Next weekend I will be presenting a theory course for new referees. It is aimed at people with basic knowledge of the rules of basketball, but with no officiating experience. Some of them will be aged from 14, but the majority will be 17 - 21.

I have course material to present, but was wondering what tips/suggestions people here would make. For instance, what didn't you get told that would have helped you right from the start? What misconceptions did you have about refereeing when you started?

Any help would be great.

Cheers

Thinking off the top of my head: Simle court coverage areas - Mechanics and how to sell a call - How to use the rules to control coaches - Don't go looking for trouble, it'll find you on its own!

One big one. you get more respect if you look like a ref. Another one of mine. If a coach needs a T give it too him, but rember its just buissness give T's when you have to, but dont go looking to give them.

I think the biggest misconceptions have to do with traveling (especially in that age range, they are all under the impression you get TWO steps).

Second would be player control fouls, because watching the NBA they don't realize a player in legal guarding position can be moving and still take a player control foul.

And third would be the concept of Advantage/Disadvantage.

Before working a game, you have to watch some games. On many occasions before ever working a single game, I took the time to attend a game, introduce myself to the officials working the game, listened to them at halftime as well as postgame and learned alot about how to watch the game as an official. All those visits were good mental preparation --> my first game was still, well, my first game... but all those visits and conversations before ever working a game were invaluable!

Impress on their minds of mush that they are no longer spectators, that they have areas of responsibilty and will no longer watch the ball on shots. My first few games I watched the arc of shots way too often...not great technique, probably missed a lot of stuff going on, but I could be wrong.

Impress Professionalism...I always show up to my games in a shirt and tie and when you walk into the gym, it automatically gives you respect from coaches, players, etc. It also makes me feel as if I have an important purpose there and that I am not just collecting another game fee.

Rookie Referees
 

Talk about some tertiary subjects that they won't think about. Suggestions include proper footwear (good shoes) properly shined; make sure that change shoes about every 50 games or so. 2nd suggestion is to thoroughly understand chapter 4 of the rule book (definitions). Once you understand definitions then as you get to the other 9 chapters it makes those chapters easier to comprehend. 3rd suggestion is to have them find a personal mentor that they can confide in versus one that your association appoints. If they can't find one then appoint a mentor from the association. 4th suggestion along with professionalism is punctuality, being on time for meetings, games, pre-games,etc.

mb

Misunderstood Rules
 

MOST MISUNDERSTOOD BASKETBALL RULES

1) It is important to know the intent and purpose of a rule so that it may be intelligently applied in each play situation. A player of a team should not be permitted an advantage which is not intended by a rule. Neither should play be permitted to develop which may lead to placing a player at a disadvantage not intended by a rule.

2) A player cannot touch the ball, ring, or net while the ball is on the ring or within the basket. A player cannot touch the ball if it is in the imaginary cylinder above the ring. These are examples of basket interference. It is legal to touch the ring or the net if the ball is above the ring and not touching the ring, even if the ball is in the imaginary cylinder above the ring. It is legal to hang on the ring if a player is avoiding an injury to himself or herself or another player.

3) The backboard has nothing to do with goaltending. Goaltending is contacting the ball on its downward flight, above the level of the rim, with a chance to go in. On most layups, the ball is going up after it contacts the backboard. It is legal to pin the ball against the backboard if it still on the way up and not in the imaginary cylinder above the basket. Slapping the backboard is neither basket interference nor is it goaltending and points cannot be awarded. A player who strikes a backboard so forcefully that it cannot be ignored because it is an attempt to draw attention to the player, or a means of venting frustration, may be assessed a technical foul. When a player simply attempts to block a shot and accidentally slaps the backboard it is neither a violation nor is it a technical foul.

4) The front, top, sides, and bottom of the backboard are all in play. The ball cannot pass over a rectangular backboard from either direction. The back of a backboard is out of bounds as well as the supporting structures.

5) The traveling rule is one of the most misunderstood rules in basketball. To start a dribble, the ball must be released before the pivot foot is lifted. On a pass or a shot, the pivot foot may be lifted, but may not return to the floor before the ball is released. A player may slide on the floor while trying to secure a loose ball until that player’s momentum stops. At that point that player cannot attempt to get up or rollover. A player securing a ball while on the floor cannot attempt to stand up unless that player starts a dribble. A player in this situation may also pass, shoot, or call a timeout. If the player is flat on his or her back, that player may sit up without violating.

6) During a fumble the player is not in control of the ball, and therefore, cannot be called for a traveling violation. A fumble is the accidental loss of player control when the ball is unintentionally dropped or slips from a player’s grasp. After a player has ended a dribble and fumbled the ball, that player may recover the ball without violating. Any steps taken during the recovery of a fumble are not traveling, regardless of how far the ball goes and the amount of advantage that is gained. It is always legal to recover a fumble, even at the end of a dribble, however that player cannot begin a new dribble, which would be a double dribble violation. A player who fumbles the ball when receiving a pass may legally start a dribble.

7) The shooter can retrieve his or her own airball, if the referee considers it to be a shot attempt. The release ends team control. It is not a violation for that player to start another dribble at that point. When an airborne player keeps control of an attempted shot that is blocked and is unable to release the ball and returns to the floor with it, that player has not traveled; it is a jump ball. If, in this situation, the shooter releases the ball, then this is simply a blocked shot and play continues.

8) Palming or carrying is when a player gains an advantage when the ball comes to rest in the player's hand, and the player either travels with the ball, or dribbles a second time. There is no restriction as to how high a player may bounce the ball, provided the ball does not come to rest in a player’s hand. Steps taken during a dribble are not traveling, including several that are sometimes taken when a high dribble takes place. It is not possible for a player to travel during a dribble.

9) A player inbounding the ball may step on, but not over the line. During a designated spot throwin, the player inbounding the ball must keep one foot on or over the three-foot wide designated spot. An inbounding player is allowed to jump or move one or both feet. A player inbounding the ball may move backward as far as the five-second time limit or space allows. If player moves outside the three-foot wide designated spot it is a violation, not travelling. In gymnasiums with limited space outside the sidelines and endlines, a defensive player may be asked to step back no more than three feet.


10) The defender may not break the imaginary plane during a throwin. If the defender breaks the imaginary plane during a throwin, the defender’s team will receive a warning. Any subsequent violations will result in a team technical foul. If the defender contacts the ball after breaking the imaginary plane, it is a player technical foul and a team warning will be recorded. If the defender fouls the inbounding player after breaking the imaginary plane, it is an intentional personal foul, and a team warning will be recorded.

11) The inbounding player does not have a plane restriction, but has five seconds to release the ball and it must come directly onto the court. The ball can always be passed into the backcourt during a throwin. This situation is not a backcourt violation.

12) If a player's momentum carries him or her off the court, he or she can be the first player to touch the ball after returning inbounds. That player must not have left the court voluntarily and must immediately return inbounds. That player must have something in and nothing out. It is not necessary to have both feet back inbounds.

13) If a blind screen is set on a stationary defender, the defender must be given one normal step to change direction and attempt to avoid contact. If a screen is set on a moving defender, the defender gets a minimum of one step and a maximum of two steps, depending on the speed and distance of the defender.

14) The hand is considered part of the ball when the hand is in contact with the ball. This includes holding, dribbling, passing, or even during a shot attempt. Striking a ball handler or a shooter on that player's hand that is incidental to an attempt to play the ball is not a foul, no matter how loud it sounds or how much it hurts.

15) Reaching in is not a foul. The term is nowhere to be found in any rulebook. There must be contact to have a foul. The mere act of reaching in, by itself, is nothing. If contact does occur, it’s either a holding foul or an illegal use of hands foul. When a player, in order to stop the clock, does not make a legitimate play for the ball, holds, pushes or grabs away from the ball, or uses undue roughness, the foul is an intentional foul.

16) Over the back is not a foul. The term is nowhere to be found in any rulebook. There must be contact to have a foul. A taller player may often be able to get a rebound over a shorter player, even if the shorter player has good rebounding position. If the shorter player is displaced, then a pushing foul must be called. A rebounding player, with an inside position, while boxing out, is not allowed to push back or displace an opponent, which is a pushing foul.

17) A defensive player does not have to remain stationary to take a charge. A defender may turn away or duck to absorb contact, provided he or she has already established legal guarding position, which is both feet on the playing court and facing the opponent. The defender can always move backwards or sideways to maintain a legal guarding position and may even have one or both feet off the playing court when contact occurs. That player may legally rise vertically. If the defender is moving forward, then the contact is caused by the defender, which is a blocking foul.

18) The mere fact that contact occurs does not constitute a foul. Incidental contact is contact with an opponent which is permitted and does not constitute a foul. Contact, which occurs unintentionally in an effort by an opponent to reach a loose ball, or contact which may result when opponents are in equally favorable positions to perform normal defensive or offensive moves, should not be considered illegal, even though the contact may be severe. Contact which does not hinder an opponent from participating in normal defensive or offensive movements should be considered incidental.

19) A ten-second count continues when the defense deflects or bats the ball in the backcourt. When a dribbler is advancing the ball into the frontcourt, the ball maintains backcourt status until both feet and the ball touch entirely in the frontcourt.

20) During a throwin, even under a team’s own basket, if the throwin is deflected, tipped, or batted by an offensive player in the frontcourt to an offensive player in the backcourt; or after a missed field goal attempt or a missed foul shot attempt, if the ball is deflected, tipped, or batted by an offensive player in the frontcourt to an offensive player in the backcourt; these are not a backcourt violations. In both cases team control, a player holding or dribbling the ball, has not yet been established.



21) During a throwin or jump ball, any player; or a defensive player, in making a steal; may legally jump from his or her frontcourt, secure control of the ball with both feet off the floor, and return to the floor with one or both feet in the backcourt. The player may make a normal landing and it makes no difference whether the first foot down is in the frontcourt or the backcourt. These three situations are not backcourt violations.

22) The closely guarded rule is in effect in frontcourt only, when a defender is within six feet of the ball handler. Up to three separate five-second counts may occur on the same ball handler, holding, dribbling, and holding. The count continues even if defenders switch. The five-second count ends when a dribbler gets his or her head and shoulders ahead of the defender.

23) The intent of the three-second rule is to not allow an offensive player to gain an advantage. Referees will not call this violation if the player is not gaining an advantage. There is no three-second count between the release of a shot and the control of a rebound, at which time a new count starts. There is no three-second count during a throwin. There is no three-second count while the ball is in the backcourt. Allowance shall be made for a player who, having been in the restricted area for less than three seconds, dribbles in or moves immediately to try for goal.

24) The head coach may request and be granted a timeout if his or her player is holding or dribbling the ball,or during a dead ball period. A player saving the ball in the air can ask for and be granted a timeout even if that player is going out of bounds. The key is whether or not the player has control of the ball.

25) On free throws, there is a maximum of two offensive players and four defensive players in the six marked lane spaces. The defense must be in both bottom spaces on all free throws. The shooter and all the players in the designated lane spaces must wait until the ball hits rim or backboard before entering the lane. During a free throw, no opponent, including bench personnel, may disconcert the free thrower.

26) Kicking the ball is intentionally striking it with any part of the leg or foot. An unintentionally kicked ball is never illegal, regardless of how far the ball goes and who recovers it. It is also illegal to hit the ball with a fist.

27) Players may not participate while wearing jewelry. Religious medals or medical alert medals are not considered jewelry. A religious medal must be taped and worn under the uniform. A medical alert medal must be taped and may be visible. Headbands must be made of a single colored cloth. Rubber or cloth elastic bands may be used to control hair. Undershirts must be similar in color to the jersey and shall not have frayed or ragged edges. State associations may on an individual basis, allow a player to participate while wearing a head covering, if it is worn for medical or religious reasons, provided that the covering is not abrasive, hard, or dangerous, and is attached in such a way that it is highly unlikely to come off during play. Written documentation should be available.

28) Officials are not required to explain judgment calls, but they may explain some calls if approached by the head coach in a respectful manner. Officials have been instructed to call technical fouls for profanity, unsporting acts and excessive complaints or verbal abuse.

29) Officials do not make calls that decide the outcome of a game. Players commit fouls and violations; officials view those infractions, judge the action, and then apply the rules of the game to what they had viewed. The rules then determine the penalty. Officials are on the court to be the only unbiased arbiters of the game. Officials are not concerned with who wins or loses, but only fairness and safety. Everyone else in that gym cares about winning, and therefore cannot look at the game objectively.

Revised 10/13/05

Tell them that the 3 second call is not the greatest call ever invented.

1) In your first game, don't stand there and think things like, "Wow! That guy really got hammered! I wonder why the ref didn't call it?" You ARE the ref. OK, I admit it, that one was me.

2) It's all in the sale. Sell the call.

3) Learn from every ref you see. The important part of that is discerning which refs show you what to do and which refs show you what NOT to do!

1. be proffesional, look like a ref, act like a ref (NO shooting in time outs!)

2. Be confident, don't show your mistakes. You will make them, don't go change shooting fouls unless it's an obvious false call (and that should not happen in the first place if you pay attention :p)

3. call games, the best way to learn is to get experience. You can NEVER have called to many games

Have fun! :d

Duane

How long does this course last? It sounds like only a few hours at most. I ask because if 12 years teaching experience has taught me anything its that students stop listening at some point before you're ready for them to, even if they're interested and enthused. With that in mind, pick out the 4-5 or so things you think are most important, and focus on those. Billy Mac's 29 most misunderstood basketball rules are great--I'm printing and keeping those for my own and my association's use--but there's way, way too much there for teenagers with no officiating experience. KEEP IT SIMPLE AND BASIC, especially since it sounds like there will be no on-court time ("theory course").

If the course is over a matter days, i.e., multiple sessions, build on what you taught in the previous sessions, but always with focus on the basics. You have to keep their interest to succeed.

Good luck...let us know how it turns out and what worked for you.

AMEN to #3 above!

Gee guys - thanks for all this material. I will certainly take it on board and try to include some of it during the course this saturday.

Thanks

I say turn on CBS and watch and tourney game announced by Jim Nantz and Billy Packer, because none of us know nearly as much as does Mr Packer about officiating....

I know it will never happen, but wouldn't it be awesome to have Wichita State meet Bradley for the NCAA championship? " Would you like that crow boiled, broiled or fried, Mr. Packer?"

Duane

I just read your profile and only then did I realize that you're a teacher and didn't need my pedagogical lesson. My aplogoies...I have should have been more careful. I'm still interested in how the class turns out.

What history do you teach? Need any U.S. history teachers down under who can also call b-ball and misses rugby? Is this a job application? Okay... :)

The first game I ever reffed, I did it informally without any training. It was for an alumni league game at my old high school. The thing I remember is that I kept on second guessing myself. I kept asking myself, "Did I really see that contact?" I ended up not blowing the whistle for the whole first half and heard an earful from players, and I deserved it. Not deserving because I didn't have former experience, but because I wasn't prepared for the job and wasn't doing it efficiently. My partner told me at halftime he understood that it was hard to make that first call, to hear that whistle blow and your own voice telling everyone what you saw. He told me that foul calls had everything to do with one player gaining an advantage over another through contact. I think even the first call I made, I wasn't sure if I actually saw the contact but blew my whistle anyway. It got much easier after the first whistle was blown.

I would start off with mechanics, primary coverage area and basic ternminology.

This should give them something to think about before lunch and after lunch, do a check on learning to see what they have retained.

Don't click on Lobo's link. It's spam.

Hey no probs Corndog - thanks for the tips anyway!

I specialise in Modern European History (focusing on Germany). Unfortunately Australian schools don't teach much US History, except for WW1, WW2 and Vietnam. But we sure do need Basketball refs - so come on down!! :D

Well the course went pretty well. We focused on four main areas:
- Game Administration
- Communication
- Violations
- Fouls

It was a small class (10 people) and thankfully all had played basketball for several years. So at least they had a rough knowledge of the rules and concepts of refereeing.

I'll keep you posted as to how they go. Next week they will all be refereeing between 1/2 and a whole game with me to get some practical experience and tips. Will be interesting to see how it goes.

Thanks heaps for everyone's advice - it was greatly appreciated and really game in handy.

I'd make a few introductions, and then get them out of their seats onto the court. That's where they will learn, either by going through the various signals, or learning about court positioning.

If you can tell them to bring whistles, even better. You can fold rules talks into the court by having some walk throughs with several people acting as "players." Set them up for free throws, jump balls, etc. and have folks rotate around as officials -- 2 and 3 man.

Thanks, Oz. Glad the course went well. If I could figure out a way to get down under to teach and call some hoops I'd be there.

C-Dog

Hey if you want to come and visit I'm sure I could put you up for a night or two :) Bit far to come for the weekend though!

Duane - That's most generous, but you're right, that is a long weekend jaunt. :)

It is - but some people seem to have little or no idea of where Australia is and how big it is. I had friends from Enlgand come to visit on their way to Fiji. They had a 2 night stop-over in Sydney and planned on hiring a car to drive and visit relatives in Perth. Sydney is on the east coast, Perth is on the west coast - approximately 5000kms away! Driving no-stop it takes between 4 and 6 days to make the journey! Needless to say they decided not to make the trip :D

At least they figured it out and made a good decision. A friend of mine from Ireland and I were driving across north Texas one time and he just couldn't get over how big and wide open it was. He said just the sheer size of America was the most difficult part of living in the states. And when you go to Europe and everything seems so close and accessible, that's easy to understand.

one thing I like with europe is that we don't have any deserts, tundras or other strange stuff we don't use :p look at africa, deserts, uninhabited, Australia, how many people live in the middle of it, desert, shall I go on? :p

Oz,

How did your presentation go? I can emphatize with you. I was asked several years ago to do something similiar as you. I play in a adult church league and the players referee the games.

I tried to summarize "reffing" in about 2 to 3 hours of presentation and then the "refs" got a chance to work some scrimmages.

I would venture to say I had it worse than you. I had some young kids/old folks so the audience was diverse. Reffing experience was basically nil. Rules knowledge (as the officials know it) was probably nil as well.

I put together a word doc summarizing some items like "blow the whistle", "hustle", "see through the cracks", etc.

Honestly, I was pretty prepared but I don't think most people grasped the information. The lack of experience was the biggest hinderance. Most of the players would never ref outside of the league and so what works for "us" won't work for others.

Crazy V, don't get me wrong. I wasn't criticizing Europe or Europeans by any means. I love Europe, and part of what I love is the accessability. I was just trying to relate that most Europeans I've known, when they visit the states are amazed at the size and sometimes vastness of North America. Not to speak for Oz, but I think that's what he was saying about Australia.

But on the other hand, deserts and other vast "uninhabited" places can be beautiful and very cool. I would love to see African, Australian, Asian, even Antartican vastness, and lot of those vast places can hold untold riches, so.....

G'day Coach,

Look the presentation went pretty well (I think). While none of the participants had any refereeing experience, they were all pretty experienced players, so had a sound grasp of the rules.

As well, Basketball Australia has put together a really good introductory package, with a video and power-point presentation that outlines the responsibilities of referees and some basic rules and mechanics stuff. Certainly made my job easier.

I suppose the real test will be next week when I get them on the court refereeing with me. I'll keep you all posted.