[Sleeper]

Welcome to the grinder. The umpire is the thermostat for the game. I am a third-year guy, so there are other people who can share the finer points of the position, but here are some things that I have learned from those who have done this longer.

1. Talk to your front seven the entire game and be on a first name basis with your defensive captains. Nothing does a better job of control of saying in a huddle,"Dave, you need to get number 15 under control or he is going to cost you 15 yards." Let them police yourself and do LOTS of preventive officiating.

2. You are going to get hit. Make sure and hit the gym and exercise. Work on flexibility and strength. I heard one umpire say that this is a close as you can get to running with the bulls.

3. Resist the urge to move. On dives, let the runner cut off you. Don't try to get out of the way, because you are probably going to get in the way of a tackler.

4. Holding is not always holding. One of the biggest things I have had to work on is holding. Holding has to impede progress. If an OL grabs a DL by the Jersey, it isn't holding until the DL tries to gain seperation and can't. It also isn't holding if it doesn't affect the play. If the player being held doesn't have an opportunity to impact the play, then don't throw the flag. Find a clinic with an umpire breakout that uses video. They will provide good examples.

I have some soft copies of stuff that other guys on this board have send me that helps me and I review on a periodic basis. Email me and I can send it on.