No Lanyard
 

Worked five games today, and decided to not use a lanyard during my final game of the set. I've heard guys say that it forces them to slow down...especially since during these offseason youth games there can be a tendency to get a bit lackadaisical.

It definitely forced me to slow down...and I managed to not drop the whistle at all during the second half!

My high school starts in a month...hopefully I can apply what I've learned when I put the lanyard back on.

Anyone else?

I only use one in the summer or off-season games. It does slow you down and makes you have to think about why you are blowing the whistle and having to make sure you do not drop the whistle after the call.

I always use a lanyard during the high school and college games. I can tell you that it is big time frowned upon in Illinois. I know some people that have been held back over this issue. I will not tell you what you need to do and maybe you are good enough to overcome that stigma, but it is seen as an NBA thing. And that is the case even in the region if you work college ball.

Peace

I definitely will wear a lanyard for ALL of my high school games. I was more curious than anything else when I decided to go without the lanyard to see whether or not I could do it.

I've got a few more youth sets before the high school season starts...I think it'll become more comfortable as I go, but I like the way it made me slow down, and you're right Jeff, it made me think before I signaled anything about why I blew the whistle and what I was going to call.

When I did this for the first time, it was out of necessity. I went to a off-season game and had forget to put my normal whistle bag in the bag. Well, I had no lanyard and had to work about 3 or 4 games. I did drop it a couple of times, but then I noticed how I slowed down my whistle. I love doing it and if I was able to get away with it, I would do it in a real game. Now it is like playing a video game, you remember the sequence of buttons even if you stopped playing the game for some time.

Peace

This remark caused me pause.
Wow. What a concept.

And if anyone wants to try this and not look like a fool, you can do the exact same thing with a lanyard on, just take the whistle out of your mouth with your hand, and then let it hang from there. The concept of learning to slow down is the exact same, the lanyard just serves as training wheels so you don't fall off the bike-

I've spit for a few summers now and don't see any difference in how fast or slow I make a call or signal.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? ;)

Peace

Video Killed the Rock and Roll Star
 

A very good thing. You expressed a teachable illustration regarding the acquisition and retention of good habits relevant to our younger generation of officials which I have already used twice in rules meetings since reading your post.
Unlike me, whose last video game was Frogger back when Gorman Thomas was slamming into outfield walls with the Brewers. And Space Invaders before that. And Pong before that. And before that...

Well having played video games and playing them for years, it is interesting how you can not play game for years and go back to it for some reason and it is like riding a bike. I only do this during the summer or off-season AAU games and pick up where I left off. But it took some time to get to that point BTW. I use totally different mechanics even during HS games just during the summer (laid back environment).

Peace

This is a different topic, but one worth commenting on, as we've discussed before...
I can appreciate your personal ability to turn off the laid back, casual mechanics of those summer games when those off-season games end. That, however, is not typical. Problem is, most other officials are unable to do what you claim to be able to do. The non-approved things -- the shortcuts and the lazy habits -- they adopt and develop in the off-season become engrained, and those are the "sequence of video control buttons" they retain. They, unlike you, can't turn those habits off when comes the time for the high school season.
Which is why I discourage unapproved mechanics in the off season. Frankly, for some, it's better than the don't even do off-season games for that very reason.
I like Monty McCutcheon's quote regarding good habits : "Refereeing is about creating good habits so that we can depend on them at the biggest moments. And if we don't have them in our non-conference, preseason schedule, then we don't have them when we get Kentucky/Alabama for the SEC championship. We have to create good habits..."
If you can do it, which I do not doubt, more power to you. Problem is, few others can.
I still like your illustration. And will continue to use it.

Downside to "No Lanyard"
 

Two officials in our area have been doing the "No Lanyard" thing. One abandoned it. The other stubbornly continues the practice.
Observable downside: they just keep the stupid whistle in their mouths all the time. They either never or rarely take the whistle out of their mouths during the course of the game. Verbal communication with players and the officiating crew is extremely curtailed to the extent that going without a lanyard has become a detriment to those we've seen try it.
An "all-too-cool" thing. Just don't do it.
Those of you going without a lanyard. Are you able to overcome that tendancy?

Which tendency?

I stated using this out of necessity. I started using it no lanyard regularly when I realized when I realized what the benefits were for me. I also work college where we have some different mechanics during the season as well. I used to long time ago work Women's college where they had totally different mechanics. I can do both fine. What others can or cannot do is on each individual. Not every official does only HS mechanics anyway, so they have to adjust when working other levels anyway. If guys cannot do different things then I would not recommend that person do what I do. Mostly we do not use regular mechanics anyway during the off-season like switching and even some basic coverages, so not sure why it is so hard to do one thing during the off-season and do something else in the regular season. And when I say regular season, I mean HS and above games. Guys working anything else might also not do what is a approved mechanic.

Peace

I know officials that never take the whistle out of their mouth and they have a lanyard. I do not see the lanyard as a hindrance if you know what you are doing and practice the technique.

Peace