Advice for rookie officials

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by Chess Ref
Worked a boys varsity today. So its me a 2yr ref, a total newby, and a average vet ref. The vet ref just overwhelmded the newby with things along the lines of advantahe/Disadvantage, squaring the shoulders to let your partner know whats going on,etc. He had no chance. So i told him just call everything you see and let the chips fall where they may. He blew his whistle a little more and by the end of the scrimmage he said he felt a little more comfortable.

So I am sticking with the newbys should blow the whistle and overcall.

That sounds great but to become a good official you have to know when to make calls and know when not to make calls. Just blowing your whistle every time something is close is not what is going to advance a newer official. As a matter of fact it might get that official held back. I would agree that in the short term the official might get away with calling every little thing, but officiating is also a competition. The officials that know how to call the game (using advantage/disadvantage) will be the officials that get the opportunities to move to the higher level a lot quicker.

Peace