1 hand or 2 hands?

[Goose]

Since I was trained old school way back, I prefer one hand.

I was under the assumption that the sole reason for using one hand was to make the signal clear to the table. Using two hands is more than I can handle.

Verbally, I was trained to say, "white, 2-3", not white twentythree. Again, this was to make the communication clear to the table. Remember, with HS play, you usually get little johnny, or little suzie doing the book inbetween blowing bubbles. The vast majority of HS play does not involve paid scorekeepers as in the college game.

Since moving to the south, I can also understand why one might not want to say twentythree. Accents and such can make it difficult to understand.

Again, the purpose is to get officials to slow down when reporting. I guess it can be done effectively with two hands, but I've seen plenty of situations where the official reports the foul so quickly and then upon us switching, the table asks me, "what did he say?"

Also, I am seeing the reporting area move all over the place especially when working 3 whistle crews. From the baseline, from the corner, from midcourt, basically all over the place. This is not the way I was trained nor is it part of the Fed mechanics manual. Frankly, it is scary seeing some of the reporting techniques I've witnessed over the last 9 months. Then again, it might just be down here in the south. I've now worked in two southern states, and the reporting is all over the place, one hand, two hands, one digit, rapid fire, and one guy used to draw the numbers in the air!

So, I can understand why the Fed has a mechanic manual, and why standard mechanics are so important. If you don't think so, try moving to another state and or geographical area and work with people who have their own way of doing things.

goose