The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Rules and info for playing Ultimate
grungebox
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I decided to join an open ultimate league for the next few weeks, though I can barely throw a damn frisbee. I've read a lot and watched a lot of YouTube videos, but I still have a LOT of stupid and some not-so-stupid questions. I'll just enumerate them and hopefully the H/A community can answer what they can. I'm assuming a lot of these have simple answers.
1) Stacks. When I played last week I kept getting yelled at for not "stacking up" or whatever. I've tried looking up info, but I'm still a little fuzzy. I get what a stack is, but all this "force" and "break force" stuff is kind of confusing. . Who breaks, who cuts, and why do some do one and some the other? Who cuts/breaks first, the person closest to the disc handler person (if I just say handler is that normal)?
2) Um...do I call it a frisbee or disc?
3) Why do I tap the disc before they start? Is that like checking the ball in basketball?
4) Do I sub out after every point, even if I was only in for two minutes before the point was scored? We have more around 16 people on the team, and play 7 at a time, so I know I should sub out at times, but I'm not sure of the proper behavior.
5) What's this counting off business you do before someone throws the frisbee? Not when you're defending someone, but when "pulling" the team I was on kept counting from 1 to 7. I sort of gathered it was who you wanted to defend, but what's the protocol? Can I just shout "2" whenever I want to if that's who I want to guard?
6) Is there an easy way to practice throws if I don't have someone to practice with (during the week, for example)? I have a tendency to throw the disc way over people, especially with my newly-learned forehand, so I need to learn some repetition but don't know too many people that are free to practice with me everyday.
7) Can I catch the disc if I threw it (let's say the defender knocked it back towards me)?
Sorry about all that...it's been so long since I actually tried to learn a new sport, I forgot how difficult it is to get the nuances. I can't imagine how hard it'd be to, say, try and learn basketball or baseball at 26.
1) Stacks. When I played last week I kept getting yelled at for not "stacking up" or whatever. I've tried looking up info, but I'm still a little fuzzy. I get what a stack is, but all this "force" and "break force" stuff is kind of confusing. . Who breaks, who cuts, and why do some do one and some the other? Who cuts/breaks first, the person closest to the disc handler person (if I just say handler is that normal)?
2) Um...do I call it a frisbee or disc?
3) Why do I tap the disc before they start? Is that like checking the ball in basketball?
4) Do I sub out after every point, even if I was only in for two minutes before the point was scored? We have more around 16 people on the team, and play 7 at a time, so I know I should sub out at times, but I'm not sure of the proper behavior.
5) What's this counting off business you do before someone throws the frisbee? Not when you're defending someone, but when "pulling" the team I was on kept counting from 1 to 7. I sort of gathered it was who you wanted to defend, but what's the protocol? Can I just shout "2" whenever I want to if that's who I want to guard?
6) Is there an easy way to practice throws if I don't have someone to practice with (during the week, for example)? I have a tendency to throw the disc way over people, especially with my newly-learned forehand, so I need to learn some repetition but don't know too many people that are free to practice with me everyday.
7) Can I catch the disc if I threw it (let's say the defender knocked it back towards me)?
Sorry about all that...it's been so long since I actually tried to learn a new sport, I forgot how difficult it is to get the nuances. I can't imagine how hard it'd be to, say, try and learn basketball or baseball at 26.
Quail is just hipster chicken
grungebox on
0
Posts
Fuck yeah! Ultimate is great. I'd be happy to help!
Stacks: A stack is just a line of people. Its a lot easier to get open if everyone gets in a line first, and then makes a cut into open space. Otherwise, you just have people running around in a cluster fuck.
Force: A force is a defensive position take to make the offensive player throw it to a certain side of the field. For example, most people throw a frisbee with a backhand motion. However, if you stand on that side of them, they'll have a great deal of trouble making a throw that way. This leads to people throwing what's called a "flick." You might want to force on the opposite side depending on the way the wind is blowing.
Breaking a force: Breaking a force is when an offensive player throws on the side of the field that you weren't intending him/her to throw. For example, if you are forcing against a backhand, and the offensive player somehow throws a backhand, thats called breaking the force. This usually gives the offense a huge advantage.
Cutting from the stack: This all depends on your team. Some people cut from the front of the line, some from the back. Just ask someone where the cuts are starting from. (yes saying handler is proper).
Ive heard people that play ultimate call it a disc, while those who don't play usually only know it as a frisbee. Call it a disc.
Its sort of like checking the ball in basketball. Its not done all the time though, its usually a courtesy that the offense allows the defense when everyone's getting set up.
Nothing's set in stone about this. Sub out whenever you're tired.
Counting off: This is to assign the man/woman you are guarding. (Men usually guard men, women usually guard women). Let's say you match up well with the person thats 5th in line (counting from left to right). You would wait until its time to say 5, and say 5 to claim that person as your "man." Its best to count in order.
I doubt you'd get much out of throwing a disc to yourself. Sorry, catch is a 2-player game.
yes.
I suppose you could get a stack of discs and just practice throwing them at a target, then collecting them and throwing them the other way.
Be hella boring though.
A few more questions, mostly about stacks. Let's say our team says that people should generally cut from the front and break from the back. Let's say I'm at the front of the stack (assume front means closest to the handler). Okay, so I cut towards the handler, but because I suck I'm not really open. Do I go back in the stack, and if so where? The middle? If I'm not very good nor fast should I default to being the middle guy in the stack so I have the opportunity to cut less often? If any of you could make a quick diagram in Paint or whatever that might be helpful; the Wiki diagram doesn't show any arrows for motion and such.
Yeah, we did subbing this way when we played during practice. Otherwise, play a couple points and then call for someone to come in. Just don't be that douche who somebody has to come in and ask to GTFO.
As for the stacking:
I assume you mean that people are coming off the stack from both the front and the back (i.e. the front people cut to evade the defender from the front, and the people in the back go long.) In that case if you come off the front you should cut, then if you are not open run toward the side of the field that is controlled. Drawing a diagram:
(We are assuming that the handler is right-handed and that the defense is forcing forehand (flick))
O is offense, X is defense
People in the stack cut >>>>>>> this way O X O X O X O >>>> X X O handlerO X O X O X O <<< when you get here and you are marked, go back left and up and get in the middle X X O handlerO X O X you>O X O X X O handlerThose diagrams suck but maybe you get the idea. Again, this is for if people are going from the front and the back. If they're going just from the front, then get in the top (back) of the stack.
If you make a cut and you're not open, run out and to the back of the stack (kind of make a big loop). You want to get out of the way of the people behind you who are making cuts. Also, peak over your shoulder to see if someone just passed the disc to someone on your side of the field. A lot of people dog on defense as you're heading back to the stack, and sometimes you can make a break long if your defender isn't paying attention.
In an ideal stack, the first and second guys making cuts will get a pass, then the middle guys are making a cut to get the pass from them, and the guy in the back is breaking long in case someone gets open and can make a long throw. You keep that cycle going as you work down the field. That's a little over-simplified, but that's the general idea.
There are flash diagrams on www.upa.org somewhere or other that show the flow I'm describing (they used to have a page with coaching resources or something). If you're interested lots of cities have rec leagues where you can learn a lot of this stuff too.
Thanks. I actually already the local rec league for the summer; they're open to newcomers, but there's not much in the way of instruction. Hence all the questions.