Ultimate Frisbee Tips: Catching

Learning to Play Ultimate Frisbee

Again, this blog will focus mostly on tactics, but since the game starts with physical skills, here's a brief introduction to the other physical skill on offense, catching.

Physical Skills: Catching

There are two basic rules for catching: use two hands when possible, and go to the disc to complete a catch.

A huge percentage of catching errors - with the throw in a good place but still dropped - result from failure to follow one or both rules. Use both hands and go to the disc!

Two Hands

A comfortable throw can be easy to catch one-handed, and you'll do it all the time during practice. And in-game, some throws can be reached with only one hand:

That said, it's safer to grab the disc with both hands whenever possible. It gives you a larger margin of error and makes it easier to retain when there's a struggle for the disc. ('Stripping' the disc by knocking it away is against the rules of Ultimate, once the catcher has control, but there's often a gray area before control is clearly established. Prevent disputes by making your catch undisputed.)

When reaching far with both hands, it's natural to use the 'pinch grip' (top photo, above), but when you can, put one hand above the other and trap the disc between the two, pancake-style:

 If the disc suddenly rises or falls - common in wind but possible even on a calm day with air pockets - you still have a good chance to trap it between your hands. Watch the disc as it comes between your hands, and grab it.

Go TO THE DISC

Run forward toward the thrower until the disc is in your hands. Receivers are too often seduced by a good throw into letting it come toward them, only to have it intercepted by a last-moment dash by a defender.

Who will get the disc in this photo below? The woman in blue has a slight edge, but a quick step by the one in white could easily put her in place. Whoever grabs the disc is likely to be the one who ends closer to the thrower, beating the other one by leaving her further downfield.

Moving toward the thrower assumes that the disc is between the two of you, as it is for many good 'cuts' (see more under Tactics: Good Cuts).

In some cases, like with a long end-zone pass, you may be running to catch up to the disc as it sails over your head. The principle remains - run to the disc - but in this case, the best approach is to sprint early. You'll claim the space around the disc and can gain a moment to adjust as the arc of the Frisbee becomes clear.

The Third Rule of Catching: Keep the Flow!

This moves into the realm of tactics, but it's such an important part of catching that it's worth including here. After you catch the disc, immediately look downfield for the next pass.

Ideally, you'll look to continue the motion of the disc along the line that it just came to you. If you caught the disc by running to the left, a good next pass may continue by going to the left again.

Why? Because everyone, including defenders, is still scrambling to reposition with the pass you just caught, leaving the field open in the area ahead. A smart second cut will place a receiver there right when you can make the next throw, a moment after you catch and recover.

If the first receiver (that's you!) catches the disc at 'A," then 'B' is an ideal place to look for a second cut, continuing the general line of the pass to A.

That won't always happen. If 'A' is against the sideline, there's no room to throw further that way. Or receiver 2 may not be open. Or a defender may force the throw away from there (often a good idea, and discussed more under Tactics: Defense). But you maximize your chances of making that pass by looking for it right away. Think of keeping the 'flow' of the disc in the direction it has already been moving.

It's not always possible. It's not always the best pass, depending on the context of the field. But it's nearly always the best pass to consider first. Consider it quickly.

Catch with two hands. Go to the disc. Then, right away, look downfield for your next pass!