get me out of this mess

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by Ignats75

I should wait for the violation and blow my whistle, for a warning (or worse a T if they've already been warned), thus getting involved in the outcome of the game, instead of letting the kids settle it?

Just something to think about - if the kid reaches through, thus prompting the violation, isn't the kid helping to decide the outcome? If the kid starts to reach through, and you tell them not to, and they stop, aren't you then being involved in the outcome, rather than the kids? Aren't you depriving the other team of the benefit of getting the ball back due to the player's violation? If the coach tells the kid to get the delay warning, and you tell them not to before handing the ball to the thrower, aren't you then injecting yourself into the game?

Preventative officiating is a good concept, but we have to be careful when it's used. Otherwise, we would be doing exactly what we're trying to prevent - putting ourselves into the situation instead of letting the kids decide the outcome. The player commits the violation; we just make the call.