Foot blocking

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[UltimateJimmy]

Hey Fellow Frisbee Flippers!

Just started playing frisbee in the last month.. Where have you been all my life I ask!!
We have about 30 players so far (not bad for 3 sessions) and are just getting sorted in plays, rules, strategies.. It is great fun.

One question I do have though, There is one guy (lets call him Fred)... Now Fred is apparently some guru player who played in another state..

Now there has been some speculation about foot blocking. Frisbee is played in the spirit of the game we know.. But when Fred flicks feet (with soccer boot studs under it) without giving enough room for attacker to move, how to you deal with it. He was doing it to the ladies, trying to be intimidating and just a straight up jack ass..

Can you flick your feet around like an irish dancer as well as the arms, is there any foul involved if the space he gives you is not the disc distance apart?How do you call it up.

We have already had one good player walk away because she can not deal with it. It is all well and good to be a good player, but its hard to tell him he is being an idiot... But I think its the next step.

Any sort of guidance would be appreciated. I heard from a player in the states that its a pretty "frowned apon" move because of the high chance of injuries.. Thats pretty obvious too.

But yes, any help would be great.

Thank you
J.

[Seppo]

Hey Jimmy,

First of all, welcome to UT!    Good to have you aboard, mate.

Regarding your question about foot blocks, they are indeed a legal move, but as you said they are pretty much frowned upon unless you're a good enough player to use them effectively.  I've seen some reckless players fling their legs up in an attempt to get a foot block, only to instead kick the throwers hand and cause injury (serious injury in some cases).

With regards to Fred, well he just sounds like a brutish dim wit.  The Spirit of the Game should never be sacrificed for competitive play, especially in a mixed co-ed environment.  Fred needs to keep it real, man.  It's easy to call a foul on him.  I mean if you go to throw the disc and his foot/leg touches any part of your being ... BOOM ... foul!

Good luck mate!

- Seppo #22

[UltimateJimmy]

Thanks mate, it's what I thought.. So if he is guarding and you swap from a forehand to backhand or fake the throw and he kicks out and hits the frisbee can you call a foul?
Just want to make him stop doing it really.. So discouragement is the way to go one feels

[mrdeucie]

Until you release the disc, the disc is an extension of your body, so yes it is a foul if the marker comes in contact with the disc before you have released it.  This is how I understand it under the USAU rules, not sure if WFDF is different.

[DesignatedDecoy (DD)]

If you guys are just learning and playing for fun you may also want to move the mark back from disc space to a full yard.  There's a casual tourney here locally for various companies and that's how they do the rules... it greatly increases the fun in the game for beginners though it will drive some of your experienced people nuts.