Volleyball anyone?

[MCBear]

I hate to burst your bubble, guys, but volleyball is the most difficult sport to officiate, period!

Now, before you burst a jugular after reading that sentence, hear me out. I started out as a basketball official and worked the sport for 10 years, I proceeded to umpire high school baseball and fast-pitch softball as well as summer ball. Those sports were easy for me to do because I had experience with the games that I was officiating. Volleyball, however, was a whole different case.

I originally decided to do volleyball because I remembered what it was like, freezing my butt off on the football sideline at the end of October, early November in NorthWest Ohio. So, I decided to officiate volleyball.

Yes, the pay for officiating volleybal is pretty decent, but if you are going to do a good job, you better be willing to work your tail off to learn the game. BktBallRef, you have obviously never studied the game of volleyball because you never played it competitively. You sound exactly like a lot of the guys who thought that reffing volleyball was easy money, like stealing it from a baby. It is only that if you don't take the time to learn how to officiate the game properly.

I freely admit, that of all the sports that I officiated, I disliked (read that "hated") volleyball the most because (1) I had never played the sport and (2) every time the ball is touched, it is a judgment call as to whether the contact is legal or not. I couldn't see the double for the longest time, but I worked my tail off to follow the advice of coaches and officials whom I respected. Plus, learning when a team is out of rotation with some of the "stacks" that coaches have devised will almost drive you cross-eyed trying to figure out what the heck the team is doing.

What I am saying, in a nutshell, is what I heard a very respected volleyball official say, "Refereeing volleyball is easy...unless you want to do it correctly! Then, you are going to have to do some serious work to get it right."

Those kids on the court deserve the best job of officiating that can be provided. If the official isn't there for the kids and the love of the game, I can guarantee that particular individual is not going to be officiating volleyball very long because they will either consider it a "boring" sport or the coaches will not put up with the attitude of the ref being there just for the paycheck.

After 10 years of refereeing basketball and 11 years of umpiring baseball/softball, the only sport that I do any more is volleyball and I think that I may finally be getting an idea what the sport is about as I start my 25th season.

[FMadera]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

Call it stupid if you like but I'm not just a football/basketball official who's just saying it. I've worked volleyball. I've never made so much for doing so little. It's a piece of cake, it's boring as hell, it's stealing money. In my area, the guys who are are now in the 60's and 70's call volleyball. There's nothing to it.

No matter how many people say it, it doesn't make it any less ignorant.

Everyone I've heard make that statement (and there have been many) are those who think it's easy because they are sorely lacking in the knowledge that it takes to be a good volleyball official. They call things that shouldn't be called, don't call things that should be called, and are so utterly ignorant on the current skills being demonstrated that they wind up having no clue what's going on out there.

If there was "nothing to it," then why do you think there are actually distinctions between good and bad VB officials? Wouldn't all VB officials be the same if there was "nothing to it?"

I'm sure there are guys in your area in their 60s and 70s doing ALL sports. Are those sports just as "easy" in your mind?

If you don't like reffing VB, I can totally understand that. It's not a sport you can come in and understand. It takes work, sometimes years to understand some of the nuances...you know, if you actually care enough to work at the craft, as opposed to "stealing money." But to say it's an easy sport to ref is really laughable...especially at the higher levels.

Thanks for the hearty laugh.

[mbyron]

A lot of guys around here seem to have the same attitude: that VB is "easy" and like "stealing money."

In a couple respects, they are correct: officiating volleyball does not require officials to run or even move much, and that's easy compared to, say, basketball.

Also, the mechanics are simple, partly since movement is not required, and that's easy compared to, say, baseball.

The rules are, I think, much simpler than baseball's, so that's easier as well (although I agree with Felix that there are nuances).

What I've found challenging so far (and I'm a novice) is judging hits and keeping track of alignments. So much of VB officiating depends on these skills, which I suspect take a while to develop. And this, it seems to me, is at least as difficult as judging advantage/disadvantage when calling basketball fouls.

[refnrev]

MCBear may have overstated the case a little, but here is the truth in plain simple language: VOLLEYBALL IS VERY HARD TO DO IF YOU WANT TO DO IT RIGHT. Case closed. End of story

[JugglingReferee]

Here's one pro that a colleague of mine has:

He gets to officiate in the women's volleyball tournament held at the nudist camp 40 minutes away. Seriously.

[refnrev]

No way! You've got to be making that up.

[JugglingReferee]

It's called the Four Seasons resort.

And about the guy that takes his place after my friend retires:

That's truly a case about who you know, not what you know!

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

Here's one pro that a colleague of mine has:

He gets to officiate in the women's volleyball tournament held at the nudist camp 40 minutes away. Seriously.

You might think this would be an exciting event, but I heard it's a real flop.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

You might think this would be an exciting event, but I heard it's a real flop.

It's not the senior league is it?

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

You might think this would be an exciting event, but I heard it's a real flop.

But it's certainly created quite a flap

[Back In The Saddle]

Well, I guess I'll be finding out for myself how hard it really is. Last night I took the plunge and signed up to do HS volleyball. Like I mentioned earlier, I've done some really low-level volleyball, which really was like printing your own money -- if you could stay awake.

I'm looking forward to trying this, but so far I'm a little apprehensive about my ability to track rotations and overlaps and call ball-handling stuff among players who do more than stand in a rectangular formation with their hands permanently locked in passing mode.

Dang it sucks feeling like a rookie again.

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by MCBear

Yes, the pay for officiating volleybal is pretty decent, but if you are going to do a good job, you better be willing to work your tail off to learn the game. BktBallRef, you have obviously never studied the game of volleyball because you never played it competitively. You sound exactly like a lot of the guys who thought that reffing volleyball was easy money, like stealing it from a baby. It is only that if you don't take the time to learn how to officiate the game properly.

You're right, I haven't ever played volleyball competitively. It would be a waste of my time. I couldn't care less how I sound. I don't like and have no interest in officiating it, watching, and hearing about it for that matter. If that bunches your panties, so be it.

Yep, it's real tough to stand on a stool and turn your head back and forth, back and forth, back...... You're to be commended for all your hard work!

Originally Posted by FMadera

No matter how many people say it, it doesn't make it any less ignorant. Blah, balh, blah.....

And just because you say it with conviction, it doesn't make you sound any less stupid. A PIECE OF CAKE!

Now, for the both of you: I didn't attack you, didn't address, don't know either of you from Adam. Yet, you both chose to single me out when all I did was post my feelings regarding the sport. If you don't like it, I don't give a $hit. I don't live my life for you. It's a boring freaking game to me, whether it's Podunk HS vs. Redneck HS or UCLA against Hawaii. You can have it!

BTW, to say that you must have played a sport to understand how to properly officiate it is one of the stupidest remarks that I read on discussion boards. It's soemthing we normally hear from fanboys! How gay is that, a volleyball fanboy?

[Back In The Saddle]

Let the games begin

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

It's a boring freaking game to me, whether it's Podunk HS vs. Redneck HS or UCLA against Hawaii. You can have it!

HEY! If it's UCLA (or anyone, for that matter) vs. Hawaii IN Hawaii, I'll take it.

BTW - anyone know where I can get certified to work shuffleboard?

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by MCBear

I hate to burst your bubble, guys, but volleyball is the most difficult sport to officiate, period!

I'll be uncharacteristically serious for a minute. I would think the main criteria to use to determine which sport is the most difficult to officiate would be how much subjectivity vs. objectivity would be involved. The more you have to use your judgment vs. just having a call be obvious by rule, the more difficult it would be to be consistent and "correct".

Using this theory, the most difficult games to work (not counting physical effort) would be lower level games that are extremely active, would allow the possibility of making a call almost every second and would require continuous use of your judgment. IOW, something like a 3rd grade basketball game, where you are constantly deciding "how much" traveling to allow, etc.

It would seem to me, the less amount of action in a game, the less difficult it would be to call. I realize this is a broad generalization, but I think it has some merit.