Quote:
Originally posted by FrankHtown
I'd like a more patient whistle, but doing mostly sub-varsity games, it seems the coaches at that level want everything called. Their claim is "How can I teach them what is a foul if you don't call it." A player gets barely brushed on a drive to the basket, and right away the chorus of "AND ONE" starts.
I refereed soccer and they let play go if no advantage is gained, and they even have a signal for it (an upsweep of the arms), but how do you communicate to coaches "yes, I saw it...I didn't consider the contact harmful to your team or player, and I let play continue."
Playing advantage/disadvantage, in my opinion, elevates the game, keeps it flowing, and as long as the players and coaches understand, makes it a fun game. But how do you do that without coaches and players thinking "Good gosh, this guy misses everything."
I'd like some opinions, please
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You are talking about three different things here. A patient whistle, IMHO, is always a good thing. That just means that you don't blow a quick whistle, anticipating a play, and then wish you hadn't made the call. It doesn't mean that you don't make the call, it just means that you let the play develop and give a few microseconds of thought before the "tweet."
The second thing you are talking about is coaches complaining. That just comes with the territory to a point and is often worse at lower levels. Some of it you can ignore, some of it will have to be dealt with through communicating with your coaches (and sometimes it may require a technical foul). This will come with experience and working on your interpersonal skills. There is no "play on" signal in basketball and it is generally frowned upon to use unapproved signals. You may be able to have quick conversations with the coaches throughout the games which may help. Sometimes they just want a quick acknowlegement.
The final thing you are talking about is judgment. Not all contact is a foul as you obviously know. Unfortunately, sometimes at the sub-varsity levels (especially for more unskilled teams), it is harder to get flow and let the players play through some contact. Again, you'll get more of a "feel" for how much contact can be allowed as you get more and more games under your belt.
Most of us went through the same things you are going through at those lower level games.
Z