First time 3-man tonight
 

I'm working a freshman/jv DH tonight and using 3-man for the first time. Any advice?
I worked about a half in a varsity scrimmage at a camp and found that that I was more concerned with mechanics and where I should be and less concerned with calling the game.

There is no getting around that, that is going to happen until you are comfortable....best advice I can give is be sure you understand where your primary coverage area is and officiate there. You are going to have double whistles, so be sure to communicate well and be patient with your signals to avoid situations like the dreaded BLARGE! Don't worry too much about rotating a ton until you feel comfortable, and don't worry if you miss a rotation or a switch here and there, it is going to happen....it is the greatest thing once you get comfortable, you get a whole new perspective on the game vs. 2-person....and remember this - there are probably only going to be two other people in the gym who are going to know if you goofed up a mechanic, whereas if you are too focused on mechanics and not calling your game, the whole gym is going to know it, so worry about calling your game first...

Worry about mechanics and switches during dead balls. It may make for slightly longer delays before throw-ins and free throws, but there's no reason to worry about them during live play. While the game is being played, focus on the action in your primary. How experienced are your partners in 3-person mechancs? Have a good pre-game with them, regardless of their experience, just so you all know the expectations.

BTW, they are working 3-person for Frosh/JV?? Boy the schools in Bay City must be raking it in!:p

I can't think of a better way to get JV officials ready for varsity. Here, we occasionally work JV with three and split the two checks three ways. I don't think all the refs would be happy doing it, but I personally jump at the chance to work all the 3 I can.

I agree completely, I did the same thing when I started working 3-person...jumped in on many summer league games that I worked for free with two vets just for the practice...it pays off in the long run...

Don’t forget to referee the action! When I first started 3-man, I was so busy thinking about mechanics that I missed some very obvious calls. When you’re starting out with 3-man, missing the rotation is going to happen a few times. Your partners will understand and adjust. Like Snaq said,” Worry about mechanics and switches during dead balls.”

The very best thing about moving to South Carolina this year is that, at least in my area, we use 3-man for everything - middle school on up.

The strategy is great - they want to get officials ready for varsity as quickly as possible, and working 3-man makes for consistent and quality officiating without worry about switching back and forth when doing lower-level games.

There is also some thought that full-schedule varsity level officials are much more likely to take a JV game now and then (actually quite often from what I've seen around here) when they can work 3-man...

Has the rate gone down for these games? That is a great practice, I'm just surprised that the lower levels were willing to absorb the cost...

We started doing this with younger officials. We tried to put 2 experienced guys with a younger official at a 3 person camp and then continue the way you do during the season. Not all the guys are willing to split their checks but when schools want the 3 person crew - the guys unwilling to help out and split checks are finding they get less of those games. The people assigning are hiring the guys they see doing 3 person on a regular basis.

It's been this way for a couple years, so I don't know what the rate was before and if it adjusted down when they went to 3-man. But, the pay for lower levels here has been very comparable, and even more at times, to what I got for 2-man lower-level games in Kansas...

I personally believe that's how you become a better official. I tell my wife all the time that I would do this "officiating" stuff for free. You have to love it enough to do it for free, travel to games you're not calling and sit in on veterans pregames and games. JM.02

Saw the heading of this thread and before I read your post was going to say same thing..........get the calls right is foremost. Because of the expected anxiety you may have, take that extra second for a patient whistle, don't be in a hurry. I haven't read any other posts, so I maybe repeating much here.

Relax and have fun!

While I believe that as well, I can't tell my wife that...if I told her I would do it for free, then it becomes a "hobby" rather than a second job, and a hobby that takes me away from home 4 nights/days a week doesn't fly when you have a 9mo old at home:D

I found talking to myself helps. From the opening tip I am telling myself white ball C slot, blue ball trail. To keep from ball watching in the C slot, I constantly tell myself who or where the competive matchup is, where my Primary is and check it, check my secondary if needed, etc.