I'd like to know what is the hardest foul or violation (or whatever) you think is the hardest call to make?

Hugely oversimplified:

travel hard
block/charge easy

I guess I've never understood that type of thinking. A call is a call. I don't think any call is any harder than another. There are mechanics that you use to amke the game easier to work. Consider the situation, know what can happen, and be prepared for what will occur. Master those mechanics and the game comes to you.

The travel is one of the hardest things for me to call. I just find it so difficult to identify the pivot foot with some of these fancy moves that the players do now a days. Hopefully with more practice I'll get it.

block / charge and travel can both be tricky. Getting the right angle can make all difference.

The hardest call for me is to make that fifth foul call on a team's star player in the last minute of a really close championship game on a "not really hard" foul - NOT!!!

When the ball comes to a player in your primary ref from the floor up. Just think feet, defender, ball.;)

In general, the hardest call for me is the 193rd travel call in a 6th grade game.

In specific, the hardest call I ever made was in my 2nd or 3rd year, in a fall ball tournament. It was boys freshman or JV, I think. White had this huge, clumsy post player, who kept shoving his defender. After I called the exact same play for the 3rd time, his coach asked me what he was doing wrong. I told him he couldn't displace his opponent. He could hold his own spot, but not move the other guy. I walked back to the endline, P administers a throw-in, and this big guy pulls his little stunt again. I was so shocked I almost didn't call it. Fortunately, Padgett was kibitzing from near-by, and I got the whistle in in time. Coach pulled him after that. I hope by now he's learned his lesson.

The most difficult decision for me in a game is whether or not to go to my partner when I think that he has made a mistake. Am I helping him or hurting his credibility? Would going over there just make things worse?

I find block/charge to be easy.

I find travelling to be hard.

I like Nevadaref's comments.

I would say that the hardest is travel. I had a more experienced official help me with this. His strategy for newer officials was to pick a summer league game, weekend tournament, or scrimmage (a not as important game) and then spend alot of time rereading the rules regarding travel directly before the game. Then in that game, make sure you get every single one (hard to do with unskilled players). I did it when I was first starting and now I think I have a much better understanding of the rule.

Gotta agree with rainmaker. The lower the level, the harder the games are to call. They do things that you don't anticipate and you need to establish some consistency which is hard to do with those kids.

Rebound with 4 players or more, all legs and arms, no way to tell even wich arm belongs to whom and team mates fouling each other rather then opponents. Often not enough room to move back, and really feeling unable to call anything unless someone is missing a limb while an opponent is holding it.

The old "missing limb" call. Anyone know the signal for that?

Uhhh...if the opponent is holding it, my guess would be holding :D

Surprised no one had mentioned OOB - who touched it last calls. Many times you'll see the ball bound away from a couple of players OOB and the official makes a great "sell" to award the possession to one team or another as if it were crystal clear, without a doubt obviously this direction.

More often than not it may be the right call but many times it can be a pure guess. You don't see the official ask for help or go to the arrow on these tough calls very often.

I saw a WNBA game in which one of the officials was a frequent poster on this forum. He's not here much now-a-days. But he was lead and the ball went OOB on the endline on the other side of the lane. He whistled, looked to his Slot, who didn't know. He looked to his Trail, who didn't know. He immediately gave the thumbs-up. I know as a crew they didn't like not having that call; but once he looked for help, there's no way he could've then given a direction.

The toughest call for me is the call where I have to have a really, really, really patient/late whistle. I often chuckle to myself when this happens because of what I here after the call.

I think the responses about the block/charge call indicate that we do a better job of watching the defense and seeing the whole player. That is great and there really isn't anyone to give us kudos for that.

You guys should check this out. Its one of our collegues having a great time..

http://members.home.nl/yoerak/scheids.wmv


[Edited by Man in Grey on Dec 1st, 2004 at 10:36 AM]

When I read the title to this thread I had my hardest call picked out and was ready to make my post. Then I opened the thread and saw your question, and I realized my call is not germane to the subject. BUT,

My hardest call is what to have for my post game dinner at my favorite Italian resturant.

MTD, Sr.

Chuck, when did you start working soccer?

Our friend resembles quite a few H.S. soccer officials from NW Ohio. Just please don't tell me this video was of an Italian pro league.

MTD, Sr.

Then 2 players hit the floor, and the coaches are outraged. Of course one of the players is bloody and his coach gives you the evil I as he walks toward his player.

Angle..
 

It's all in the angle. The hardest call is the one where you don't have the angle. Even line calls are tough without the angle.

I have found this year that the 2 hardest call to make (for me) are:

1) Whether or not to call a held ball or a holding foul when there are a number of held balls in a game.

2) Making an obvious call(i.e. carry) when the coach (and afns) are riding you unmercifully to call it. This one happened last night. The coach wasn't so bad but the fans were crazy about it. I was watching closely and when I finally had a good angle the player was clearly carrying. I called it because it was a violation but you could clearly tell that the fans now thought they could control me and the opposing coach was pretty upset because he now thinks I'm listening to the fans. This is hard for me.

I have worked 4 games so far this year, and the hardest call I have had to make is a NO CALL in my p's area. GEEZ, what game are my p's watching?

STAY IN YOUR OWN AREA!

Other than the dreaded travel call, I would have to say my hardest call is whether to buy that new golf club or the new power tool.

Doing a men's league this week....why do I punish myself like this?

Um, what game are <b>you</b> watching in your partner's area?

Wow! I did not expect so many responses! General opinion seems to be the travel violation. As a new ref, I don't find it much difficult to call... at least not yet! I probably don't know the rule enough... However, I admit I sometimes anticipate the call and not the play, so I call too fast and realize a split second later that I am wrong... :( Fortunately, I am aquiring more experience for each and every minute I spend on the court.

I will always remember of what I had been said when I started refereeing soccer: Whether you are right or not doesn't matter. That you look right and confident is important. If you do, you will always be right. (Of course, it's not an excuse for not knowing/studying the rules!)

That's probably why, where everyone is confused, you see an official make the call "as if it were crystal clear". But don't get me wrong! I'm not saying that it's better to take a guess if you don't know who touched the ball last!

Ouch... Good call.

LMAO! I was curious as to who would respond to that negatively! I was glad to see that it was you JR. Anyway, once your p starts calling in your area and nothing is happening away from the ball, you tend to look in your p's area. The difference is JR, I don't blow the whistle in my p's area! Or did you forget that point?

I would like to add, who is it that was looking for advise on this forum? You Weasel! So don't be so quick to acknowledge others responses. Remember, on this forum, others put others responses down to make themselves look better!

If it wasn't true, how can the same posters comment on their p's making a bad call? Where were they looking?

Nope, and I also didn't forget that you came on here to publically dump on your partners for exactly the same thing that you were doing.

Yup, STAY IN YOUR OWN AREA indeed. Or did <b>you</b> forget that point?

First of all, I wasn't looking for any advice on this thread. It is a poll.

Secondly, if you can't take a simple comment without being offended, it is your problem.

And last but not the least, I don't think my innoffensive comment made me look "better" than anybody.

No offense. Peace.

The original question was what was the hardest call to make. I stated it was a no call in your p's area. You state that I came here to DUMP on my partners! I responded to Weasel's post! Not to debate integrity with you. (I don't make calls in my p's area which was my point) I guess you have never got pissed because your p has made calls in your area, yeh right. I've been a member of this forum for three years, and have never dumped on my p's.

Again I state, members of this board try to make others
look bad to make themselves look better. Can I say, EGO?

The hardest call to make is the call you are out of position to see. Block/charge, hand checks or illegal screens can all be easy if you are in position to make them. Referee the defense and all calls can be very easy.

Peace

You don't need me to make you look bad. Your own words above do that quite nicely. Never dumped on your partners, eh?

I agree with your last statement though.You're trying to make your partners look bad to make <b>yourself</b> look better! Sad!

Jury Park,

We are online, are you aware of that? My partners SUCK! Noone knows my partners on this site. I am simply venting my frustration with the quality of officiating where I am. They don't know traveling from their mother. They call OOB from the C on the endline. You don't know me from Adam. I have been playing basketball since 1976! I know Basketball. Anyway, If you go back to various posts, you will notice various posterss ask whether their p's were correct. And the responses will show that they were WRONG! Is that any different than what I was referring too? My point was to pay attention to your own area! I didn't intend to have a debate with you on this matter. I was simply stating to stay in your own area was IMO the hardest call NOT to make.


Looking back at previous posts, I want to make it clear that I was referring to P's making calls in my area. Not that they were blowing calls in their own area!


[Edited by thumpferee on Dec 1st, 2004 at 04:47 PM]

We all...
 

We all can use a little help sooner or later but if it becomes habit forming then either the one that's reaching is out of line or the person who needs help all the time needs to step up and make the call. As far as someone reaching into my area, I do not have an ego and hope that you are there when I need you and I will try to do the same. No more and no less.

Some 3 person crews have the C take that call, because L WILL be asking for help ANYWAY, because even though it was their line it was in C's primary. I've seen MANY high profile D-1 officials do just that mechanic.

Why not just say the most difficult thing IS NOT a call, but staying in your primary, very different from what you said and HOW you said it.

Remember when you point your finger at your partners 4 are pointing back at YOU.;)

Not a real good point. I have been a passenger in airplanes since 1964, but that doesn't mean I know how to fly one.

I'm not trying to come down hard on you, only pointing out that a mistake a lot of players make is thinking that because they play the game a lot, that qualifies them to officiate the game.

BTW - I didn't mean I have been a passenger in airplanes since 1964 continuously!

Being at altitude for 40 years would explain a lot.:)

Uh-oh. Have at him, JR.

Uh-oh. Have at him, JR. [/B][/QUOTE]Nope. Ain't gonna change his mind. Time to just let 'er go and move on, Mike.

OOB is tough for me as well.

Fast breaks can be hard too. Real easy to get straightlined and miss a foul. Sometimes I can outrun the kids but thats not gonna be true forever!

Somebody mentioned middle school games being the most difficult. I couldn't agree more.. Or maybe I should say 'annoying.' Especially the 'B' teams -- it's like a whole new game. You watch your primary but there's nothing there. Cause all 10 players are converged upon the ball. You referee the defense but then you miss the travels and what not..

T on a coach

Re: We all...
 

Amen to that, DJ! The obligation of the whole officiating team is to get the calls right (as much as possible). Generally, the team performs better when each member takes care of her/his responsibilities, but none of us is perfect and, for whatever reason, if there is a correct call to be made and it is seen by an official, that official should make the call.

I want to officially opologize to Weasel and JR. When I re-read my initial post, I definately misquoted myself.

Blindzebra said it, Why not just say the most difficult thing IS NOT a call, but staying in your primary, very different from what you said and HOW you said it. Which was I was trying to say.
Thank You!

I was just frustrated and probably drank a lil' too much after the night I had.

My p's were calling 3 seconds while the shot was in the air, calling traveling from the T while ball was on the C side in the corner, etc... It just made us all look bad as a crew.

This is why I love this forum! It humbles you and people on here help to do that. I want to be the best official I can be, and learning that we all make mistakes, helps me to realize that is part of the growing process to achieving my goal.

One of things I wanted to concentrate on at the start of this season, was to stay in my own area. I may be looking for the same things from my P's a lil' too hard and got too caught up into my own self preservation.

Thanks to Weasel, Jurasic Ref, and all for being honest!

I am humbled!

Damn! Baseball is soo much easier!

LOL!

It's OK thumpferee! ;)

Humility is a great proof of intelligence.

Don't drink and post! :D

Duh! LOL

Another lesson learned!

I've never thought of traveliong as a difficult call to make.

When the player receives the ball or ends his dribble, just make note of which foot is the pivot. That's all you need to know.

I have this rare neurological disorder that causes my hands to form a "T" shape whenver a coach steps over the line. I can supress it for a while if he's only getting near the line. But if he goes over, it's like somebody pulled the trigger :D