new ref about to get started

[ChuckElias]

Originally posted by Goose
The absolute best advice I ever got, and this is from our board's interpreter, is to referee the defense.

Good advice. "Referee the defense". Unfortunately, unless you've reffed for a while, you probably don't know what that means. "Referee the defense" means that whenever you are officiating a competitive matchup, you see the ball, but you focus on the defender's position and movement. Why? Well, if you know that the defender had legal guarding position and you know that s/he didn't move forward into the dribbler, then when there's a crash, you also know that this cannot be a blocking foul. It's either PC or nothing.

On the other hand, if you're focused on the dribbler and watching him/her drive from the 3-point arc, then when there's a crash, you probably didn't even see the defender until contact occured. You have no idea whether that defender had legal position or not. So you have to guess as to whether it's a block or charge. Not a good feeling.

So see the ballhandler, but referee the defender. Will you miss a travel? Yes. Will you miss a block/charge? No. Well, maybe, but you'll still be miles ahead of the other newbies.

In other words, if your whistle is weak, or you look indifferent,

Perception is "hugely" important. If you make facial expressions, they will be seen. If you look bored, people will ask your partner if you'd rather be someplace else. I know a guy who is a good official, but who is soooooo nonchalant, that people talk about it (coaches and other officials). A former president of my HS board was told as a newbie that he made an "angry" face when calling a foul. He wasn't angry, but people do pick up on those things. He had to teach himself not to react that way when blowing the whistle. People notice.