I Stink At Handling coaches

[NICK]

There comes a time when all efforts to quieten a coach down when he/she is out of control does not work. What kind of preventive officiating do you do then? Not all games are and will be the same.

[SMEngmann]

This is a topic that hits close to me as a relatively newer official young in age. I had trouble early in my career properly dealing with coaches, particularly JV level coaches, and called a lot of Ts. Clearly, I feel that my biggest weakness as an official has been in dealing with those types of situations. I tried a number of methods, from explaining to being smart or trying to be funny, which may work for some, but not for me. After observing officials, primarily higher up than me and especially at camps, I've developed a theory which has worked very well for me so far. I have recently had much better dealings with coaches (although some of that may be due to the fact I'm no longer dealing with JV coaches...). My theory has several principles:

1) Call the obvious and referee your primary. If you're getting the obvious calls in front of you and you're not calling "game interrupters" away from the ball that aren't obvious and don't have an affect on the play, coaches will buy what you're selling a lot more so than if you're calling a whole bunch of ticky-tack, especially if you happen to miss an obvious foul. Calling the obvious makes you appear competent as an official and builds credibility.

2) Be in position, consider "believability" factor when you make a call, a couple steps can really help to sell a call.

3) Court demeanor: I know as a young official I went out there attempting to call a perfect game and was described as a very intense official. I think the intensity hurt me with the coaches, particularly if I "oversold" a call that went against them, it would annoy me. Comments also would get to me on a more personal level than I would've liked to admit. I think a good adage here is that in order to control the game, you first must fully control yourself, visibly demonstrate that control and appear relaxed rather than intense. An intense posture from me, I believe, made me appear unapproachable, and led to coaches taking potshots rather than dealing in a personal manner. Having too much of a presence, especially for a new official can be just as detrimental as appearing aloof or indecisive.

As a young official, you will definitely get challenged by coaches. I find it best to just adopt my style of dealing with coaches to my personality. So far I have found success in my approach, but I would love to hear some other advice/opinions because I still would love to improve my communication skills on the court.

[ace]

If your a young official, and you look young, like I do, then yeah... just go ahead and prepare yourself, your gunna catch more crap, your under more scrutitny. I liked that suggestion about "just call the obvious" you don't want to do anything extra that will stand out to these coaches. you already do stand out becauseyou look younger, because your younger they're going to expect you to be in a little better shape and be hustling the entire time. You're goal should be that when you walk off the floor at the end of the night the stands/coaches are talking about more than just the referees.

Keep your nose clean


Edit:
I just wanted to say that warning a coach DOES not commit you to a techincal, but it does make him aware that hey "I might have one coming!"
If you warn a coach don't say "Keep it up and I'll T you up!"

"Coach, thats enough!" with a stop sign usually does the trick.

Only once have I said "Coach this is your warning, you keep this up and we'll be forced to deal with it accordingly!"

And then he finally got the picture.


[Edited by ace on Dec 5th, 2005 at 09:26 AM]

[Junker]

I'm suprised no one has brought up your pregame meeting. In my pregame I tell the coaches and players that we will be happy to answer QUESTIONS, (emphasis on questions) but if you're complaining and making a scene, you will force us to deal with you. Also, I agree with others, it sounds like you're putting up with too much crap. First time a coach complains loudly, give him a nice, firm stop sign and a "coach, that's enough". Next time you hear a complaint, deal with it using the whistle. When a coach goes ballistic, jumping up and complaining, take care of it with your whistle immediately. The more you let them complain, the more you're going to have to put up with.

[Forksref]

I see it this way, and it is subject to interpretation depending on the coach/situation: (1) chatter; (2) venting; (3) getting on my case; (4) stop sign; (5) T.

If you buy into the fact that coaches want to do 1 & 2, you can then set your limits. I was a coach for many years and I knew that 1 & 2 had to happen for me. I also respected the officials that addressed the situation when I got to 3 & 4. Those officials did me a favor in that I returned to my coaching duties.

I used the stop sign in a game on Saturday and the coach got the message. I like the stop sign (along with "that's enough coach") because it is visual and everyone knows that the coach has been warned. And, I REALLY do follow it up with a T. I'd say that in 30-40 games last year that I gave out probably 2 T's. The stop sign works for me.

[Jimgolf]

Correct answer, Junker. Expect JV and Freshman games to have inexperienced coaches who don't know their limits, and straighten them out before they get started.

[rainmaker]

Handling coaches has been one of my weakest areas, but I"m getting better. Here are some things that have worked for me.

1. Let the coach know you hear her. It's hard to believe, but a simple "I hear you caoch" can make a big difference.

2. Give a reasonable answer to a reasonable question.

3. Don't "threaten" a coach. "If you do that one more time..." "Not one more word..." are both absolutely not manageable.

4. I've developed a sort of a-b-c-d process in my own mind.
a. I hear you
b. Coach, I"m watching it
c. I've heard enough
d. whack!!

5. Don't argue. If the coach is mis-quoting a rule, you can say, "No the rule is legal guarding position." or "she pushed from behind which is illegal." If the coach contradicts that, you can sometimes say, "Coach, hand-checking is rule 10-6." or "Read the travelling section of Rule 4." You might also say, "I'll watch next time."

6. Sometimes unexpectedly agreeing with a coach helps a lot. "Ref, she was moving!!" "Yes, coach, she was." He's baffled because you've said he was right, yet you're not giving him what he wants. If he doesn't get the message in the bigger picture, move on to point b above.

7. Never lose your temper. This is where I fall down. Once you're angry, you've lost control. If you start to feel this, take a second to talk yourself through it.

8. Don't use sassy comebacks unless you're absolutely sure you can get away with it. If in doubt, err on the side of don't.

9. Try to stay pro-active.
A good pre-game conference with the coaches helps.
Try to talk them down. "Coach, please remember the box." "We're gonna call that one all night long."
If that doesn't work, warn well before you lose your temper. "Coach I've heard enough."
Do a great job.

10. admit it you're wrong. If you really blew it, say so.

11. Sometimes, you can "win" by "losing". I do this in this way. If the coach wants to argue about a rule, and I"m sure I'm right, I say, "Coach, I have my weaknesses as a ref, but rules are my greatest strength." He's still thinking about me admitting to weaknesses while I'm going on with the game.

12. Keep learning. Each coach is a different person. Each one will need slightly different treatment. Learn to be flexible and to adjust to each one. That way you're also giving respect and dignity to the caoch, and that's always a good thing.

[blindzebra]

Originally posted by NICK
There comes a time when all efforts to quieten a coach down when he/she is out of control does not work. What kind of preventive officiating do you do then? Not all games are and will be the same.

I am very aware that sometimes a T is going to have to happen, so there is no disagreement there.

What I do disagree with is saying, just because one coach is bound to get a T, we should just let ten more keep going until they get one too, without us doing anything to prevent it.

Handling coaches and calming situations makes officiating much easier, and I think encouraging new officials TO NOT develop those skills is doing them a huge disservice.

[Snake~eyes]

My advice.

Most coaches just want to be heard, when you ignore them and just let them yap then you will have a problem. I like to tell a coach I hear him or that I will look for it. He then knows your listening.

There are some coaches that will just constantly wine and these coaches you have to handle differently. I suggest that you do not threaten coaches. Avoid lines like "One more word and..." or "I'm going to T you up if..." You can get the exact same thing accomplished by saying "That's enough coach." If you have some distance stop sign him, don't stop sign him if you're standing rigth infront of him, keep your hand low too. You wouldnt be too happy if someone stuck a hand right in your face either.

Once you've told him you've had enough the next step is a technical foul. And once you T him up and he replies with "That's the best call you've made all day." then your partner should come in and send him packing.

Now if you don't put an end to it rgiht away then it will be too late in the 4th quarter to stop it. Stop it right away and set the tone immediately.

[ChrisSportsFan]

T em high and let em fly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
O-wait, different sport.

I just wanted to make post #1111 before I left work today.

[SMEngmann]

One problem I have with the stop sign, and I use it, is that it visibly commits you to an action, and coaches will, particularly to a younger official, test it, and some might view it as a challenge to their ego. Therefore I think officials should be judicious about using the stop sign especially because using it perhaps too early could paint you as standoffish. There were times when I used the stop sign when I should've just T ed the coach and others when I did it when the action didn't necessarily warrant a stern warning. Doing so basically puts the coach on an island or backs him/her into a corner and can cut the lines of communication, or it could make the official seem weak and make it look like there won't be a penalty. I still use the stop sign, but I don't necessarily think of it as part of a prescribed chain of actions for dealing with coaches, just a tool that can be used with the right coach in the right situation.

[jeffpea]

If you ask any assignor/supervisor, they will strongly encourage you to use the "stop sign" with coaches. The main reason is so when a coach gets T'd, calls the supervisor after the game to complain and the supervisor sees a tape of the game, the supervisor can say - "coach I can't tell what either of you are saying, but I can clearly see that he gave you the 'stop sign' and you didn't stop!?!"

As Rainmaker posted previously, the "stop sign" is an important tool to use with coaches. Although it is one step in the progression of conflict resolution, it let's the coach know that they've reached the "end of the line". If they quiting complaining for several minutes, then you've diffused the situation. Now you can work and talk with them if needed about other situations - within reason of course.

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally posted by SMEngmann
One problem I have with the stop sign, and I use it, is that it visibly commits you to an action, and coaches will, particularly to a younger official, test it, and some might view it as a challenge to their ego. Therefore I think officials should be judicious about using the stop sign especially because using it perhaps too early could paint you as standoffish. There were times when I used the stop sign when I should've just T ed the coach and others when I did it when the action didn't necessarily warrant a stern warning. Doing so basically puts the coach on an island or backs him/her into a corner and can cut the lines of communication, or it could make the official seem weak and make it look like there won't be a penalty. I still use the stop sign, but I don't necessarily think of it as part of a prescribed chain of actions for dealing with coaches, just a tool that can be used with the right coach in the right situation.

I very much agree. An experienced official can make much more judicious use of the stopsign. But as my tag line used to say: Good judgement comes from experience. Experience, well that comes from poor judgement

[cloverdale]

a goal of mine this season is to try and have better communicatios with the coachs...they too put in alot of effort to teach our kids...if I have a coach that has been complaining about calls,not all calls all the time, at half I go over and allow him my "ear" ... most of the time I have found that it is usally one thing that has their concern...if it is justified I tell him I will look at it during the 2nd half...but I also allow the other coach his say...if it turns into a complaining session i'm gone. My partners tell me that i'm opening myself up to potential problems and have run into a buzzsaw once. I dont do this often but most coachs will calmly let you know thier concern...our association has given this a priority to better communicate with the coachs which forces us to improve our people skills and make us better officals.

[SMEngmann]

Originally posted by cloverdale
a goal of mine this season is to try and have better communicatios with the coachs...they too put in alot of effort to teach our kids...if I have a coach that has been complaining about calls,not all calls all the time, at half I go over and allow him my "ear" ... most of the time I have found that it is usally one thing that has their concern...if it is justified I tell him I will look at it during the 2nd half...but I also allow the other coach his say...if it turns into a complaining session i'm gone. My partners tell me that i'm opening myself up to potential problems and have run into a buzzsaw once. I dont do this often but most coachs will calmly let you know thier concern...our association has given this a priority to better communicate with the coachs which forces us to improve our people skills and make us better officals.

Personally, doing something like that would not work for me, especially because it gives the impression that you're catering to a certain coach or that you're giving the squeeky wheel the grease and it might lead to further problems. What has worked for me is to ask the coach to be more specific in what he wants me to look for. If he says something like, "they're all over the dribbler" and I don't see it that way, I'll ask, "I'm not seeing it, what exactly are they doing?" Or ask who they want me to watch. Now I'm getting information that I can use, I can watch #34 for the handcheck on the inner hip or #22 bumping cutters, and I can quickly tell if the coach has a point. If he does I can help him, if not and he continues to complain, I can offer a more educated point of view on what exactly I'm seeing. At the very least he knows I'm working, and at best he's helping me do my job by pointing out something I'm missing. That approach has helped me depersonalize the criticism and maintain a better demeanor on the court, but I can't say how well the approach would work at every level, particularly lower levels where coaches don't have the same experience in dealing with officials.