Ultimate is a non-contact, self-officiated sport. All players are responsible for administering and adhering to the rules. Ultimate relies upon a Spirit of the Game that places the responsibility for fair play on every player.

It is trusted that no player will intentionally break the rules; thus there are no harsh penalties for inadvertent breaches, but rather a method for resuming play in a manner which simulates what would most likely have occurred had there been no breach.

Players should be mindful of the fact that they are acting as referees in any arbitration between teams. Players must:

Highly competitive play is encouraged, but should never sacrifice the mutual respect between players, adherence to the agreed-upon rules of the game, player safety or the basic joy of play.

The following actions are examples of good Spirit:

The following actions are clear violations of the Spirit of the Game and must be avoided:

Teams are guardians of the Spirit of the Game, and must:

In the case where a novice player is involved in a breach and does not know the rules, experienced players should assist to explain the breach.

An experienced player, who offers advice on rules and guides on-field arbitration, may supervise games involving beginners or younger players.

Calls should be discussed by the players directly involved in the play, and by players who had the best perspective on the play.

Players and captains are solely responsible for making and resolving all calls.

If, after discussion, players cannot agree, or it is not clear and obvious: