You must be logged in to access this page

The Sport of Ultimate



Ultimate combines elements of football, soccer and basketball to create a unique game that is over 40 years old and played all over the world. The game involves two teams trying to score by advancing a disc into their opponent's end zone (like football). Teams advance the disc by throwing it from teammate to teammate in any direction (like soccer). When the disc is caught, the receiver must establish a pivot foot before throwing (like basketball when you stop dribbling). To score, a team must throw the disc to a receiver in their opponent's end zone. The winner is decided by scoring a set amount of points before your opponent.

Here are some links to the rules of the game to help explain it to your friends.



What about Ultimate Frisbee? Ultimate started off as Ultimate Frisbee but is now officially called Ultimate. Frisbee is a trademark of Wham-O and the official Ultimate discs are made by Discraft.



Getting Started



Playing ultimate is easy. All you need are a few friends and a disc. End zones and lines can be marked by shoes, water bottles or whatever you've got handy. You may want to start out with some of the pickup games in the area. Check out this list of pickup games.

For more structured games, TFDA offers leagues year round as well as several tournaments. Join the TFDA Google group to receive timely information and announcements about ultimate playing opportunities in the Triangle.



Ready for More



Competitive ultimate is available for players of all shapes and sizes. The Ultimate Players Association offers a competitive series for club teams. Teams compete in one of four divisions: Open (for men), Masters (for men over 33), Women's, Mixed (co-ed). For information on local teams, check out the Teams page.



Know the Lingo



Break - refers to a player throwing through, around, or over the force by the defender.

Dump - refers to a short or backwards pass. The term may also refer to the offensive player who sets up to receive that pass.

Flick - forehand throw

Force - refers to defense when the defensive player wants to force a player to throw one way by denying the other options.

Handler - a player on the field who usually has good throws and is responsible for running the offense. This person will normally throw, or handle, the disc more than others on the field.

Huck - a long throw down the field

Ho-stack - short for horizontal stack, refers to an alignment of offensive players on the field

No-break - term used on defense to indicate to the defender guarding the thrower to hold their force and not let the thrower break the mark.

Poach - refers to the situation when a defender has moved away from their assigned offensive player leaving the offensive player open. Poaching can be part of a defensive strategy to disrupt offensive flow by clogging throwing lanes or helping out other defenders.

Stack - refers to an alignment of offensive players on the field (usually vertical)

Up - a call made by players on the field to indicate the disc has been thrown when defenders may not be watching the thrower. Normally used when the throw is a huck.

Zone - refers to a defensive strategy where defenders guard areas on the field instead of individual players



For more information, check out the following links:

Last updated January 8, 2010
TFDA Board President: Christian Schwoerke Board Member: Troy Revell
Vice President: Ben Greene Board Member: Jake Bonenberger
Secretary: Trey Askew Board Member: Alan Hoyle
Treasurer: Josh Murphy

TFDA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit: IRS Tax #56-2038555.
719 W. Cornwallis Rd., Durham, NC 27707.