Quote:
Originally Posted by just another ref
Working jr. high tonight with a veteran partner. He asked if I minded if he pointed out a thing or two he had seen me do wrong recently. I said go ahead. The problem was that I was giving the held ball signal without giving the open palm stop clock signal first. I said I thought that either was acceptable. He gave a condescending smile and said that my way was not acceptable, that there was no signal to stop the clock. I knew that the official NFHS signal had at one time said "stop clock for jump/held ball" but it was not something I had looked at recently. He went on to say that our association was going to discuss some things and try to be more uniform in calls as well as mechanics, and I said sure, who wouldn't be for that? Well, I check my new book and I see that the held ball signal still says stop clock just like always. My question is how this is done by others. Is the open palm first ok followed by a held ball signal, or is it considered overkill, or what?
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Although trying to be helpful, I don't agree with the recommendation of your veteran partner. By widespread convention, the open palm signal is not just an indication to stop the clock, it conveys that the reason for doing so is that a violation has been committed. In the case of a held ball that is not true. Neither team has done anything wrong, so should the open palm signal be given?
Through 2003-04 the NFHS published a signal chart that was more step-by-step than the current one. For instance, it gave a box with signal #4 then a "+" followed by the graphics for the types of fouls (including a T). It did the same for violations by first showing giving signal #2 and then the type of violation signal.
Paradoxically, signal #2 was to accompany the sounding of the whistle and preceed the type of time-out signal when stopping the game for the granting of a time-out, but it was not listed as to be given along with the whistle and preceeding the signal for a held ball when stopping play for that. Why one and not the other? Neither are violations? Seems to me that it should be both or neither. My personal opinion is that the open palm should be used strictly for violations only. That way it conveys extra information to everyone. I happen to not use it for TOs. I just point at the individual requesting the time-out when blowing the whistle to grant it.
If your association is going to have a discussion on mechanics, you may wish to bring up those points.
PS What should we do when halting play for an injury?