Refereeing the Defense

[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.

[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.

[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??

[SWMOzebra]

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. 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.

Missing steps along the baseline and in the paint is an area where many coaches are unforgiving, especially if you're working with a partner who's catching the steps and blowing his/her whistle.

I don't generally beat myself up when a coach gives me grief (politely) about missing a travel, but when they start giving my P grief about calling the travels along the baseline when I'm not...then I get upset. If my partner's catching hell because he's being watchful and I'm not, then I get frustrated 'cause I sure owe him a better game then what I've been calling.

I'm new to the officiating thing and I've said this before in other posts: I haven't reached the experience level yet to grasp the subtle nuances of the "game interrupter," whether it's a 3-second lane violation or traveling or whatever. Perhaps as my experience level increases, I will gain insight into this vague and mystical concept which currently befuddles me.

For right now I may or may not agree with the rules as written, but I study and practice and train in the hopes to be hired to enforce them without bias or prejudice.

I don't agree with paying taxes either, but I haven't missed an April 15th yet....

[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!

[blindzebra]

Originally Posted by Vinski

BZ, could you elaborate on what you mean by “Seeing through the play”? I’ve heard this term before, but I’m not sure what that means. Is this referring to an anticipation of what the defense is may do?

The best way to sum it up is getting an open versus a closed look.

Unlike the pin thing, hold up both hands in front of your face, one infront of the other. You can see the hand closest to you but the other hand is blocked from view...that's a closed look, also called being in a stack.

Now hold them up like you are about to clap, you can now see both hands, the space between them, and what is behind them through that space...that's an open look.

By moving to get and maintain that type of look, you will always have your defender's status...referee the defense...know the status of the ball...you'll miss fewer travels...plus you will be able to referee off ball and on ball at the same time, within your primary.

[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.

[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.

[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?

[Dan_ref]

Originally Posted by M&M Guy

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

That's when you take one of them little pills.

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by Dan_ref

That's when you take one of them little pills.

Some of the coaches I've worked with, no pill is necessary.

With some other coaches, the whole box o' pills wouldn't help.

[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.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by M&M Guy

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

Do what you usually do. Take the lead out yourself.