Advice for rookie officials

[SMEngmann]

I think Rut makes some really good points about the development of brand new officials in that there can be dumbing down involved by focusing too much on baby steps and not enough on concepts (for instance: always stop clock, open hand for violations, fist for fouls should really only be said once) such as advantage/disadvantage and some philosophies. I think the more officials who are ambitious are exposed to philosophies, the better they will be and the more they will think about the things needed to move to a higher level. The baby-steps are easy, and far too much time is being spent on them, not to say exactly how to report a foul, or a silent count on free throws isn't important, but they shouldn't be hard for any competent official to grasp. From what I've seen at camps/clinics as well, a similar approach is being used to teach the 3 person system to vets who aren't accustomed to it. The result is officials who officiate games more concerned about what their positioning is than reffing the game. A more philosophical approach has helped me tremendously, and I think would be beneficial to others.