Little Chunks of Plastic
 

I've never had a whistle last a full season, rarely more than a couple months, but I've hit a new low. I've only done about 15 games, and I've already bitten the thing through. Can someone please tell me how I should be holding the whistle so that I'm not chewing on it? This is getting expensive!

PS please don't recommend the CMG. All that does is add another type of plastic that I get pieces of in my mouth.

Juulie,

Sounds like you're putting way too much pressure on the whistle. I've got one Fox 40-cmg that's over 3 years old & still in good shape.

Tightly clenching muscles is a common unconscious reaction in a stressful situation, and officiating basketball in this day & age can be pretty stressful. Please don't take this as some new age mumbo jumbo - you know me better than that :D - but you need to find a way to relax your jaw muscles to reduce the pressure, and to do that you need to come up with a mechanism to deal with the stress. Everyone's different & you need to find something simple that works for you. Just a hint......meditating in the middle of a game probably isn't a good choice :D :D

I have the same problem, but to a lesser degree. I have never bitten through a whistle. But in rather stressful situations I find myself biting down pretty good. Frankly, my jaw starts to hurt too. Like Tim said, you need to find a way to relax. I use the following:

Imagine, just for a moment, that you're in your happy place. There are beautiful, snow-capped mountains in the distance, and you're standing in a lush, green field. You are next to a crystal clear stream. The only sounds you hear are the gentle wafting of the breeze, the burbling of the stream, and a slight thrashing under the water.

You look down. The stream is so clear you can see every feature of the stream bed. There are moss-covered rocks and braches. Lurking near the bank is a large fish, eying you suspiciously. And right next to you, there is a face. You recognize the face. It's that coach who's been giving you grief. He's trying to call out to you; there is panic in his eyes. But you can't hear him. There is a pair of hands, grasping his throat, holding him under the water. You recognize those hands. They're yours.

Ah yes, your happy place.

If that won't help you relax, you may need meds! :D

get a whistle of steel. Then your teeth will break insted of the whistle^^

other then that, it's just a matter of discipline I suppose (think of all the money you're losing buying new whistles or something)

When the ball is away from me, I'll sometimes try to hold the whistle in my mouth with my lips instead of my teeth. I have TMJ and have to be careful to avoid clenching my jaws.

I like BTS's response but seriously, you need to find a way to relax or you're going to have some expensive dental bills as well.

I wonder if that stress is also apparent on your face when you are working? Just a thought.

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Juulie, I got 8 years out of my last one ---- it was a CMG. They do feel better and last longer... so I have to recommend them. Do you hold the whistle on the side or in the front of your mouth? I have much better luck with it in the front holding it between the front and lower teeth. You don't put that much pressure on it that way. Are your holding it so tightly that you can't talk with it in your mouth? Just relax your jaws and don't bite so hard. The tension in your jaws is a real reflection of the tension your feeling in the game. Let us know

Relax. Find something that works for you and just relax.

You could try a mouth guard, but nobody would understand your calls.

I like the CMG. But some people chew gum and it seems to be folks who wear out whistles with teethmarks, so you might try that.

2 words:

Re. Lax.

I used to Re Lax.
Is that called ExLax?

I've never had the problem of going through whistles. In fact, I think I've been using the same whistle through the last 3 seasons, including camps. It's got a nice little groove on the top and bottom, so it's just now getting comfortable. I would hate to have to get a new one; it would take me another two seasons to get it broken in.

Ex Lax gives the same effect as Re Lax...but on the other end...

The other end of the whistle?

:eek:

Never mind.

[QUOTE=M&M Guy]
I've never had the problem of going through whistles. In fact, I think I've been using the same whistle through the last 3 seasons, including camps.
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M&M,
If you ever need one, just ask Tanner. He probably has about... oh say what 30 in his bag?:D

I had the same problem, not chewing my whistle but clenching my teeth and jaw. My dentist actually told me to chew sugarless gum to relax my jaw. because I did it subconsciously, sleeping or during stressful situations (driving in traffic) it would help. It did, it really does help. Now I started chewing gum during games but found it hard to concentrate on not letting the gum interfere with the whistle so now chew on my way to a game. I have had the same whitle for 3 years.