewhat differing results depending on whether or not the player admits fault. If disagreement over a call cannot be resolved, in some instances the play will be repeated. Play is entirely continuous until a score is made, with the exception of stoppages for calls or injuries. Except for injuries, substitutions may be made only between points.
Goals are scored by a team successfully completing a pass to a player located in the defensive end zone. After a score, the teams switch their direction of attack, and the scoring team pulls. The game continues until either team reaches 15 points with a two-point margin over their opponents, or until either team reaches 17 points total. This can be adjusted by captains or tournament organizers. Tournament games are often to 13 to conserve time. A ten-minute halftime break occurs when either team reaches eight points total (after a team reaches 8 points at a 15 point game tournament). Alternatively, the game can be played (as is the custom for most other sports) until a particular time limit has elapsed. More commonly, the game is played for a given time, at the end of which a 'soft cap' is played: the winner is the team to reach a score one greater than the current highest score (i.e., the team in the lead has to score once, or the other team has to catch up, equalise, and then score once). Each team may call up to two 70-second time-outs per half. During play, time-outs may be called only by the player in possession of the disc. Any player may call a time-out in between points. Each team is allowed to call one and only one time-out once the score reaches 14-14.
Sportsmanship, respect for other players, fair play, and having fun are considered central aspects of play, even when competition becomes intense. This is called "spirit of the game."




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