How long to master?
 

Okay it seems we have everyone from babyspanking new to gracefully aging on this forum; how long does it take to master officiating? or do you ever really get there? What are realistic goals to set for one's self regarding knowledge of the rules, mechanics, etc? I know I learn something new everyday on this forum. Is 3 to 6 months realistic to have firm knowledge of the rules? the same for mechanics? :confused:

I've been officiating for 7 years and I learn one thing every game I do. It's a constant learning profession.

3 to 6 months??? You're joking, right? I played way back in High School. I thought I knew rules. Yea right. So, I became an Official. I am not sure how many classes or the hours of each class, but we read EVERY rule and discussed each rule. Then a few more classes on Mechanics and On Court movement. Now I'm ready! NOT!!!
You need many years of court experience. Read every rule every year. When you are not working, then go watch a good game. Watch the officials.
Talk with officials about strange plays. Ask them what they saw and why they made the call. Group discussions are very healthy.
If you have been reading these posts all season, you will notice that some of these situations stump a lot of officials.
Good Luck

You are dead on. Those stumps have been great to read! I will be going to camp in three months so I was curious how prepared I would be if I continue to read the books every night, watch games, read this forum and then repeat.... repeat... repeat...

You may get a lot of opinions here and each one is going to depend on the individual.

I've done Rec games for several yrs, but just started doing MS, JV, HS games this yr. Like you, I learn something new every game and watch my senior partners closely. My mechanics have gotten a lot better, but my knowledge of the game has a long way to go. Every time I come to this Board, I find out just how much I DON'T know. While I feel 100% better about my game than I did when the season started, until I can feel really confident in my case and rule knowledge and game management, which could be a while, I won't consider myself "there." I worked with an official the other night who managed the game very well. I watched her closely and strive to be as calm, cool, and confident as her. Good luck.

I think I probably speak for most when I say you never really master officiating. It is a lot more than simply knowing rules and mechanics. My feeling is it's a lot like playing an instrument. You or I might be able to play some chords and notes on a guitar, and we might play them using the proper mechanics, but I'll guarantee we won't sound anything like Eric Clapton.

It depends on what level you want to achieve, and how many games you do at that level. Each level is different, so as you move up the ladder you need to master the situations that occur at that level. The only way to do that is work more games. Sure, knowing the rules and mechanics is a very good starting point, but the good officials know how to apply them in the specific situation. I might know how to play an A sharp on a guitar, but only experience and practice can teach me how to play it at different points in the song.

So, practice, practice, practice...

FWIW, I thought I was a good official earlier than I was a good official. (Does this mean that, in the future, I'll look back on right now and realize that I wasn't a good official right now when I think that I am?) It doesn't take long to master rules and mechanics, if you're diligent about the preparation. It's the other stuff -- working with coaches, game management, handling unusual situations with aplomb -- that takes longer. It only comes with experience. Rather than "years," you might measure your progress in the number of games you've worked.

Anyway, I think I became a really good official about my sixth year. I then spent two years "at the top of my game." Confident, knowledgeable, etc. And I got lazy. I thought I knew the rules cold. But after I reached the top (my top, not THE top!) I didn't stick my nose in the book as often as I previously did. I thought I didn't need to. And I didn't need to ... until it turns out that I did. In my eighth year, I had a couple of experiences which really humbled me and from that point on I've committed to studying as hard now as I did when I was starting. It turns out that it's really helpful!

My own opinion is that it takes at least 5 years before you really have a good handle on what you're supposed to be doing. Then it gets harder.

The rules and the game are constantly evolving. As an official, you have to evolve with them. Your evolution only stops if you let it.

You never master it. Officiating is an evolving process. Every year something changes whether it is rules, philosophy or mechanics. It takes time to master even the most little things and even then you make mistakes.

If you think it takes only a few months, you have a lot more to learn based on some previous posts. :D

Peace

That's because they change the ****ing rules every year!! Those who are gracefully aging might also think Wes Montgomery or George Benson but we...or they...get the idea. btw, did you know that both Roy Clark and Glenn Campbell were truly great guitarists? it's true, it's true... Sounds like the answer to a riddle you might tell your daughter...

No, I have no rose colored glasses on that. I wanted to know how prepared those in the know would say I would be in three months if I really worked hard. I do not want to waste the instructors or other participants time. If I needed to wait longer and attend other classes then that is what I would do.

Thanks for all the responses guys.

Jose Feliciano, Chet Atkins, Andres Segovia...

How else can they justify the expense of getting the committee together every year without changing <B>something</B>.

Heck, even Buck Owens was pretty good in his time.
I suppose I could've said B.B. King, or perhaps Segovia. I was going for mainstream...

And she's finally understanding that answer. ;)

Going to camps is a great idea. Just make sure the camp you're looking at caters to your level. If you're just starting out, you don't necessarily want the NBA tryouts. But there are many camps geared towards beginners; that's the place to talk to the instructors and other participants.

Ahh...I knew he must've had a first name.

Ya know, if you like BB King you need to check out Duane Allman. Before he was a famous dead rock star he was an outstanding sideman. There's an anthology album, check it out.

Longer than I have been reffing that's for sure. Every time I start to think I'm a pretty solid ref, I do something in a game that makes me realize I'm not all that. :)

I know - good set. He and Dickey Betts were great together.

I can play some notes on a guitar, but I never sound anything like what I hear on the album. That's what I've learned about officiating. There's a big difference between playing the notes, and being good.

Aww...looks like someone else needs a Valentine today. So:

A guy walks into a post office one day to see a middle-aged,
balding man standing at the counter methodically placing
"Love" stamps on bright pink envelopes with hearts all over
them. He then takes out a perfume bottle and starts spraying
scent all over them.


His curiosity getting the better of him, he goes up to the
balding man and asks him what he is doing. The man says
"I'm sending out 1,000 Valentine cards signed, 'Guess who?'"


"But why?" asks the man.


"I'm a divorce lawyer," the man replies.

To that point - You have to also realize that you climb to the top of one level, then move up and its like starting all over. You are at the bottom and the climb begins again. Another whole set of challenges, politics, expectations, responsibilities.

Just when you really think you know whats going on - wait two years after you make varsity and look back. I promise you really had no idea yet.

It took me 2 months to Master the Art of Officiating, but I am a slow learner....

I am in my 7th year....I get a 50/50 mix of Varsity and JV. If I were Gods Gift to Officiating, I would be getting 100% Varsity and they would be calling me to do DI games, but they are not.

I learn something new every night. The best thing I ever learned, was to love it and have fun.

My partners used to have " Have Fun" I thought " Are they nuts? FUN????" If you ain't having fun, you're doing something wrong.

Have fun.

Let me put it this way. I have been doing this for a decade now. I there are things I do excellent. There are things I can do a lot better. This year I have just felt good about how I deal with coaches. There are still mechanics that I could get a lot better at. There are judgment calls that I can be a lot more consistent on. Either way it goes, I have to work hard every single night to work decent games. Some might say I am doing a good job, but I am only as good as my last game. I rarely walk away completely happy with the job I do. I am far away from mastering the game of basketball from the whistle side of the game.

Peace

I am sure you have soaked in a lot of knowledge this past year. Learning everything you can is certainly important - learning how to officiate will take a long, long time. Going to camps can certainly help that. I hope you aren't going to a D1 camp or anything that will overwhelm you. Who knows though, you may be a prodigy! No one can say "when" you "get" it - it just happens through years of hard work and study. After you "get" it - that's when you realize that you don't know JACK about officiating! Like someone said earlier, I try to learn new stuff all the time. Don't loose the ability to learn and never think you are better than you really are - if you are patient, you'll become a good official - good luck.

I agree with this but for alot of people, they measure it in years. This will be my 5th year of working any kind of ball and I have reffed around 700 games (maybe more) and yet people think I am still new to the game because I just started reffing regular season HS games and college games. What do years have to do with it? You gain experience by working games, therefore I am with bgtg19 and think people should base your experience in games reffed not in years you have been working.

Working games alone is not what makes you good or gives you experience. I personally think it is the kind of games you work that mean more. Working a Men's league for example is not what makes you a better official if you are trying to gain experience at the HS varsity or college ranks. Not to say you cannot learn something from any game, but working a Men's league is not the same as a HS game with a packed house and playoffs, jobs and memories and school legacy is on the line (with the whole town watching). Another reason you cannot compare all levels of games, is because you are not necessarily required to go through all the motions of a regular game. You might deal with making calls, but you might not have the same clock concerns and rules situations that are created during a regular game. I do a lot of summer ball HS leagues and there is nothing similar about those games as the regular season.

Peace

In my short time of officiating I have to agree that I walk away thinking I could have done better. When you are on the sidelines it seems like you can see everything, but when you are on the court and have a split second to make a call or the game passes you by.... then you recall not all contact is a violation.... and the 1000 other rules the fans and parents dont know... I never dreamed it would be so hard, but that is what makes it exciting to me. I can not imagine what the pressure of a HS V game would be. Blowing a rule in Rec play; no biggie. Blowing a rule in HS V; get a rope... As you implied, I think setting goals for the season is a great idea. How else can you improve? Works for Tiger, right? :)

It's not a destination, but a journey. The first step is always the hardest. But, after you take the first step, the second step is the hardest. The NEXT step is always the most important step.

Now, to the "thread within the thread". I sat in my room and practiced guitar night after night. After about a year, I was in the car with the wife and kids. Eric Clapton came on the radio. My son says "Hey, that sounds just like Dad".

After re-adjusting my hat size, I relized that I had been practicing to Eric Clapton recordings. When I was playing the "Nobody Knows.." recording (behind closed doors), he probably though it was me playing the guitar. LOL.

I have yet to have anyone watch a televised basketball game and say "That official looks just like time2ref"..........LOL

Old School has posted that he has officiated over 10,000 games in his 16 years.

'Nuff said!:D

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!

A very long time, maybe never.

Each year at the end of the season I think I'm a great official. Then by the middle of the next season I feel like I've improved about 100% from the previous season and I think to myself "How the hell did I think I was a good official last season when I've learned so much over the last year?"

A good official is always getting better and learning something new.

I have been officiating since I was 19 and am now 38. There are always things to learn. However, I love officiating because of all the guys I work with. They are such good friends, and the camaraderie on the court makes all the crap from coaches worthwhile.

What is really funny, you will find, is that a lot of officials don't even know all the rules. They know the main ones, but when a tricky situation comes along they might get themselves in trouble. What is even scarier is that they consider me the "rules" guy. Then I come in here and realize all the things I still don't know. And you will find that as good as you get--in judgment, rules, mechanics, dealing with coaches--there is always somebody better. Aspire to be that guy in each area.

But more than that, have integrity, do what you say, call your partners and see how their lives are going, take an interest in their kids, be there when they need help outside the game. It is an awesome path that we have chosen and the people we meet along the way keep it fun. Don't forget all the other guys we meet along the way--some won't become your friends, but they still make it a great experience.

Anyhow, I digress. I am probably taking the next year (or years off) and I am finding that I won't miss the long drives, or the long nights, or the time away from home--but I will miss the guys I spend most of my nights and weekends with tooting the whistle and having a good time.

Well said, I will remember that when doubt sets in.

I agree with the at least 5 years theory. I called rec ball before I joined a high school association 5 years ago, and I realized I didn't know much and that every game is a learning experience. Last year was my first year doing the GHSA state tournament, and I am currently calling in it this year.

With that said, I jumped in on this board last week or so just to read and keep my mind on basketball (rules, case plays, etc.) I still have mentors and I still go to their games to sit in on pregames and learn and watch. Going to camp EVERY year has also been in invaluable tool and I would recommend it. I say all this to say the best advice I was given was to be SPONGE. Absorb and learn as much as you can. Make every game a learning experience, and be able to receive constructive criticsm when needed.

Every game out I am impressed by how much I have learned and how much I know. Every game out I am even more humbled by what still need to learn and what I do not know. When this stops happening, it will probably be time for me to get out. It is my less than humble opinion that the biggest obstacle tobeing great at anything is being good at it. Too often we settle for good instead of reaching to be great! Not an original idea, but one that I espouse.