GUTS is a Frisbee game for the brave. The key is the speed of the throws and the reflexes of the defending players who will try to catch it so that it does not cross the goal line. Who dares?
Guts is a game that some categorize as extreme and dangerous.
Yes, it is played with a Frisbee, and we usually see these discs flying placidly as they pass from hand to hand. But that’s not what happens in Guts, where the Frisbee is thrown at unimaginable speeds precisely with the intention that the opposing team won’t be able to catch it.
If you decided that Guts is not for you, we encourage you to discover these other Frisbee games.
If you dare with Guts, read on, we’re going to have fun.
How to play GUTS
Set up
Number of players
10 players, 5 per team.
Team Formation
Create two balanced teams taking into account the age, experience and skill of each player.
What you need to play
You’ll need a Frisbee that’s as durable as possible and a large, level outdoor space.
Length of the GUTS field
The playing field should be approximately 14 meters long. Two lines are drawn at each end to act as launching lines and defensive lines.
GUTS field width
There is no fixed width, but it is determined by how far the defending players can reach when they all have their arms outstretched side by side. It is determined before starting and marks are placed on the ground at the ends of the lines that delimit the length of the field.
Goal of the game
How do you win a game of GUTS?
The goal is to score points, and these are scored by making throws that beat the defending players or by catching the throw in the case of the defending team.
GUTS rules: playing a game
Who’s first?
The match begins with a coin toss to determine which team will serve first. The winning team chooses the player from their team who will make the first throw.
At each point in dispute we have an attacking team, the one that throws the Frisbee, and a defending team, the one that tries to catch it. This disputed point can be won by either the attacking or the defending team.
Who’s first?
The throwing player positions themselves behind the throwing line and throws the disc, considering three things:
1 – AIM
Your goal is to get the disc past the defensive players and land behind the defensive line, or else the defending players will not be able to make a good catch.
2 – NO-GO AREAS…
No vertical throwing of the disc, Maximum 89 degrees of inclination. It cannot be thrown upside down.
3 – TRAJECTORY WITHIN RANGE
The trajectory of the disc must be within the reach of the defending team, passing through a window whose height is determined by the height of the receiving players with their arms extended upward—without jumping—and whose width is the width of the field.
Point for the attacking team
The attacking team scores a point if they make a valid throw, passing through the catch window and landing behind the line that marks the defender’s field boundary.
Maybe you think… but if the Frisbee flies in a trajectory within reach of the defenders…. How could they not try to prevent the disc from crossing the defensive line, even if it means a few bruises or a broken finger? Well, either because it goes so fast that they don’t have time to react, or they manage to touch it but then don’t catch it before it falls to the ground. It’s not that simple.
So the defending team has no chance of winning the point? Yes, it does. It can win the point by the attacking team’s failure if it makes an invalid throw, or by its own merits if it manages to catch the disc in the air before it falls to the ground, now we explain how, because not just anything will do.
Winning Catching
The defending team wins the point if they can make a reception that catches the disc before it hits the ground and delivers:
1 – ONLY ONE HAND
You cannot catch the Frisbee with both hands at the same time. Only one can be used.
2 – VALID BOUNCES
The catch is also valid if the Frisbee, after impacting a hand or any other part of a defender’s body, bounces and keeps bouncing from one player to another until one catches it in the air with one hand.
This video will help you understand it better. Take a look at it and then we will explain more about it.
Subsequent throws
After the initial throw and the score update, it is the opposing team’s turn to throw. Teams will alternate playing the role of thrower and catcher at each point.
Who’s throwing next?
Throwing is done by the last player who touched the Frisbee in the previous defensive action, whether he caught it or not. If no player has touched the disc then the team decides who throws.
Summary of scores
We review how the Guts scoring system works:
1 POINT FOR THE ATTACKING TEAM IF….
Makes a valid throw that goes through the defending team’s reach window and lands behind the defensive end line.
He makes a valid throw inside the defending team’s range window and although the defending team manages to touch the disc, they do not manage to catch it.
1 POINT FOR THE CATCHING TEAM IF…
The attacking team makes a throw outside the reach window from above or from the sides.
The attacking team makes a short throw that lands inside the field without anyone touching it.
They manage to catch the disc legally.
Field change
Players will change fields every ten points, adding together the points of both teams.
Player substitution
In official championships each team can have 6 or 7 players, although only 5 play at a time. Why? To change some of the players depending on how the game evolves. Changes can only be made during field changes.
And the winner is…
The match ends when one of the teams scores 21 points, thus becoming the winner.
Throwing techniques for GUTS
If you have understood and internalized how Guts works, you are already aware that a typical Frisbee throw that defenders would easily catch is no good in this game.
So what options do throwers have? If they want to get over the goal line, they must look for a gap in the defense and make a very fast and precise throw, or else throw the disc with such inclination and speed that the defenders will not be able to catch it.
In the video above you will have seen some typical pitches from GUTS professionals.
Tips for playing GUTS
Use gloves!
We do not want to finish this article without advising anyone who dares to play Guts to use gloves to protect hands in defensive plays.
Other Frisbee games
GUTS is an exciting game, but there are many more possibilities. In Frisbee Games page we propose many more games: Circle Frisbee, Double Disc, Bowling Frisbee, Courstee, Street Frisbee…. and a complete Frisbee buying guide.
LOODENS rating
Guts is an exceptional game not suitable for everyone. Some people reject it because of its danger while others love it precisely because of the adrenaline rush that comes from the risk of getting in front of each new launch. Only for the brave!
If you share this page, only good things can happen! 😉
It's a party game that will have you in stitches with your friends. 8 seconds to answer all sorts of questions. It's unclear whether the game's questions or your friends' responses are more surprising, hilarious, or absurd.
The first time you see this game, you'll look foolish. What's that round net doing on the ground? How the heck do you play that? And when you discover it, you go from perplexity to… I want to try it!
Rock me Archimedes is an original turn-based strategy game on a moving board. There are two ways to win: an obvious one, which I'm sure you're already thinking about, and a less obvious one.
How about an Air Hockey game? Fun and fast-paced Air Hockey is a game that is also somewhat hypnotic because of the way the puck moves. We explain how to play, tricks to play like a pro and buying tips.
Discover the award-winning board games from recent editions of the prestigious Spiel des Jahres – the Oscars of board games!
Manage your privacy
To provide the best experiences, we and our partners use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us and our partners to process personal data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site and show (non-) personalized ads. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Click below to consent to the above or make granular choices. Your choices will be applied to this site only. You can change your settings at any time, including withdrawing your consent, by using the toggles on the Cookie Policy, or by clicking on the manage consent button at the bottom of the screen.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
