Cambridge Idiots' edition of the Rules of Ultimate

Unfortunately on some of the points discussed in this document, the UPA rules differ from the WFDF rules, and the UPA rules are the ones I looked at. However, in Europe I am told that WFDF rules are normally used. I've indicated these differences but I am not sure I have caught all of them.

The aim is to save you the hassle of reading through all the rules to find the rules that you don't know.

Contents:

• Picks
• Checks
• Fouls

Picks

• Whether you should carry on playing the disc, if it is in the air.
  (YES if you don't know that the pick was called *before* the throw [wfdf], YES always [upa])
• What happens then, if the pass is incomplete / complete to the picking offensive player / complete to another offensive player.
  ([wfdf] Once the play is completed you figure out if the pick call was before or after the throw. IF it was BEFORE the throw, then play should have stopped, and the disc should not have been thrown, and the disc *always* goes back to the thrower, whether or not the pass was incomplete. IF the pick call was AFTER the pass was thrown then: incomplete pass or interecepted pass -> turnover; complete pass -> back to thrower; UNLESS the pick call was irrelevant to the play (e.g., the pass went to another offensive player in another direction), in which case the completed pass stands, and play resumes with a check.) ([UPA] Any incomplete pass is a turn-over; complete passes go back to thrower unless the play was unaffected by the pick.)
  
• Whether it matters that the disc was thrown before or after the pick call.
  (NO [UPA]) (YES [wfdf] -- see above)

404.14 C - you can call a pick.
404.17 A - play is stopped, continued with a check back at thrower.
404.17 B - Only continue if disc is in the air when pick called and
           team who called foul gain advantage.

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    404.14.  Positioning:
        A.  Right to Position:
          Every player, with the exception of the thrower as set forth in
          section 404.10(B), is entitled to occupy any position on the field
          not occupied by any opposing player, provided that he does not cause
          personal contact in taking such a position.
        B.  Avoiding Contact:
          It is always the responsibility of all players to avoid contact in
          any way possible.  Violent impact with legitimately-positioned
          opponents constitutes harmful endangerment, is a foul and must be
          strictly avoided.
        C.  Picks:
          No player may establish a position, or move in such a manner, so as
          to obstruct the movement of any player on the opposing team.  In the
          event of a pick, the obstructed player shall immediately call,
          "pick" loudly.  Play shall then be stopped and be resumed only after
          a check, with the stall count resuming from the point of
          interruption or to five if the count is over five.  The continuation
          rule applies only to the next catch after the pick call.
        D.  Principal of Verticality:
          All players shall have the right to the space immediately above
          them.  Accordingly, a player cannot prevent an opponent from
          attempting to catch a pass by placing his arms above an opponent.
          If a player so places his arms, and contact occurs, a foul may be
          called.
        E.  Playing the Disc:
          Whenever the disc is in the air, all players shall play the disc in
          lieu of the opponent.
        F.  Rights of Players Off the Ground:
          A player who has jumped is entitled to land at the same point
          without hindrance by opponents.  He may also land at another point
          provided the landing point was not already occupied at the time of
          his takeoff and if the direct path between the takeoff and landing
          point was not already occupied at the time of takeoff.

------------------------------

    404.17.  Stoppage of Play:
        A.  General:
          Whenever an infringement of the rules or a time-out occurs, play is
          halted and the disc is put back into play with a check at the point
          of the last possession before play was stopped, except as otherwise
          provided by these rules.
        B.  Play Continuation Rule:
            (1)
              If a foul, violation or pick is called while the disc is in the
              air, play continues until possession of the disc is gained.
            (2)
              If the team who would receive the benefit of the call gains
              possession as a result of a pass committed prior or during the
              time the call was made, play shall continue unhalted.  It is the
              responsibility of the player who made the call to call out,
              "play on" to indicate that this rule has been invoked.
        C.  Disputes:
          Whenever there is a failure to come to an agreement over any call,
          the disc shall be returned to the last thrower prior to the dispute
          via a check.
        D.  Offsetting Fouls:
          If offsetting catching fouls are called by offensive and defensive
          players on the same play, the disc shall be returned to the last
          thrower at his point of possession via a check.

3. Picks: 
    A. No player may establish a position, or move in such a manner,
        so as to obstruct the movement of any player on the opposing
        team; to do so is a "pick.
    B. In the event of a pick, the obstructed player must immediately.
        call "Pick" loudly; play stops and is resumed after a check,
        *unless the continuation rule [XIX-2] applies.*
              . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
2. *Continuation Rule: 
    A. Disc In the Air 
           1. If a foul, violation, or pick is called while the
              disc is in the air, the play is always completed. 
           2. If the team which called the foul, violation, or
              pick gains possession as a result of that pass
              (e.g., an incomplete pass following a
              traveling violation, or offensive foul),
              play continues unhalted. In this situation, players
              should call "play on." 
           3. If the pass is completed, but the defensive effort
              on the pass was affected by the violation (e.g. picks),
              the pass does not count and possession reverts back
              to the thrower. 
    B. Disc Not in the Air 
           1. If a foul, violation, or pick is called while the
              disc is not in the air, and a player attempts a pass
              before play has stopped, and the pass is incomplete,
              it is a turnover. 
           2. If a foul, violation, or pick is called while the
              disc is not in the air, and a player attempts a pass
              before play has stopped, and the pass is completed,
              the pass does not count, and possession reverts back
              to the original thrower.* 
    C. It is the responsibility of the player who made the call to
           call out "Play on" to indicate that this rule has been invoked. 
   3. If there is ever a failure to come to an agreement over any call,
           the disc reverts back to the thrower after a check.

   5. Any time the marker's count is interrupted by the call of a foul,
           violation, pick, or time-out, the count is resumed as follows: 

    Travel or Pick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . same or 5 if over 5

Always-complete-the-play rules with the Depends-on-who-received-it variation

If a D player intercepts the pass, that player receiving the disc should call `PLAY ON'.

Checks

Here's the rules

2. The following actions result in a loss of possession and a check:
A. If the marker's count reaches the maximum number;
B. If the disc is handed from player to player;
C. If the thrower intentionally deflects a pass to him/herself off another player;
D. If the thrower catches his/her own throw. However, if the disc is touched by another player during its flight it is considered a complete pass and is not a turnover.
Also, there is a check:
• after a pick [if `play on' is not called, and the disc is not turned over].
• after time-outs.
• when a player calls a time-out when they don't have one (thereby losing possession of the disc! eek!)
• After a foul or violation.

incomplete, intercepted, knocked down, or out-of-bounds passes.

This is what a check is:

4. The Check

A. When play stops, the player who was in possession retains possession.
B. All players must come to a stop as quickly as possible when play is halted, and remain in their respective locations until play is restarted.
C. The marker restarts play by *touching the disc in possession of the thrower. If the thrower attempts a pass before the marker touches the disc, the pass does not count regardless of whether it is complete or incomplete, and possession reverts back to the thrower.*

Does there have to be a check after the pull?

Note in particular this means that if you catch it in the endzone and bring it up to the front line you just put your foot on the line, no check needed.

What if the pull's out of bounds?

If the throw-off lands out-of-bounds, the receiving team, before touching the disc, makes a choice of:

1. Putting the disc into play (NB, that doesn't involve a check) at the *nearest point on the playing field proper to where the disc crossed the perimeter line.*
2. Requesting a re-throw. To request a re-throw, any member of the receiving team must fully extend one hand above the head and call "Over." Once this re-throw signal is given, that throw-off can no longer be put into play.
3. Invoking the Middle#/Brick# Rule. *If the throw-off lands outside the field of play, the receiving team may choose to put the disc into play at the halfway between the two sidelines* #either at the point where the disc went out-of-bounds or at a point 10 yards upfield from the goal line they are defending.# To invoke the "middle#/brick# rule," the member of the receiving team who is going to receive the throw-off shall fully extend one hand above his/her head and call "middle" #or "brick".# The player must let the disc hit the ground. This is where it gets weird. On #such a# call, the offensive player may use a "self check," meaning he/she picks up the disc and the nearest defensive player says "in play." If the nearest player does not immediately say "in play," the offensive player may touch the disc to the ground and yell "disc in play."

So a check of some sort is needed after a middle / brick call. I don't understand why there is this apparent difference in the rules between `putting the disc in play' at the sideline (no check) and `self-checking' the disc when it's middled. Maybe it's because it's not clear where you are going to put the disc in play when you are wandering to the middle; whereas the sideline in-play location is unambiguous.

What to do when a foul is called? (and when may you call a foul?)

Here are the rules.

XVI. Fouls

 1. Fouls are the result of physical contact between opposing players.
  A foul can only be called by the player who has been fouled and
  must be announced by calling out the word "Foul!" loudly
  immediately after the foul has occurred.

 2. The player initiating contact is guilty of a foul.

 3. Throwing Fouls: 
  A. A throwing foul may be called when there is contact
      between the thrower and the marker. 
  B. Contact occurring during the follow through (after the disc
      has been released) is not sufficient grounds for a foul, but
      should still be avoided whenever possible. 
  C. When a foul is committed by a thrower or the marker, play
      stops and possession reverts back to the thrower after a
      check. 
  D. If the thrower is fouled in the act of throwing and the pass is
      completed, the foul is automatically declined and play
      continues without interruption. 
  E. If the marker is fouled in the act of throwing and the pass is
      not completed, play continues without interruption. 
 4. Catching Fouls: 
  A. A catching foul may be called when there is contact
      between opposing players in the process of attempting a
      catch, interception, or knock down. A certain amount of
      incidental contact during or immediately after the catching
      attempt is often unavoidable and is not a foul. 
  B. If a player contacts an opponent before the disc arrives and
      thereby interferes with that opponent's attempt to make a
      play on the disc, that player has committed a foul. 
  C. If a player's attempt to make a play on the disc causes
      significant impact with a legitimately positioned stationary
      opponent, before or after the disc arrives, *it is considered
      "harmful endangerment" and is a foul.* 
  D. Dangerous, aggressive behavior or reckless disregard for the
      safety of fellow players is always a foul. 
  E. If a catching foul occurs and is uncontested, the player fouled
      gains possession at the point of the infraction. If the call is
      disputed, the disc goes back to the thrower. *If an
      uncontested foul (with the exception of a force-out foul
      [XV-9]) occurs in the end zone, the player fouled gains
      possession at the closest point on the goal line to the
      infraction.* 

Summary of important points

• If a foul is called, play is meant to stop; but if you don't know who called the foul and why, you'd better play on, just as with a pick, because (for example) if you are a receiver, and the marker was fouled, then if the pass is incomplete, you lose possession. And play doesn't stop.

  IMO, this is a poor system. When you hear `foul' yelled, you can't tell which team has been fouled, so you can't tell if there is any point in injuring yourself making a spectacular play. When a pick is called, things are different. Everyone knows that the disc in the air has to be completed, else it is a turn-over. When a foul is called, you don't know. I think something needs to be changed. Either we need a different word for a foul inflicted on a D player and a foul inflicted on an O player. Or maybe the player who calls foul should only call foul loudly after the play has happened. I don't know.

• NB, Contact occurring during the follow through (after the disc has been released) is not sufficient grounds for a foul

  I get the impression the foul rule is abused by many high level O players, who call a foul because of a follow-through contact, thus getting a share option---get the disc back if the pass is incomplete, and try again.
  I like Derek's (of Stan) solution to this: allow the closest marker to be one metre away; then there'll be no throwing fouls.

• Another myth needs to be dispelled:

  Myth number 3987612:

  an uncontested foul on a receiver in the end zone counts as a goal scored by that receiver

  Wrong. The player fouled gains possession at the closest point on the goal line to the infraction.
  Otherwise the general principle is indeed that uncontested fouls are complete, and contested fouls go back to thrower.

What about travels?