Rules for Indoor Ultimate

Did you think us Ultimate players were going to take a break during the winter seasons!? Hell no. Ultimate Frisbee has worked its way under the roof so we can still Huck, Sky, and Bid through the holidays. Indoor Ultimate is much different than outdoor in many ways. Indoor is super fast paced and requires a much different set of skills to play. More often than not, Indoor Ultimate is played on a gym court but can be done on a turf indoor field as well. Below is a list of every rule that is different and there is even a FAQ at the bottom of the page. Any rule not listed should automatically be assumed to be the same as outdoor Ultimate.

Here is a list of 7 key changes for Indoor Ultimate Frisbee.

1) The field for indoor Ultimate, which is now a court.

Indoor Ultimate Frisbee is typically played on a gym court rather than a turf field. You can play with your team on any sized court with any sized end zones for practice. At an official tournament the court is usually played on a basketball court sideways from sideline to sideline. In other words, an official full-sized Basketball court will contain two Ultimate fields. The sidelines of the Basketball court will be the beginning of the end zones. The end zone will then be from the sideline to the wall. That’s right, the wall is the back of the end zone which makes for some sick Spiderman Jumps (and tends to cause some injuries, so be careful!).

The end zone length is only about 2-3 yards which is significantly different than the 25-yard end zone of outdoors. If one or both sides of the end zone do not have a wall then the end zone can be any size, as long as they are both equal. In the image you can see the size of an indoor court relative to an average Basketball court. There are no brick marks since there are no pulls.

2) The Pull

There isn’t one in indoors. To begin the game the team starting with the disc will line up on their end zone line. The opposing team will line up 5 feet from them. The team will be holding the disc in which they will tap it to the ground, or an opposing player, to start the game. That’s it, the game will begin and the team that tapped the disc will try to score in the opposite end zone. There is also no Pull when a point is scored which you can read about in the next part.

3) Indoor Scoring

Indoor Ultimate Frisbee is super fast-paced. There are no pauses like when a point is scored in outdoor. Instead, when a point in scored the player will simply touch the disc to the ground and they will now be trying to score in the opposite direction. The team that was trying to defend the end zone will now be trying to score in it. After a point there is no turnover, play continues and the team that scored keeps possession. This happens after every point scored.

For example, you can score in an end zone and tap the disc for a point. Instantly after, you can throw the disc to the other end zone in which your teammate catches and taps it for another point. Your teammate can instantly throw it back to you to score a third point. This process could technically be repeated until the defense gets a block.

So many points are scored in indoor Ultimate that the games are often timed instead of point capped. So it is not unusual to see high scores.

Remember to ALWAYS TAP THE DISC!!! Some tournaments allow you to clap the disc to symbolize a point, that’s okay too (be sure to check with the tournament). If a player scores and does not tap the disc to the ground the point is not registered and the end zones do not get flipped. The team that forgot will have to score in the same end zone until the disc is tapped in that end zone.

5) Indoor Stall Counts

The stall count is now 7 seconds, instead of 10 seconds. This takes the most getting used to because it speeds up the game by 30%. In addition, Stall-outs happen much more frequently because this new rule is often forgotten in the heat of the moment. To clarify, a stall-out occurs when the staller says the “S” in “stall Seven.” If a stall-out occurs it is still a turnover and the game resumes.

6) Indoor Subbing

Subbing is now hockey style, yay! Instead of waiting until the end of the point a player can now run off the court at any time. The official rule is that a player subbing out must cross the sideline before his/her teammate crosses the sideline to come into play. But in most non-official games the players cross each other within the court, as long as the subbing player refrains from affecting play. A player can sub out at any time but must not exit anywhere in the end zone. The player coming in should enter in middle third of the field.

A helpful tip to remember is to never sub on defense. In indoor, Man on Man Defense is used 99% of the time so when a player subs on defense, his/her mark is completely open until the new player comes into play, which is bad news. The best time to sub is at the instant there is a turnover resulting your team to be on offense.

6.5) Number Of Players

In indoor Ultimate, there are 5 players on the court per team. In outdoor there are 7 so this also takes some getting used to. You’ll notice that even with 5 teammates the court will still get pretty crowded. Be sure to keep those lanes open and to only allow 2 people (3 max) to be in the end zone at one time. Otherwise it makes it very challenging to score.

7) Obstacles

Some gyms have stationary basketball hoops or hanging ropes. Not to mention ceilings and walls. Unfortunately we have to overcome these obstacles and play around them. If the disc touches any of these obstacles it results in a turnover, even if the flight of the disc is not affected. The disc will be taken from the closest in-bounds position (excluding end zones) where the interference happened.

8) Pick Calls in indoor Ultimate

A pick is when a player cuts off another player resulting in a completed pass that could have otherwise been blocked. An indoor court is much more crowded and compact so picks happen very frequently. Because of this There are no Picks in indoor Ultimate.

Frequently Asked Questions about Indoor Ultimate Frisbee

Are the rules different for Indoor Ultimate?

Yes! There are a few major differences to take note of. Above is a list of the everything that changes that is different. Anything not listed should automatically be assumed to be the same as outdoor.

If the frisbee slides across the whole indoor court where do you take it from?

You will take it from where the frisbee stops moving or where someone stops it. If it slides out-of-bounds then you will take it from the exact spot it slid out (excluding end zones).

The frisbee touched something that did not effect it’s flight, what happens?

The play will result in a turnover even if the disc barely nicked something. If one players saw it hit something and another didn’t then it is up to the captains to negotiate. remember, Spirit of The Game.

I forgot to tap the disc when I scored, what happens?

A point is not registered until a disc is tapped. In Theory, you and a single teammate could make 100 passes to each other in the end zone and a point would not count until the disc is tapped.

My hand hit an object which affected my ability to catch the disc? (It was the bottom of the basketball backboard).

Unfortunately we have to deal with the obstacles. If you missing the disc resulted in an opponent scoring or you missing the opportunity to score then the play will not be affected. If the disc drops because of the basketball hoop then the disc will remain dropped.

What is the best play to use for indoor Frisbee?

I recommend doing the simple Man on Man on defense and a Ho Stack or Vert Stack on offense. Turbodiscing really works well in indoors too.

What are the Best Shoes to wear for Indoor Ultimate Frisbee? 

Check out the Top 10 Best Shoes for Indoor Ultimate Frisbee which have been hand-selected to help you become the best player you can be.

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