AFDA Rules Forum

AFDA Rules Forum

The first AFDA Rules forum, held at Nationals 2010, provided an opportunity for discussion amongst players about various aspects of the rules - including the much loved pick rule. The forum was well attended particularly (and I’d like to think not coincidently) by a significant amount of Honey players.

It is fantastic to see many people interested in the rules, as all ultimate players are responsible for administering and adhering to the rules (1.1). Particularly those who play Ultimate at the national level should be familiar with the most recent version of the rules.

Promotion of the rules

As the newly appointed AFDA rules officer, part of my role is to promote increased knowledge and understanding of the Rules of Ultimate and Spirit of the Game among Ultimate players in Australia.

To make my job super easy, Rueben Berg has recently finalised a website: http://www.wfdf.org/rules_ultimate that is a one stop shop for all things rules related. Features include; rule of the month, various translations of the rules, decision diagrams, official interpretations and the all important rules quiz*.

I can also be contacted at rules@afda.com should you have any questions relating to the rules, or if you would like me to assist in the promotion of the rules within your club/league/team.

Below is a summary of a couple of rules/interpretation discussed at the forum:

The Pick Rule(everyone’s favourite)

I fielded a range of questions regarding the pick rule, from ‘why is the pick rule so lame?’ to ‘why does the disc come back if the disc was thrown after the pick call?’.

The former question is perhaps too deeply philosophical to be discussed in this article but the latter question is discussed below.

Why the disc has to come back after a pick call

In the instance when a pick is called BEFORE the throw – play should be stopped (16.1). Frequently, not all players hear the call and the disc is thrown after the call. IRRESPECTIVE of whether the disc is caught or not, the disc returns to the thrower because once the call has been made, play has stopped and a turnover is no longer possible (16.1).

Therefore any questions of whether or not the pick affected play are irrelevant**.

At the forum it was identified that offence is often favoured by this rule. Rueben Berg, Chair of the WFDF Rules Committee*** raised that there has been some discussion within the WFDF rules committee to change this rule so that play continuation occurs in a way similar to the UPA rules****

“Spirit Calls” and “False Rules”

I think a lot of us when we started playing learnt the rules from other players. Consequently, actions such as stopping play when someone calls ‘check feet’, a defender calling their own foul and excessive disc checking in are seen as being spirited.

Arguably, players competing at the national level should be aware of the rules, therefore the correct call should always be used. Therefore:
· ‘out’ or “travel’ should be called not check feet (11.5);
· only the player fouled may call foul (15.4);
· and the disc need only be checked when play has stopped (10.5).

Ultimate players should remember that it is their responsibility to play by WFDF rules and also educate novice players on the correct calls. It is important that when educating players, to direct them to a copy of the rules and identify which specific rule a call related to. This way the spreading of ‘false rules’ can be minimised – remember if in doubt go to the primary source: http://www.wfdf.org/rules_ultimate

*Make next game night – ‘rules quiz game night’.
**Note that this is a valid question if the disc was in the air when the pick was called. (16.1.2.2.2)
***I know, I was totally shocked too when I found out he held this position
**** UPA rule on continuation: If a call is made when the disc is in the air or the thrower is in the act of throwing, or if the thrower fails to acknowledge the call and subsequently attempts a pass, play continues until the outcome of that pass is determined.

Jo Creswell
AFDA Rules Officer
rules@afda.com