No Lanyard
 

What's with this? I see it more and more. I don't get it. I tried it for grins in a kids game about a week ago . First toot and it instinctively is spit out of my mouth.

What's the origin? does anyone do this on a regular basis? Seems like more work to me. Why would anyone want to?

Came from the NBA. Individual preference. Shrug.

It is a great way to have a patient whistle. If you hold off on blowing it, you will see the whole play which will help you make good decisions on plays.

It doesn't work for you, doesn't mean it doesn't work for others.

I've been doing it for 2 years now. It does slow yourself down to report the fould or violation slowly and correctly. Another official in our association does the no lanyard thing but after each tweet he puts the whistle in his pocket, does his business and then takes it out again. This really slows him down to report correctly. It does take practice and concentration not to spit it out right away.

Lanyard or no lanyard, you still have your whistle in your mouth while play is going on, don't you? How would one method rather than the other insure a patient whistle?:confused:

I'm sorry, but that makes absolutely no sense. How does not wearing a lanyard make you have a more patient whistle??:confused:

Most people I know who do this have been to one of the Coast-to-Coast Camps and come back with the idea...I tried it, didn't like it, so don't do it. Others like it and it works for them. C'est la vie.

I do it in my lower-level Rec Leagues and my more actoin-less contests. Just something I do for me to keep my brain engaged and combat my A.D.D.

I agree with JR and Rock. Live ball, shouldn't make any difference. I can buy the stuff about slowing down your mechanics, but why?

I see other problems with it. We verbally state the color and number of the fouler, so in a block situation where you give the signal at the point of the foul and your other hand is tied up, your verbal notice is late, if it comes at all. At the end of the period when you are signalling no shot (or after a foul in the same circumstance) and you want to verbalize it (which should be all the time), what do you do?

JR: you and I are agreeing on more and more things lately. What's the deal?

I'm still workin no lan.

It slows me down after the call. I thought I could trick myself into wearing one and still slowing down, but I don't, I just speed right back up.

I don't however put it in my pocket. I've never put in my pocket and I won't.

I take that back, there are four occasions that I put iti n my pocket. full timeouts, if im tossing, on my way two/from locker room, and then during warmups.

I picked it up from an assignor I worked for my first year out the shoot.

Are you wearing Depends Undergarments also?

Wow, never noticed it in NBA, probably because I can't stay awake while watching.

Thanks JR.

Ouch. That's gonna leave a mark, too.:p

You missed the point, which is why would you want go lanyardless?

Skidmark.

Mine come with instructions:
1) Yellow at the front
2) Brown at the back

It's just a preference thing.

I personally never use one. I would rather not choke myself or scratch my neck all night. I also feel like I am in more control with the whistle in my hand. I guarantee you in the time it takes you to find your whistle on your lanyard and get it in your mouth, I could have blown the thing at least 3 times by then. It is as easy for me to go sans lanyard as it is for you to go with a lanyard. Just a preference which adds to your style.

Let me ask you a question:

Why would you want to go with a lanyard?

Alot of guys back, back, back in the day didn't use lanyards. It was the norm. Or so I was told.

It's all preference. Some guys do it because it slows down your mechanic, some use it because they don't like a noose around their neck or a whistle bouncing around on their chest when its not in their mouth and other do it because they saw someone else do it and they liked it. It's all preference. I'm tired of hearing it came from the NBA. Most guys in the league wear a lanyard, because that's how they did it when they started and when they moved up. There are some goes who go sans lanyard in the NBA but its not all of them. I go back and forth. Some nights I use a lanyard and some nights I don't. There are pros and cons to each in my opinion. I like no lanyard because I don't like the whistle in my mouth at all times, for a couple of reasons. I don't want it in my mouth when talking and if there is no action in my area I can save my lips from the moist plastic and the chapped lips that comes from it. As for affecting mechanics, once you've got it down it makes no difference. I can spit my whistle out and catch it of drop it into my hand, I don't have to reach up and grab it from my mouth. If you are good with it people don't even notice that you aren't wearing one.So I don't think it has anything looking cool or serving a purpose, its just a preference. I mean if we all started our careers not using a lanyard and then we started seeing people wearing a string around their neck to hold their whistle we might think that looked a little different too.

It's about big timing it, nothing more.

The slowing you down thing is a BS...I see it and I see cocky. Everyone I've seen do it does other things to draw attention to themselves on the court too.

1) I guarantee you that makes zero sense. Nobody with a lanyard has to find their whistle and put it in their mouth. The whistle gets put in their mouth when they start play, exactly the same as somebody who doesn't use a lanyard. And it stays in their mouth, exactly the same as somebody without a lanyard. Ridiculous argument.

2) You were told wrong. I officiated back in the day. The only officials that <b>didn't</b> use lanyards were a few officials in the NBA and the odd (and I mean odd) college official. It was about as far from the norm as you can get. Going back 50 years, lanyards were part of most, if not all, dress codes back then.

You shouldn't let your (obvious) desire to make it into the D-league and NBA cloud your thoughts. Have you officiated enough games to say that a lanyard will scratch your neck? That doesn't even sound right.
Like others have said, this doesn't give you a patient whistle and truth be told most guys don't even know how to properly give signals with the whistle in their hands.
We could race to see and I would have my whistle in my mouth just as quickly as you would.
Typical youngster - you are worried about a preference that adds to your style before you even have a full varsity schedule unless I'm mistaken. Style over substance is the norm for younger people, but it should be the other way around. Don't get me wrong, I like style just as much as the next person/official, but you have to have the fundamentals down first.

"I guarantee you in the time it takes you to find your whistle on your lanyard and get it in your mouth, I could have blown the thing at least 3 times by then"

It's in my mouth, why would it be out during play? Regarding speed blowing,blowing your whistle three times isn't necessarily a good thing.

When you say just a preference that adds to your 'style' What made you switch? Where do you put it on a jump if you're the R? Obviously you've become comfortable with it and it works for you which is all that counts but something tells me you want to imitate the 'big dawgs'

I tend to agree..........

2 of my mentors like to go without lanyards. Don't think it has anything to do with being cocky, I think they just prefer it that way.

I worked with a guy who didn't use a lanyard this year. Just about every other time he blew his whistle it would shoot out of his mouth and across the court. He would have to stop play, brush it off and resume play.

By halftime the AD gave him one of those neon green shoelace lanyards and said"WEAR IT".

He looked like a goof.

If yoou don't use a lanyard sooner or later it will become a distraction to the game. Eventually you will spit it onto the floor.

It WILL happen and therefore is a distraction to the game.


Wear your lanyard.

#1 is silly - I have my whistle in my mouth just as much as a lanyard-less person does. Where a hand/finger whistle helps is in a sport where it isn't crucial to carry the whistle in the mouth, like football or hockey.

I don't get the fascination with it, actually. Little has really changed in the 20 years (I know, JR, I'm a youngster) I've been working: collar to v-neck, neck lanyard to smitty, pea whistle to Fox 40, pleated pants, patent shoes (for some).

The only advantage to no lanyard is not having something for some chucklehead to grab onto running on or off the floor. I eliminate that by putting the whistle inside my shirt for pregame, halftime, and postgame and pulling it out only when I'm working.

Tried the noose and Dolfin this year. Hate the noose, I may as well have someone choke me. Love the sound the Dolfin makes but hate the fact I can't tell which side is up without looking at it. Back to the Fox 40 and smitty.

When I do wear a lanyard, the noose is my lanyard of choice.

I don't think its an ego thing like a bunch of people have pointed out. I know for me it is not. It's what I've gotten used to. It started out as a joke with that one assignor, and hey, I actually liked it enough to continue trekking on without it.

Keep the whistle in your mouth.
 

I was taught to keep the whistle in my mouth at all times during "live" ball situations. The lanyard is a convenience in order to help keep a part of your equipment "at-the-ready". Some guys prefer the "cushion" on their whistle. I stay with the regular Fox40 and a single strand lanyard that attaches to the loop on my shirt. I've tried the Fox "mini" but prefer the larger original model. (it accommodates my big mouth better)

I started using the Dolfin this year and prefer it in large gyms or field houses, but go for the Fox40 in other venues. I think part of the allure of the Dolfin is that it works no matter which way is "up."

I can do it either way. I do find myself slowing down when I dont use a lanyard. When you dont use one, it DEFENATELY slows your mechanics down after the whistle and when reporting to the table. But, I was told that it is frowned on in VHSL and you will get a call from them if happen to see you not using one.

Speak for yourself! I tried not using a lanyard (or noose or smitty) successfully for 2 seasons of men's rec league.

You are mistaken. No big deal though. I was making a small little joke about lanyards.

I would like to think my fundamentals have developed quite well. Maybe they haven't since I don't wear a lanyard

I've never seen anyone go without that wasn't cocky, didn't act that way, didn't call attention to themselves in other ways.

It is what it is...BIG TIMING...and it shows.:rolleyes:

Well, I can't speak for the folks you've seen. But the 2 fellas of whom I speak don't come off that way. If they did I wouldn't have them as mentors.

I concur....

I like using the Dolphin in multi-court tournaments because it sounds little different than the F40. Helps differentiate whistles from the next court.

As for its shape, one of the reasons I like the Dolphin is because it's right-side-up no matter how I grab it and put it in my mouth. :)

I have worked over 75 high school games this year. Never wear a lanyard and have not dropped the whistle on the floor yet. Jinx. I do it to look cool, style over substance. Try to big time it a little big. Maybe impress the ladies and all. Cocky and draw attention to myself as well.

You based this on 2 people?! I guess if you talked to a blonde girl who wasn't very bright you'd also say that all blondes are dumb. Way to generalize

Show me where I said two?

You are obviously blond, after all you mis-spelled it twice and screwed up who wrote about two mentors.:D

Just because you can't do it, don't hate on others who can. I got news for you, most cocky officials are cocky with a lanyard and without. Trust me I'm one of em.

There's a big difference between being cocky and being confident in one's ability as an official. It's easy to confuse the two sometime.

In my experience, most if not all good officials have that confidence in themselves.

I have always went Lanyardless:)

There's a difference between can't and don't want to, just like there's a difference between having presence and trying to draw attention to yourself.;)

Was at a game today that 2/3 went without one and they always seemed to have their had at their mouth grabbing the whistle - usually during live ball situations. Even dropped it on the foor a couple of times. Never saw it before today and was very distracting, I thought.:(

Well add this to your database.

I happen to know a long time HS official who is not the least bit a cocky bigtimer in ANY part of his life, even though he has every damn reason to be.

Oh yeah, and he doesn't use a lanyard.

Go figure... :shrug:

btw, blonde is how we English speakers spell the French word blond.

Right... considering you just gave up HS ball two years ago. :rolleyes:

Sorry DJ but I have to agree. Because you have to remember not to just let it drop after you blow it, you have to be more conscious of when you blow it.

I use it during AAU season to help stay away from bad habits but not during the regular season because it doesn't work with Precision Time.

As for spitting it across the floor, I've never seen anyone do that after they had mastered it. it doesn't take that many games to do so. For me, it was remembering to grab it when I started to talk to someone, not after I blew it.

If there are those that don't like it, fine. But there's no reason to sterotype/criticize those that do. it's just a preference.

Sorry, Tony, but I have to disagree. No matter what, using either method you're still going to make the same call. With or without a lanyard, some plays still require a "patient" whistle. And some don't. You're still going to end up making the same call at the same time no matter what method you're using. Imo, there's just no difference if the whistle is in the mouth to start with.

Geeze, there ya go with that "clique" thingy again.:rolleyes:

The "clique" being anyone who disagrees with BZ......:D

I started the thread out of curiosity why someone would NOT use a lanyard. I agree with JR, that patience is patience and is not dictated by lanyard or not. I have an official friend who has really mastered it, and I'm still amazed that he's that smooth although he does say from time to time, he drops it or bumbles it.

I prefer a smitty and someone asked me why the other night and I have to admit that a few years back, I was trying to emulate a few refs I admire.

I submit that's the main reason the no lanyard.........all style.

Habit ??
 

Or habit. We have about 280 officials on our local board. The few that go "lanyardless" are, for the most part, older, experienced, veterans. Maybe back in the 1960's, yes, we have some active officals who began their careers over 40 years ago, that's the way that they were taught?

I know there is one mistake I never make when I go sans lanyard that I make when I do have a lanyard:

Forgetting to put the whistle back in my mouth. :eek:

Seems at least once a season I forget to put the whistle in my mouth and I don't realize it still I have a foul call.

With Or Without Lanyard ...
 

I always wear a lanyard, and I have made the same mistake. Earlier this season, as the umpire, I found myself in front of the home bench to start the second period. Before my partner, the referee, put the ball into play at the division line, the head coach politely asked me a question about a play that had occurred at the horn to end the previous period. I gave him a short answer, and preceeded to begin the second period. Within seconds there was an intentional kick in my primary coverage area. I tried to blow my whistle for the violation to find that I never put it back into my mouth after answering the coach. By the time I found my whistle to put it back into my mouth, my partner had already blown her whistle. Embarrased? Yes. First time? No. Will it happen again? Probably.

Last night I was trail tableside and the visiting coach wanted to discuss a call I had made on one of his players.

We're talking (actually, he's doing the talking, but I have my whistle in hand so I can respond, if needed) during a live ball and the same player commits another foul right in front of us. Probably seemed a bit delayed, but I raised my whistle to my mouth and called the foul. Kid's third in the first quarter (sub was at the table, but didn't get there quick enough after the second). Coach didn't say a word. Actually, if I remember correctly, that was the only time he wanted to discuss anything the entire game. A pleasure, actually, made up for by the home team (see other thread).