Dischoops
Summary of
Changes
('That's just the way it is, things will
never be the same')
Relative to Ultimate Frisbee
Dischoops
- Official Rules 1st Edition
Please post your comments and feedback
here
Entire Official Rules of Dischoops
here
Summary
of Changes:
Major Differences between Ultimate Frisbee and Dischoops:
The two major differences between Dischoops and Ultimate are the introduction of penalties and a rational and
collaborative form of enforcement. Much has been taken directly from
basketball and the fuzzy, subjective and inconsistencies of Ultimate
have been replaced by firm
boundaries.
Every effort has been made to make the reduce the amount of physical
contact in the game. While some of the changes below may give
the impression that Dischoops is a more physical version of the
game, experience thus far indicates that these guidelines reduces physical contact
significantly rather than increase it.
-
[1] Change
of the field configuration from a 'Football' like field
with endzones to that of a smaller court with the goals
in the interior.
In Dischoops, the two goals are only separated by 20
yards, compared to the 70 distance between endzones on an
Ultiamte Frisbee field. Also, there is ample space beyond
the goals in either direction making for diverse angles
of attack. Similar to how Hockey has some space
behind the goal, Dischoops has an additional 20 yards of
court space beyond the goal lines.
When a team scores, they maintain possession the disc
(as opposed to Basketball where the possession goes to
the other team). Every time a team scores, the attacking goal for
either
team is reversed. After each turnover, the offensive team is
required to clear the disc prior to being eligible to
score. Once the disc is cleared by a team,
they can keep scoring goal after goal without having to
clear the disc between scores.
The
longest dimension on the field, corner to corner
diagonally is slightly over 70 yards so there's plenty
of room for big throws and long strides and with the
full court designed with two goals, there is plenty of
room for running.
-
[2]
New Official
Goal Equipment
The
Dischoops Goal kit consists of shock corded, high
precision, aluminum tubing (shown assembled above).
These new kits are high tech/high performance, precision
sporting equipment. The poles, with their elastic
shock cords and 15 segments, have substantial elasticity to
them and are capable of withstanding severe collisions
without the need for mid-game realignment.
The
entire kits (including two goals) are compact and weigh in at less than
ten pounds. The carrying bag used in this photo
was taken from a portable canvas chair.
These
two goals, using the new aluminum goals (and enough
cones), fit neatly into a single canvas bag.
If
your interested in purchasing one of these new kits, please
visit our
merchandise page.
-
[3] Elimination of on field players making calls,
replaced by designated a player per team in the sub
lines to act in
that capacity.
Rather than having the active players performing the
roles as referees, an inactive player from each team
(the front player in each of the substitution lines) collaborate together as a unit to make calls and govern
the game. Prior to calls interrupting play, both
teams must concur with the call. This allows
the game to keep flowing in cases where calls are
contested while at the same time, allows for teams to
work together to standardize the rules and 'set a strike
zone' as it were for what is and isn't legal.
The two together are referred to
as the refs, the head of the line of the team
that is currently on offense is referred to as the
O-Ref and the head of the line of the team that is
on defense is the D-Ref (this nomenclature is
used predominately for describing the rules).
Either the D-Ref or the O-Ref can
make a call at any time (i.e. it is acceptable to make
calls against your own team)
These players handle the stall
count (the D-Ref only needs to count loudly enough for
the O-Ref to hear; the O-Ref can shout to his team when
the count gets high), they handle fouls, travel, illegal
throws (throwing through the hoop backwards) and they
activate the disc on Out-of-Bounds play by raising their
arms to acknowledge the thrower's readiness (called a
RefCheck--similar to signaling for pulls in V1.0).
It is vital that the refs are
engaged in the action and that they pay particularly
close attention to fouls, especially 'reach in' type
fouls. There are a lot of changes in these rules
that allow defenders to attempt to knock the disc out of
the thrower's hand and that has to be offset with
punitive actions if contact does occur.
It is also important that the refs
only makes calls soft enough so that only the other ref
can hear so that play is not interrupted on half calls.
If the other ref agrees with the call, it is then
his/her responsibility to loudly pronounce the call for
the players on the field to hear.
Also, not only is it acceptable
behavior for the players on the field to 'work the
refs', but it is highly encouraged as long as it is
respectful, polite and friendly. It is possible
that by 'working the refs', you can influence calls in
real time. In other words, if you call attention
to a foul, the Referee can retroactively call it.
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[4] Disc
no longer needs to be cleared.
Clearing
the disc is a legacy left over from playing half court basketball.
Now that Dischoops is a full court game, the need for clearing the
disc has been eliminated..
When bring a disc in
bounds, the offensive player need not set a pivot foot and may move
around but the disc must enter the field where it went out.
The defensive player, if there is one, must be entirely in the In-Bounds part of the field.
When the disc is coming in play, as soon as either referee has
raised a hand after the player who is throwing the disc in is ready,
the play begins. The player has five seconds to throw the
disc. [basketball]
-
[6] On change
of possession penalties (traveling, offensive fouls,
illegal throws, stall count violation), the disc is played from Out-of-Bounds
Any time there is a
call that results in change of possession, the disc gets RefChecked
at the nearest sideline [basketball]
-
[7] Elimination of 'continuation' rule
There is no more 'play on'. A
foul is a foul. However, if a foul is called on
the throw and it is caught for a score, the score counts
AND possession reverts back to the thrower.
-
[8]
Misconduct Bench has been added
For red card and yellow
card violations, players must sit on the misconduct bench for a
mandatory 5 minutes for yellow and 15 for red. It is illegal
to smoke or consume any recreational drugs or alcohol while on a
mandatory sit down. Violation of this rule carries with it
extreme consequences.
Just like it sounds. [basketball]
After fouls, travels,
etc. it is now legal to move around on the field prior to the disc
being put back in play [basketball]
-
[11] With
two hoops, any throw through any hoop that is not the
attacking goal, in either direction, is a turnover.
Additionally, if the attacking team
throw through the front of the non-attacking goal and it is caught
in that goal, a point (or two if the throw was behind the two point
line) is awarded to the defensive team.
There's only one
set of rules for Dischoops .
If we have yellow cards for hard fouls, do we
also need personal fouls? Yes. The sense of
personal fouls can give us the provision for placing
attention on areas of the game where there is a large
quantity of contact but nothing that is excessive or
flagrant. Marker/Thrower contact comes to mind but
there are also other problem areas where this may prove
to be a useful mechanism. The concept of team fouls is
also useful in addressing teams that in general play a
more physical game. [basketball]
As soon as a incomplete
pass that is in the field of play comes to a stop, the offense has 5
seconds to put the disc in play. If the incompletion ends up
out of bounds, the offense has 20 seconds.
-
[15] The addition of scorecards and the notion of an
official scorer per game
It is understood that the
observer system already does this to some extent but
with V and the administrative overhead of yellow/red
cards and both team and personal fouls, assigning an
individual (or the Eights) to manage this task is a
requirement.
-
[16] Clarification--Double
(triple) teaming either throwers or receivers in the
crease is completely legal.
There is no limit on how many defenders can be
playing in the crease, as long as they are within 2 meters of an
offensive player.
-
[17] Offensive fouls result in a turnover
Just like it sounds. [basketball]
-
[18] 'Jump' passes have been added.
As long as a thrower has come to a
complete stop, he can jump up in the air to throw the
disc as long as he releases it before hitting the
ground. [basketball]
-
[19]
Elimination of on field 'Check Discs'
This may not be quite
right but I think that almost all cases where is a disc check
situation have been moved to the sidelines. [basketball]
The V set of rules should not be seen as a
basis for encouraging more physical play, it is not.
Teams, to varying degrees are employing
offenses and defenses that push the envelope in these
areas and therefore, attention needs to be paid to
making clarifications in the rules to delineate what is
and isn't legal with regards to either a blocking foul
or a charge. Currently, the risk reward ratio for
players on both sides of the disc in skewed in favor of
more contact, not less. [basketball]
-
[21] Clarification on acceleration in traveling for less
than 3 steps (i.e., if the thrower has contact with the
ground he may accelerate but must release the disc prior
to that ground contact coming up)
There is a hole
in the V1.0/1.1 set of rules regarding acceleration in
situations where less then three steps are used prior to
the release of the throw. An attempt was made here
at addressing this confusion. It is now legal to
accelerate under the provision that the foot used to
accelerate must not leave the ground prior to the
release of the disc.
-
[22]
Rewording of preface, description and a clarification
that there is no such thing as 'spirit of the rules'.
The phrase describing
Dischoops as a non-contact sport has been removed. That said, the description has
not been changed to say that Dischoops IS a contact sport, but it
doesn't seem to make sense to go out of the way to describe the game in
terms other than what it is. Dischoops is a dangerous game and
there is a lot of contact. Also, from the description, the phrase
that says 'its illegal to run with the disc' has been removed.
Also, one of the great urban legends about the
V1.0/1.1 rules is that there is something
called the 'spirit of the rules'. This opens the door for anybody
to layer on any kind of twisted logic to whatever rule they want and
distort the game. This type of ideology does not promote a
single standard. The rules are black and white and not open to
interpretation.
The etiquette in soccer has been copied here for Dischoops . If there is a serious injury,
the disc is thrown out of bounds to allow for a player to be helped up.
Anything less than a serious injury and the hurt player should sub out.
I've seen far too many grass burns and leg cramp 'injuries' called on
fast break points that have worked in the defense's favor.
-
[24] Strips are no longer illegal (although you're not
allowed to grab the disc while it's in the thrower's
hand and yank it from him/her)
This is another
controversial alteration in the rules but in reviewing
from practical experience where in the game some of the
most subjective and therefore erroneous calls are made,
strip calls are at or near the top of the list.
The preponderance of these questionable calls come at
the point where the defender hits the disc
simultaneously with the receiver catching it.
Therefore, the strip call gives teams/players who run
offenses that result in a lot of these plays an unfair
advantage over other teams that do not.
It is still illegal to grab the
disc and pull it out of the thrower's hand after he/she
has established a pivot foot but whoever comes down with
the disc retains possession.
[basketball]
-
[25] 'All Ball' blocks are legal blocks and not fouls
(and the hand is part of the 'ball')
Currently, the V1.0/1.1 rules go out of the way to
protect the thrower and therefore are not fair to
players who possess superior marking skills or throwers
who are able to routinely beat the marker without the
marker touching the disc. The V rules were
drafted to reduce contact in the game and at the same
time make the game more fair so while the thought of
hand blocks on the disc while it is still in the
thrower's hand elicits visions of a more violent game,
remember that safeguards have been put in place to deter
players from over physical play or reaching in
excessively.
The notion from basketball that the 'hand is part of the ball'
is also valid here to an extent. While the fingers
and thumb are 'fair play', if the defender slaps hard
enough to get the whole hand, it is probably a foul.
This is up to the 'refs' discretion. [basketball]
Just like it sounds.
If a player's momentum is
about to result in a traveling violation or is taking
the olayer Out-of-Bounds or a player catches the disc in
the air, with their last point of contact on the field, they are allowed to call a time out prior to
them coming to the ground, even if they land Out-of-Bounds.
They must call the T.O. loud enough for the refs to hear.
[basketball]
To allow for substitutions
on the field of play means that a team can have five players on the
field at once. The Substitution box has been augmented (see
diagram below) to include on on field 'crease' as well for the tagging
to occur.
At only two
meters and curved towards the poles, the size of the crease in
Goalty V1.0 made it far to easy to legally goal tend. The
crease has increased to four meters and curves to the outside cones
of the endzone markers rather than the poles (shown as the black
line in the photo above).
Goal tending now
results in a personal foul and as such, the violator must exit the field
for a substitution. Also, as with basketball goaltending, if
called, a score is counted for the offensive team that was goal tended
against. In Goalty 1.1, a three second time limit was placed on
defenders and/or offenders loitering in the crease and endzone. In
Goalty , we have rewritten Goal Tending to more closely resemble what
was termed 'illegal defense' in the NBA. The three second rule
made it far too easy for a defender to rotate from one receiver to the
next while maintaining a position in the endzone. The new rule
makes it closer to a one second time limit.
Also, players are
allowed to straddle the crease to be considered not standing in it.
A foot must be out of the crease and/or goal in order to be legal.
[basketball]
The special provisions for this rule are as
follows: the stall count begins once an offensive player touches the
disc for the first time and continues until he throws it to another
teammate so while a player can throw to himself, the stall count does
not get reset. Additionally, it is legal for a thrower to throw to
himself for at score BUT in order for it to count as a score, the
thrower must travel around the outside of the goal and cannot travel
underneath it to catch the score.
If a player
catches the disc in the endzone, the moment they touch the ground,
it counts as a score. If a subsequent drop then occurs, the
result is a turnover but the score counts. Possession must
have been established prior to the ground contact. It is up to
the refs discretion to decide whether the receiver had possession
prior to the losing control of the disc.
Just like it
sounds.
A receiver must
come to a complete stop in bounds and is not allowed momentum out of
bounds.
-
[35] Momentum
carrying a receiver through the goal backwards after a score results in
a turnover.
Because there is
no longer amnesty for taking too many steps into places you don't
belong, taking too many steps after a score but backwards through the
endzone (it's illegal for the disc to travel backwards through the
endzone) results in a turn. The disc is put back in play with a
RefCheck at the nearest Out-of-Bounds.
-
[36]
Tipping, delaying legalized
Tipping, delaying and air brushing has been legalized (prosthetic
devices such as glue on fingernails are illegal). As with self caught
passes, the stall count initiates immediately upon first contact.
As with self caught passes, it is legal for a thrower to tip, delay or
airbrush to himself for at score BUT in order for it to count as a
score, the thrower must travel around the outside of the goal and cannot
travel underneath it to catch the score.
In other words, a
receiver must plant a pivot where he stops and in this case and attempt
to work the disc
back around the goal for a score. To allow the receiver to walk
back to the goal line and put a pivot foot on the line would be to
legalize traveling and so it has been abolished.
While air-brushing, tipping and delay ARE legal, having your finger
on the rim and twirling it around (held on by centrifugal force) is
illegal.
The disc must
leave the thrower's hand prior to crossing the plane of the goal line.
Any time a player
commits a foul that both teams have agreed upon, the player is required
to sub out of the game.
-
The player fouled must place a portion of both feet at the
top of the key and must keep at least on pivot foot on the line until a
throw is made. The disc is placed at his feet on the
ground.
-
The defensive team
selects a goalie from the three remaining players (not
including the replacement player for the perpetrator of the
foul). The goalie places both heels on the goal
line.
-
The offensive team
selects one of their three remaining players to be the receiver
and this receiver must put a portion of both feet on the back of
the goal line.
-
All five other players
must stand outside of the crease area and on the crease side of
the goal line. Upon a RefCheck, the thrower may
pick up the disc to initiate the play; both defender and
receiver are allowed to begin movement and the thrower then has
three seconds in which to make a throw.
-
If the thrower fails
to get off a throw within this time limit, the disc is awarded
to the offensive team at the nearest sideline.
-
This does not
count as an official stoppage of play and therefore no
substitutions can be made at this time (i.e. the perpetrator
of the foul may not re-enter the game at this point).
-
If the thrower does
successfully get off a throw in the allotted time, the disc is
then live. After the three seconds is up, any of the
remaining five players may also enter the crease area.
Free
throws are awarded for yellow/red card fouls, teams over the limit,
shots on goal and fouls within the crease area (but not the goal
area).
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[43] Official Disc
Changed
The proposed
official Dischoops disc has been changed to the Wham-O 165G
82e mold. The 82e mold is a finesse disc and Dischoops is a
finesse game. In Dischoops, you simply don't need that extra
10-15 yards you can put on a Discraft, or any other Ultrastar knock-off
and so
therefore the tradeoff of less finesse for more distance
does not constitute a valid enough reason for playing
Dischoops with an Ultimate disc. To purchase,
please visit our
merchandise
page.
Just like it
sounds. With both refs standing next to each other, saying
stall is superfluous.
The new field
configuration along with teams not required to clear the disc after
each score paves the way for runs of many scores at once and higher
scoring games. Games to five are too short.
Either we're going
to have referees or we're not. Officials and Observers in previous
incarnations of disc related field sports have proven to be
inadequate.
Whether or not the
sub lines take on the responsibility
of maintaining the stall count, the provision in the
V1.0 rule that you need to be within three meters of the
thrower to maintain the stall count have been removed.
-
[48] Addition of yellow/red
cards for abhorrent behavior and hard fouls
It is useful to be able to
have a distinction in the rules between an ordinary foul and a hard,
excessive or flagrant foul and to be able to react accordingly.
Having the ability address verbal abuse, etc. is also useful.
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[49] Elimination of Pick
rule
While there
are no hard statistics on this, it is estimated that at least 50% of all
pick calls are unjustified and furthermore, probably over 95% of pick
calls are made on plays where there is no danger of injury. That
said, the kind of picks that you see on a basketball court could lead to
someone getting seriously injured in an ultimate game.
[basketball]
-
[50] Elimination of Double Team rule
-
The double
team rule is unfair on players who have the ability to
break a double team. Also, the double team is also
called frequently under dubious circumstances and is
another very subjective part of the rules. Also, in the version, it is legal to double team throwers or receivers even if
the defender is in the crease or endzone. [basketball]
-
[51] Enforced Roster limits
Now that we have both team and
personal fouls, it makes sense to limit the size of a team but also, by
reducing the size of the rosters that teams can have, we can encourage
growth in the game by ultimately having more teams.
-
[52] A hard cap on the number of steps for traveling.
Saying that 'stop in a
reasonable amount of steps' is too subjective. In the first
revision of Dischoops, there is a hard cap of three steps to establish
a pivot foot. [basketball]
-
[53] Five Count
The ten count in Ultimate
is way too high.
It is legal for a throw to deflect off of the
hoop and be caught for a score.
To do so
results in a traveling violation.
-
[56] Removal of clauses added to the Tenth addition
regarding marking fouls (i.e. reverted back to 'the
player who initiates the contact commits the foul')
Once again, the evolution of the description of the
marking fouls in V1.0 rules was done under the auspices
of ultimate being characterized as a non-contact sport.
With our ability to rationally address unwarranted
contact by either player around the disc, we can
determine in real time who is at fault in any particular
play.
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