New Ref

[rainmaker]

I didn't start reffing until I was already an old lady, so I had to improve as quickly as I could or I'd never get to do more than Jr Hi games. Here are two things you can do if you want to really speed up the process:

A) (...and I can't believe no one else has said this) Catch yourself on video tape. Take a friend to a game and get him or her set up ahead of time with a fully charged battery, and a 2 hour cassette. have them use a tripod and just slide it back and forth. Be sure they follow you and not the ball. When you watch your first two or three tapes, you'll know what you need to work on next. It will be VERY obvious.

B) Start early working on watching off-ball. The best way to get a great evaluation is to call one good off-ball foul in the first quarter. But watching off-ball is a little tricky, since it's just natural to follow the ball. The best way to practice is to tape college games off of tv until you get a game where there is an off-ball foul called, and it shows on the screen, either during the running time, or in instant replay. Practice seeing that foul before it's called.

Doing these two things will help you move up as fast as it's possible to do. And don't forget to have fun!