Humbled, or humiliated?

rainmaker · #1 (**permalink**) Sun Jun 02, 2002, 12:00am

I'm attending the 3-whistle camp where Rockyroad is teaching this weekend, and I'm feeling pretty humble, or is it humiliated? What's the saying, "The more you know, the more you know that you don't know..."

I think I've got it to where I can either referee, or do the mechanics, but both at once!?... Now that's a trick!!

And we're not even allowed to keep trying. We were told very emphatically that we have to just do!

The good part is that physically, I'm doing a lot better than last year, and I am definitely up to the challenge. Mentally, I tire very quickly. The concentration required is so intense and the details are so numerous! And the action is so fast!

Still, I've got twelve hours now, to rest and regroup and it's at least possible that by this time tomorrow I may be able to move up to "adequate". And with the rest of June to keep working on this stuff, by the end of the summer, perhaps even "competent". One never knows...

Jurassic Referee · #2 (**permalink**) Sun Jun 02, 2002, 05:27am

Juulie,it gets a whole lot easier with experience,but it NEVER gets easy.I've always found that the best way is just to relax and enjoy what I'm doing.You want to learn from your mistakes,not kill yourself over them.The day that any official stops learning is the day that he/she should hang the whistle up.We're ALL still learning-or should be.

Btw,kudos to Rocky for giving something back to the game.

JRutledge · #3 (**permalink**) Sun Jun 02, 2002, 11:42am

Rainmaker,

Do not worry at all about what happens at those camps. Clinicians always try to tell you something that might help you. It might be things that only they notice and others would have no clue about. Just continue to work hard and continue to work on something during every one of your games.

I have been doing this for about 8 years or so and have been doing 3 Person for about 7 of those years on a regular basis. I have been to two camps already and I made several mistakes. They change things every year and I have to work on new things every year. I do not know if your profile is correct with the amount of time that you have been officiating, but no matter how long we will all continue to make mistakes.

This is the one situation where we are expected to be perfect all the time the first time we do it. That might be the expectation, but the reality is that we will never be perfect. We just need to make an effort to not make as many obvious mistakes as possible. Then we will work on the little ones later.

Peace

stripes · #4 (**permalink**) Mon Jun 03, 2002, 09:36am

Quote:

Originally posted by rainmaker
I'm attending the 3-whistle camp where Rockyroad is teaching this weekend, and I'm feeling pretty humble, or is it humiliated? What's the saying, "The more you know, the more you know that you don't know..."

I think I've got it to where I can either referee, or do the mechanics, but both at once!?... Now that's a trick!!

And we're not even allowed to keep trying. We were told very emphatically that we have to just do!

The good part is that physically, I'm doing a lot better than last year, and I am definitely up to the challenge. Mentally, I tire very quickly. The concentration required is so intense and the details are so numerous! And the action is so fast!

Still, I've got twelve hours now, to rest and regroup and it's at least possible that by this time tomorrow I may be able to move up to "adequate". And with the rest of June to keep working on this stuff, by the end of the summer, perhaps even "competent". One never knows...

As a clinician, the thing I look for most from campers is improvement. Our job is to make you better and we want you to do it quickly, but like Jeff said, we will all make mistakes, especially at a camp, but can you take what you have been given and work with it and improve? Keep working hard at improving.

Concentration will come easier once you are comfortable with what you are doing on the court and once you can "do both at once" you can concentrate fully on the game and not so much on where you stand, what your posture is like, what do you do next, etc.

Don't get down on yourself. Just keep working hard.

rainmaker · #5 (**permalink**) Mon Jun 03, 2002, 09:42am

Quote:

Originally posted by stripes

Don't get down on yourself. Just keep working hard.

Rockyroad told me this, too. And Sunday did go better, with a very difficult morning game, and then an easier game that we did a lot better. See, dj, I'm learning, I said "We".

Here's what I learned (in case anyone cares):

1. Vocalize
2. In 3-whistle, the secret is not position but teamwork.
3. Good posture makes a huge difference.
4. It helps to have an evaluator to deal with the fans!! (Thanks for this, dj!!)

rockyroad · #6 (**permalink**) Mon Jun 03, 2002, 09:51am

I did not get to see Juulie work on saturday...I watched her twice on Sunday...the first game was brutal in terms of one team and their fans being absolute jerks and her having to work with a partner who was very clueless - she had a rough first half and then really worked hard and pulled it out the second half...her second game - which I watched about half of - was a thing of beauty in terms of rotations and communication with partners, etc...as always, she worked hard to improve, which is what camps are for - improvement. Not being perfect or trying to be perfect - just improving...Juulie did, and she is to be commended for that!!

rainmaker · #7 (**permalink**) Mon Jun 03, 2002, 10:01am

dj, thanks for the kudos. It would be hard not to improve with the kind of instruction we got (although I get your point about that one partner.) It helped a lot not to get yelled at, which I didn't handle very well last year. This was a very fun cammp, a hi-learning experience, and a great weekend.

PS Yes, Beth is amazing!! But then, I can see why.

This meeting of the Rockyroad-Rainmaker Mutual Admiration Society is now adjourned!

Kelvin green · #8 (**permalink**) Mon Jun 03, 2002, 06:14pm

Juulie

Here's some advice I learned a few years ago...and it helped me a lot, and you can do it most anywhere. Your husband, kids, and friends will think your nuts, but...

You mentioned you cant ref and do mechanics.... try this

Use visualizaton exerises and see a foul... then practice calling it ( in front of a mirror at home, in your car while sitting at a red light, walking down the stairs, see a foul, stop.. see the players and then go through the mechanics... fist up reporting signals etc can all be done.

heck watch an NBA game, if you need to pull out a whistle and blow it and report to a mirror.

What I have seen with newer officials is that they seem self conscious about making stupid signals infront of people. Get to where you make almost all calls routine ( then practice for the big bang bang play) ( block charge)

If you run over the scenarios in your mind and visualize plays, the clera charge, the sliding defender, and the practice the mechanics over and over, when you get on the floor the whistle goes off and you'll make the right mechanics since they are now second nature, and you have seen your self in a mirror....

Then get videoed and watch those mechanics, and work on something so that they are sharp and crisp.... then that is a part of the game you wont need to work as much on.... we all slip and start doing dumb stuff but it will be easier to get back to doing them right once somebody points them out....

The when you go out and ref, you know what the mechanics are, you are confident because you dont think about them and then you can ref the game....

If it's coverage talk to your self while watching games about who has ball, who has on ball, when would you rotate? the more you talk to yourself about where good position is you'll know where it is on the floor....

anyway a couple of thought for what they are worth

stripes · #9 (**permalink**) Mon Jun 03, 2002, 06:48pm

Quote:

Originally posted by Kelvin green
Juulie

Here's some advice I learned a few years ago...and it helped me a lot, and you can do it most anywhere. Your husband, kids, and friends will think your nuts, but...

You mentioned you cant ref and do mechanics.... try this

Use visualizaton exerises and see a foul... then practice calling it ( in front of a mirror at home, in your car while sitting at a red light, walking down the stairs, see a foul, stop.. see the players and then go through the mechanics... fist up reporting signals etc can all be done.

heck watch an NBA game, if you need to pull out a whistle and blow it and report to a mirror.

What I have seen with newer officials is that they seem self conscious about making stupid signals infront of people. Get to where you make almost all calls routine ( then practice for the big bang bang play) ( block charge)

If you run over the scenarios in your mind and visualize plays, the clera charge, the sliding defender, and the practice the mechanics over and over, when you get on the floor the whistle goes off and you'll make the right mechanics since they are now second nature, and you have seen your self in a mirror....

Then get videoed and watch those mechanics, and work on something so that they are sharp and crisp.... then that is a part of the game you wont need to work as much on.... we all slip and start doing dumb stuff but it will be easier to get back to doing them right once somebody points them out....

The when you go out and ref, you know what the mechanics are, you are confident because you dont think about them and then you can ref the game....

If it's coverage talk to your self while watching games about who has ball, who has on ball, when would you rotate? the more you talk to yourself about where good position is you'll know where it is on the floor....

anyway a couple of thought for what they are worth

Good advice, I wish I had written it.

rainmaker · #10 (**permalink**) Tue Jun 04, 2002, 01:10am

Kelvin --

It's very good advice. The problem was that at this camp I was changing from 2-person mechanics to 3- person. And then the last 20 games I have done have been Jr Hi or spring JV which is just JH kids who hope to move up next fall. From this to AAAA boys' varsity. So, big change in mechanics, big change in officiating. LOTS to keep track of all at once. Like I said (and Rocky road said it too, so it must be true!), by the end of Sunday, I had improved a lot.

One thing I did which is sort of what you were advising, I went into the gym early on Sunday, when the teams were just warming up, and I stood in Lead position and practiced walking back and forth. The guys thought I was nuts at first, but when they asked me what I was doing, I said, "Well, what are YOU doing?" The guy says, "Uh... warming up?..." I said, "Bingo!" After that, they sort of respected me a little more, I think. It helped me a lot to stand there and figure out which players were in my primary and which weren't. I stood at center and practiced watching them drive to the basket. It really made a difference, I think.