[M&M Guy]

I try to ALWAYS have a pre-game. The higher the level, the more likely it's required by the assignor or supervisor, but it is just as important in the lower levels.

As far as the type of pre-game, that will differ between levels, and will change over the course of the season. For example, in a higher level game we might discuss the teams' records, their offensive and defensive tendencies, and perhaps who are the "problem" players. At a lower level, it might be a discussion about what type of contact will we allow, or how we will switch on fouls. Also, in either case, at the beginning of the season we will discus any new rule changes or POE's, but by the end of the season we won't go over those as much as we will discuss different plays and how they were/are/should be handled.

For me, one constant at any level is communication. Whether it is official/official, official/player, official/table, or official/coaches, if communication is good all the way around, the game seems to go much smoother.

If you search below, you might also find some older threads on pre-games.