How long to master?

[Kostja]

I have been refereeing since I was 17 years old. Now I'm 28 and I don't think I have mastered refereeing, even though I referee on a professional level in my country.

As many before me said, it is a never ending learning process. As you advance you will discover a new world in every league you set your foot into. It really is like that. Then, as you grow older, you will every now and then feel like something you thought you were doing really well in the past doesn't suit you anymore because your personality changes with time. And the behavioral patterns and solutions we discuss here are not always for everyone .

Regarding rules, this is the easiest part by far. You can master the rules in less then six months. If you can spend as much time as you say on reading the rule book, case book, interpretations, the discussions on this forum, old rules tests, and so on, you will gain excellent rules knowledge pretty soon. Applying the rules in a game situation is different though, because before you can apply a rule you have to be in the right position, see what you are supposed to see, and then make a judgment call. And what you see on the court is rarely as black and white as the text in the rule book.

Mechanics are a bit harder to master. That's because it doesn't help at all if you can recite what's written in the book. You have to get your body to do what you know you should do. And where can you practice this? Yeah right, in games only, there is no computer simulation to replace this experience. So, you either have to referee a lot of games to learn the mechanics quickly, or you can go and watch a lot of games. Another difficulty with mechanics is that it is impossible to write (and find) a book that tells you about the perfect mechanics for every possible situation. So, you will rely on what you hear from more experienced referees and on your own analysis of game situations where you were (not) in great position to make a call, were (un)able to communicate effectively with players/coaches/partners/table, and so on. Still, to master the basics is relatively easy, just referee as much as you can focusing on mechanics first (in scrimmages etc.).

I think that it is a great idea to go to camp after 6 months of refereeing and reading a lot because in camp you will get more and more competent feedback in a couple of days than probably during those 6 months altogether. So, you will be able to put to a test everything you have learned so far. Some things will get approval from observers, others won't. And they will offer you a lot of new stuff, often little things, from the large buffet that is know as officiating ... Go for it, enjoy it!