What is ultimate

Ultimate frisbee

Ultimate is a team sport played with a disc. It is played on grass, indoor or on a beach. Divisions include mixed (co-ed), women and open (mainly men).

Basic rules

Two teams of seven players (when playing on grass) or five players (when playing indoor or on a beach) each compete to score as many points as possible, limited by a time or a point cap. The field is rectangular with an end zone marked at each end of the field. Each team defends one end zone. A point is scored when a player catches the disc in the end zone.

Players cannot run with the disc. Once a player catches the disc, they need to stop and pass the disc to another player. If the disc touches the ground, the opposite team takes possession of the disc. Defensive players try to intercept the disc or knock it on the ground in order to get in possession of the disc. Ultimate is a non-contact sport.

An important aspect of ultimate is the Spirit of the Game. There are no referees and the players themselves are responsible for following the rules and calling any violations. Therefore fair mindedness and positive attitude are crucial in the game and are highly valued in the ultimate community.

Ultimate is played with a plastic disc (‘frisbee’), typically one weighting 175 g, but according to the rules any flying disc acceptable to both captains may be used in an ultimate game.

Read more about the basic rules at the WFDF website.

Ultimate field



Ultimate has of course its own vocabulary. Discover those ultimate words.