How far away does a person have to stand away from a person who is throwing a frisbee?

Answer 1

Good question!

"How far away does the defense have to stand from the thrower in ultimate Frisbee?" has two answers, and it depends on which defender you are talking about. I've answered the question here using the most current set of rules for play in the United States- the 11th edition USAUltimate Rulebook. These answers are also correct according to the World Flying Disc Federation, which governs international competition.

The primary defender in this situation is called the "mark." That defender is the person responsible for limiting the range of throws available to the thrower. According to rule XIV.B.3, the mark must stand at least "one disc space" from the thrower, which applies to all points of the mark's body. Here, disc space refers to the diameter of the disc being played with- in most cases a discraft Ultrastar 175g disc, which has a diameter of 10.75 inches. So, while playing, if any line drawn between the thrower and the marker at any point on their bodies would measure less than 10.75 inches, the marker would be committing a violation. This particular violation is called a "disc space" violation.

You may also see secondary defenders playing defense on the thrower. This is most often observed in zone defenses, rather than in man-to-man defenses. Any defender on the field may act as a secondary defender with regard to the thrower. The secondary defender (or defenders) cooperate with the mark to more severely limit the range of throws available to the thrower. According to rule XIV.B.2, any defender who is not the marker must remain at least 3 meters from the thrower, as long as they are playing defense on the thrower. However, a defender may come closer than 3 meters if they are guarding an offensive player who is not the thrower. Violation of this rule is called a "double team."

These answers are provided according to the rules stated in the 11th edition rulebook as established by USAUltimate, the national governing body for Ultimate in the United States.

Although there are some differences between US rules and International rules for Ultimate, in the case of this question, both sets of rules agree.

The Discraft Ultrastar 175g disc has been the official disc used for Ultimate (both in the US and internationally) since 1981.

Answer 2

There is the person who is known as the "marker" on defense who is allowed within the space of a disc (if you placed a disc between both players' stomachs it would hold there without bending or falling). Any other defenders besides the marker must be no closer than ten feet of the thrower. The only exception to this rule is if an offensive player goes within ten feet of the thrower, then a defender is allowed to mose closer than ten feet.