It happened again, last night, for the third time this year! This time I was ready!

I'm at lead. B1 deflects a pass into his BC. Just before the ball gets to the sideline, bats the ball, goes OOB and returns and starts to dribble. My partner at trail had to hold up to keep from getting in the way. He's got a no-call and let's the play continue. When B1 comes back in and starts the dribble, Coach A does the old "Oh, waht a feeling, Toyota!" jump.

"He can't do that! He can go OOB and be the first one to touch it when he comes back in!"

Now standing directly beside him, I reply, "Yes, he can. It's Rule 7-1-1, Coach. But 7.1.1 on page 49 in the case book explains it much better." He got that "deer in the headlight" look about him and sat down.

After the game, my other partner asked me what I said to him. I told him and asked him why. First, he couldn't believe the coach shut up and sat down so fast. But when he did, he said something to his asst. coach, who began digging in a bag for something, a book.

After reading for about three minutes, my partner saw the asst. coach shake his head, "Yes." :)

Great job!

I have found this "ploy" of quoting rule numbers very, very effective in shutting coaches up. I have about four numbers that I use for most occasions, and when in doubt, I quote rule 4-point-something. I suppose an attentive coach such as Hawks Coach would not be silenced by this, since he probably knows the book better than I do. But most of the coaches I deal with don't have a clue and are useing the rules that were in effect as they understood them when they played, with whatever modifications they think they have seen on TV. Quoting a rule puts them at their weakest!

I did have one coach who stood up to me briefly. About two plays after I had given him a rule number he shouted sarcastically, "I suppose that play is covered in rule 17!" I said, "No, actually, travelling is rule 4.32." I was off by a couple, but I didn't hear one more word out of him for the rest of the game.

I wonder if this will work at higher levels? What level were you working?

This was a varsity game, first round of the conference torunament.

Some easy rules to remember:
Correctable error - 2-10
Guarding - 4-23
Traveling - 4-43
Fouls - 4-19
Dribble - 4-15
Player & ball OOB - 7-1
Backcourt - 9-9
Technical fouls
Team - 10-1
Player - 10-3
Coach - 10-5

And yes, I remebered all of them without looking them up! :)

We're not worthy, we're not worthy... You da man!

Thanks Art, but it's not that difficult. These are some of the most commonly referred to rules. Just keep a few of these in your head and they'll come in handy.

Tony,
That is just too cool!
mick

I thought I was the only on.
 

I do this two sometimes. I do not quote as many specific rules as you do, but the real obscure ones, I have before. Because even if you are wrong, you told them the rule and they usually do not know themselves, coaches do not read rulebooks.

Re: I thought I was the only on.
 

Anyone without memorizing anything can quote rule 4 (Definitions). There are 44 sections. Think how far down in the alphabet the word you want is. Quote a number about that far toward 44. So for instance, Travelling starts with a T about 3/4 to 44 so around 33. "travelling is rule 4.33, coach" Even if it's 4.32 or 4.35, he's still going to be impressed, IF he looks it up at all. I always say it totally flat with no inflection at all. No emotion, like it's just another pop quiz. Y'all try it sometime!

I carry a rule book in my bag, so make sure you get the numbers right if you are going to cite chapter and verse :)

No praw.
 

Coach,
If we misquote, you can correct us with the proper number.
The important thing is that we all open the book.
I'll bet your book doesn't look brand new.
Mine's a rag.
mick

YOU might carry one in your book, but can you say that for the OTHER coaches? And even if I am wrong, at least I am aware of the section of the rule. If I do quote a rule, I am doing so to disspell those myths like "moving screens" and the "feet must be set" sayings.

<b> Anyone without memorizing anything can quote rule 4 (Definitions). There are 44 sections. Think
how far down in the alphabet the word you want is. Quote a number about that far toward 44. So
for instance, Travelling starts with a T about 3/4 to 44 so around 33. "travelling is rule 4.33,
coach" Even if it's 4.32 or 4.35, he's still going to be impressed, IF he looks it up at all. I always
say it totally flat with no inflection at all. No emotion, like it's just another pop quiz. Y'all try it
sometime!</b>

I disagree with this theory. If I were a coach and someone quoted a reference and it was the wrong one, I would light them up. "What other rules do you think you know?" "What other rules are you going to make up tonight?" "Do you really know what any of the rules are?" Those are the only questions that came to my mind quickly. If you are going to quote references--You had better <b>know them exactly!!</b> Otherwise, you are opening a can of worms that you don't want open IMO. Getting close will only help you lose credibility with the coach.

It is true that many of the coaches would never check the rulebook, but if one did and you were wrong, it wouldn't take very long before every coach knew about it. Remember the coaching community is probably smaller than the reffing community and they talk to each other.

Good call, Kelly.

You are correct, but........
 

I agree with you to a point. Most coaches do not have a clue about the rulebook. It is just a fact, that you can even talk about a section, and most coaches do not have the capacity (at least at that moment) to realize that you are incorrect. I am not saying to quote wrong rules sections, I am saying that if a coach says to you "moving screen." You can say back to them, "when you read that in section 4, I will start calling it" I guarantee you are not going to hear much more about "moving screens." Now you have to have the personality and timing to say that, but I have said that or something like that many times, they have no answer for it and it shuts them up.

Kelly,

I see your point. Probably this has to do with level. My guess would be that at the levels I am working, I don't have to worry about anyone checking the book, since they don't usally even have one. I would guess that at the higher levels, coaches are more "detail-oriented" and more likely to check these things up. But I still think that if I was off by only one number (such as 4-35 instead of 4-34) and I got the spirit and intent correct, it wouldn't be a huge deal against me. And if a coach did want to argue about the number, I could easily say, "But I DID get the rule right" and there would be one more coach who would have read the rule book, and seen the interpretation there on the floor. But perhaps I am wrong about this at the higher levels.

IMHO
 

I am not so sure about the other levels you do, but at the varsity level, you can very easily get away with this. Coaches at the higher levels in my opinion are sometimes the most ignorant, or at least say some of the most ignorant things at times(at least it you think they would know better, you do not expect that from the lower levels). Coaches at the higher levels are more diplomatic and vocal, so they tend to talk to you more other than just screaming at you. I have found myself in more conversations with coaches at the varsity levels, so quoting a rule is quite affective. But this is what I have experienced. This might not be true for everyone.

<b>I see your point. Probably this has to do with level. My guess would be that at the levels I am working, I don't have to worry about anyone checking the book, since they don't usally even have one. I would guess that at the higher levels, coaches are more "detail-oriented" and more likely to check these things up. But I still think that if I was off by only one number (such as 4-35 instead of 4-34) and I got the spirit and intent correct, it wouldn't be a huge deal against me. And if a coach did want to argue about the number, I could easily say, "But I DID get the rule right" and there would be one more coach who would have read the rule book, and seen the interpretation there on the floor. But perhaps I am wrong about this at the higher levels.</b>

Juulie--

I am not sure it has anything to do with levels of ball. 95%+ of the times you used this you could easily get away with saying <u>any rule you wanted to</u> because the coach would never look it up (might not even have a rule book), but if one coach called you on it and you were wrong, your credibility will suffer big time. I guess you have to ask yourself if it a risk you are willing to take. I, for one, am not willing to risk it.

I have told coaches many times what a rule states and they have disagreed with me, so after the game I make a copy of the rule out of the book and fax it to them or e-mail them with a rule link (NCAA only). This method has never failed me because they are reading it for themselves with the rule reference right there. I don't do this all of the time and I generally tell the coach that I will send them the rule so they know it is coming.

Take all of this for what it is worth (not much ;) ) and good luck with the coaches.

Kelly
That is an excellent suggestion. You never know when you will run into a coach who is both knowledgeable and a pain in the butt. We have a coach who gets Td up from time to time who is also an official at D1 level. (Rather than accept the lower level of officiating in MS ball, he gets upset because he is used to top level standards and he is very competitive). Since he doesn't ref at the MS level, half of those refs probably have no clue they are dealing with a fellow ref when he coaches. You would look really bad to misquote a rule to him, or give a wrong citation. And the initial post on this thread had the asst coach checking the reference. What do you do when he pulls out the book at the next time out and calls you on your error that you so definitively stated to him minutes earlier.

I come from a Navy aviation maintenance background, where if you don't know it for a fact, you don't quote it as a fact. And if you should know a fact, you look it up then quote it. I have found that is a good standard to have in life in general. It keeps you out of trouble.

BE CORRECT
 

I agree... Do NOT attempt "Something close". However, if you know it, without a doubt, use it and with confidence.
Correct references to rules will add credibility to your game. It is also a "Professional" means of silencing the coach, as long as it is done in a non-inflammatory manner.