Quote:
Originally posted by youngbballref
what would be the most 2 important things I should begin working on first?
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Hmmmm. Let's see. Just off the top of my head. . .
1)
Hustle. As Lead, beat the offense to the endline. As Trail, get into the frontcourt so your partner doesn't have to officiate 8 or 10 players by him/herself.
2)
Position. If you can't see the play, move to find a good angle. If you have to move your head to see around a player, move your feet. Don't get stuck in one spot.
3)
Signals. Fist for fouls; open hand for violations; thumbs up for held ball. Get into the habit of giving a signal every time the whistle blows. (Sounds basic, but for a new guy, it's
really hard to remember.)
4)
Reporting. When reporting a foul,
hustle to the table; then STOP! Then
slowly give the color and number of the player who fouled. Then signal (don't say) the type of foul. Then indicate what will happen next (possession or FTs).
5)
Off-ball officiating. Probably the hardest thing for any new official. As a fan, you're so locked into the action of the ball-handler, you don't realize how much goes on with the other 9 players. But as a ref, when the ball is not in your primary area of responsibility, you need to train yourself NOT to watch it. Instead, officiate the players that are setting screens and defending the cutters. Very hard. Don't worry when it doesn't come right away.
6)
Knowing your FT shooter. Again, very hard to do. You make the foul call, it's a great call and you're ready to
hustle to the table to report it. You come back and realize -- oh, crap! -- you don't know who's supposed to shoot. Try to make a mental (or better yet, verbal) note about who will shoot the FTs.
Ok, that's more than enough. You should get through this list in about 4 years.
I'm not kidding, either. But if you work a little bit on one at a time, you'll make great strides. Good luck!