When an offensive player has the disc, they are required to establish a pivot foot. A pivot foot is similar to the pivot foot in basketball. As in basketball, at least part of the foot needs to remain in contact with the same point on the ground. Unlike basketball, that point of contact can NOT be released prior to the release of the disc (when thrown). If the pivot is released prior to the release of the disc, a "TRAVEL" has occurred. In the above example, it looks like a travel has occurred. It is possible that the foot was released after the disc was released, but this seems unlikely. As in basketball, any part of the body can be the pivot. Once the pivot is established, any early release would then be a travel. How do we know which foot is the pivot foot in the picture above? The off foot (opposite of the hand that is used (or most often used for the ambi folks)) is almost always the pivot foot. Why is this? Well, as the name implies, the pivot allows the player to move (without releasing the pivot) in hopes of attempting a throw. If the hand that is being used to throw is the opposite of the pivot, the a wider range of movement (and threatened space to throw) is available. The hand that is on the same side of the body does not provide as good of a radius. There are, of course, some complications to establishing a pivot foot. Where can a pivot be established? Anywhere on the playing field proper, and on the boundary lines. What happens when it isn't possible to stop after catching the disc immediately? The receiver is given a reasonable distance to stop in. At most, this is judged to be three steps. In the course of de-accelerating, the rules state that the receiver should not change direction, and should not re-accelerate prior to release. If more than a reasonable distance is required for a complete stop, the receiver should retreat back to the point where reason dictates a stop. If a receiver goes out of bounds after catching a disc, they return to the point on the field closest to their departure. If they enter the end zone, they return to the end zone line for the throw. Does a thrower always need to establish a pivot foot? If the thrower can throw the disc prior to taking the third step and without accelerating (positively) or changing direction, no pivot needs to be established. What happens if your foot moves just a little during the course of a throw and prior to release? Well, technically, it's a travel. Different parts of the country are strict or not strict about this, and when teams from zones that enforce this rule differently play, this can cause friction. The more general rule in ultimate is that something that provides an unfair advantage and is technically a violation should be called. If, on the other hand, some slight movement of the foot did NOT provide an unfair advantage to the thrower, there would be less reason to enforce the rule rigidly. Unfortunately, there is sometimes conflict about what an unfair advantage is. For those who strictly hold their pivot while throwing, it probably (fairly) seems likely that players who don't strictly hold their pivot can make a better throw (or a better throw around a marker) because of their lack of strictness. In many cases, long throws result in slight movement, and if a player is concentrating on keeping their pivot, they may be able to get less distance and worse accuracy than those who pay less attention to the rule. other sizes: small medium original previous | next All images are © bil elsinger. Please ask before using. post a comment