How to get better

[ATLBrvs326]

I know that there are a ton of veteran officials on this page and I wanna know how you got a thorough knowledge of the rules. Im thinking about making flashcards and study like that but thought maybe I would find out how you guys learned the rules when you were rookies.

[Snake~eyes]

Read the rulebook, caseplays, take bits and parts and choose parts to go over once in a while. Don't overwelm yourself with large sections, small peices. That and read as much as you can on these boards, you will learn the rules this way, guaranteed.

[JRutledge]

is to work more and more games. You are not going to just know something by only reading it. There are too many situations and plays that you will have to see to get a very good knowledge of what the rules are. The game is also so fast that you will not just learn the rules overnight.

I will give you some tips that will help you understand what is written a little better.

1. Read Rule 4.

All the rules come from the definitions part of the rules. If you have a good understanding of Rule 4 you will better understand what you read in the casebook or other parts of the rules.

2. Get a Simplified and Illustrated Rulebook

This is one of the better tools to understand many of the rules. Basically almost all basketball officiating is judgment. This rulebook shows many of the things we see into action. It gives you a better visual understanding of what you are seeing and how the rules are written about them.

3. Publications

Either purchase a membership here or Referee Magazine (both if you want to). There are several articles that will deal with portions of the rules in better detail from month to month or article to article. I would read these publications and any possible books that might be sold to help with your officiating. Many of the articles deal with the application of the rules as well as the written part of the rules.

4. Camps.

This is another opportunity to work more games and to get hands on instruction. If I were you I would work as many camps to get more experience so that you can learn more of the rules and watch other officials applying the rules.

5. Watch veteran officials

Not to say that veterans will only know the rules, but you will see them apply the rules in action. Then you can ask veterans why they called things or you can see that for yourself. I would watch as many experienced officials as you can and learn from different people as to what to do and what not to do.

Hope some of these things can help you.

Peace

[jeffpea]

For me, the Case Book was the best tool - I'm not a theoretical person; I deal better w/ concrete examples and illustrations. Give me an example and explain how the rule applies and I can then call on the situation later when needed (like during a game).

Here's what I do during the season: before we even start our pre-game, I whip out the Case Book and start reading sitauations and ask my partners what should happen (and give my opinion as well). It's a great way to learn the rules....at least it was for me.

[stmaryrams]

Go to your Association meetings and get involved.

Don't just do the minimum to get by. You will develop a network of officials you can go to for information and support.

Some people learn in different ways than others. That is very obvious in adult learning. Find a good way for you from all these great ideas.

Working is a fantastic way to gain knowledge but remember to not let yourself get into bad habits. Offseason (AAU, Rec) games can lead to being lazy or sloppy with your calls and mechanics. While there is no shame in trying to save some steps when doing 6 or 7 games in a day, you must not let your game slip.

[Back In The Saddle]

One theory of adult learning divides learners into two broad categories: depth-first and breadth-first. Breadth-first learners instinctively want to know a little bit about the entire array of topics. Depth-first learners tend to take concepts one at a time and drive all the way to the bottom of each subject before moving to the next. Understanding your learning style can help you devise a better strategy for learning the rules. I'm a depth-first learner, and here's what's worked for me:

• Read the rulebook. Start with chapter 4. If I were going to do flash cards, I'd make them about this chapter. It forms the basis for most everything else.
• Read the casebook too. Try to answer the cases before you read the rulings. When you miss one, go back to the rules book and re-read that section.
• Take the rules exam every year. In Utah, Part I is open book, taken at home. I research every question and note the rule(s) reference(s) right on the test. Not only does it help me pass the test, but it gets me deeply into the rules. Take your annotated test with you to early association meetings. When people begin discussing the test, join in. Share what you've learned and note things you learn from them.
• Read this forum regularly. Learn who the knowlegable rules people are and pay attention when they weigh in on a question. Understanding how they think about the rules is even more valuable than what they think about them.
• Find a reason to research the rules. Start a study group. Offer to write a rules article for your association newsletter. Pick a question that somebody has posted on the forum and answer it. But don't just dash off a one-liner from the top of your head; dig through the rules book and case book to find the actual answer. Then post the answer along with the citations. But be prepared, other posters may disagree with you. And they may be right.
• Work lots of games. Just when you think you know a rule cold, you'll see something that generates entirely new questions and angles you hadn't considered before.
• Beware of veterans and clinicians. Not every great official knows the rules well. Be knowlegable enough to know when that respected veteran is giving you bad interpretations. There's no need to disrespect them, or even acknowledge that they're mistaken. But you should be aware when you're given suspect rules information. When in doubt, take what they've told you as a starting point and do the research.
• Did I mention work lots of games? The rules are dead. The rules are lifeless. The rules are meaningless. It's only when you put them into the context of a game that they come to life and aquire meaning. Knowing the rules is only the first step. Knowing how to apply them to the game is your goal.
• Understand that not every question can be answered by the rules book. Some of the most interesting discussions we have here are about situations where this is no clear ruling. Understanding all sides of an argument will aid your ability to reason about the rules.
• Keep an open mind. It can be a bit of a rude awakening when somebody challenges your understanding of a rule and you realize that they may well be right, but it's part of the learning process.
• Realize that it takes time. You can't do it all in one frantic burst of activity. It will take consistent effort over your career to truly master the rules.
• Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Good judgement comes from experience. And experience? Well that comes from poor judgement.
• Learn to love exhaustive lists. It's not, strictly speaking, necessary. But it's often useful.

[SmokeEater]

Very Good reply BITS...! Couldn't have said it better. This is what I was thinking but could find the right way to put it into text.

Thanks

[tomegun]

More times than not (by far), the rules will be easier to learn if you play or have played the game. It is more important to know how to apply the rules than to only know them.

1. Read the books - don't try to go too deep
2. Live, re-live or re-call experience as a player if applicable
3. Officiate
4. Repeat step 1
5. Repeat step 3 about 200 times
6. Go to step 4

[sphinxicu]

I love what Back in the Saddle stated and I would add one more thing. When I started a senior official told our cadet group to use a notebook of sorts to critique ourselves, i.e. write down things that I need to work on based on my last game or things that went on the game. Use that written critique to get back into the books,especially Rule 4. Another thing is find someone of your requisite ability or little more experience and bet a penny regarding rules, rule interpretations and discussions. That forces you back into the books. This is a great discussion forum but if you have live partners to discuss things with by using the penny bet, it makes officiating fun.

MB

[mj]

All of the above is great. Then watch yourself on tape.

[Raymond]

One thing one of my mentors had me do when I was first starting officiating was to watch an entire game of his with notebook and pen in hand. He had me evaluate every aspect of his officiating then we sat down after the game and went over everything line-by-line.

You'd be surprised what you can learn if you thoroughly study a good official from opening tap to final horn.

[jkjenning]

Wow - thanks for the very thoughtful insights, Back In The Saddle! Very appreciated and now waiting on my printer!!