Things the Mechanics Manual Doesn't Tell You

[SC Official]

I'm 99% sure the NFHS manual says the crew is supposed to hold up a finger at one minute, and at ~15 seconds the OTO is supposed to tap his/her chest. I don't lose sleep about this, in fact I couldn't care less. A crew in a varsity game should know who has the last-second shot, regardless of whether signals are used or it's discussed in pregame.

The manual will not tell you what your assigner's preferences are. And oftentimes they will want things done in ways different than what the manual says. You can choose to do what they say, or you can be holier-than-thou and quote the manual (and say "bye" to your schedule).

New officials, whether new altogether or new to an assigner and "feeling things out," are almost always best off sticking to the mechanics manual (NFHS or a state-specific manual). As you get more credibility and learn what your assigner cares about, you can ease off the black-and-white and incorporate your own style.

In South Carolina, I walk to the table while reporting, and so do most of the people I work with. I don't do all that extraneous preliminary junk that the manual has. There are some officials that do and they look goofy. As long as we are doing the high school switches and applying high school rules, rarely does anyone make an issue. There are a couple purists that think everything has to be done by the book, but they are few and far between.

Coaches and assigners care about two things: play-calling and game management. If you cannot master these two skills, you will not be respected or advance your career, regardless of how closely you stick to your mechanics manual.