Ref the Defense?

[Nu1]

Might be a simple question, but in reading posts over the months I've read this phrase (or one like it) numerous times. Can someone explain what it means? Maybe an example of how it would be put into practice.

[Kelvin green]

Ref the defense means watch the defense not the offense.

It means if you have a person dribbling, know what the defense is doing, you what the guy with the ball is going to do. ( In fact one of the reasons you will see an experienced official miss a travel or double dribble in front of them is because you are refereeing the d)

If you know where the defense is, and watching them you will know how many steps did the defender take before running into a screen, If you referee the defender you will know where her position is when there is a drive to basket; thus making a block/charge an easier call.

[blindzebra]

Originally posted by Nu1
Might be a simple question, but in reading posts over the months I've read this phrase (or one like it) numerous times. Can someone explain what it means? Maybe an example of how it would be put into practice.

Actually the phrase is not literal.

You should work at looking through the play and not at anything in particular.

Find the defense, maintain an angle through the play, and know what the offensive player is doing with the ball and their feet. Now doesn't that sound easy.

That is what you need to do though, defender first, position second, offense last.

[TravelinMan]

Originally posted by Kelvin green
If you referee the defender you will know where her position is when there is a drive to basket; thus making a block/charge an easier call. [/B]

Which means you will "see" the play better and get the call right more often. I wish I had learned this before I started officiating. An experienced official explained it to me in my second year and I am still grateful. I make the call with confidence.

__________________________________________________ ________
"As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do."--Andrew Carnegie

[Mark Padgett]

"Referee the defense" means you never make any calls against the offense. That's your partner's job - plus your partner referees the bench. In a three person crew, one referees the defense, one the offense and one the bench.

In any crew, whoever referees the bench is called the "T".

[ChuckElias]

Nu1,

Kelvin and blindzebra both gave good answers. Blindzebra actually threw in another phrase: "see through the play". Both these concepts are critical to good officiating, in my opinion. Like you, I heard these phrases for months (a couple of years) before I worked up the gumption to admit I had no idea what they meant. So you're about 2 seasons ahead of me in your development

"Referee the defense" means just what Kelvin said it means. It means that you know where the defense is before the offensive player makes his move. You know what the offensive player is going to do, right? He's going to either shoot or drive (in which case you need to be aware of contact); or he's going to pass. So stop worrying about where s/he is. Instead, take a peek at the defender. Does s/he have legal guarding position? Is s/he in a vertical position? Is s/he moving laterally or forward? If you can answer those questions, you are miles ahead of the game when it comes to the block/charge call. If you know that the defender is legal, then it doesn't matter what the offensive player does on his/her drive; it's a PC. If you know where the defender is and what s/he is doing, your block/charge calls become a piece of cake. That may sound crazy to you right now, but I'm 100% serious. If you referee the defense, the block/charge call becomes very easy to make.

"See through the play" means that you have a position which allows you to see both players (offensive and defensive) and the space between them. Basically, it means the same as "don't get straight-lined". You always want to be able to see between the two players. That way you can see if the defender illegally contacted the dribbler when reaching for a steal. You can see if the dribbler pushed the defender away with his/her free arm. If you're only looking at the back of the defender, you can't possibly make either of those calls. But if you clearly see two players, daylight between them, and the ball, these plays become fairly easy to officiate.

Congrats again on getting started with your officiating career. Keep asking this type of question!!

[footlocker]

hmmm...

[Nu1]

Thanks for the help. The answers given make a lot of sense. Remembering back, I'm not sure I did this correctly at all my first four games I'll have to concentrate on this the next time out.

[blindzebra]

Originally posted by Nu1
Thanks for the help. The answers given make a lot of sense. Remembering back, I'm not sure I did this correctly at all my first four games I'll have to concentrate on this the next time out.

It helps if you break it down and work on a couple of things.

Next time out work on finding the defensive player and having a good strong whistle when you make a call.

The next time concentrate on looking through and getting your hand up, foul/violation, with that good whistle.

Never try to get everything at once, it can lead to an overload, work on a couple of things each game and you'll be seeing plays much better, and making the right call with confidence.