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Old Tue Jan 31, 2012, 04:39pm
Eastshire Eastshire is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BadNewsRef View Post
Do you turn to backpedal or are you are already backing up and then a situation comes up where you need to sprint backwards? On a basketball court you are stationary officiating when a shot goes up. Not to diminish your athletic ability but you are not backpedaling up the court faster than the teenagers around here running forward. Maybe a middle school game but not JV or Varsity in these parts.
Again, I don't actually run backwards when I work basketball.

I'm at best stationary during rebounding and at worse moving towards the endline that's being shot at. Regardless, I'm usually at ~ 45 degree angle to the court meaning it's a further turn to running forward than backward. Your mileage will vary with the speed of your athletes and the schools are work are not the biggest out there.

Yes, with the current mechanics backpedaling generally means the person bailed, but we aren't talking about current mechanics (or backpedaling either which is mechanically different than running backwards).

Quote:
How am I straight-lined? I'm looking east/west through players who are going north/south . Someone who is back-pedaling is looking at the backs of players.
I think you answered this yourself. If you are even with them you don't have the angle to see between them. You have to be ahead or behind to see between.

Quote:
For soccer officials and DBs at the NFL Combine it's not difficult. I would say a majority of basketball officials don't have that training.
I agree, but that begs the question. The point is not that we don't have the training, the point is that the reason we don't do it is safety not that over-the-shoulder is a superior view.

Quote:
Running backwards is not a natural act like running forwards. It takes more engagement from the brain which takes away concentration from other activities the brain is focusing on. It may be second nature to you but it's not to most people.
Looking off-ball isn't natural either but we learn to do it.

Quote:
As I alluded to in another post if an official is in a position to backpedal and beat all the players up court I don't see how he was engaged in the previous play on the other end of the court. He was most likely backing away from the previous play.
Your implying cause and effect in a situation that's merely correlation.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Freddy View Post
I'll tell that to the "experienced" guy I work with here and on the hardcourt who took some unwanted time off from both work and his assigned soccer schedule last season due to a fall that occurred during one of his soccer games in which he broke his wrist. Surgeries, pins, time off work, lost remainder of his Big Ten schedule, still can't pick his nose with that hand, etc. I don't think he's gonna be running backwards any time again soon. And he was "good at it."
Just because we're experienced at something doesn't mean we never screw up at. And if he doesn't run backwards again, he probably won't be getting soccer assignments because he won't pass the physical that includes running backwards.
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