Ultimate frisbee game day warm up

A good ultimate frisbee game day warm up takes about 25 minutes and ends with the team ready for the first pull, not just loose. Start with a few minutes of jogging and dynamic movement, throw in pairs, run a short drill with a mark, finish with a few hard sprints and cuts, and use the last few minutes to set your lines and agree on the force. If the team arrives at different times, start the throwing with whoever is there and fold people in as they come.

The ultimate frisbee game day warm up, step by step

Begin with movement rather than static stretching: a couple of easy laps, then leg swings, lunges, skips, shuffles and backpedals across the width of the field. Ultimate is full of sprints, sudden stops and changes of direction, so the warm up should build toward those movements gradually.

Then throw in pairs, starting close and moving apart. Get both forehands and backhands in, and include a few throws with a pivot rather than standing square. Ten minutes of throwing is plenty if it is focused; it is easy for this part to drift into chatting while the clock runs.

Before the first point, the team should have thrown against a mark at least once. A three person mark drill does this in a few minutes: one player throws, one marks and counts, one receives, and everyone follows the disc into the next role. The marks get used to holding the force and counting, and the throwers get used to pivoting against someone.

Finish with a few short sprints and two or three cuts at game pace, with a throw at the end of each. The last thing players do before the pull should be close to the speed of the game.

Lines and playing time

A rec team usually ends up with two or three lines, depending on how many people turn up. Build each line around a player who can throw, so every point starts with someone who can handle the disc, then spread your fastest players and your best defenders so no line is much weaker than the others. If you play mixed, place the women first and fill in the men around them; the mixed ultimate ratio rules article explains why.

Lines are a starting point, not a rule for the whole game. People arrive late, someone gets tired or hurt, and a line that looked even on paper turns out not to be. Rotating through the lines in order keeps playing time roughly even, and when you have to swap someone, swap them for the player who has played the most points rather than whoever is standing closest.

Calling the force

Before each point, someone on the line calls the force, and everyone repeats it. A team that agrees on the force before the pull knows which side the mark is taking away and where the downfield defenders should stand. If you haven't picked a force yet, force forehand is the usual starting point.

Running it with Playspedia

Playspedia's team tool covers the parts of game day that are hard to keep in your head. Players mark themselves in or out through a shared link, so you know who is coming before you set lines. On the day you check in who arrived, pick from your saved lines and swap players for that point, and fair shift suggestions show who is due a turn. If your team plays mixed, it also tracks the ratio for the next point. You can set up your team here.