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Old Sat Oct 28, 2006, 10:38am
rainmaker rainmaker is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by just another ref
Can anyone tell me why there are questions on an officials' test which deal with language in the book and nothing else? First example that comes to mind
(I'm sure there are others) True or False: It is possible for an airborne shooter to commit a common foul. UHHHHH......lemme think.....mentally turning to that page.......TRUE! I got that one right on the test, which is the only reason for me to know this particular fact, is it not? I'm a little vague about the reason for the term common foul and its definition in the first place, as it is still very necessary to know all the details of each member of the set which is "common fouls." Am I overlooking something obvious? It wouldn't be the first time.
The question speaks directly to a larger question in the field of education, "What is the value of tests, and when are tests counterproductive?"

In general, a test should be designed to give a good representation of what you know about the rules and their interpretations. There's no way the NFHS could possibly test every aspect of reffing, but it doesn't purport to. Still, I figure that if it's on the test, then knowing it will probably be useful at some point. I know there are many that would disagree about some of the details. But as a general philosophy, I try to get what I can out of the NFHS test.

I think knowing and understanding all the different categories and sub-categories of fouls IS very useful. Here's why. The more solid you are on the intricate details, which can be very confusing, the less likely you are to do something wrong in the midst of a difficult or volatile situation. Maybe a coach is yelling, "No, a PC doesn't go as a team foul!" or a table person asks, "Do i give that as an indirect to the coach?" Or you've got a false double foul, which consists of one intentional foul and one technical foul. Or a simultaneous foul and a partner who is clueless. If you are conversant with each type of foul individually, you'll be fine most of the time, but when a rare situation occurs, you could easily get confused. If you have the categories well in hand, you're far less likely to get it wrong.

I'm saying this from theory. I'm NOT an expert in the types and categories of fouls, although I am on mistakes. But I do think it's worth working on for all the above reasons.
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