Substantive changes from the 10^th Edition:

Thrower/marker fouls are clarified:

In general, any contact between the thrower and the extended arms or legs of a marker is a foul on the marker, unless the contacted area of the marker is completely stationary and not violating any marking rules. Any contact that occurs due to the marker setting up in an illegal position is a foul on the marker. Contact resulting from the thrower and the marker both vying for the same unoccupied position is a foul on the marker. Any contact initiated by a thrower with the torso (excluding extended arms and legs) of a legally positioned marker is a foul on the thrower, regardless of whether the marker’s torso is completely stationary.

A new section on marking violations has been added (which now includes a call of “disc space”) with the following repercussions: a marker charged with a specific marking violation (such as disc-space, fast-count, etc) must not only drop their count by two, but cannot restart their count until the violation is fixed. In addition, the thrower may call specific marking violations as many times as s/he wants without stopping play. At any time after the initial marking violation is called, the thrower can stop play for continued violation and reset the count to zero by calling “violation” instead of the name of the specific marking violation.

Disc-space is defined as follows:

If a line between any two points on the marker touches the thrower or is less than one disc diameter away from the upper body or pivot of the thrower, it is a disc space violation. However, if this situation is caused solely by movement of the thrower, it is not a violation.

Clarified that marking violations require maintained possession in order to be called (i.e.- you can’t call a fast-count and get the disc back if you’ve just thrown the disc away).

Fouls are defined as non-incidental contact.

Incidental contact is defined as contact that doesn’t affect continued play.

The definition of receiving fouls has been broadened: anytime the disc is in the air, an uncontested defensive foul results in the disc being given to the receiver at the spot of the foul.

The continuation rule has been reworded in order to improve readability and several changes to the various outcomes have been made.

* The continuation rule now applies only to infraction calls (e.g., not “stall” calls).

* Calls by the thrower are now handled according to the time of infraction rather than the time of the call. This removes the problem with late calls by the thrower.

* If an infraction did not “affect the play,” the outcome of the play stands. “Affected the play” is now clearly defined, and it is now up to the infracted player to determine whether the infraction affected the play.

* Where to set up after a call is clarified: When the thrower acknowledges a call and does not make a subsequent pass, all players go back to where they were at the time of the call. If the thrower does make a pass after the call, and if the disc goes back to the thrower, players return to where they were when the throw went up, but if the result of the play stands, players return to where they were when play stopped.

Positioning after a pick is clarified: if a picked defender did not have a play on the disc, the disc stays with the receiver. Once players have returned to where they should be depending on the continuation rule, the picked defender then is allowed to move to regain the relative position lost due to the pick.

“Affected the play” is further clarified: A player’s ability to catch or make a play on the disc is not considered to be “affected” because that player stopped, slowed down or otherwise ceased to continue playing because a call was made by another player.

This is distinct from “affected continued play,” which refers to any direct or indirect effect on play in general (e.g. a fouled defender who cannot get up to chase after their opponent).

A disc is always checked in at the site of the violation. Players must then carry the disc to the appropriate location, if different from the site of the violation, to put the disc in play. For example, if there’s an uncontested receiving foul in the endzone, the disc is checked in at the spot of the foul, after which everyone is free to move and the receiver can carry the disc to the endzone line and put it in play.

Penalties for offsides and time violations instituted in Observed games:

If the pulling team is offsides, the first violation results in a warning, after that the offense gets the disc at midfield. If the receiving team is offsides, the first violation results in a warning, after that the offense gets the disc in the middle of their own endzone.

Time violations result in the infracting team being assessed a team time-out (the first instance is still a warning). If the team has no time-outs left, field position penalties are assessed (the same ones as for offsides).

The requirement of acknowledging a goal has been removed.

In addition, if an offensive player who has just caught a legal pass in their endzone of attack, and then throws an incomplete pass (not realizing they were in their endzone), any player with best perspective can overrule the turnover and award the goal. However, if opposing players who both have best perspective can’t agree on the call, the turnover stands.

Possession rules (including the requirement for possession to survive ground contact) are now in the scoring section to clarify the illegality of clap spikes, etc.

In the endzone, an uncontested foul on a receiver after a catch has been made that results in a loss of possession is a goal (this covers a strip, but is extended to all fouls that occur after possession is gained).

Uncontested offensive violations other than picks are treated like uncontested offensive fouls, such that the stall count does not revert to 6 if it was over 6.

If a stall is contested more than once in the same possession, and if second and subsequent contests are a result of a fast count, the stall count reverts to 6 instead of 8.

The requirement for a one-second pause after the word “stalling” when initiating the stall count has been removed. In addition, a contested stall now comes back in at 8 instead of 9. There is no longer a requirement to say “stalling” when dropping the count due to a marking violation.

Principle of verticality is clarified, also to include example of “outcome of the play”

Any defensive player may give the (now defined) “pre-stall” countdown warnings (not just the marker), but only a marker standing within 3 meters of the disc may initiate a stall count after warnings have been given. “Delay of game” warnings now refer specifically to a player that is taking more time than needed to put the disc in play, regardless of prestall counts. After invoking this warning, a defensive player within 3 meters of the disc must wait 2 seconds before initiating the stall count.

A "delay of game" may also be called for a team returning late from a time-out, resulting in starting play with a self-check after 20 seconds of warnings have been given.

A definition of guarding has been added that includes being within 3 meters of and reacting to the offensive player being guarded.

Double team has been clarified: A defender is allowed within 3 meters of a thrower only if they are also within 3 meters of another offensive player and are guarding that other offensive player. However, merely running by a thrower does not count as a double team.

Defensive players that intercept the disc now have all the rights of a thrower. For example, they don’t have to establish a pivot if they throw before the third ground contact, which legalizes the defensive “greatest”, but such a play is subject to a turnover.

A stall count cannot be initiated after a turnover or a pull until the thrower establishes a pivot, unless delay of game rules apply. Therefore, throwers cannot be stalled as they are walking the disc inbounds or from the endzone to put the disc in play. However, receivers catching and running out-of-bounds or into the end-zone can still be stalled from the time they gain possession of the disc.

Touching the disc to the ground is required anytime the disc goes from live to in-play (for example when the disc is OB or in the endzone and is brought to the boundary line).

Failure to touch the disc to the ground when required is now a travel.

A stoppage of play allows a player to reset the pivot.

The term 'position' is generally replaced with ‘location' so players don't have to lie down to restart play if they were previously on the ground.

A non-standing player may lose contact with their pivot to stand up even after a fake as long as the pivot is reestablished at the same location.

A pivot is now defined both in the context of a stationary thrower, and in the context of a thrower slowing down after a catch who makes a throw before coming to a complete stop. A thrower can release the disc before coming to a stop and then immediately resume running as long as there is a sustained point of contact with the ground (i.e.- a pivot) during the throw. However, for a thrower to be allowed to throw while in the air (or without slowing down) they still must do so before the third ground contact.

If the thrower regains possession of an accidentally dropped disc before it contacts the ground and after another player touches it, it is considered a new possession.

A perimeter line segment is defined by the two cones on either end of it (to clarify in/out of bounds on unlined fields with skewed cones).

Additional perimeter restraining lines are recommended for spectators, gear, coaches and competitors. Any obstructed player or thrower can stop play if sideline players encroach into these areas obstructing their throw.

A time out can be called anytime the thrower has possession of a disc, and no longer requires a pivot. If no time-outs are remaining and the thrower attempts to call one when the disc is live or in play, it is a turnover; however, if done when the disc is dead it is not a turnover. In addition, calling a time-out now only requires a hand signal (although an audible is encouraged), and the time-out begins as soon as the hand signal is made.

If a marker is substituted during a point due to injury or to match the replacement of the other team’s thrower, the new marker is allowed to continue the count of the original marker.

An injury call is not retroactive if the injured player continues to play. An injury time-out can still be called, but play stops at the time of the call, not at the time of the injury.

An injury time-out called between points stops any time limit countdowns.

Time between pulls is clarified: the defense has 90 seconds regardless of whether the offense signals readiness before 70 seconds have elapsed, and the defense always has at least 20 seconds after the offense signals readiness, even if the offense goes over their 70 second allotment.

Time limits, timeouts, and substitution protocol are clarified for a re-pull.

Substitutions must be completed before a team signals readiness (so that a team cannot signal readiness and subsequently substitute or add players).

Best perspective now explicitly applies to in or out of the endzone, in addition to up/down and in-/out-of-bounds calls.

An intentionally dropped disc is considered a throw.

Only a player on the infracted team can call an infraction.

Any call can be contested, but only by the person at which the call is directed.

"Violation" refers to all rules infractions except fouls.

Delaying, tipping etc applies to any player, not just offensive players (so the self-mac by a defender is now illegal).

Observers can assign responsibility for delays of game between points to a specific player.(ie- the puller or captain).

A section under Etiquette was added to mandate visible and audible thrower acknowledgment of a call. Another section prohibits delaying.

Caps are renamed for clarity:

“Point cap”: maximum score limit imposed before the event (e.g. “game to 15, point cap at 17”)

“Soft time cap”: maximum score limit imposed during a game once a predetermined time of play has elapsed (e.g. “after 1.5 hours, add 2 to the highest score)

“Hard time cap”: the ending of the game once a predetermined time of play has elapsed (e.g. “game over, or play one more point if the score is tied”)

Overtime is simplified:

Overtime is redefined as any time the score is tied at once less than the predetermined game total. So for games to 15, overtime is at 14-14, regardless of whether the game is now to 16 or whether it was capped and is now to 15.

“Equipment” time-outs are now called “Technical” time-outs, since they cover not only equipment but dangerous conditions as well. Also, there is no longer a penalty for misuse of the equipment time out.