There’s something I need to come clean about: while I love working at Women’s Health, I don’t have one sporty bone (or should that be muscle?) in my body. I’d even go as far to say that I’m petrified of team sports. I much prefer solitary pursuits like walking or yoga – there’s less sweat and fewer people to let down, if, like me, you have a tendency to miss a catch/hit/goal. So it’s with great trepidation that I agree with my editor to take up the challenge of a game of Ultimate Frisbee…
What is Ultimate Frisbee, you ask? It’s not just your average game of flinging a disc around a beach. Ultimate Frisbee first sprung up in the early ’70s and is now played in more than 30 countries.
It’s a cross between netball (you can’t run with the frisbee, only pivot), AFL (the mid-air catches of the pros are amazing) and soccer (lots of running), but played with a frisbee.
It’s even an official sport at the World Games – the Australian Ultimate team is sitting at an impressive third on the current World Ranking.
The game consists of two teams of seven and is played on a grass field (64m x 37m) with two endzones (18m deep) that are marked with cones. The aim of the game is to pass the frisbee to a teammate in the opposing endzone – that’s a point. The first team to hit 17 points wins, and there’s roughly a 100-minute time cap on the game (though it can vary) with a 10-minute half-time break if both teams hit eight points each. Got that? Me neither.
I cross the green grass of Gore Hill Park on Sydney’s leafy north shore to meet my Ultimate coach, Nikki Shires, a 35-year-old high school teacher, mum of one and Ultimate veteran. There’s quite a few people warming up on the oval already, and they look pretty impressive. Muscly guys and athletic girls are running and diving for the disc, and I wonder to myself, how on earth am I ever going to do that?!
But there’s no escape, as Nikki is heading towards me – eek! We hit the oval and she acknowledges a few people – she’s been playing for 11 years and has recently been made president of the NSW Flying Disc Association. I get the sense the younger players out on the field have a lot of respect for her. Phew, at least I’m in good hands. Nikki says to me,
“So, you play sport, right?” to which I giggle hysterically and confess “Er, no, um, actually… I don’t, and to be honest I’m really scared!” Nikki smiles and assures me it’s really easy, and that, in fact, Ultimate is a great sport for kids and families. I feel mildly relieved.
We start with the basics; Nikki teaches me the crocodile catch – I keep my elbows straight in front of my body, hands about 30cm apart, palms facing each other; when she throws the frisbee I catch it by bringing my hands together in a croc’s jaws motion (chomp!). According to Nikki you only use the crocodile catch if the Frisbee is heading to the “catching zone” – above the knees to a little above head height. Anything else can be caught with one hand.
Get your GSWAP on
After mastering (ahem) the basic catch, we move onto learning GSWAP – the 5-point guideline for beginners that stands for Grip, Stance, Wrist, Angle and Point.
Nikki shows me the power grip (see right) and I get to work on my backhand throw. It takes a few tries and it’s still a bit wobbly but I manage to aim the frisbee roughly at Nikki, and she is very encouraging.
We move on to the forehand throw and I get the “peace sign” grip (place index and middle finger on the underside of the disc in a peace sign shape – see right again) fairly quickly and feel like a pro. I follow Nikki’s instructions and step out with my right leg, angling the disc towards the ground and “snapping” my wrist so the disc flies towards Nikki smoothly. “Nice flick!” she applauds, making me puff up just a little. I’m liking this more and more.
It’s then on to the hammer throw, used to throw the disc over the head of your defenders. I hold the frisbee over my head in a forehand grip and aim it at Nikki (you hold it as if holding a hammer above your head, aiming it downwards), but I’m a little too forceful and send the disc way over the fence, making her run for it. Oops.
The basic grips and stances you need to know
Since I joined the Ultimate season a bit late, Nikki’s arranged for me to play with a beginner’s team. My white T-shirt causes a flurry as they’re in team colours (the Disco DJs wear orange and the High Flyers wear black) but luckily a generous, sweaty man whips off his orange shirt and offers it up. “Are you serious?” I gulp, gingerly holding the sodden shirt.
“Come on… it’s fine!” they chorus. I hold my breath and slip on the shirt. Shudder – it’s wet... but I rise above it, feeling pumped by the team spirit. “Let’s go!” I shout, and they cheer, jogging on to the field.
Nikki’s been given a black shirt, as she plays for the opposition – the High Flyers. The disc-holder on the other team raises his frisbee, indicating they’re ready to play. We raise a hand to let them know we’re ready and suddenly, it’s action stations.
Nikki runs towards me yelling, “Follow me!” I run, trying to keep up with her, and as a Disco DJs teammate gets control of the frisbee, Nikki yells, “Run towards him! Go!” I run wildly and next thing I know, the frisbee is heading towards me. Fast. I fumble and drop it – damn! – but Nikki’s back at my side, telling me to run for it (I’m seriously out of breath now), and this time, I catch it! Woo! But I need to act quickly – there’s a defender in my face and I only have 10 seconds to throw it or the defender will take possession of the disc.
This is the interesting thing about Ultimate – it’s a completely self-refereed sport, so in a situation like this, the defender will stand in front of you, counting down the 10 seconds. No pressure!
I get a bit cocky and yell, “Check this out, I’m gonna do a hammer throw!” I send the frisbee slamming to the ground. Oh. We play a few more points before wrapping up and forming a “spirit circle” – a kind of sweaty circle of love, where any tensions from the match are resolved, and the team spirit rejuvenates itself, so to speak. Did I mention it’s sweaty?After the game I ask Nikki how she trains for Ultimate games (they’re hard work!) but she says she mostly gets her cardio playing Ultimate. “I do recommend core training, as the best players have strong cores,” she says. I can feel what she means.
I leave the Ultimate field feeling amazingly rejuvenated and surprisingly exhausted – what a workout. And guess what? I have a newfound appreciation for team sport. After just one game my confidence has soared and I’ve sweated up a storm. I could get used to this.
To join an Ultimate team near you, visit afda.com or ultimate.org.nz.
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