Spirit of the Game
Hello Aspiring Ultimate Frisbee Players!
As you are playing the usual games of Ultimate Frisbee at pickups etc, you realised that there are no referees around to ensure order in the game and correctly mete out punishment for players who flout the rules, or be like this referee over here:
This is because Ultimate Frisbee works on a principle that is called The Spirit of The Game. Simply put, it is of the the indivdiual player's responsibility to upload the code of conduct and to respect players in the game. It heavily focuses on the spirit of sportmanship as well. it is also what makes Ultimate Frisbee special as well, as it is the only game that I know that is self-refereed.
Being spirited during the game, according to the World Flying Disc Federation, includes:
1) Adhering to the rules
2) Having a positive attitude
3) Having self-control
4) Avoiding fouls and body contact
5) Being fair-minded and respectful
Most of the time, there are people that questioned this notion, as there are instances of bad spirit as well, shown in these videos:
As a player myself, I have experienced/observed a fair share of good and bad spirit during games of Ultimate Frisbee. They varied from the really good spirit such as commending good play, being patient about calls to the very bad spirit such as excessive body contact, making phantom calls and deliberating fouling players.
However, during a game, it is natural for one's judgement to be clouded due to fatigue and certain objectives that one have to fulfill. (such as winning the competition etc) However, it is still important to uphold the spirit of sportmanship as it is an unspoken rule even in other games as well, with or without a referee.
Bad spirit would always be present, same as other sports such as soccer (dives for penalties, career ending tackles). However, it takes a little bit more effort to make the game a better and beautiful one for everyone that is playng in it and it has to start from the very beginning when playing ultimate frisbee.
On the other, there are still players upholding good spirit during games such as these good-spirited fellows:
With all these players in the Ultimate Frisbee scene,
That's why the game of Ultimate Frisbee is still beautiful:)
This post would be the final post on the fundamentals of Ultimate Frisbee as you readers would have now become proficient in the game since you have regularly checked out this blog. From the next post onwards, I would talk more in depth about certain intermediate aspects of the game of Ultimate Frisbee, such as team dynamics, advanced throws etc:) so stay tuned!
