Learning to relax.

[ace]

Last night following my on-floor evaluation I was leaving a gym and an official whom I met earlier on in the pre-season and have come to respected told me something that made me go- huh he's right. i've heard it before but it didnt hit all the brain cells until last night. "The only thing I see that you need to work on is learning to relax out on the court" Granted We're getting dropped onto a varsity level playing game every 4 1/2 minutes I should be relaxed after the first 2. The first 2 minutes of the game always seem to be a hard part of the game and sometimes I can relax until the last 2 minutes of the game and then I get caught up again. Is this just an experince thing? I'm in my 4th year as an official and this'll be my first year in an organized, scholastic officials association. At my young age I feel like I have to be better than anyone else for a few reasons. And maybe this is causing me to get tense in the game. What do you guys suggest? I really enjoy officiating. Nothing feels better after a long day at school then getting out on the court. It's an isolation thing for me and something I've really learned to enjoy. Thanks for any help/advice you guys can give.

[Jay R]

Interesting post Ace. Being able to be relaxed on the court is important. Relaxing might not be so great. I don't know if you get my point. An official has to be relaxed while focusing on the game, similar to a player who is not going to play well if he's tense.

Having said that, be careful that relaxing does not mean letting your mind wonder and mising something on the court, even during a dead ball situation.

I have struggled with the first few minutes of games in the past. In my case, I would hesitate blowing the whistle early in the game. I think it was probably a lack of mental preparation on my part (or our crew as a whole). Last year, I worked on getting prepared with a good pre-game so that I would be focused for 40 minutes. But also trying to be relaxed as well.

Jay

[Dan_ref]

Great question. IMO, being relaxed yet fully aware in stressful situations takes confidence which comes from time & experience. Eventually you will be relaxed on the court (plus or minus pregame jitters) but remember: being relaxed in a tense situation, like sincerity, can be faked. So sloooooooooooow down. Make each and every call in a matter of fact business like manner - avoid the urge to make "the big call" even if the situation screams for it. Each time you blow the whistle count to 2 while continuing to observe the action before moving a muscle. Practice great and consistent mechanics. Maintain a good posture - don't hunch your soldiers, tense up your neck/face, frown, bite your whistle, etc. Keep a relaxed facial expression as the heat builds. Try to always talk in the same calm voice, even when you want to get excited and/or scream. Be approachable, friendly, yet professional. Once you learn to fake this you'll be set!

[BktBallRef]

I don't think he actually wants you to relax. I believe he's telling you to slow down! Let the game come to you. Don't sell every call. Be approachable with regards to players and coaches talking to you. Move deliberately but don't unnecessarily rush yourself.

And slow down.

[ace]

By relaxing i ment, not getting so tense and stuff that u foreget mechanics and start rushing when the clock is stopped. I'll never relax enough to fall asleep during a game.



And BktBallRef he doesnt want me seriously relax some... I'm really tense out on the floor at times.

[Edited by ace on Oct 7th, 2003 at 08:34 PM]

[JRutledge]

really is to work more. There will come a time in your career that you will just realize you have been around the block doing this, and you will naturally feel more confrontable or relax. Outside of that, maybe you can do some visualization or pregame technics that might get you ready mentally for the game. Whatever that might be or whatever might work is based on you, but find something that might help until officiating becomes like riding a bike. Trying to slow down can help, but that comes with time just like other skills you get on the court. It could have been the situation that stressed you out by being evaluated, so maybe this is not normal for you and that is why you were uptight. You could go to more camps to help get used to that. I personally go to about 5 or 6 camps every summer. I was nerveous at first, but know I just treat it like anything else.

Hope that helps some. Good luck in the future.

Peace

[BktBallRef]

Originally posted by ace
And BktBallRef he doesnt want me seriously relax some... I'm really tense out on the floor at times.

I don't know what that means but I can assure you that if you slow down, you'll be less tense and the game will come to you.

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by BktBallRef


I don't know what that means but I can assure you that if you slow down, you'll be less tense and the game will come to you.

Maybe it is his facial experessions or his body language. Slowing down is not going to solve those things alone. They might help, but they are not going to make you look relaxed. And having a facial expression can tell a lot about how relaxed you feel.

Peace

[rainmaker]

ace --

For me, relaxing meant two things: confidence and control. I have been working for the past four years, to have enough experience to feel that I know what to do in any situation. That's the confidence part -- knowing ahead of time that I am in control. Which is the second thing -- control. The hardest part for me was (is) self-control. Controlling my body, my emotions, and my thinking process all need constant attention. You need a certain amount of excitement and enthusiasm, but not tension or hype. You need to be able to distance yourself at some moments and step into the current at others, and you need to know when to do which. (This starts to sound like a 12-step group!) When I go into a JV girls' game, I have both confidence and control. I've been around the barn a few times, and I know what to expect and how to handle it. Varsity boys' I'm still working on, although I think I could fake my way through if necessary. You'll get there, too, just like we all will, if you work on developing confidence and control.

[Indy_Ref]

Rut said it all. NOTHING replaces time and experience at WHATEVER LEVEL YOU'RE WORKING. I believe that is a KEY element. For me at first, most of my evaluators asked me to slow down and not be so tense. This was at the high school varsity level. A few years later, they said I had ice in my veins.

This past summer, I went to my first D-I camp...and it felt as if I was starting all over again! Again I heard my evaluators tell me to slow down and relax...and, "You're like the energizer bunny out there!" I was trying SO hard and trying to call everything right...that I could NOT relax or concentrate like I can at the high school level. I'm confident that time & experience will take care of that.

[Tim Roden]

I tend to agree that experience helps. But on the other hand confidence and controll is the key. I know the first time I called a game, the first time I called a varsity game, the first time I called a game in an arena.(seats behind you in the lead) It was a nervous thing. But as you get used to it the better off you are. The other thing is do it right every time. That way when an evaluator comes along, you don't have to change anything to make him think you are doing it right. So your not nervous in front of him.

The final thing is someone thinks you deserve to be calling the game that you have tonight. So the floor belongs to you. Not the players, not the coaches but to you. Relax and do your job. There is nothing that will or will not happen that you you don't allow.

As far as surviving the first two minutes of a game. It is easy. I think any official in the country can call the first half of any game played. It is the second half that separates the men from the boys. That is where tempers flare, that is where the game is won and lost and the right call can mean the difference between getting scratched and being put on a coaches, "I want him every time" list. So once you get past the opening jump ball, there isn't much to worry about in the first half.

[Back In The Saddle]

First, I agree with the confidence and control crowd. One thing that helped me was attending some camps where people who know what they're talking about validated my abilities. That has helped my impulse to hurry and get the game going again before something bad happens and I look stupid. It may well take something else for you, but that's what it took for me.

Second, is the faking it part. I have spent a lot of off court time repeatedly thinking through how I want to handle things. I have done it enough now that when I call a foul, I just act out the script I have rehearsed. I pause, make my signal, take note of the foulers number, the shooters number, and calmly call my partner my name and say how many shots we'll have. Then I hustle to my spot, pause while I come to a complete stop, and signal to the table. This mental rehearsing helps me a lot in situations where I really am not that relaxed...at least I have practiced how to look like I am