Week 1, Part 2: Pick Review

Picks are discussed in XVI. Section I of the rule book.

WHAT IS A PICK?
A pick occurs when the offensive player moves such that the defensive player guarding that offensive player is obstructed by another player (offensive OR defensive). This means that the defender either physically runs into another player or has to slow down to avoid contact with this other player.

(Section II.G: the defensive player "guarding" the offensive player must be within 10 feet of the offensive player AND must be reacting to the offensive player's movements)

To emphasize -
You must be on defense to call a pick.
You CAN get picked by a teammate. It does not matter who you were obstructed by.
You must be within 10 feet of your offender to make the call. This is to deter lazy defenders from calling pick while purposefully running through the stack when they have lost their offender.
(note: I realize I said this wrong at practice. Sorry. I did not have a chance to prepare my little presentation and misspoke)

WHAT DO I DO IF I'M PICKED?
Yell 'pick' at the top of your lungs immediately until the person with the disc acknowledges the call and stops play. If you are on the field and hear someone yell 'pick', stop moving and echo the call until the person with the disc stops play.

THEN WHAT?
(Imagine that you called the pick)

Scenario 1:

-The pick did NOT affect play: (i.e. the person you are guarding did not get the disc),

-The player with the disc recognizes the pick and doesn’t throw it

The disc stays with the thrower, the stall count resumes (ex: if the marker already said 'stall 2' at the time the pick was called then the stall count would resume at 'stall 3') when the disc is put back in play.

All players move to where they were when the pick was called. The picked player gets to also gain any distances lost from the pick.

The defender does not get to set up right next to the offense regardless of the separation prior to the pick. If at the time of the pick, the offense and defense are 5 feet away from each other, then they should still be 5 feet apart after re-positioning. It is up to the two players if the re-positioning is acceptable. Do not hesitate to tell the other player that you do not agree with their re-positioning.

Scenario 2:     

-The pick did NOT affect play

-The player with the disc threw a COMPLETED pass

The continuation rule (Section XVI.C.) applies. The disc stays with the receiver, the stall count resumes when the disc is put back in play, and you are allowed to catch up to your offensive player. All other players move to where they were when play was stopped. The stall count does not start over. It resumes from where play stopped.

Scenario 3:

-The pick DID affect play (i.e. the offensive player of the picked defender did receive the disc and successfully caught the disc)

The disc is returned to the original thrower, the stall count resumes when the disc is put back in play. All players move to where they were on the field at the time of the earlier of the following a) the call or b) the throw and the picked player is allowed to “catch up” to their offensive player.

Scenario 4:

-The player with the disc DID attempt a throw, which was INCOMPLETE

Then it is a turnover and play continues. There is no stoppage of play. So when on offense, always always always go for every disc, even if you hear a call.

WHAT IF I’M NOT PART OF THE PICK CALL?
When you hear the pick call, yell “pick called” until the person with the disc recognizes the call. When they do, stop moving. You will reposition yourself based on the outcome of the call.


**special thanks to Eileen for helping me with this week's posts.

Week 1, Part 1: Why Knowing Rules are Important

For the rookies that may not know, I am WUWU's current walking and talking rulebook and it has been one of my ongoing goals to ensure that WUWU knows the rules. Why know the rules? Because Ultimate is played without any referees, the players on the field are responsible for making and resolving all calls and violations. Knowing when to make calls and what the outcomes are is incredibly important in Ultimate.

Related to rule knowledge is a concept called "Spirit of the Game," which is central to the game of Ultimate. In the 11th edition of the USA Ultimate rules, SOTG is described:

Spirit of the Game: “Ultimate relies upon a spirit of sportsmanship that places the responsibility for fair play on the player. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of mutual respect among competitors, adherence to the agreed upon rules, or the basic joy of play. Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate unsportsmanlike conduct from the Ultimate field. Such actions as taunting opposing players, dangerous aggression, belligerent intimidation, intentional infractions, or other win-at-all-cost behavior are contrary to the spirit of the game and must be avoided by all players.”

Spirit of the Game/self-refereeing is unique to Ultimate and is one of the reasons why I (and so many other players) love this sport so much. Knowing the rulebook is essential to Spirit of the Game, which is why I emphasize this so much with WUWU. These posts are meant to introduce, familiarize, clarify, and refresh the rules for all members of the team. My plan for these posts is to translate the 11th Edition Rules (the online version of which is HERE) into plain, understandable English. The wording in the rulebook can be confusing and unclear. I will try to refer to the specific sections in the rulebook so that you can reference the online or print versions as I go along.

All this being said, it is perfectly acceptable for newer players to not know every single rule. Remember, if you are ever confused about a rule, please, don't hesitate to ask someone, even on the field. No one expects everyone to remember every detail their first year, even at tournaments.

At practice and also during games it is acceptable to ask questions about a call. Play will be stopped to talk about it. If it is the wrong call, you can always take it back and everyone will understand and help you make the right one. The fall season is all about teaching. All the teams at the fall tournaments are very understanding of this.

Do not be scared of making calls, I promise to help you through them. :) Sometimes calls can be tricky and even I have to recheck the rulebook so don't be embarrassed!