Practicing Two-Hand Reporting
 

So I had a 5th/6th grade tournament yesterday, what a perfect time to start two-hand reporting! Practiced a little bit at home, game starts, called my first foul. . .on number 72!! Oh well. . . . .

Clarification?
 

Is the proper method right hand/first digit, left hand/second digit? Are you to hold both hands up simultaneously or right hand followed immediately by the left?

Yes. Right hand has first digit. You want the scorers table to read the number left to right.

Funny story from coaching days .. my wife wondered for several games when I was coaching about something and she never asked. Mid-way through the season she asked "You keep putting the team in 13 for the defense". I said yes the 1-3-1. She said but you keep holding up 31 on your fingers.

She sat behind the bench in the bleachers:eek:

I show both hands simultaneously. Some people teach showing one after the other, and it can be helpful for starting out to do it that way, but it doesn't really matter.

I'll be blunt, I'm not really sure why people would even have it in their minds to show the number so that it's read backwards from the scorer's perspective. The scorer is the one recording the foul, so common sense would dictate that (s)he would need to be able to read it from left to right.

We have people struggling to do this? If you knew how to report with one hand, I am not sure why adding a second hand is that hard. BTW, been doing this in off season games for years.

Peace

In baseball/softball the count is given with the first number (BALLS) on the left hand and the second number (STRIKES) on the right hand. So I can see the confusion for those who work other sports.

It helps to start the numbers in your hand while going to the table then just bring them up at the last minute. Helps you look better and gives us slow people a chance to prep the numbers..

Who's Struggling?
 

I'm just curious about the mandated mechanic, although at my age, I could care less about getting dinged. Over the years, I have seen more and more micro-managing, down to the littlest detail and mechanic. I could see this becoming another area where refs get dinged for showing right hand, then left, instead of both simultaneously, or vice versa. Maybe it will come down to "when in Rome" or "what your assigned expects."

I never thought about comparing this to calling balls and strikes, Rich, although I do umpire baseball. Now I'll really get confused!

I doubt seriously they are going to mandate any of that other than to stay that the right hand is the first digit and left hand is the second digit.

I cannot imagine that anyone is going to be mandating from the NF how or the specific technique of how you show those numbers. If they do, I will be shocked. The NF for a long time did not tell us how to say the numbers, so I doubt they will do anything else other than say, "Come to a stop..." type suggestions they have had in the past.

Peace

Fair point.

I noticed that the other day, why is that? Is it for the scorer who usually sits behind?

It has nothing to do with the scorer. Strikes are signaled with the right hand and I believe that is why they want you to use your right hand for signalling strikes. It is more for the benefit of the players on the field. It is also not a number like basketball. It is a pitch count.

Peace

Scorer shouldn't care as would be tracking as each pitch happens.
I doubt you will find The Reason for this as it's been that way for a very long time. But I'll bet you can find a lot of theories. E.g., since strikes are signaled with the right hand, it makes sense to show them in that hand.

But since it is two separate things, not a two digit number, there may be no rhyme or reason.

I have noticed many NBA officials who will bring up the right hand before adding the left hand.

I was at an NCAA-M camp recently where an old-school official recommended putting up the right hand first and then the left for clarity.

During the summer I put both hands up at the same time, just hold them up longer.