Rules of Ultimate
7. The Pull
Decision diagram: Pull
- 7.1. At the start of the game, after half-time or after a score, play commences with a throw by the defence, called a “pull”.
- 7.1.1. Teams must prepare for the pull without unreasonable delay.
Annotation: Reasonable delay before the pull
The following activities are considered reasonable prior to a pull:
- Celebrating a goal
- Determining who will play the next point,
- Determining team tactics for that point, e.g.:
who is marking whom
offensive positions
what type of defence and/or offence will be used
As a guide, the pull should be released within 75 seconds of the start of the point (which starts at the start of a half, or when the previous goal was scored). Refer to the Appendix for more details that can apply at some events.
- 7.1.1. Teams must prepare for the pull without unreasonable delay.
- 7.2. The pull may be made only after both teams have signalled their readiness by having the puller and a player on offence raise a hand above their head.
Annotation: The puller
The puller is the defender who undertakes the pull. The pulling team may designate a new puller at any time before the pull.
- 7.3. After signalling readiness all offensive players must stand with one foot on their defending goal line without changing location relative to one another until the pull is released.
Annotation: Signalling readiness
The offence should be legally positioned and all non-players from the offensive team should be off the playing field before the offence can legally signal readiness.
All non-players from the defensive team should be off the playing field before the pull is released.
- 7.4. After signalling readiness all defensive players must keep their feet entirely behind the vertical plane of the goal line until the pull is released.
- 7.5. If a team breaches 7.3 or 7.4 the opposing team may call a violation (“offside”). This must be called before the offence touches the disc (7.8 still applies).
Annotation: Calling Offside
It is recommended that the opposing team provide a warning to the captain of the team committing this violation before it is enforced. Team should also take into account that calls should only be made where a breach is significant enough to make a difference to the outcome of the action.
Offside can only be called by the players on the field, and any call made by a non- player has no consequences. However non players may assist in monitoring offside and may provide advice based on their perspective.
A contested offsides call results in a stoppage of play and a re-pull. To contest an offsides call, a player on the contesting team must have perspective at least as good as the person making the call. If the call is made with the assistance of a non-player, only a similarly-positioned person would be deemed to have equal or better perspective.
Steinar's comment (unofficial!): Sideline offside calls
This is a rare instance of a call being initiated from the sideline (even if it is not formally called by a sideline player); normally, people on the sideline should not shout calls at players on the field (e.g. “they are double-teaming!”), but e.g. raising an arm to mark an offside, which is turned into an offside call by a player on the field, is indeed allowed by this annotation. This is presumably because it is nearly impossible to precisely judge an offside from 64 meters away.
Annotation: Resuming play after an Offside call
There is no difference to whether a team has been called for their first offside violation, or they have been called offside multiple times, the outcome is the same. If either team has called offside, it is still a “dropped pull” turnover if the offence touches the disc before it hits the ground, and the offensive team fails to subsequently establish possession.
If both teams are called for offside on the same pull, both outcomes described in rules 7.5.1 and 7.5.2 would apply.
What: The defence is offside and the offence calls offside after they catch the disc
Result: The offside call has no bearing and play continues as if no offside has been called
What: The defence is offside and the offence calls offside and then the disc is caught by the offence
Result: The offside call has no bearing and play continues as if no offside has been called
What: The defence is offside and the offence calls offside and then the disc hits the ground and stops in the offences defending endzone
Result: The offence can pick up the disc and resume play from the brick mark closest to their defending endzone. No check is required.
What: The offence is offside and the defence calls offside after the offence have caught the disc
Result: The offside call has no bearing and play continues as if no offside has been called
What: The offence is offside and the defence calls offside while the disc is in the air and the pull lands out-of-bounds
Result: The offence can still make a “brick” call. The thrower establishes a pivot at the brick mark closest to their defending endzone. All other offence players establish a stationary position. The defence then establish a stationary position. The disc is checked in and play resumes.
Extra: If a player makes an incorrect offside call (ie by calling it after it has been touched, or the offence calls offside and also catches the pull) and play had stopped to discuss the call, players should return to where they were when the call was made and resume play with a check.
- 7.5.1. If the defence chooses to call offside, the thrower must establish a pivot point as per 7.9, 7.10, 7.11, or 7.12 and then play restarts as soon as possible as if a time-out had been called at that location.
- 7.5.2. If the offence chooses to call offside, they must let the disc hit the ground untouched and then resume play as if a brick has been called (no check is required).
- 7.6. As soon as the disc is released, all players may move in any direction.
- 7.7. No player on the defensive team may touch the disc after a pull until a member of the offensive team contacts the disc or the disc hits the ground.
Annotation: Defence stops a pull from rolling
What: A pull hits the ground and starts rolling towards the defending end zone, so a defender stops the disc, even before an offence player has touched it.
Result: This is allowed (Rule 8.4). If the defensive player kicked the disc towards the offensive end zone, the disc may be put into play by the offence at the point where it was kicked (Rule 8.4.1).
Extra: If the pull is still in the air without the offence having touched it, no defensive player may touch it, even if it flies back towards the defensive end zone (e.g. because of the wind). If a player does touch it, the offence may request a re-pull.
If the pull lands in the offence’s attacking end zone (i.e. a really short pull), the offence should take it on the goal line.
Any offence player can also stop the pull from rolling. That player is not required to pick up the disc after stopping it.
- 7.8. If an offensive player, in-bounds or out-of-bounds, touches the disc before it hits the ground, and the offensive team fails to subsequently establish possession, that is a turnover (a “dropped pull”).
- 7.9. If an offensive player catches the pull and subsequently establishes possession, they must establish a pivot point at the location on the playing field nearest to where possession is established, even if that pivot point is in their defending end zone.
Diagram: Pull caught
- 7.10. If the disc initially contacts the playing field and never becomes out-of-bounds, the thrower must establish a pivot point where the disc stops, even if that pivot point is in their defending end zone.
Diagram: Pull lands in, stays in
- 7.11. If the disc initially contacts the playing field and then becomes out-of-bounds without contacting an offensive player, the thrower must establish a pivot point where the disc first crossed the perimeter line, or the nearest location in the central zone if that pivot point would be in their defending end zone.
Diagram: Pull lands in, rolls out (no touch)
- 7.12. If the disc contacts the out-of-bounds area without first touching the playing field or an offensive player, the thrower may establish a pivot point either at the brick mark closest to their defending end zone, or at the location on the central zone closest to where the disc went out-of-bounds (Section 11.8). The binding brick option must be signalled before the disc is picked up, by any offensive player fully extending one arm overhead and calling “brick”.
Diagram: Pull lands out
Annotation: Brick call
If an offensive player signals and calls “brick”, a different offensive player may pick up the disc.
Extra: If players who had good perspective on the play cannot agree on if the pull landed out-of-bounds or in-bounds, the midpoint on the sideline between the two proposed pivot locations should be used.
Steinar's comment (unofficial!): Can you score on the pull?
Neither offence nor defence can score on the pull itself, however impressive that may be, as 14.1 says a goal must be a catch of a legal pass, and the definition of the pull says that it is not considered one.