How to Layout Safely in Ultimate Frisbee
Laying out can be a glorious thing in ultimate frisbee. A head long dive to grab an errant throw or to block a potential goal gets the attention of the crowd and gains momentum for your team. While it takes only guts to begin laying out - it is more challenging to do so safely. Laying out improperly can put your body parts at risk of being injured and also poses a risk for your competitors. Staying healthy is important so learning to layout in a manner that limits risk to yourself and those around you is a worthwhile exercise.
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Instructions
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Survey the area in front of you quickly as you prepare to layout. Are there obstructions on the field or sideline that you might hit? Other players in the area that can not see you? You want to land on the grass in front of you and nothing else.
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Leave your feet in control. In order to land safely you should leave your feet as part of an extended controled movement rather than flopping or flailing about wildly. Layout with a purpose or goal in mind and this will help you stay in control of your body throughout.
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Land on your chest. While it may seem logical to break your fall with your shoulders or arms, the safest way to land is on your chest. By providing a large surface area to take in the impact you are less likely to hurt yourself than if you landed on a single wrist, knee or arm. Although it is not always possible, by laying out off of both feet you establish a measure of safety by ensuring that you land with your chest towards the ground rather than topsy-turvey.
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Recover safely. Often two players will layout simultaneously and land together. If your body becomes intertwined with an opponents, instead of sprinting to get up, take enough time to ensure that you do not injure the opponent by doing so.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are worried about the impact of the ground, practice laying out into a pool to work on your form.
Being confident will help you stay healthy as hesitation often leads to dangerous situations.
While your personal safety is important, so too is the safety of your opponents. Do not layout head-long through an opponent or teammate. Brief contact as you fly by is OK, but you should not run into anyone's body.
Knee injuries are another common injury that ultimate players succumb to and often they result from an opponent making a dangerous layout.
