I disagree. If you call a minimum or none at all and you are a good official. I think you would be the type of official that coaches/assigners prefer. If you are the type of official that calls a lot of conduct T's, I don't think that is good, new or old. That shows your lack of ability to manage and control the situation and maybe on another level, you lack respect from players and coaches alike. Not good. My approach going into any games I work is not to call any technicals. If I get thru the game and not have to blast any, goal accomplished. Warnings, stop signs, maybe you need to just let the coach give you a few words and you say you will watch it closer is all that it takes.

I think the best thing to say about calling T's is to make sure it is deserved. If it is, you don't hesitate. Like a police officer who carries a gun. If you're going to use your gun, make sure it is deserved. Unlike the police, if we don't call a T, our life is not in the balance. The reason I say this is because, if the police should use his weapon and it turns out, it was not needed, he is in a lot of trouble, much the same as if you call a T that was not needed, it could spark a negative reaction, both on and off the court.

One thing I do want to be perfectly clear on. Even though I go into the game with no technicals being my goal. If something happens in the game that is way OOB, you don't hesitate to call a T. I had a regional men's tournament several years ago and I was in awe of the talent that was there. All of a sudden, foul and scuffle on the floor, one player cold cocks the other, I saw it and was shocked, didn't know what to do. After breaking up the scuffle I just called a foul on the player. It was a learning lesson for me because you have to be ready to pull that trigger when it needs to be pulled!!! You don't want the gun to be half cocked when you walk in the gym, and you don't want to be to lackadaisical either. Somewhere in between is where we have to ride, and that is not easy. This is where you separate the boys from the men.

Good debate!

Hello all. I'm new to this forum.

Just finished my first year as a basketball ref..........lots of fun.

I've been doing soccer for 10 years, IMHO, the beautiful game....

Other threads here have caught my eye and are, at times, discouraging.

This one takes the cake.

I often read here about bad refs, bad calls, hard to get along with, etc. Have any of you ever thought that YOU could be on the receiving end of this......behind your back?

I think everyone does the best they can. Because their "style" doesn't mix with you doesn't make them a bad ref...........just different.

I'm sure opinions of me, in my first year, were all over the map. I know opinions of me after 10 years of soccer are all over the map. All of us KNOW how diffucult reffing is. Why don't you give constructive criticism instead of plain old criticism? I know that's what I need!

Instead of being so incredably judgemental, why doesn't everyone here express their opinion with a bit more "been there, done that".

I know all of you have...........

Thanks for the floor...........flame away if you must

I'll try this again, but more constructively.

One should never go into a game with a goal for Ts, any more than you have a goal for travels or held balls.

It’s one thing to have a goal to talk more with coaches or to be better at communicating with them. That type of goal may very well decrease your technical fouls over time; but to suggest that the number of "conduct Ts" called, by itself, is somehow a good benchmark for your ability as an official is just bad advice.