Does anybody read the damn rule book anymore?

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by rainmaker

In the past, a lot of the people who've posted on this board have been fairly experienced, or have had other references outside this baord.

Looks to me like the latest bunch of new people are brand new to reffing and perhaps less connected. They see some of the more complex, obscure interps and become uneasy about everything. I know, I've been there.

Some things seem so obvious to the newbie but they're wrong, such as a player with the ball in her bc who throws an errant pass off the foot of a referee in the fc which then comes back to that same player. It looks legal, but it's not. The newbie, fresh out of the stands, sees that interp and thinks, "Yikes, nothing is simple."

So they start asking about everything. I think us dinosaurs need to keep encouraging them to look things up (giving citations and asking Socratic questions), and quoting standard phrases they can use for making decisions (such as "you are where you were until you get where you're going"). That way, they can actually learn both what the rules are and how to help themselves learn more.

Good post..........

I don't think we want to scare away new officials and it is the place to ask anything without being mocked, hopefully. I empathize with BBref though regarding basic questions that the average fan would have a grasp on.