Ultimate Rules Insights

1: In or Out?

• The line is always out.
  • The sidelines are not part of the pitch, they are “out of bounds” and the endzone line is not part of the endzone.

• Disc: if the disc touches anything that is out of bounds (e.g. a spectator, the wall) then it is out and a turnover results.  In this case the disc is brought back into play on the sideline at the point where it went out.

• Catching on offence: your first “point of contact” after catching the disc is in or out.

• This means that if, immediately after a catch, any part of you touches anything that is out of bounds (the line, ground, wall, a tree) you are out.
• If your first point of contact is in but your momentum then carries you out of the pitch, you must return to the point where you went out before continuing play.
• This also means that if you land with one foot in and one out (“straddling”), you are out.

• Catching on offence: Who decides?
  • The “player with the best perspective” makes the call.  This is when the honesty required by Spirit comes in.  I recommend that if you are sure that your first point of contact was in or out then you decide, if not then ask the nearest players (one from each team if you can) and respect their judgement.
  • Don’t forget to shout clearly so that the rest of your team know what is happening!

• Throwing on Offence: Your pivot foot must be touching inbounds.
  • So you can pivot or reach out of the pitch so long as your pivot foot is touching the inbounds (and doesn’t move!)

• On Defence: you do not have to be inbounds to touch the disc.
  • If you are out of bounds when you get a block then your team gains possession from the nearest point on the pitch (not were it went out)

• To bring the disc back in play when it has gone out you must bring the disc to the point on the pitch where it went out (or nearest to the point were a defender touched it) and place your pivot foot at this point.  There is no need to wait for the defence or to ‘check’ the disc in any other way.

• If the disc goes out in the endzone then you must bring it to the nearest point (in a straight line) on the front of the endzone.
  • This means that if it went out the side of the endzone you must take it to the front corner of the endzone.