Rip's Tips

Way back when I was freshman, I asked the captains at the time to make a pamphlet that listed the top ten rules a player should know before playing in their first tournament. The captains summarily laughed in my face. It is true that the best way to learn the rules is to read them, but that book is long and much less fun than playing the game. About 95 percent of college players have never read the rules all the way through. Luckily for you guys, I had a really boring job two summers ago, so I’ve read the rules. What follows are a few basic principles that should be able to guide your decisions on the field.

Foul

Any bodily contact that interferes with an opponent’s play on the disc is a foul. There is no such thing as incidental contact. Unless the disc was uncatchable, it’s a foul. When a player calls a foul (games are self-officiated, I really hope you knew that, but I just wanted to make sure), the opposing player has the right to contest or not contest the foul. If the foul is contested, the disc is returned to the last person who had the disc, and the play is “done over”. If there is no contest (because you have honor), then play continues as if the player had caught the disc.

Fouling on the mark just sends the stall count back to zero. There’s really no point in contesting these fouls. You just look like a tool if you keep calling or contesting this one.

Pick

If you are on defense and you are within 10 feet of the man you are actively guarding and you either run into another player on the field or have to run around another player on the field, then you should call a pick. When a pick is called, play stops. If the disc is in the air, and you’re on offense, catch it. It’s a turn if it hits the ground. The player that was picked gets to catch up to the player he was defending. Play then resumes. Disc remains with who caught it unless that person is the man of the defender who was picked.

Those are the two main things you need to know. A few other things to keep in mind though. Don’t make calls from the sideline. Ask a vet if you’re confused about what happened on the field. This tournament is meant to teach you. Don’t be afraid to ask vets on the other team as well. Fall tournaments are all about learning. Take advantage of this opportunity.