Post Game Review the Next Day

[Freddy]

Post-game review is great, and we sure do it and do it comprehensively as possible. Kinda like the Eagles and their famous "Circle of Fear", as we each take turns expressing a play or two we'd individually like to take another look at, and then offer the same critique about partners and plays we think they might want to take a reflective look at.
The next day and the day or so after is also important because that's the soonest the game video can be downloaded and play clips cut and sent and reviewed and discussed.

[bas2456]

I see a few guys quite a bit. The guys who I enjoy working with are the guys who bring up plays to discuss, whether they happened in our game or not.

Not that I don't enjoy working with officials who don't bring up plays, just that it's awesome to talk about and break down strange plays.

I think that if you want to get better at this, you have to continually learn. Learning doesn't always happen in your own games. Every night, there's a chance you're going to see something you've never seen before. If you run into a situation that you're not sure you handled correctly and have to do extra research on or ask an interpreter or whatever, it's only going to help you and those you work with to get the correct answer and share it.

[Amesman]

Next-day emails can be ignored if the recipient so chooses, so I wouldn't think twice about sending one, as long as you don't already know a partner wouldn't be receptive to getting it.

Even then, he/she can "change the channel" and move on. If that happens, take the cue and move on to a mentor type or another official you respect if you have a burning issue you don't feel is resolved.

[SE Minnestoa Re]

We always drive together so the ride home is our post game.

I work four sports at the high school and/or the college level, and I always have thought the post game is as important, if not more so, than the pre game. Since I always work with the same partners in basketball, some of the pre game stuff has already been covered.

It is the ride home we become better officials.

[SNIPERBBB]

Cant see the need for something to be resolved the next day unless you need consultation from your assignor or association on something thats more "in rome" than in the books.

[UNIgiantslayers]

I've emailed the day after for rules clarifications when none of us for some reason had our rule books. I'm in the camp of I'd rather get better and help others than just let it go. I can see why others would want to just let it go, but as a younger guy in our state trying to move up, I'll take anything I can get that makes me better-- even if it's someone pointing out a mistake. I have found that's the best way I learn because as Gus from Breaking Bad says, don't make the same mistake twice.

A lot of partners you will work with don't want to get better, don't want to discuss plays, and are unwilling to accept criticism, even if the giver means well.

I called an illegal screen the other night and in the locker room at halftime my partner asked me why I called it. I said that a screener has to give time and distance when screening a moving opponent. He said I was wrong and that only applies to a blind screen, but he agreed with my call because this was a blind screen. I wanted to tell him he was wrong back but I bit my tongue.

I suggest cultivating a small group of people you trust and respect to talk about plays/situations. I find it much more rewarding to call those people on the way home from a game and be able to admit when I screwed something up and the person I tell won't look to rip me to other refs.