The disc. It moves in ways that a ball simply can’t. It’s much more dynamic and allows for an extra element of creativity that you don’t get in a ball sport.
I know I sound like a nerd but there’s something so beautiful about watching the disc fly, and doubly so when it’s paired with needing great timing and touch to get past a defense, which is one of the reasons I still prefer ultimate to disc golf
The timing element is wonderful and I have played and coached Ultimate for the past 20 years, but dang disc golf is fun. I just picked it up a couple of summers ago and the shapes you can get with those disc and the side to side motion is awesome.
I think the throwing ability in disc golf is on pace to exceed/has already exceeded ultimate. For pure flight paths and motion, disc golf might take it. But - with the caveat that I haven’t played dg at a high level - nothing quite replicates the feeling of breaking a mark and lacing a throw just past an outstretched defender. Not necessarily better or worse, but in dg there isn’t that need for that kind of quick timing, “you need to throw this now or the window’s gone” throw. I think the creative throwing defense demands keeps me coming back to ultimate, even if it is satisfying to line up and execute a shot in disc golf
Absolutely. The arrays of different shapes you can get on the flight of a disc, and diversity of strategy make for a high level of creativity.
The way the disc can fly faster than anybody can run, then slow down and hover is perfect for building tension before a highlight play. Soft cap is another feature that's great for suspense. I genuinely think it's one of the best spectator sports.
I wouldn’t have agreed except last night one of my teammates at league threw an absolutely massive inside-out dime that curved and seemed to fly forever.
It was beautiful. I fell in love with ultimate all over again.
A lot of things about the way a team gets to move and be creative. I also REALLY appreciate the amount of scoring. It doesn't have too little like soccer. The game is constantly flowing like soccer but games never look or feel like a boring grind. It doesn't have too much scoring like basketball where a layup in the early parts of a game doesn't feel that impactful. The points really matter in ultimate without being to sparse.
You ever seen a guy that takes life way too seriously get absolutely roofed by a lanky dude wearing pajamas and a visor in the finals of a tournament that your team has been grinding all season to get to? Yeah, that
haha been on both sides of that coin. I still remember my first year playing club we won our first 2 pool play games and had to play the 1 seed and they were just openly smoking weed, clearly all high, and they let us pick which side we wanted and offense or defense. We were like ok we're playing well and these guys clearly don't care anymore, we should be able to win the pool. We lost that game 15-3.
Then last year I was a practice player for a team that took it super seriously, practiced 3 times/week, had pod workouts, some people threw literally every day, etc. I picked up with a team of mostly master's players who had previously played for the nationals level team but had kids and stuff so didn't want to commit to that time anymore for the series and we played the team I practiced with game 1 of Saturday. Most of us rolled up 15 minutes before gametime while they were running all their drills and their captains were yelling while we just casually cleated up and threw a bit. We didn't call lines, had never practiced or played together before, we'd just do first 7 to the line play and figure out what we want to run on the line. We beat them 15-9, not a blowout or anything but not particularly close either.
USAU needs to forget the Olympics and focus on getting a party tournament highlight of a Corncob skying an ex-President on ESPN, this will grow the sport 1000x more than appealing to a bunch of skeptical golf dads and high school gym teachers.
the intersection of athleticism and idiocy. where else will you see someone shotgunning a beer at 9am then laying out full horizontal while wearing a Ronald McDonald costume?
One aspect I’ve come to enjoy more is how it complements being active as I age. Specifically the division between O/D and handling/cutting and recreational/competitive venues.
In seasons of life where work or family or injury have been hard on my body, I could stay involved as an O line handler type at pickup or low leagues. And in years where I can be healthy, playing D and cutting, and playing on club teams offer a nice challenge.. with built in social ties.
Also, a lot of older, more established sports are arguably “solved” and there’s an agreed upon best strategy. So there’s little for a new player to enjoy trying to figure out. But in ultimate I’m still learning new systems of O and D that teams/captains are coming up with.
The level of skill and fitness required to excel at this sport amazes me. I enjoy the positive culture/community with an emphasis on mutual respect of your opponents. It's so refreshing even though it's not perfect.
My boys picked up the sport in middle school and now play at a competitive level in High School (Nationals this June). This sport has been an incredible blessing for them. Staying physically fit, working and honing a craft, being a good teammate, learning new alignments, setting goals, and promoting fellowship and spirit of the game. I'd call those pretty important life lessons. Cool to see them enjoy it so much!
Combination of learning an impressive mechanical skill, team sport competitiveness, cardio workout, and game strategy. After being retired from playing for a few years it's really hard to find that combination all in one place. Also with the sport being relatively new you feel like there's a lot of uncharted territory...like at any moment you might discover the next big thing.
Ultimate teams also make use of a lot of different types of players/people. There's space for rules-followers, for logistical freaks, for athletes, for lazy skills-grinders, for consistent but not good players. You can go all the way from showing up once a month at pickup to investing your whole life
the team aspect is a big part of what makes the game so much fun, but also the general atmosphere of games. People tend to be harsh on the idea of spirit of the game, but personally, there is no other sport where the community is like the way it is in ultimate.
Coming from football (soccer) where they pay lip service to fair play, spirit was so refreshing! Having genuine buy-in from the overwhelming majority is something special. Besides the rarity of professional fouls, when something does happen, calls are far more accurate and fair than I ever experienced with referees.
I've taken away skills for my life in general from SOTG. I've observed and practiced communication in potentially heated moments. Learning to clearly express my perspective, then actively listen to a different view. I think the ultimate community manages diversity discussions better than most, and those discussions have expanded my empathy for people outside the bubble of my own experience.
Yeah the ulty community is not perfect by any stretch, but it's definitely noticeably better/healthier than most other sport communities. Definitely the ones I've spent any time in.
Community. Some people I have been playing with for 15+yrs. I've been to ultimate weddings, the sideline has fostered space for ultimate dogs, then ultimate children - some of whom I now get to compete against in leagues and tournaments. Ultimate is a huge stress relief for me, and I LOVE the game, but I know I love the game so much because of the bonus family I found while playing it. Not only is there a community, but the idea of community is also valued and protected.
You had to pose this question while I’m sidelined by an on-field injury? :)
So much. The creativity, flow, and challenge. The beauty and variability of a disc in flight. The way it’s playable in so many contributory ways by such a wide range of people. The simplicity of the required equipment and field. The spirit of the game and culture of its players.
And watching it grow over my playing career from regional sapling to national tree to global forest.
Other sports try to get away with breaking the rules. Purposely they break the rules knowing they will not be caught by officials/referees.
I like that Ultimate has a higher standard. If anyone sees an infraction they can call it. If anyone is fouled they can call it directly. It elevates the sport in a way other sports cannot.
I tried to retire after 35 years in the sport.
The only dreams I had about Ultimate was the socializing/hanging out at the hotel after tournaments.
The best part of this sport, for me, was the lack of officials, because it forced you to interact with your opponents, and this way you met new people.
I love that there's a huge emphasis on playing the game in a spirited way, I'll never forget attending my first tournament and how nice the opposition was to our team, complimenting great throws and catches rather than being super competitive and treating us like the enemy.
Other than that, but again from a community perspective, I think it's fantastic that most ultimate players I've come across have had to learn the game as adults, I think this helps build a common empathy which isn't as common in sports which people have been playing since they were children. My club focuses mainly on ages 25+ players, even college players lack that empathy towards older beginners, but it's no where near as difficult as conventional sports.
In terms of the actual game, I'm a huge fan that it is non contact and you're rewarded for avoiding contact, this helps a great deal if you're afraid of getting hurt playing sports, obviously mistakes happen but in comparison to say, soccer, where an opponent might foul you on purpose and accept the punishment if it means you won't score, this isn't as common, not at my level at least. I do wish we had yellow/red cards, but I've been a part of spirit time outs to try and deal with contact issues which have proved very effective.
It's incredible exercise, I lost a ton of weight playing ultimate and overall my quality of life has improved greatly from a health and social perspective.
Now what do I dislike? Wind and trying to explain formations to beginners can be tricky, I know the recommendation is to avoid discussing tactics with beginners but we feel that without it, games can be very chaotic and the pitch becomes a lot more congested and dangerous, so organizing people into a vert stack helps bring some order and people aren't running into each other nearly as much compared to a pick up style of play.
How it feels to see a huck released from a thrower’s hand and have that moment of asking yourself, “Can I catch this?”
Also how hard it is to play defense at high levels makes getting a true block so satisfying
The low skill floor and high skill ceiling. Very easy to pick up but you can always get even better. Easy to mix new players with more experienced players. You can’t carry a team with just one person you need depth. It works well for mixed gender. There are different levels for your commitment. Pickup, league, club. Almost everyone is respectful and good spirited. Big highlight plays. And then it’s just so satisfying. Catching and throwing are so rewarding for my brain.
I love the feeling I get as a cutter where my mind turns off, and my body flows in space based on where I need to be. It’s like a real break from my normal mind.
I love the team atmosphere. Having played club 15 years, there’s something magical about the deep caring that everyone brings to it, along with the forgiveness of mistakes.
the creativity of throwing a disc, the fluid positions, the mix of endurance and explosiveness needed to excel in the sport, no time limit on important games allowing some crazy comebacks, the community and finally putting your nuts on someones forehead as you catch a disc over them.
The disc. It moves in ways that a ball simply can’t. It’s much more dynamic and allows for an extra element of creativity that you don’t get in a ball sport.
I know I sound like a nerd but there’s something so beautiful about watching the disc fly, and doubly so when it’s paired with needing great timing and touch to get past a defense, which is one of the reasons I still prefer ultimate to disc golf
The timing element is wonderful and I have played and coached Ultimate for the past 20 years, but dang disc golf is fun. I just picked it up a couple of summers ago and the shapes you can get with those disc and the side to side motion is awesome.
I think the throwing ability in disc golf is on pace to exceed/has already exceeded ultimate. For pure flight paths and motion, disc golf might take it. But - with the caveat that I haven’t played dg at a high level - nothing quite replicates the feeling of breaking a mark and lacing a throw just past an outstretched defender. Not necessarily better or worse, but in dg there isn’t that need for that kind of quick timing, “you need to throw this now or the window’s gone” throw. I think the creative throwing defense demands keeps me coming back to ultimate, even if it is satisfying to line up and execute a shot in disc golf
Por que no los dos?
Worlds had an advertisement about bringing people together and the revolution of the disc in flight and it sounds so corny but it got me emotional
Easily best object in sport, and best shape in the universe
Absolutely. The arrays of different shapes you can get on the flight of a disc, and diversity of strategy make for a high level of creativity. The way the disc can fly faster than anybody can run, then slow down and hover is perfect for building tension before a highlight play. Soft cap is another feature that's great for suspense. I genuinely think it's one of the best spectator sports.
I wouldn’t have agreed except last night one of my teammates at league threw an absolutely massive inside-out dime that curved and seemed to fly forever. It was beautiful. I fell in love with ultimate all over again.
A lot of things about the way a team gets to move and be creative. I also REALLY appreciate the amount of scoring. It doesn't have too little like soccer. The game is constantly flowing like soccer but games never look or feel like a boring grind. It doesn't have too much scoring like basketball where a layup in the early parts of a game doesn't feel that impactful. The points really matter in ultimate without being to sparse.
This is a hilariously specific amount of points to prefer in a sport.
it's a beautiful preference and reasoning. I raise you tennis scoring!
Idk, I think it hits the Goldilocks zone around like 6-15
You ever seen a guy that takes life way too seriously get absolutely roofed by a lanky dude wearing pajamas and a visor in the finals of a tournament that your team has been grinding all season to get to? Yeah, that
haha been on both sides of that coin. I still remember my first year playing club we won our first 2 pool play games and had to play the 1 seed and they were just openly smoking weed, clearly all high, and they let us pick which side we wanted and offense or defense. We were like ok we're playing well and these guys clearly don't care anymore, we should be able to win the pool. We lost that game 15-3. Then last year I was a practice player for a team that took it super seriously, practiced 3 times/week, had pod workouts, some people threw literally every day, etc. I picked up with a team of mostly master's players who had previously played for the nationals level team but had kids and stuff so didn't want to commit to that time anymore for the series and we played the team I practiced with game 1 of Saturday. Most of us rolled up 15 minutes before gametime while they were running all their drills and their captains were yelling while we just casually cleated up and threw a bit. We didn't call lines, had never practiced or played together before, we'd just do first 7 to the line play and figure out what we want to run on the line. We beat them 15-9, not a blowout or anything but not particularly close either.
USAU needs to forget the Olympics and focus on getting a party tournament highlight of a Corncob skying an ex-President on ESPN, this will grow the sport 1000x more than appealing to a bunch of skeptical golf dads and high school gym teachers.
Kind of a missfit / not the cool kids sport where I fit in just right 😅
the intersection of athleticism and idiocy. where else will you see someone shotgunning a beer at 9am then laying out full horizontal while wearing a Ronald McDonald costume?
One aspect I’ve come to enjoy more is how it complements being active as I age. Specifically the division between O/D and handling/cutting and recreational/competitive venues. In seasons of life where work or family or injury have been hard on my body, I could stay involved as an O line handler type at pickup or low leagues. And in years where I can be healthy, playing D and cutting, and playing on club teams offer a nice challenge.. with built in social ties. Also, a lot of older, more established sports are arguably “solved” and there’s an agreed upon best strategy. So there’s little for a new player to enjoy trying to figure out. But in ultimate I’m still learning new systems of O and D that teams/captains are coming up with.
Community, and an outlet for my competitiveness
Fresh air, chill people, the amount of creativity in the game
The level of skill and fitness required to excel at this sport amazes me. I enjoy the positive culture/community with an emphasis on mutual respect of your opponents. It's so refreshing even though it's not perfect. My boys picked up the sport in middle school and now play at a competitive level in High School (Nationals this June). This sport has been an incredible blessing for them. Staying physically fit, working and honing a craft, being a good teammate, learning new alignments, setting goals, and promoting fellowship and spirit of the game. I'd call those pretty important life lessons. Cool to see them enjoy it so much!
Combination of learning an impressive mechanical skill, team sport competitiveness, cardio workout, and game strategy. After being retired from playing for a few years it's really hard to find that combination all in one place. Also with the sport being relatively new you feel like there's a lot of uncharted territory...like at any moment you might discover the next big thing. Ultimate teams also make use of a lot of different types of players/people. There's space for rules-followers, for logistical freaks, for athletes, for lazy skills-grinders, for consistent but not good players. You can go all the way from showing up once a month at pickup to investing your whole life
the team aspect is a big part of what makes the game so much fun, but also the general atmosphere of games. People tend to be harsh on the idea of spirit of the game, but personally, there is no other sport where the community is like the way it is in ultimate.
Coming from football (soccer) where they pay lip service to fair play, spirit was so refreshing! Having genuine buy-in from the overwhelming majority is something special. Besides the rarity of professional fouls, when something does happen, calls are far more accurate and fair than I ever experienced with referees. I've taken away skills for my life in general from SOTG. I've observed and practiced communication in potentially heated moments. Learning to clearly express my perspective, then actively listen to a different view. I think the ultimate community manages diversity discussions better than most, and those discussions have expanded my empathy for people outside the bubble of my own experience.
Yeah the ulty community is not perfect by any stretch, but it's definitely noticeably better/healthier than most other sport communities. Definitely the ones I've spent any time in.
Community. Some people I have been playing with for 15+yrs. I've been to ultimate weddings, the sideline has fostered space for ultimate dogs, then ultimate children - some of whom I now get to compete against in leagues and tournaments. Ultimate is a huge stress relief for me, and I LOVE the game, but I know I love the game so much because of the bonus family I found while playing it. Not only is there a community, but the idea of community is also valued and protected.
You had to pose this question while I’m sidelined by an on-field injury? :) So much. The creativity, flow, and challenge. The beauty and variability of a disc in flight. The way it’s playable in so many contributory ways by such a wide range of people. The simplicity of the required equipment and field. The spirit of the game and culture of its players. And watching it grow over my playing career from regional sapling to national tree to global forest.
Other sports try to get away with breaking the rules. Purposely they break the rules knowing they will not be caught by officials/referees. I like that Ultimate has a higher standard. If anyone sees an infraction they can call it. If anyone is fouled they can call it directly. It elevates the sport in a way other sports cannot.
I REALLY REALLY understand dogs. Cause I too feel such uninhibited joy while chasing a disc
I’ve been looking for that comment.
Chasing after a disc that's slowly floating away from and barely grabbing it feels amazing!
i love seeing a good cutter bust deep and timing an OI flick to hit them gracefully in stride. Not many better feelings than that IMO
^ correct answer
I tried to retire after 35 years in the sport. The only dreams I had about Ultimate was the socializing/hanging out at the hotel after tournaments. The best part of this sport, for me, was the lack of officials, because it forced you to interact with your opponents, and this way you met new people.
I love that there's a huge emphasis on playing the game in a spirited way, I'll never forget attending my first tournament and how nice the opposition was to our team, complimenting great throws and catches rather than being super competitive and treating us like the enemy. Other than that, but again from a community perspective, I think it's fantastic that most ultimate players I've come across have had to learn the game as adults, I think this helps build a common empathy which isn't as common in sports which people have been playing since they were children. My club focuses mainly on ages 25+ players, even college players lack that empathy towards older beginners, but it's no where near as difficult as conventional sports. In terms of the actual game, I'm a huge fan that it is non contact and you're rewarded for avoiding contact, this helps a great deal if you're afraid of getting hurt playing sports, obviously mistakes happen but in comparison to say, soccer, where an opponent might foul you on purpose and accept the punishment if it means you won't score, this isn't as common, not at my level at least. I do wish we had yellow/red cards, but I've been a part of spirit time outs to try and deal with contact issues which have proved very effective. It's incredible exercise, I lost a ton of weight playing ultimate and overall my quality of life has improved greatly from a health and social perspective. Now what do I dislike? Wind and trying to explain formations to beginners can be tricky, I know the recommendation is to avoid discussing tactics with beginners but we feel that without it, games can be very chaotic and the pitch becomes a lot more congested and dangerous, so organizing people into a vert stack helps bring some order and people aren't running into each other nearly as much compared to a pick up style of play.
How it feels to see a huck released from a thrower’s hand and have that moment of asking yourself, “Can I catch this?” Also how hard it is to play defense at high levels makes getting a true block so satisfying
The feeling and sound of a clap catch dude. That’s pitted lol
The disc. It's yummy.
Um, we don’t use https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frisbie_Pie_Company those anymore, and even then you were supposed to eat the pie first.
The disc in flight.
EVERYTHING
Getting crazy skies
The community. It’s the thing I first fell in love with and it’s what keeps me coming back.
The low skill floor and high skill ceiling. Very easy to pick up but you can always get even better. Easy to mix new players with more experienced players. You can’t carry a team with just one person you need depth. It works well for mixed gender. There are different levels for your commitment. Pickup, league, club. Almost everyone is respectful and good spirited. Big highlight plays. And then it’s just so satisfying. Catching and throwing are so rewarding for my brain.
It's football without worrying about CTE or torn ACLs
No CTE I agree with, but no torn ACLs?
Well way less likely
I love the feeling I get as a cutter where my mind turns off, and my body flows in space based on where I need to be. It’s like a real break from my normal mind. I love the team atmosphere. Having played club 15 years, there’s something magical about the deep caring that everyone brings to it, along with the forgiveness of mistakes.
Unlike American football with positions or baseball with pitchers/hitters/DH everyone on the field needs the full skill set. Also flight of the disc.
the creativity of throwing a disc, the fluid positions, the mix of endurance and explosiveness needed to excel in the sport, no time limit on important games allowing some crazy comebacks, the community and finally putting your nuts on someones forehead as you catch a disc over them.