download pdf of lesson 4

Today’s Objectives:

  • Explain “No contact”
  • Learn marking
  • Learn defense
  • Practice possession


Ultimate Warmups and Pairs Throwing: Have the class do the warm-ups and spend time throwing in pairs found in Lesson 2.

No Contact (Fouling): Non-incidental contact between opposing players that impedes the ability to catch, throw or run freely is a Foul. If a player was fouled while they were in the act of throwing, the disc is returned to them unless the pass was completed anyway; in that case the team may play on ‘through the foul.’ If a player was fouled when receiving the disc, give that player the disc where the foul occurred.

Marking: Technique and demonstration.

  • Ask a student or pair of students to demonstrate how one player marks another who has the disc.
  • Bend the knees of the body low, feet about shoulder width apart, arms out, stay on the balls of the feet and balanced.
  • Shuffle or slide, in anticipation of the thrower, in a way that makes his or her throws more difficult.

The location of this video is the birthplace of Ultimate Frisbee in Maplewood, NJ.

Catching/Throwing with Marker Game (4 Students): Practice throwing while marked; and marking a thrower.

  • Two groups of two students about 15 yards apart.
  • Take turns and switch being the thrower and the marker.
  • Thrower tries to fake, pivot, step out and throw around marker.
  • If marker fouls the thrower, thrower may call ‘foul!’ – they get the disc back to try again.

Show Cutting Defense: A few examples of one player cutting for a disc with a defender covering.

  • Have two players stand in an open space while others stand aside.
  • The player on offense has 3 seconds to run wherever they want, including changing direction (cutting).
  • The player on defense tries to block or intercept a pass thrown shortly after.

The location of this video is the birthplace of Ultimate Frisbee in Maplewood, NJ.

Possession and Defense: One team possesses the disc while the other tries to interfere.

  • The task of the defense is to force a bad pass that goes out of bounds or is thrown to the turf; to get a block so the disc is not caught; or to get an interception outright.
  • As soon as the team with the disc fails to complete a pass, the defense becomes the offense and play immediately resumes – called a “turn over.”

Keep Away Game: Establishing and keeping possession over multiple passes within a limited field boundary.

  • One group gets to possess the disc within the limits of the field.
  • Pass among their teammates while the other group defends them person-to-person. If there is a turn over, the other team may pick it up and begins their own possession.
  • Each group counts its highest number of consecutive passes that it can manage before being blocked, intercepted, forced out of bounds, etc.
  • The group with the highest consecutive pass count, given equal chances, wins.
  • the instructor should seek to have the students themselves officiating the game by the end of this lesson.

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