Most people stick with the usual sports that are offered at school. But a lot of teens are getting together outside school to play ultimate Frisbee.

Ultimate requires the endurance of soccer and the passing accuracy of football, although no contact is made. The game is also similar to football because there is an end zone at each end of the field.

To play, you need two teams of seven, an open playing area and, of course, a flying disc (either the officially sanctioned 175-gram Discraft version or just a regular Frisbee). Players are not allowed to run with the disc — they must pass it from teammate to teammate. Points are scored when the disc is passed to a teammate in the end zone.

The other team, though, is allowed to intercept the disc or knock it out of the air to stop the opponent from scoring.

Many colleges have ultimate teams that students can join. Teams often compete against other schools in tournaments. However, ultimate may not be an easy sport for beginners to learn.

“It was really hard for me at first when I started playing in seventh grade,” said Patrick Arnold, a sophomore at Lord Botetourt High School. “But now, it’s really easy. You just need practice like everything else.”

What takes a lot of getting used to, Patrick said, is the way the disc glides through the air and predicting which direction it’s going.

While it may sound like something new, Patrick said the sport is similar to games many teens already know.

“I like to play ultimate Frisbee because of its similarities to soccer,” he said.