Handling Calls in Ultimate

Hello Ultimate Frisbee Players!

Apologies for the late post! I decided to take some time off to research on some interesting topics to be written for the upcoming posts for Ultimate Leh! Anticipate more insightful and helpful posts coming your way soon! However, to kick things off, 2015 Mixed Nationals have arrived!

Credits: Eric Lim S C

The Mixed Nationals marks the official start of the ultimate season for Singapore for mixed ultimate teams! It is a seeding tournament that would ultimately decide the teams that would play in the Singapore Ultimate Opens this August!

With ultimate tournaments, this situation always arises: The point has started, you made a catch and was about to execute a throw when someone makes a call. The play comes to a halt and the affected players would come together to discuss the call, whether it is contested or uncontested.

Credits: Eric Lim S C

It is true that calls disrupts the flow of game, and teams might use it to give them a second chance at defending the disputed play, which could have resulted in huge yardage gain or even a score that could very decide the game. There might be excessive amount of calls during the game that could frustrate even the seasoned players at times. Here are some advice for both side, whether you are making the call or being called, so as to minimise the disruptions that could unsettle you in an ultimate game

First, here are some usual grey areas that calls are often made:

Travel Calls

These calls are often hotly disputed as different players take different amount of time and distance to deccelerate to a stop. These calls might be made when players make a throw after a strike or sprinting.

Foul/Strip Calls

These calls often happen during an interception or when two players bid for a disc that is in midair, citing possible phyiscal contact or the offensive player has control of the disc when it was swatted away by the defensive player.

Credits: Eric Lim S C

Out of Bounds Calls

As fields in Singapore are often demarcated by just the cones, there are often times when out of bound calls might be made when a player catches a disc precariously close to the field lines.

Endzone Calls

These calls might be made near the endzone, citing that the player has not caught the disc in the endzone yet.

Take note of these areas and be mentally prepared that calls would be made in these areas!

Now, here are some advice to both the caller and the player being called.

Player Making the Call:

1) Only make the call if there is a legitimate cause for it to be made

Players should make the call only when there is a legitimate cause for it, when the said action for that call has happened during the game!

2) Retract the call if you have made the wrong call

Often calls might be made in the heat of a moment, and you might have made the wrong call. Never be afraid to retract it. There are some players who kept on to wrong calls and it have haunted them throughout their ultimate careers.

3) Always play with Spirit!

There might be circumstances that your team badly needed the point and making calls might help you in it. howver, ultimate is all about the Spirit of the Game and teams should play for the pursuit of the sport, and not to score at the expense of fairness/equity.

Player being Called:

1) Keep Calm

Calls are sometimes made to throw you off the game. It disrupts the flow and seeing your explanations go on deaf ears would sometimes irritate/annoy you and you might lose your cool. Keep yourself calm and do not let yourself get influenced by it too much1 Remember the decision to contest or not lies in you as well!

2) Shake it off!

When a call is made, the important thing to do is to shake if off! Do not get obsessed about it as it might distract you during the game, ultimately fulfilling the purpose behind some of these calls.