Soccer officials carry their whistle in their hand. I guess they all must be "bad and arrogant." :)

Many football officials use a finger whistle. I guess they all must be "bad and arrogant." :)

Before you criticize, perhaps you should try it. During the spring and summer AAU season, I don't use a lanyard. Why? Because it's an excellent training mechanic. It's makes you much more aware and in tuned with when you blow your whistle. It makes you think! It's makes you see the whole play before you blow it. Yes, at first, you'll drop it. But the more you use it, the more comfortable you become.

I don't use it during the high school season because roughly a third of the schools we work use Precision Time. You have to use a lanyard using PT, because the microphone must be within an inch or so of the whistle, so that the air from the whistle stops the clock. To go back and forth between a lanyard and sans lanyard is a little more difficult.

Hopefully that helps you have a little better understanding, as opposed to just making assumptions.

In our local association we require all officials to wear a lanyard. Even if you are visiting from another association we require this. It is felt by our board that it looks better and makes for some conformity among our officials. Tried not using one before, and it wasn't for me. My back kept getting sore from having to bend over and pick up my whistle. As far as visiting officials go, we require them to use one to conform to our local people. Hard to tell our locals to use one when visitors don't

Visitors? :confused:

Ed, Thanks for the response. That's what I was wondering. If any associations out there had any "local" rules for this.

To another post, I did not say they were bad. Just arrogant and are known for this. It's a group that act like this together. They are the type of officials who like to be seen and this one little thing is just another way they like to be seen. We like to call them the "whistle-in-hand" gang.

First, there's no need to be offended. I placed a :) at the end of those two statements. It was a joke to remind you that there are plenty of officials who carry their whistle in their hand.

Second, yes, you did say they were "bad and arrogant." From your thread starting post:

Finally, read the other info in my post and try to look beyond your prejudice with regard to this situation. It just might make you a better official. IOW, get you a$$ off your shoulders. It's unbecoming. ;)

I work without a lanyard, but that is just how I feel most comfortable. It's a personal preference, but our HS association requires us to wear one and I do so, but I come close to breaking my smitty everytime I call a foul.

I do feel this adds a sense of style, but not why I use it. I think having a string hanging from your neck or your shirt looks bad, but that is just my personal preference.

Man I wish schools in our area used PT, that would solve a lot of timing headaches!

It can be good and bad. I enjoy using it and it's great from a timing standpoint. But some schools have soured on it because the batteries are so expensive. And it can be a pain if they don't change the batteries after every two games.

The NBA uses a much more complex (and expensive) system. The microphone is worn on the collars and will pick up the whistle. It also has a recording system that records when every whistle is blown and who blows it.

Basketball the whistle stays in my mouth when the ball is live.

But I also officiate soccer in which I always hold the whistle in my hand.

They both work just fine.

The only thing I could see being a problem is that you can't correctly signal a jump ball with a handheld whistle.

Really?

You don't blow your whistle when you signal a held ball? :)

Also, having to hold the whistle in your hands increases the chances of you missing a call. The time it takes you to put the whistle in your mouth or grab the whistle to blow it, increases the amount of time you actually put air in the whistle, and thus you are a second slower in making a decision or getting to the call. I like the thought of forcing you to see the play thru before you put air in it, but this can also be accomplished thru self discipline, or just being a good official.

People with the whistle in the hand tend to miss more calls because they have to do more. It takes a little bit more effort to hand carry a whistle than to have a lanyard. I have gone to the lanyard around the neck, I think this looks better then the one hooked on my shirt. All in all, I really don't care about this. However, I will say this. Having the lanyard and whistle in your mouth ready to blow at the precise time you may need to get in there and kill a play is better than hand carrying the whistle.

One example I can think of is getting in there to break up a scrap for the ball, and tempers are flaring. I can jump in there and break up the mee-la, while blasting my whistle loudly (in hopes to irritate the players into stopping) and using my free hands to break up the action. I can do so much more as an official by going with the lanyard. People that hand carry the whistle are just trying to be cute and different, imo. Johnnie is right in his assessment, to these guys, it's all about them.

Happy Holidays

LOL! Now I know why everyone has been giving you such a hard time! :D

A second slower in making the call is a bad thing, eh? College supervisors across the country would be astounded! :p

Do what works for you. If something new doesn't, then ignore it. But don;t chastise those who want to improve. ;)

Umm, I do blow my whistle, but also put TWO hands into the air. I don't see how you can put two hands into the air and hold the whistle with your third.

Maybe you don't have to. Try keeping the whistle in your mouth until you put your TWO hands <b>down</b>. Then take it out and talk. That's what the hand-held guys do.

The only difference between a lanyard and hand-held usage is spitting the whistle out after making a call versus reaching up and removing it with a hand.

Sigh......

Um, Mr. Old School, Sir........

Haven't you noticed in your <b>pro</b> games that your fellow <b>pro</b> officials who don't use a lanyard usually keep their whistle in their mouths when the ball is live? They remove the whistle <b>after</b> they blow it. Iow, the only real difference is that instead of spitting the whistle out like you do with a lanyard, they reach up with a hand and remove it.