Frisbee anyone?

Two years ago I thought this is gonna be the next cool thing. And I've been waiting but Delhi just doesn't seem to pick up quite yet. Ultimate Frisbee is fairly popular in USA & UK and now even in Bangalore & Chennai but it's still winter in Delhi. When the fan company Usha organised the first Ultimate tournament at JLN stadium along with hosting the legendary Brodie Smith in 2012 I ordered my first Discraft product right away. However the best I could do was lugging it to team trips and playgrounds to play fetch in groups, given the unenviable job of convincing people to play a new game. 

That's how it is

Forget the game, just throwing and catching it in groups is such a stress buster. It's the free running behind the boundaryless flight of the disc that makes the catch count. I keep watching frisbee videos and would like Ultimate frisbee to gain wider audience in India. Look how cool it is in this video featuring a typical game. The best part about Ultimate is the spirit of the game. The game proceeds quickly and a lot is guided by understanding between players.

Ultimate Fribsee

It's like combining playing handball with not a falling ball but a flying frisbee and rugby without the mess. Of course many of you won't know how to play Ultimate or even throw a Discraft frisbee. And so comes the second factor why it's one of the fastest growing sport. There are no pre-requisites. Just watch these two videos and you should be game:

1. Ultimate - basics, rules

2. Ultimate - shots, skills

That's about Ultimate. Apart from frisbee, I want to fascinate you with another flystuff - this is called the Aerobie Astonishing Flying Ring. It looks like this:

You'd want to test it too

It's a perfect combination of material properties of rubber and aerodynamic principles to produce the longest flight by a thrown object. It was made by Alan Adler - a Stanford mechanical engineering professor with the insight to create flight using human hands. This video says it all.

The Ring Challenge

The ring is a perfect thing to carry to countryside or to a casual run but you'd want to throw it in a large open field with no trees.

While Discraft products are still not available in India, Aerobie rings and other products can be ordered from Fairy Rose International in Hyderabad. Fortunately for both of my Discraft fribees (I own an ultrastar and a putter) I found friends in US who could post the products to my address. Nonetheless, all this gets done, you'll find a way too.

So, I wrote this post to simplify Ultimate frisbee and have necessary information in one place. Let me know in comments if I've missed out on anything. I'll update this section with videos on throwing and more fun and also if I get updates on any fixtures in Delhi.