There've been a few conversations near the stately Brisbane Ultimate Blog mansion about collisions on the Ultimate field.
Specifically your blog-keeper has noticed several collisions in the BUML over the last month or so, and then heard someone recently went to hospital after being cleaned up (thankfully, concussion was not diagnosed and the lady went home with "only" a very sore head).
Your blog-keeper is a bit hard-core on avoiding collisions on the field, as his soccer (a collision sport) career was ended with such an accident, leading to taking up Ultimate (talk about a silver lining!) Sure, he's getting on a bit, but he hopes to be playing disc for another decade. A bad collision will however end that (he's getting fragile - as we all will with age). I hope that at whatever age you took it up, everyone can imagine themselves in 20-30-40 year Ultimate careers.
So we encourage readers to remind everyone (either all your team before your next game, or talking on the sidelines to individual players) that dangerous play is against both the Spirit of the Game (so don't crash into people please, or even look like you are going to!), and are always fouls (if someone crashes into you or makes you think they are going to, call foul immediately).
I had a chat to a couple of newer players last night, and realised that we need to ensure people grasp the nuance that in Ultimate "collisions are still your fault even if they are accidental".
Other sports have a (rubbish) concept about there being "no malice" in accidental collisions and that being ok.
In our sport, you have a responsibility to avoid collision (and otherwise injuring people through flailing arms, elbows and knees) - even if this means slowing down and/or taking your eye off the disc (ie risking a drop or missing a chance at a block) to have a look around you to make sure you know where other players are (ie reducing the risk of collision).
Accidents are not ok - they are avoidable and they are every player's responsibility to avoid.
Newer players are often still learning the rules and the self-control required for Ultimate, and may be coming from other sports where the style is to put your and other people's bodies on the line to contest the pill, and then get up and shake it off afterwards. Newer players are also less able to call foul following the shock of being nailed. Older players may be psyching themselves up to win games and be tempted to lose control. But remember that Ultimate is a social sport built around everyone's enjoyment - there are no sheep stations on the line here. The competition is with ourselves.
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WFDF Rules of Ultimate
1.6. The following actions are clear violations of the spirit of the game and must be avoided
by all participants:
1.6.1. dangerous play and aggressive behaviour;
.....
17.1. Dangerous Play:
17.1.1. Reckless disregard for the safety of fellow players regardless of whether or
when contact occurs is considered dangerous play and is treated as a foul. This
rule is not superseded by any other rule.
6 comments:
I always like to point out to people that in AFL, when you leap for a catch you're taught to bring your knee up to protect yourself (and maybe do some damage to your opponents).
In Ultimate, you would never raise your knee - you don't need to protect yourself or injure others.
The result is often Beauty. I love seeing a skilled Ultimate player, totally aware of both the disc and the players around them, skying a disc without touching their opponent. It looks awesome, no matter the skill level or body size/shape of the player.
Many collisions occur because of newer players not able to open up space in their cuts or cutting through the stack. This Still occurs at an elite level although rarer. The key point is if you are about to run into someone on defence that is probably a pick, call it and avoid the collision. If you are about to run into on offense then that is your fault and just avoid the collision.
I couldn't agree more with this article, however i think it is important to remember that a 50 50 contest will always have a grey area regarding this rule.
Maybe a key way of approaching this question is to use less or equal commitment to the catch or de.
Especially if each player has an equally competitive nature. I know that the apostles has this issue last night and there were a few too many heated discussions for the ultimate field then would have been desired.
And a side note male players should never make any physical contact with a female player on the field without incurring an immediate foul.
frankly the issue shouldn't be a gender thing at all... don't make reckless contact with anyone.
I say this because if a disc goes up and floats, I would still play to the best of ability regardless of the gender of my direct opponent. This would imply that I wouldn't make reckless contact, and so be entirely within the rules (and in good Spirit of game - Rule 1.1.4)
@Unknown:
I'd disagree. A 50/50 will have a grey area regarding the right to a space, incidental contact, etc. Collisions are different to simple contact; there's no situation where a player doesn't have the responsibility to take care and avoid that contact.
You can observe this in elite games where two players are attacking a disc on paths that would create a potential collision (e.g. poaching on an upline dump pass). This is a really ugly situation in local leagues (where people's awareness, judgement and control aren't as developed), but in elite games, you'll often (no, not always) see these players mutually avoid laying out or attacking the disc at full speed, recognising the danger of the situation.
@cbeh:
Gender might not be the issue directly, but the necessary level of avoidance certainly depends on the people involved... mainly their size and experience. If you're bigger/stronger than the other person, you need to take more care, undoubtedly (often the case with male vs female).
Also, the less experienced the players are, the more conscious effort needs to be taken to avoid collisions... I say this because experienced players have generally developed better awareness and can automatically adjust to avoid collisions while still playing hard (for example, can watch a disc and track their player simultaneously, and position themselves accordingly).
These two issues are why BUML (and UQ league) are where the issue comes up. There's a huge range of player sizes/builds on the field (small girls to big guys), and the lower experience levels mean that players are generally less aware of what's happening.
Therefore, players need to be made far more aware of their responsibilities towards other players on the field (including what is acceptable/unacceptable contact in Ultimate), and how to take more care. The whole sport's a learning process, which is always ongoing as long as you play, and we have to make sure we're teaching this, because nobody else is going to.
Nice one Jase. Good post.
I’m with cbeh.
Collisions are not okay and can be avoided. Don’t collide with anyone full stop. But to say that any male players who make contact with a female should incur an immediate foul is ridic. I play BUML, not just for the enjoyment, but for the added competition that playing with males brings. In a contest for the disc I’m going to try to the best of my ability to catch or D that disc and if I’m successful I feel pretty darn proud of myself. But if my opponent has pulled out of that contest because I have ovaries I feel like a bit of a cheat. Collisions are different to simple contact. Avoid collisions. But in a contest for the disc (where simple contact often occurs), you shouldn't pull out because your opponent is female. I'm going to attempt to sky you even if you are a dude.
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