Ultimate Frisbee from the Sidelines: An Introduction

breeze-vs-empire-52-group_huddle_crowd_850x425
DC Breeze huddle together in front of the crowd.

If you are a spouse, friend, parent, sibling, significant other, distant relative of an ultimate player or maybe you’re someone who just wants to know what all the hype is about, I’m here to help you understand the basics of Ultimate Frisbee from an outsider’s perspective. However, if you’re looking for advice on how to improve your technique or just learning the basics of how to play the game, I’m afraid I can’t help you here, but you might find what you’re looking for on the About Ultimate page.

As a journalism major, I have always been interested in reading and writing, but lacked athletic skill. Since I realized being physically fit was just not in the cards for me, I turned to dedicating my time to being an avid sports spectator; I enjoy following football, basketball, and baseball. However, I never would’ve guessed I’d become a fan of Ultimate Frisbee, but here I am. Between writing for DC Breeze and frequenting college games, I have developed a pretty good grasp on the sport as a whole.

I began following ultimate when my best friend from high school decided to leave soccer behind in favor of Ultimate. I have always been a supportive friend, but jokes about Frisbee being a game you play with your dog were unavoidable. How could the physical aspects of sports like soccer, football, track and field, and basketball even be compared to throwing a disc around a field?

Little did I know, Ultimate Frisbee is a demanding sport that requires conditioning, training and practice in order to succeed. It can be played year-round, although indoor ultimate is quite different than outdoor ultimate, and can be played at various levels. Pro Ultimate has different regulations than club- or college-level Ultimate. The terminology can be overwhelming at times, but there are plays, throws, and positions that resemble those of other sports. And, like every sport, the group of players is not only a team, but also a family. However, the Ultimate Frisbee community almost takes it to another level of camaraderie.

Throughout this series, I will go in depth relaying my personal experiences and interactions that I’ve had with the sport of ultimate and the community around it. And hopefully, I will save you years of trying to figure it all out on your own.

Stay tuned for the next installment of our From The Sidelines miniseries…

tyler_action_2016
Tyler Monroe chases down a disc vs NY during 2016 season

—————————————————–
[mc4wp_form id=”2350″]