Flying disc games

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Flying disc games are games played with flying discs (sometimes called by the trademarked name Frisbees). Some of the games, such as Ultimate and Disc golf, are sports with substantial international followings.

Disc ultimate is being played semi-professionally in North America

History

Main articles: Ken Westerfield and Flying disc freestyle

The flying disc was invented in 1948 by Walter Morrison. In 1957 January 13, Wham-O bought the rights to the invention and released it later under the trademarked name Frisbee.

There were a few guts and distance tornaments in the sixties, but disc sports using the Frisbee (flying disc), really began in the early-seventies. As numbers of young people became alienated from social norms, they resisted and looked for alternative recreational activities, including that of throwing a Frisbee.[1] What started with a few players, in the sixties, like Victor Malafronte, Z Weyand and Ken Westerfield experimenting with new ways of throwing and catching a Frisbee, later would become known as playing freestyle.[2] Organized disc sports, in the 1970s, began with promotional efforts from Wham-O and Irwin Toy (Canada), a few tournaments and professionals using Frisbee show tours to perform at universities, fairs and sporting events. Disc sports such as freestyle, double disc court, guts, disc ultimate and disc golf became this sports first events.[3][4] Two sports, the team sport of disc ultimate and disc golf are very popular worldwide and are now being played semi professionally.[5][6] The World Flying Disc Federation, Professional Disc Golf Association, and the Freestyle Players Association, are the official rules and sanctioning organizations for flying disc sports worldwide.

The game of guts was invented by the Healy Brothers in the 1950s and developed at the International Frisbee Tournament (IFT) in Marquette, Michigan. The game of ultimate, the most widely played disc game, began in the late 1960s with Joel Silver and Jared Kass. In the 1970s it developed as an organized sport with the creation of the Ultimate Players Association with Dan Roddick, Tom Kennedy and Irv Kalb. Double disc court was invented and introduced in the early 1970s by Jim Palmeri. In 1974, freestyle competition was created and introduced by Ken Westerfield and Discrafts Jim Kenner.[7] In 1976, the game of disc golf was standardized with targets called "pole holes" invented and developed by Wham-O's Ed Headrick.

Ultimate

Ultimate playing field
Main article: Ultimate (sport)

Ultimate (often called Ultimate Frisbee) is a competitive non-contact team sport played with a flying disc. The object of the game is to score points by passing the disc to a team member in the opposing teams end zone. Players may not run while holding the disc. The game was invented in 1968 as an evening pastime by Jared Kass. Ultimate is distinguished by its Spirit of the Game - the principles of fair play, sportsmanship, and the joy of play. USA Ultimate and Ultimate Canada are the rules and sanctioning organizations for ultimate in the US and Canada. The American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) and Major League Ultimate (MLU) are the first semi professional ultimate leagues.

Games based on Ultimate

A number of games have evolved which are derived or similar to Ultimate, but played with different rules. These games are often played when available fields or teams are too small for a full sized ultimate game.

Game Description
Goaltimate a half-court flying disc game derived from ultimate, similar to Hot Box
Hot box a non-contact team sport which is similar to Ultimate, but played on a smaller field and with fewer players
Mini ultimate a high energy, predominantly urban sport played on a smaller field than ultimate
Schtick disc an Ultimate variant played with two discs where running with the disc is allowed[8]

Disc golf

Disc golf pole hole, a standardized disc golf target created by Ed Headrick.
Main article: Disc golf

Disc golf (also called frisbee golf or folf) is a game based on the rules of golf (referred to by disc golfers as "ball and stick golf"). It uses flying discs which are similar to the Frisbee, but usually smaller and denser. The discs are thrown towards a target, which serves as the "hole". The official targets are metal baskets with hanging chains to catch the discs.

Urban disc golf

Before there were standardized targets called pole holes, disc golf use to be played in parks and urban settings using natural objects as targets. In some cases courses were created by the players themselves as they played, with each player taking turns determining targets and throwing designations (mandatories and out of bounds)

Freestyle games

These (non-team) games emphasize throwing and catching and performing tricks.

Game Description
Disc dog dogs and their human disc throwers compete in events such as distance catching and somewhat choreographed freestyle catching
Flying disc freestyle athletes perform tricks with a flying disc

Freestyle competition

Main article: Ken Westerfield
Ken Westerfield, playing freestyle. 1977

Freestyle is an event where teams of two or three players perform a routine which consists of a series of creative throwing and catching techniques set to music. The routine is judged on the basis of difficulty, execution and presentation. The team with the best total score is declared the winner.[9]

In 1974, Ken Westerfield and Jim Kenner (founder and CEO of Discraft),[10] introduce and win the first flying disc freestyle competition at the 3rd annual Canadian Open Frisbee Championships, Toronto, Canada.[11][12] This was the first Frisbee freestyle competition ever.

A year later the American Flying Disc Open (AFDO) Rochester, New York, and the 1975 World Frisbee Championships, held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, adopted Ken and Jims freestyle competition format as one of their events. Today this same freestyle event is now accepted as one of the premier events in Flying disc tournaments worldwide.

The Freestyle Players Association was formed to oversee the competitive aspects of freestyle frisbee, and to help new players learn how to freestyle.[13]

Guts (game)

Main article: Guts (game)
Guts or disc guts (sometimes guts Frisbee in reference to the trademarked brand name) is a disc game inspired by dodgeball, involving teams throwing a flying disc (rather than balls) at members of the opposing team. One to five team members stand in a line facing the opposing team across the court, with the two teams lined up parallel to each other. Which team begins play is determined "flipping the disc", an action similar to a coin toss, but using the disc itself. One member of the team is then selected to start play.
Disc guts is one of disc sports oldest games

That member then raises an arm to indicate readiness to throw, at which point the members of the opposing team freeze in position. The thrower then throws the disc as hard as possible at someone on the opposing team. If the thrower misses the "scoring area" (a demarcated area a bit larger than the space occupied by the opposing team), the receiving team scores a point. If a member of the receiving team catches the disc cleanly, neither team scores a point. If the throw is within the scoring area and the receiving team fails to catch, or catches but drops the disc, the throwing team gets a point. The receiving team then picks up the disc and becomes the throwing team. The receiving team must catch the disc cleanly in one hand, and may not move from position until after the disc leaves the hand of the thrower. The disc may not be trapped between the hand and any other part of the body, including the other hand. This frequently results in a challenging sequence of "tips" or "bobbles", which are rebounds of the disc off of receivers' hands or body to slow the disc down and keep it in play until it can be caught. This often involves multiple players on the receiving team. Play continues until at least 21 points have been scored by one of the teams and there is a difference in score of at least 2 points.

Double disc court

The Double Disc Court field

Double disc court (DDC) invented and introduced by Frisbee Hall of Fame inductee Jim Palmeri of Rochester, NY, is a sport played with two flying discs.[14] Two teams of two players each stand in their own courts. The goal is to defend a court from an attack by the opposing team. Two identical square courts are located on a level playing field of grass measuring 13 meters on a side. The distance between the courts is 17 meters. Attacks are made in two ways: by throwing a disc in play into the opponents' court in an attempt to have the disc come to rest within that court without ever having touched out-of-bounds, or by causing both discs to be touched by a player or players on the opposing team at the same time (called a "double"). A team scores a point whenever they make a successful attack or whenever an opponent throws a disc out-of-bounds. The first team to score the requisite number of points as determined by the competitive format wins the game.

Fricket

Main article: Fricket

Fricket is a non-contact game of skill using a flying disc, 4' wickets, and some plastic cups. Fricket is also frequently called Cups, Suzy Sticks or Disc Cricket. (The name “Fricket” is derived from the combination of the words "Frisbee" and "Cricket.")

Disc games adapted from non-disc games

These games originated when the rules of another game were adjusted to use a flying disc in place of a ball.

Game Description
Dodge disc a variation of dodgeball using a flying disc in place of the ball or balls
Guts a team sport, similar to murderball
Crosbee adapted from lacrosse, it is in many ways a cross between touch football and ultimate[15][16]
500 Can also be played with a football or other ball. One player throws the disk to the other players and calls out a number between 0 and 500. The catcher wins that number of points, and the first player to earn 500 is the new thrower.

Other/unclassified games

  • Flutterguts — a game used mainly to practice catching flying discs
  • Kan-jam - a variation of horseshoes.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jordan Holtzman-Conston (2010). Countercultural Sports in America: The History and Meaning of Ultimate Frisbee. Waltham, Mass. Retrieved 6 November 2013. 
  2. ↑ "Freestyle Players Association". The History of Flying Disc Freestyle. Retrieved November 11, 2013. 
  3. ↑ "World Flying Disc Federation". WFDF Official Website. Retrieved October 19, 2013. 
  4. ↑ "World Flying Disc Federation". History of the Flying Disc. Retrieved October 20, 2013. 
  5. ↑ "Professional Disc Golf Association". PDGA Official Website. Retrieved October 19, 2013. 
  6. ↑ "American Ultimate Disc League". AUDL Official Website. Retrieved October 20, 2013. 
  7. ↑ "Canadian Open Freestyle History". Retrieved October 23, 2012. 
  8. ↑ Official Schtick Disc Site
  9. ↑ Sanchez, Rodney and Bethany. "Freestyle Frisbee Basics". Freestyle Players Association. Retrieved 28 October 2012. 
  10. ↑ "Freestyle". Discraft Freestyle. Retrieved October 28, 2012. 
  11. ↑ "Best Freestyle Routine". The Decade Awards 1970-75 Top Routine. Retrieved October 29, 2012. 
  12. ↑ "Canadian Open Freestyle History". Freestyle Players Association. Retrieved October 29, 2012. 
  13. ↑ "Freestyle Players Association". Home Page. Retrieved May 13, 2013. 
  14. ↑ "Jim Palmeri". Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 01, 2014. 
  15. ↑ Posted by DougyD (2008-08-16). "Crosbee - a Frisbee game". Crosbee.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2013-09-26. 
  16. ↑ Specialties, Youth (1997). Games 2. ISBN 9780310220312. 

External links

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