In game pointers...
 

I do a lot of lower level games...I'll do anywhere from 4-6 games on a Saturday....Sometimes my mind get's clouded with everything going on...Sometimes there is so much going on (crowd yelling, other courts whistles blowing, coaches talking to us, confiring with partner, reporting to table) we can have a brain fart/memory lapse and I've tried to do a few things to keep myself sorted out mentally...

Tip off...If not doing the toss, I tell myself "blue left"...meaning blue team is going left and I focus on weather or not they get the tip then proceed to lead...If I'm doing the toss, I just wait til they clear out...

On fouls so I know which two players are involved, I always say the offenders number first, then the number of the offended to myself....for instance (25/15)...25 is who I am reporting and 15 is my shooter (if applicable). How many times have you went to report and the number escapes you....not a good feeling...

For my lower level stuff...if we have a TO and the ball is coming in on the endline, I will place the ball on the court to remind myself we are going to the other end...if it's staying at that end, I will place the ball OOB. This is in the case where I am going to talk to my partner or coach or something...

I'll keep a spare whistle in my pocket to keep track of the AP arrow...Facing the table, it goes in the pocket of the direction the ball is going on the next AP...

So anything you do to keep yourself in line...

It just sounds like you need to work on your focus. I think we all had, or are having, a time in our basketball careers where we need to move to the next level with our focus. I think we all work things out differently in our heads; my thought process might seem like a bunch of garbage to you. Considering that, I can't really say how to go about improving in these areas. I can say that once improved, you are really thinking less and reacting more. Right now the only thoughts (self talk) that go through my mind are the numbers of the (normally) two defenders in my area when I'm off ball. It might be totally worthless, but I work really hard to know, or have a really good idea of, foul counts and the AP without looking. This goes back to little games we used to play to improve our game awareness. Nevada probably knows, we wanted to really know the foul count before looking up at the big scoreboard in Reno. :D

I've said it before, but it's still a valid suggestion. If you really want to impress the hot chicks at the game, use a Hickory Farms beef stick for this. ;)

(Hey Chuck - no Larry Craig joke here - happy now?) :)

I agree with Tommy. It really is about developing focus. It's something I'm going to work on this year; being totally focused on the game at hand. That, and

Oh look, a squirrel.

Really? Rocky's friend Bhuck?

No, Bullwinkle's friend Rocky.

I agree about it being a focus thing....

I guess I'm just being cognisent that I know that when doing mulitple games there can come times when that focus can fade or be tested for whatever reason....fans, unruly coach, being tired etc....I find some of my "tricks" to help me stay focused, even when I have a lapse! :D

I'll admit right off that my statement isn't realistic but I'm going to make it anyway. Nobody should be working 4 games in a row - the brain just can't handle it, even if the body can. Watch a grade school tourney and notice how the best varsity officials are sucking up the place by their fourth, fifth and sixth games.

That said, mechanics are a great way to keep focused. Hold the ball the way you're supposed to during dead balls (toward the direction you're going), communicate fouler/shooter to partners, return signals on the number of shots, etc.

I borrowed a trick I saw from volleyball officials to keep track of the correct arrow...I use a rubber band around my hand. As I face the table, whichever hand the band is around is the direction the arrow SHOULD be. (I do this ESPECIALLY with the lower level games...JH and below...as the scorekeepers are usually somewhat incompetent.)

There is a product on the market that looks neat for keeping track of the arrow. It's a small, plastic toggle switch that attaches to the bottom of a Fox 40 whistle. Click one way and it shows white, click the other way and it shows dark. Guess its up to you to remember which direction the teams are going. :)

Not THAT thing again...

Have you ever used it? I looks kind of silly to me, but you never know. Better than switching whistles back and forth, which really looks silly. You can see the thing at:

http://www.refshop.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=515

When I see an official wearing a rubber band, I mentally place them in the same category as officials who wear a watch. That's just me though.

You do know that rubber bands are illegal for players to wear, don't you?

OK - seriously for a change. I use a relatively small chap stick in my pocket to keep track of possession. When a held ball is called, I can slap my pocket to see which side it's on. I face the table and the side the team's bench is on indicates whose ball it is. I used to use a quarter, but then I actually had to reach inside my pocket to see in which pocket it was. Something that bulges (notice I passed up the opportunity to make a joke here) that you can just feel works much better. Just be sure it's not really big.

See - I told you "seriously for a change".

So? What does that have to do with officials? We wear other equipment that would be illegal for players to wear....a lanyard. Unless you can show me something in the book that says that it's illegal for officials to wear rubber bands, you have no grounds to suggest as much. Now, I agree that they shouldn't (becasue it looks bad and for other reasons), but it's not forbidden.