Quote:
Originally posted by Mike Burns
I agree with Larks in that this camp offered a lot of "bang for the Buck". Excelent instruction! For the past three years I have worked on rules knowlege. At this camp rules were not emphasized. I think that rules knowlege by the attendies was a given. What I was impressed with was the emphasis on the "ART" of officiating rather than the "science" of officiating. The philosophy of making the right call in the right situation. I have to admitt that when I first heard some of you like CREW and others talk about this I had a hard time accepting it. I am coming to the realization that if you are a "rule book" official you won't last long.
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Mike, I agree with you completely. Most "rule book officials" are releatively inexperienced, still learning the ropes. They make calls strictly on the rules. They don't apply advantage/disadvantage, game management skiills or any type of philosophy to their game. You are probably correct that the camp administrators expect rules knowledge to be a given. A quality official has to have a firm, working knowledge of the rules. This basic knowledge is the corner stone of growing into a quality, veteran official.
Quality camps should focus on mechanics and knowing what to call and most importantly, what not to call. Philosophy, game management, and court presence are qualities that should be developed at camp. I don't disagree with those that place a high priority on those. But without a strong understanding of the rules, that official will screw up sooner or later. For example, B1 grabs the backboard and holds on while blocking a shot. obviously, the correct call is a T. But you can't score the basket. And I've read posts where such a proposal was made.
Like you said, camps don't focus on the rules. They expect you to know them when you get there.