Refereeing the Defense

[SWMOzebra]

Originally Posted by Vinski

but I’m pretty sure I am missing some travels

I have had (and still have to some extent) this exact problem as well. Several partners have commented that they think I was either standing on or too close to the baseline (and also the players) and not able to watch for upper body contact and additional steps. I have to mentally force myself to back off the baseline a step or two...this opens up my field of vision both vertically and horizontally. I catch more travels when I remember to do this.

[Old School]

Originally Posted by SWMOzebra

I have had (and still have to some extent) this exact problem as well. Several partners have commented that they think I was either standing on or too close to the baseline (and also the players) and not able to watch for upper body contact and additional steps. I have to mentally force myself to back off the baseline a step or two...this opens up my field of vision both vertically and horizontally. I catch more travels when I remember to do this.

Don't beat yourself up with trying to catch every travel that occurs. This is a nit-picky call that can ruin your game if you're calling it too much. A game that has a lot of traveling calls borders on being over-officiated and it makes you look like a rookie, imo. Just referee the game and let the travels come to you. If you're not seeing it, good, that means it's not occurring, continue to play ball and keep your focus on the game and getting the obvisous calls.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Old School

Don't beat yourself up with trying to catch every travel that occurs. This is a nit-picky call that can ruin your game if you're calling it too much. A game that has a lot of traveling calls borders on being over-officiated and it makes you look like a rookie, imo.

Are you serious?

Don't worry about calling violations? Traveling is a nit-picky call? If you call a violation that occurred, you're over-officiating?

I've got to admit that you're constantly setting your own bar higher and higher. You're at the point where it's almost impossible to top yourself anymore.

A game that has a lot of travels in it means that the players are traveling a lot. That's all. We don't commit violations; we just call them.

What works in the 7/8 year-old division of your Monday night rec league doesn't work in a real basketball game. Constantly missing violations is a one-way ticket to your rec leagues, Old School.

[rockyroad]

To help understand the seeing throught the play philosophy, try this little experiment...hold a pen up about two feet from your face and look at it. Eveerything behind it should look blurry...now refocus your eyes so you can see behind the pen clearly...you can still see the pen and you can see what's going on behind the pen...that's what seeing through the play is all about - you don't want to be so focused on the two players that everything else is blurry...

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by rockyroad

To help understand the seeing throught the play philosophy, try this little experiment...hold a pen up about two feet from your face and look at it. Eveerything behind it should look blurry...now refocus your eyes so you can see behind the pen clearly...you can still see the pen and you can see what's going on behind the pen...that's what seeing through the play is all about - you don't want to be so focused on the two players that everything else is blurry...

Great advice. I'm gonna start carrying a pen in all my games.

Only two(2) spelling mistakes in this one too. Your class must be soooooo proud of you. Don't forget to show the little sh!ts this post.

Now that I got all that out of my system, Deej, that really is a helpful way to describe the principle.

[JoeTheRef]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Great advice. I'm gonna start carrying a pen in all my games.

Only two(2) spelling mistakes in this one too. Your class must be soooooo proud of you. Don't forget to show the little sh!ts this post.

Now that I got all that out of my system, Deej, that really is a helpful way to describe the principle.

Am I the only one who grabbed the pen after his post??

[Vinski]

Originally Posted by JoeTheRef

Am I the only one who grabbed the pen after his post??

I did. The hands analogy is good too. Thanks for all the great advice. Looking forward to my next game to work on some of this stuff.

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by rockyroad

To help understand the seeing throught the play philosophy, try this little experiment...hold a pen up about two feet from your face and look at it.

Does the pen have to match the dominant color of the jersey?

[Adam]

Originally Posted by M&M Guy

Does the pen have to match the dominant color of the jersey?

Only in certain local associations.

[Dan_ref]

Originally Posted by M&M Guy

Does the pen have to match the dominant color of the jersey?

Go ahead, take 1 more wild and exciting stab at life! Assert your creativity! Free yourself! Question authority as you did when you were young and carefree, before you were ground down by care and disappointment, saddled with responsibility (not to mention the high cost of that special little pill to help "when the moment's right").

Use a pencil instead.

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by Dan_ref

Go ahead, take 1 more wild and exciting stab at life! Assert your creativity! Free yourself! Question authority as you did when you were young and carefree, before you were ground down by care and disappointment, saddled with responsibility (not to mention the high cost of that special little pill to help "when the moment's right").

Use a pencil instead.

But, what do I do when the coach tells me to get the lead out?

[Mark Dexter]

Originally Posted by Dan_ref

(not to mention the high cost of that special little pill to help "when the moment's right").

Costs ya, what, thirty bucks a year?

Of course, you could always switch over to the "whenever in a 36-hour span the moment is right" pill.

[Old School]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

A game that has a lot of travels in it means that the players are traveling a lot. That's all.

Wrong, that is not all! It could also mean that the game is being over-officiated, or being called extremely tight. It could also mean that a lot of marginal travels are being called travels and the players are not really traveling. I have witness my partners, mostly new, calling the travels real tight, and most are not travels. I have also seen officials begin to call this and one leads to the next, which leads to another one, and another one and next thing you know we got a dozen traveling calls in the game. That's too many for my taste. I might begin to look the other way just to let a game develop. Remember, people don't pay to see us officiate, they pay to see a game.

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

We don't commit violations; we just call them.

True, but I contend there is a way to manage a game where you're not constantly interrupting it with your whistle, especially on little sh!t.

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Constantly missing violations is a one-way ticket to your rec leagues, Old School.

No, calling every violation you see will get you sent back to the minor leagues quicker than you observing when and when not to interrupt the game with your whistle.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Old School

Remember, people don't pay to see us officiate, they pay to see a game.

You're not the only one who's used this, so don't take this personally.

I hate this trope (tripe also works here). The fans may not pay to see you officiate, but the administrators are paying you to officiate.

[Junker]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

You're not the only one who's used this, so don't take this personally.

I hate this trope (tripe also works here). The fans may not pay to see you officiate, but the administrators are paying you to officiate.

That is pretty profound and a good way to look at it. I'm impressed!