How hard is Rugby or Ultimate Frisbee to learn?

Ultimate is actually really simple :) It will take you a few hours too learn the rules and the basics. Go for it! :D

Are you asking how easy these sports are to “learn” (as in, the rules of the game), or to “become good at”? Those are very different questions. I can learn the rules of any of these games by reading a few Wikipedia articles. But I’d be killed if I stepped onto the field and attempted to actually play….

I mean how hard are they to “pick up”, like to actually be able to play them

@caly420 I started playing Ultimate in college. It’s not too hard to get started (some of our best players came from other sports), but it can take a while to get your throw down. If you practice enough, you can definitely be in the groove in a handful of months. Some people get a handle on throwing faster than others.

Can’t say much for rugby, except one of the reasons to choose a sport is if you get along with the people that play it, and I tend to really like Ultimate players.

votes for Ultimate

Rugby is fairly complicated, but most rugby clubs tend to welcome new people and help them out a great deal.

Is there any reason you can’t go to a practice of each of them and see which one you like more?

Rugby is a tough, highly combative, injury ridden, complexly skillful game, the rules are tricky, the skill level varies depending on your position, your body type, personality, athleticism and ball handling skills will dictate your field position. Socially rugby players are notoriously bawdy, you may want to consider that, of course if you’re one of the lads it shouldn’t pose a problem, there generally isn’t too much time for prima donnas and bullshitters.

I chose to take up rugby in college, knowing nothing about the game (except that I liked rugby jerseys and didn’t want to be a poseur). I found a variety of people with different skill levels, who were willing to teach and accepting of first-time players (this attitude may be more prevalent in the United States, where the rugby community is not as vital). I did not find it difficult to pick up, but it is a physically punishing game. If you really enjoyed the physical aspects of field hockey, this may be for you.
On the other hand, my sister went off to college and tried Ultimate for he first time there. As an ex-cress country runner, she enjoys the cardio-vascular aspects of it quite a bit, as well as the attitudes of those on the team. I don’t know how easy ultimate is to play (I personally don’t have that kind of eye-hand coordination), but the community feeling that I’ve noticed is similar to that of rugby. Both sports promote competition, followed by a bit of frivolity, which I think is missing from so many competitive sports. I personally would root for rugby but my shoulders are saying that you may be able to play Ultimate longer. I think you’ll have fun either way.

I have to agree with the person earlier who commented that teammates can really make or break your enjoyment of a sport. In my experience, there is a big difference between the kind of people who play rugby and the kind who play ultimate. Especially in college, rugby can have a strong expectation of drinking to excess before, during, and after the game. Ultimate, on the other hand, has something called “the spirit of the game” which is a strong commitment to sportsmanship. Your enjoyment of either sport may well depend not so much on the game or its mechanics, but its surrounding culture.

Regarding @torch81‘s comment about the alcohol consumption… I started playing rugby when I was 19 and a non-drinker. There is a lot of alcohol involved in Rugby culture, but I never felt like I was pressured to drink. I actually don’t think I ever drank at a rugby event (mostly because you shouldn’t mix booze with the painkillers :) )

^^^lol

Anyway tomorrow a lot of the club sports are participating in a “rec night” or in other words since it’s the start of the year, a way to try and get new folks (especially freshman—atleast at my last university thats the way we did it) to “get involved with the campus”.

So I figure I’ll go to that and just talk to the people that head it up, a lot will be based on when practices are?

Thanks for the input!