Sorry Coach/player , I missed that one....

WeekendRef · #1 (**permalink**) Tue Jan 25, 2005, 09:45am

I know some of you may cringe at actually uttering the words above but I want to know how many of you will actually tell a coach/plaer that you kicked one .
Over the past year (My first as an official official) I have done roughly 300 games with the skill level ranging from mens league to 5th grade CYO to AAU to High School Varsity (Pre season Tourneys)and I have admitted 3 times to either a player or coach that I did in fact miss a call .
Is this something that I should never do ? Is it acceptable at some levels but not others . Does it give you more credibility ? Or less ?
From personal experience in all 3 instances the coach / player has come up to me after each of the games and said they they really appreciated the fact that I admitted I missed a call . The first was a 5th grade CYO coach the second was a High School Varsity Coach and then last night it was a mens league player who said that in all the years he has been playing (He played D1) that is the first time he ever had an official admit he missed a call . As soon as the plyer said that it immediately raised a red flag and I thought that maybe I shouldn't have admitted I kicked it.....
Your feedback is appreciated

ChrisSportsFan · #2 (**permalink**) Tue Jan 25, 2005, 09:52am

Depends

Do you think the coach/player is one who will use this against you?
Was it a judgement call that could have went either way?
Could saying something like; "I'll work harder", be a better comment?
Is this coach/player complaining alot?

Sometimes with some people, humility goes a-long-ways.
Sometimes with some people, they see your humility as a weaknesss.
Only you can prevent forest fires!

Junker · #3 (**permalink**) Tue Jan 25, 2005, 09:54am

There's nothing wrong with occasionally telling a coach you might have missed one. I would never say it more than once a night though. A couple of weeks ago I had a charge that I just didn't come strong with my mechanics so the coach was obviously all over me. As I was heading downcourt the other way I said, "coach, I didn't come strong with that call. It's the first time all season that's happened and it won't happen again. I'm 100% sure I got the call correct, I just for some reason froze a spit second as I called it." Coach was fine with that and didn't hear another word from him all night.

rainmaker · #4 (**permalink**) Tue Jan 25, 2005, 09:54am

Quote:

Originally posted by WeekendRef
I know some of you may cringe at actually uttering the words above but I want to know how many of you will actually tell a coach/plaer that you kicked one .
Over the past year (My first as an official official) I have done roughly 300 games with the skill level ranging from mens league to 5th grade CYO to AAU to High School Varsity (Pre season Tourneys)and I have admitted 3 times to either a player or coach that I did in fact miss a call .
Is this something that I should never do ? Is it acceptable at some levels but not others . Does it give you more credibility ? Or less ?
From personal experience in all 3 instances the coach / player has come up to me after each of the games and said they they really appreciated the fact that I admitted I missed a call . The first was a 5th grade CYO coach the second was a High School Varsity Coach and then last night it was a mens league player who said that in all the years he has been playing (He played D1) that is the first time he ever had an official admit he missed a call . As soon as the plyer said that it immediately raised a red flag and I thought that maybe I shouldn't have admitted I kicked it.....
Your feedback is appreciated

I've heard that it can be a good thing to say, but I still (6 years) haven't had the nerve. I did say once, though, "Theoretically, coach, a ref might be wrong now and then." It had the same effect, of calming the coach down. I'm working on my attitude this year, and have made great strides, but this is still up there on the horizon somewhere. Maybe I'll try it tonight.

WeekendRef · #5 (**permalink**) Tue Jan 25, 2005, 10:05am

Rainmaker ,
I have learned in my limited time that if you use a word that has more then 3 syllables it often confuses the coach and renders them speechless for the rest of the day .
Example :
Coach : That was a travel
Ref : Coach , you have to take into account the Principles of Verticality .
Coach :

BktBallRef · #6 (**permalink**) Tue Jan 25, 2005, 10:19am

I've admitted "missing one" to coaches, never to players.

Never make such an admission more than once in a game or to the same coach in a lifetime.

JRutledge · #7 (**permalink**) Tue Jan 25, 2005, 10:29am

I have admitted that to a coach but it is very rare. I usually we say something like this. "If that is what happened coach, then we missed it. I just did not see it that way at the time." I said that to a coach earlier this year when my partner and I had a foul in a Thanksgiving Tournament and the coach thought we missed the call all together. The coach thought his player (defender) blocked the ball instead of grabbing the shooter's arm. It was a close call and I thought my partner and I had it right. But this was a 40 point blowout game and it was obvious this team was not going to win. So I made the statement to get the coach back to focusing on his team and what was actually happening in the game. It worked for the most part and we all moved on.

Peace

bgtg19 · #8 (**permalink**) Tue Jan 25, 2005, 10:35am

I think that there is a time and a place for admissions like this, but, as has already been said, such admissions should be few and far in between. I also agree with Chris that you need to know a little about your admission recipient to know whether or not it is a good idea.

Generally, I try to finesse the issue with comments like those Rut suggested ("if that's what happened, I guess I must have missed it"). When something is real clear, however, the honest/truthful answer always enhances credibility with those for whom our credibility matters.

Adam · #9 (**permalink**) Tue Jan 25, 2005, 10:57am

Had one last night in a great freshman boys game. H is down by about 6 and really going all out for steals. We're at about half court, and I'm busting my butt to get a good angle, just as V11 gets in my view and I can't see the players around the ball. In the second it takes me to change my angle, we've got 3 players on the floor scrambling for the ball. V coach is screaming to "get 'em off" (he'd been saying that all night, though). This is one of those situations where I wouldn't have been uncomortable telling the coach that I may have missed it because of the angle; but I never had to.

Adam · #10 (**permalink**) Tue Jan 25, 2005, 10:59am

I guess, my concern is that a coach would respond with, "If you knew you missed it, why didn't you correct it?" I like the qualified statements, such as "If that's what happened, I missed it," or "That's not what I saw."

Junker · #11 (**permalink**) Tue Jan 25, 2005, 12:15pm

When I work with Snaqwells, I often have to tell coaches that my partner missed one...two.....three...well, you get the point. Just kidding Adam.

Mlancaster · #12 (**permalink**) Tue Jan 25, 2005, 12:19pm

I agree with Snaqwells......I usually say "If it happened the way you say it did, then I miised it."
There are rare occasions where I will admit to blowing a call, but as many have pointed out, it depends on the situation.

JRutledge · #13 (**permalink**) Tue Jan 25, 2005, 12:37pm

I think when you say, "If it happened that way...." you give yourself an out. Most of the time the complaining from the coach is about judgment call, not a rule application. Or even when they are debating a rule application, it is based on what you saw as compared to what they saw. I do not think you flat out admit a mistake unless you know for sure you screwed up. For example if you misapplied a rule and you at halftime look up the situation and find out you screwed the pooch on that play. Or if you know you allowed a sub to come in and you know it was the improper time, and then you realize the mistake was made, and then I have no problem with admitting that kind of mistake. But those types of mistakes are very rare. I just do not think you go around every play that a coach disagrees with you admitting you were wrong. We all make judgment calls we are not particularly happy with when we make them during a game. I know I can usually point to at least one call a game. Most of the time those calls are not up for debate by a coach. They do not even know I feel that way because the call is not a big deal.

Peace

SouthGARef · #14 (**permalink**) Tue Jan 25, 2005, 01:22pm

I only do it under circumstances, and if there's something good to be gained from it. If the coach politely asks me a question, and I KNOW I kicked it, I'll admit it to him that I made a mistake. I think they realize human error is a part of the game. I've had good success of coaches saying "Well that's ok" or not going ballistic. I'm not so vain that I'm going to argue, just for the sake of arguing, when I KNOW I'm wrong.

Then again, I wouldn't do it more than once a year to the same coach.

ChrisSportsFan · #15 (**permalink**) Tue Jan 25, 2005, 02:27pm

Quote:

Originally posted by SouthGARef
I only do it under circumstances, and if there's something good to be gained from it. If the coach politely asks me a question, and I KNOW I kicked it, I'll admit it to him that I made a mistake. I think they realize human error is a part of the game. I've had good success of coaches saying "Well that's ok" or not going ballistic. I'm not so vain that I'm going to argue, just for the sake of arguing, when I KNOW I'm wrong.

Then again, I wouldn't do it more than once a year to the same coach.

if human error wasn't an issue, he'd have his team shoot from mid court and they'd all be perfect. since that doesn't happen, in fact they miss alot of 2 foot put backs, they have to accept our humility if it's offered. That said, i don't offer my neck on a plate unless i KNOW it's going to help and we're talking about that perfect senerio maybe once per few games.