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 Athletic abilities are required for catches like these.
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Have you ever played frisbee? Yes. Have you ever played frisbee as a sport? WHAT? Frisbee is not a sport. Is it? It is to the growing group of teens and colleges who are playing Ultimate Frisbee. Ultimate is like a constant football game with no contact, where players vie to score a touchdown by advancing to the
end zone through a series of throws and catches. Once the frisbee is dropped or intercepted, the other team takes over. Frisbee players vie on a 40 yd. by 70 yd. field, with 25 yd
end zones. Players, once they catch the frisbee, cannot move, and then must throw the frisbee within the 10 "counts" or seconds of catching it. Players may only take 3 momentum steps after catching the frisbee.
Ultimate Frisbee, however corny and lame it sounds, is a tough but fun sport to learn. The many different types of throws require much skill in the arm, and catching the frisbee with defenders trying to knock it down is an athletic challenge as well. Frisbee is also an exhausting sport to play. Running up and down the field constantly, where one drop of the frisbee means another sprint in the opposite direction, demands endurance and speed. Height and jumping ability are also factors, for the higher a player gets, the more likely he can catch the frisbee.
Throwing a frisbee may sound easy, but throwing a frisbee to a moving target with a defender is not so easy. The wrist snap and release point are critical; the thrower cannot use too much wrist or arm, because if the throw is not perfect, the frisbee will not fly straight, and will be knocked down by the opposing team. Properly leading a running teammate is a skill that is through experience and practice, as is learning the different methods of throwing. Throwing "backhand" is how most people throw a frisbee, using their writing arm to swing to the opposite side of the body and release in front. But Ultimate allows a blocker to stand in front of the thrower, and only throwing from one side of the body leads to easy blocks. Therefore, many good throwers learn how to throw "forehand", using their right arm to throw from the right side of their body, or their left arm from the left. This type of throw is very difficult to learn, as is the overhead or "tomahawk" throw.
Catching is an art in frisbee, and many players showboat by catching one handed or between legs. Because throwers can throw football field distances, catchers must be alert and tall. They also must be able to judge how the frisbee curves. Many a time a small player judges the frisbee better and catches it over a taller player. Catchers who are tall and stay on the offense, never coming back to play defense are called "cherry pickers".
Frisbee is a game of smarts and skills that is sweeping the nation. Already colleges are organizing leagues, and the UPA (Ultimate Players Association). The UPA has a standard set of rules, and has information about how to join a team or league in your area. Frisbee is a fun sport to play and has captured the minds of many teens around the nation. Instead of thinking of a ball and hoop after school, teens are beginning to picture flying discs soaring in the air.
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