Rules Analysis
A “catch” occurs when a player has a non-spinning disc trapped between at least two body parts. A catch can enable a player to establish possession of the disc.
The rules have been updated since 2017 to mean that “catch” and “possession” no longer mean the same thing. A “catch” is when the disc is first controlled by the receiver. Once a player has caught the disc, they can go out-of-bounds, or have the disc touch the ground, and this is not a turnover, as long as they maintain the catch while out-of-bounds or while the disc is touching the ground, and they subsequently establish possession of the pass. A player establishes possession of a pass when:- they catch a pass and then they maintain that catch for more than one noticeable instant, and- they maintain the catch throughout all ground contact related to the catch, or until they throw the disc For a disc to be considered “trapped” the disc must be held firmly between at least two body parts and should not move relative to those two body parts.If a player initially catches a pass and then, prior to establishing possession, they do not maintain the catch (‘maintain the catch’ means to continue to have a non-spinning disc trapped between at least two body parts), that initial catch is deemed to have ended.A player may change the body parts that are being used to trap the disc, and as long as the disc continues to be trapped by at least two of the body parts during that change, it is considered the same catch (for example if a player traps the disc to their chest with their right hand, they can grab the disc by the rim with their left hand and take the disc away from their chest, and as long as they only remove their right hand once the left hand has grabbed the disc, it is considered the same catch).
If the player fails to maintain the catch due to subsequent ground contact related to the catch, or contact related to the catch with a team-mate or a legitimately positioned opposition player, possession is deemed to have not occurred.
Ground contact or contact with another player can be deemed to be ‘related to the catch’ if it occurs directly after the catch has been made, is a result of landing after diving to catch the disc, or occurs while the player is off-balance after catching the disc. If, for example, a player takes a running catch in the end zone, subsequently establishes possession through the first few steps after the catch, and then continues to run as part of a celebration and trips over, any loss of possession that occurs as a result of the celebration would not be deemed to be ‘related to the catch’. One way to distinguish if the contact is related to the catch is that once the player could have chosen to stop moving and be stationary and in control of their movement, any further actions are not related to the catch, even if they do not choose to come to a stop.