Editing Ultimate frisbee (section)

==Rules==
[[File:Ultimate field WFDF rules.jpg|thumb|360x360px|WFDF Ultimate playing field]]
A point is scored when one team catches the disc in the opposing team's end zone.

Each point begins with both teams lining up on the front of their respective end zone line. Standing beyond the end zone line before the disc is thrown by the defense (a "pull") to the offense is known as an "offsides" violation. A regulation grass outdoor game has seven players per team. In mixed ultimate, the teams usually play with a "4-3" ratio, meaning either 4 men and 3 women or 4 women and 3 men will be playing. The offensive end zone dictates whether there are more men or women. This end zone is called the 'gen-zone', short for gender zone.

Each point begins with the two teams starting in opposite end zones. The team who scored the previous point are now on defense. The teams indicate their readiness by raising a hand,  and the team on defense will throw the disc to the other team. This throw is called a "pull". When the pull is released, all players are free to leave their end zones and occupy any area on the field. Both teams should not leave the end-zone before the pull is released. Thus, the defending team must run most of the field length at speed to defend immediately, and a good pull is designed to hang in the air as long as possible to give the defending team time to make the run.
To score goals, the players of each team try to get the possession of the flying disc (without making physical contact with players), pass it from one teammate to the other, and keep it away from the opponents till it is carried all the way towards their (opponents’) end zone or goal area. Each end-zone lies at each end of the court.<ref name="rulesofplaying.com">{{Cite web|date=2020-05-08|title=Ultimate Frisbee Rules {{!}} A Complete Players Guide 2020|url=https://rulesofplaying.com/ultimate-frisbee-rules/|access-date=2020-09-29|website=Rules of Sports|language=en-US}}</ref>

The player holding the disc must establish a pivot point (i.e. they cannot run with the disc, just step out from a single point). They must establish a pivot at "the appropriate spot" on the field (where they caught the disc, or as soon as possible after slowing down). The player can also catch and throw the disc within three steps without establishing a pivot.<ref name="DiscDish.org">{{cite web|url=https://discdish.org/ultimate-frisbee-rules|title=Ultimate Frisbee Rules|date=May 25, 2021|work=DiscDish.org|access-date=May 25, 2021}}</ref> A violation of these rules is called a "travel". The disc is advanced by throwing it to teammates. If a pass is incomplete, it is a "turnover" and the opposing team immediately gains possession, playing to score in the opposite direction. Passes are incomplete if they are caught by a defender, touch the ground (meaning defenders need only knock the disc out of the air to gain possession), or touch an out-of-bounds object before being caught. The first body part to touch the ground is the one considered for bounds, which means a player may catch the disc and 'toe the line', or put a foot down, before falling out of bounds. However, if a player jumps from in bounds, catches, and then throws the disc while in the air and technically out of bounds, the disc is still in play and can be caught or defended by players on the field. This feat of athleticism and precision is highly praised, and dubbed "Greatest." Once possession of the disc is obtained, however, it cannot be forced out of the throwers possession before it leaves their hand. A common infraction of this nature is called a "strip", in which one player feels that they had enough possession of the disc to stop its rotation before it was taken out of their hand.

Ultimate is non-contact. Non-incidental, play-affecting, or dangerous physical contact is not allowed. Non-incidental contact is a foul, regardless of intent, with various consequences depending on the situation and the league rules. Incidental contact, like minor collisions while jumping for the disc or running for it, can be acceptable, depending on the circumstances. Parameters like who has the "right" to the relevant space, who caught the disc etc. will determine whether a foul has been committed or not. Attitudes can vary between leagues and countries, even if the letter of the rule remains the same.

Contact is disallowed for both defence and offence, including the defender marking the offensive player with the disc, and there are further restrictions on positions this defender can take in order to minimize incidental contact.<ref name="USAU Rules">{{cite web |url=https://www.usaultimate.org/rules/|title=Rules of Ultimate|date=August 1, 2010|work=USAUltimate.org|publisher=[[USA Ultimate]] |access-date=August 7, 2019}}<!--Alternative URL: http://www.usaultimate.org/resources/officiating/rules/default.aspx --></ref>

Defending against the person who has the disc is a central part of the defensive strategy (colloquially "marking"). The defensive "marker" counts aloud to 10 seconds, which is referred to as "stalling". If the disc has not been thrown when the defending player reaches 10, it is turned over to the other team. "Stall" can only be called after the defender has actually counted the 10 seconds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wfdf.org/files/WFDF_Rules_of_Ultimate_2017_-_FINAL_-_31_Dec.pdf|title=9. Stall count |website=Wfdf.org |access-date=January 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628163127/http://www.wfdf.org/files/WFDF_Rules_of_Ultimate_2017_-_FINAL_-_31_Dec.pdf |archive-date=June 28, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In order for the "mark" to be considered as counting all the way to ten, the thrower must throw the disc before the mark is able to say the "T" in the word ten. If the mark is accused of counting too fast (called a "fast-count"), then the thrower can call a violation, in which the mark then has to subtract two seconds from their previous stall count and slow their counting. There can only be one player defending in a {{convert|3|meter}} radius around the person who has the disc unless that player is defending against another offensive player. The marker must stay one disc's diameter away from the thrower and must not wrap their hands around the thrower, or the person with the disc can call a foul ("wrapping").

In ultimate, there is no concept of intentional vs. unintentional fouls: infractions are called by the players themselves and resolved in such a way as to minimize the impact of such calls on the outcome of the play (sometimes resulting in "do-overs" where the disc is returned to the last uncontested possession), rather than emphasizing penalties or "win-at-all-costs" behavior. If a player disagrees with a foul that was called on them, they can choose to "contest" the infraction. In many instances, a conversation ensues between both parties involved in the foul, and a verdict is determined as to whether the disc will be returned and a "do-over" will commence, or if the person guilty of the foul has no objections to the call. A common infraction, intentional or not, is a "pick" where the offense (or your own team member even) is somehow in the way of your pursuit of your "check" in man-to-man defense. This only applies when you started within 10 feet of your "check" and the game play is stopped so that the players involved go back to where the "pick" occurred. The integrity of ultimate depends on each player's responsibility to uphold the spirit of the game.
Ultimate is predominantly self-refereed, relying on the on-field players to call their own infractions and to try their best to play within the rules of the game. It is assumed that players will not intentionally violate the rules and will be honest when discussing foul calls with opponents. This is called Spirit of the Game, or simply Spirit.<ref name="USAU Spirit" /> After a call is made, the players should agree on an outcome, based on what they think happened and how the rules apply to that situation. If players cannot come to agreement on the call's validity, the disc can be given back to the last uncontested thrower, with play restarting as if before the disputed throw. Coaches and other players on the sidelines cannot make calls, however they may inform players of specific rules in the case of a contested call. Players on the sideline may also be asked for their view, as they often have "best perspective" to see what happened.

A regulation outdoor game is played 7&nbsp;{{abbr|vs.|versus}}&nbsp;7, with [[Substitution (sport)|substitutions]] allowed between points and for injuries. Games are typically played to a points limit of 13/15/17 or more, or a time limit of 75/90/100 minutes. There is usually a halftime break and an allowance of two timeouts per team each half.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.usaultimate.org/resources/officiating/rules/11th_edition_rules.aspx|title=11th Edition Rules |website=www.usaultimate.org|language=en|access-date=2018-09-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://rules.wfdf.org/rules/2017/26-20-time-outs|title=20. Time-Outs|work=WFDF Rules of Ultimate|access-date=2018-09-09 |language=en-gb}}</ref>

A regulation field is {{convert|100|meters}} by {{convert|37|meters}}, including end zones each {{convert|18|meters}} deep.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ultimate |url=http://www.wfdf.org/sports/ultimate |work=Wfdf.org |access-date=September 13, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://usaultimate.org/rules/#appendix_a |title=Rules of Ultimate &#124; USA Ultimate |date=July 13, 2020 }}</ref>

Competitive ultimate is played in gender divisions using gender determination rules based on those of the IOC.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wfdf.org/news-media/news/press/2-official-communication/789-wfdf-approves-transgender-athlete-policy|title=WFDF approves transgender athlete policy|last=Bernardi|first=Volker|website=www.wfdf.org|language=en-gb|access-date=2018-09-19}}</ref> Different competitions may have a "men's" or an "open" division (the latter usually being extremely male-dominated at competitive levels, but technically unrestricted). Mixed is officially played with 4 of one gender and 3 of the other, but variants exist for different numbers. Men's, women's, and mixed ultimate are played by the same rules besides those explicitly dealing with gender restrictions.

===Rulebooks: USAU, WFDF, UFA===
{{Expand section|with=the actual differences|date=January 2018}}

Some rules vary between North America and the rest of the world.
More significant rule changes were made in the Ultimate Frisbee Association pro league games.

Most differences are minor and they can be found online.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wfdf.org/downloads/cat_view/26-rules-of-play/32-ultimate |title=Downloads &#124; Ultimate &#124; Rules of Play |work=Wfdf.org |access-date=March 1, 2017}}</ref> USAU rules have been slowly shifting toward WFDF compatibility.<ref>{{cite web |archive-date=2020-03-17 |url-status=dead  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317101640/https://www.usaultimate.org/resources/officiating/rules/2020_2021rules.aspx |title=2020-2021 Official Rules of Ultimate |url=https://www.usaultimate.org/resources/officiating/rules/2020_2021rules.aspx |access-date=2022-06-28 |website=USAUltimate.org}}</ref>

====UFA rule changes====
The [[Ultimate Frisbee Association]] (UFA), the semi-professional ultimate league with teams in the U.S. and Canada, has its own variant of the rules, and has made multiple rule changes in recent years. Some of the more important include:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://theaudl.com/rules|title=Rules - The AUDL|website=Theaudl.com|access-date=January 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171217045157/http://theaudl.com/rules|archive-date=December 17, 2017|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
* Slightly larger field dimensions.
* Shorter, 20-yard end zones.
* In WFDF, games are played to {{var|X}} points with two halves and global time caps. In the UFA, the game is played in four quarters of 12:00 minutes each. The counted times is only when the disc is in actual play, resulting in games lasting over two hours at times. The game stops on the timed second, rather than at the end of the point. At this point the disc is still allowed to be caught, which can result in "buzzer beater" or "in-bound Greatest" attempts, where players attempt to throw the disc right before the time ends.
* Referees making calls instead of players. Players may invoke the "integrity rule" and overrule the referees' call when the players call is against their own team.
* Most fouls are penalized with a 10- or 20-yard move of position against the fouling team.
* Double-teaming is allowed, but not triple-teaming.
* Stall count is 7 seconds instead of 10 seconds.
* Stall count is counted by the referees rather than the marking player.