Halftime adjustments?

[bellnier]

Just curious is all...

I was watching a BV Sectional game last night and there was little flow, in either direction, in the first half...foul and violation calls on nearly every trip. The second half was like an entirely different game with significantly fewer whistles. I could see how both teams made adjustments, but it was pretty apparent that the officials made some adjustments as well. How does this work? I officiate a sport where there is only one ref, so I never get the opportunity to get input from a second official at halftime. Thanks.

[WhistlesAndStripes]

You poor guy. Must be a soccer ref.

Anyhow, we always talk at halftime and adjust as necessary. It really depends on the game, the level of play, etc.

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by bellnier

.....but it was pretty apparent that the officials made some adjustments as well. How does this work?

Can you explain what you saw? IYO, what adjustments did you perceive the refs made? Did they "loosen up?" Not call as much? Not make the same calls? Let em play more or tighten up? Just curious.

[bellnier]

W&S --- not soccer!

grunewar --- officials seemed to lighten up a bit on carries (both point guards were iffy with their stop-and-go moves...4 or 5 called in first half, maybe one in second) and contact fouls under basket, esp. rebounding, were called fewer times. Other changes I couldn't identify because this is a sport totally unlike mine...it's really, really tough seeing everything you folks see...but the flow was palpably better in 2nd half.

[Adam]

Are you sure the officials adjusted? Sometimes, after having 4 or 5 carries called in the first half, players actually adjust and stop violating.
Same goes for fouls.

[bellnier]

Not 100% 'sure', but just that feeling that there was something going on besides the kids adjusting. In my sport (rugby) the ref sometimes chats with his/her 2 touch-judges at halftime (and during the game) but typically, at the HS and College level, they are representatives of the opposing teams so objectivity is an issue. It's pretty tough with 30 players on the pitch at once and it would be great if there was a second objective soul to discuss penalty calls, game management, etc.

[IUgrad92]

Originally Posted by bellnier

Not 100% 'sure', but just that feeling that there was something going on besides the kids adjusting. In my sport (rugby) the ref sometimes chats with his/her 2 touch-judges at halftime (and during the game) but typically, at the HS and College level, they are representatives of the opposing teams so objectivity is an issue. It's pretty tough with 30 players on the pitch at once and it would be great if there was a second objective soul to discuss penalty calls, game management, etc.

I thought the only rule in rugby was that there aren't any rules......

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by bellnier

...but the flow was palpably better in 2nd half.

Usually the reason for the flow becoming better isn't the officials changing anything. It's the officials being consistent and the players adjusting to their consistency.

[Cajun Reff]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Usually the reason for the flow becoming better isn't the officials changing anything. It's the officials being consistent and the players adjusting to their consistency.

good point

and also the coach may get a look at the stat sheet and see how many fouls his players have and use the halftime speech to make a point to tell his kids to stop fouling

sometimes teams just come out guns blazing in the first half and merely settle down in the second half

I often think the reffs get too much blame and too much credit

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by Cajun Reff's signature

Coach, that's not my call.

Whose call is it? The popcorn guys'?

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by bellnier

W&S --- not soccer!

grunewar --- officials seemed to lighten up a bit on carries (both point guards were iffy with their stop-and-go moves...4 or 5 called in first half, maybe one in second) and contact fouls under basket, esp. rebounding, were called fewer times. Other changes I couldn't identify because this is a sport totally unlike mine...it's really, really tough seeing everything you folks see...but the flow was palpably better in 2nd half.

I had a game a few weeks back similar to the one you discuss - but it was the coaches and players who adjusted.

At halftime, my partner and I discussed all the fouls, hand checks, rough play, etc. the game had no flow. We discussed: things to look out for in the second half, hand checks, blocks, players to watch, a double whistle, maybe being out of position on a play or a late switch, etc.

Within the first minute of the second half - TWEET! I called another hold! Darn, were we going to have this again? Nope. Buzzer! Coach immediately replaced the player who committed the foul. Apparently, the teams had also talked about what we were calling and the coaches were going to have none of the sloppy play either. 2nd half was good basketball.