Advice for rookie officials

[SMEngmann]

I think you guys are slightly misinterpreting what I said, although the discussion is interesting. My point was not that mechanics and especially positioning aren't important in the development of an official, in fact I feel both are very important. As long as you are in a good position to see the call, and convince everyone you saw it correctly, often you can make the absolute wrong call and not have a problem. My point is more toward the developing of newer officials. I think that newer officials need to show the initiative to learn the basic mechanics on their own and should be able to absorb simple concepts such as proper reporting technique and fist for foul, palm for violation quickly, because these concepts simply aren't difficult to learn with a tiny bit of practice. I think the best way to develop as an official in terms of positioning and even judgement is to officiate, watch other respected officials, even college/NBA on TV and to talk officiating and ask questions. I know I learned a lot coming through the ranks as a newbie because I was exposed to more information and wasn't stuck on having to listen to the same ABCs constantly. And there is one way to evaluate judgement: the tape never lies, but often it shows why calls are missed based on positioning and focus.