How Do You Slow It All Down?
 

First post. 1st year (older) official. My question to the veterans is this..what do you do (maybe it just comes w/ more experience) to "slow the game down". I don't mean the actual game going slower..but just how do you learn to see all the action at a slower pace in your mind and eye? I sometimes feel as if I'm getting "overun" by the action and not seeing all the things I should be seeing...to the point of losing track of what team is going in what direction. I know this probably sounds like total incompetence. I'm sure a lot has to do with being a rookie... but sometimes it just seems like a blur. I feel like I'm doing an OK job...but I'm certainly not kidding myself as to how much I'm either missing or just plain not aware of. I am in a state association as an applicant, so I am geting classroom and some floor training etc. But at my level we have to get our own games, and to date have yet to work with a partner who is board certified veteran who can give me some constructive feedback. Advice? Tips?
PS I've learned a great deal already from reading pertinent (to my experience and level) posts on this Forum...so my thanks to all of you.
Thanks.

For one, yes, it does slow down with experience. I've heard pro NFL players talk about getting used to the speed of the game, and say how it has 'slowed down' for them in time.

I'd suggest always knowing what your primary responsibility is, and trusting your partner to watch what he should be watching. I can't believe how many experienced officials I see make calls out of their area. When a ref is baseline, and he calls a travel by the point guard at the top of the key, I wonder whose eyes are on the 8 guys banging in the lane?

Experience. And that's pretty much it, imho.

Watching video helps - can you get someone to tape the games that you work, so that when you watch them again, you can contrast what you saw while working with what you see while watching the video?

Are you doing an age group that is too old for you right now? Maybe if you worked an age group where you find that the game doesn't move too fast.

Having the game "slow down" is a reference that you frequently hear from NFL and College football players.

Therefore, I am a first year working with experienced HS officials, and have asked my partners this exact same question. I ask if the game "slows down for them after awhile".

Surprisingly the answer that I get is "not really".
They say that they are able to anticipate better, and that the calls become instinctive/automatic.

I have about 20-25 Freshman and JV games under my belt, and I'm starting to feel much more confident, in control, and decisive. I ask for suggestions and watch varsity games, which is helpful. But you need the reps.

I take meds.

If the game is moving too fast in a blur, you're probably trying to watch too much. Concentrate on the two (or sometimes one) closest competitive matchups and trust your partners on the other ones.

We know that! But what do you do to make the game slow down? :D

I think it only comes with experience and seeing plays. The more you understand mechanics and what you need to watch, the better. There is no magic formula for experience. You have to work a lot of games and make the most of each experience.

Peace

I guess what we are saying about slowing the game down, the answer seems to be time. Time seeing lots of plays happen right in front of you and seeing them as a partner and a spectator.

One of the biggest things for me was to start trusting my partners more - especially when I'm off the ball. Many younger referees get in the habit of ball watching, thinking that they need to call every violation or watch every dribble of the basketball. This is no where close to being true! Thank goodness for our partners who can help in this area. Practice this next game - when the ball is in your area, referee the ball play. When it is not, look away from the ball into your primary area and watch your players off ball. They will let you know where the ball is by the way they are positioned and what they are doing, but you can also keep the ball in your periphal vision if you need.

Funny things will start to happen - you'll see illegal screans, you'll see two handed shoves in the back. Sometimes you can miss things too - example last night I was lead off ball and ball went OOB baseline from top of the lane opposite me. I had NO CLUE who had hit it - I had a nice post match up and was reffering these players. I tweeted raised my hand and looked at C for help. He gave a quick point and we went white ball. He had a great look because the ball was in his primary.

One other thing you could try is to focus on the closest 2-3 matchups. You don't need to ref all 10 players, just 4-6 of them. Let you partner earn their game fee.

Experience too helps. I would try to go to any summer camps you have in the area - referee or team camps who would need officials. Nothing like understanding situations that arise in games from first hand experience. Stay with it, it will come you ya......

I just imagine I'm on a 60s acid trip. Wait - did I say "imagine"? :eek:

This is a big one and one I've heard from quite a few experienced officials.

I got my first real compliment from a veteran Varsity official the other night. BJV, Home team down three, bringing the ball up the court. Home player shoots a three pointer for the last second shot and the defender floats into him, bumping him. I call the foul, shot is missed. Kid missed one of the FT so the game is over.

We leave the floor, and the first thing he says in the locker room when I ask for any pointers is "I've worked with guys a lot more experienced than you that would have watched that ball going towards the basket instead of staying with the shooter. Nice work." Made me feel like a million bucks.

Funny thing is, I'm standing there watching him shoot the FT and in the back of my mind is, "If he makes all three, Padgett will have me strung up:D"

One way to speed up the experience process is to go and watch other games that you're not reffing. That way you can let your mind look forward or backward without the fear of screwing things up. You can practice the thinking procedures you need to learn. Also, if you can go into the refs' location at half-time and at the end of the game, it gives you a chance to ask questions, and to hear what they think was important.

I'm a third year official, so I've recently been in your shoes. The game has progressively slowed down for me since about the middle of last year. I have a long way to go, but I do feel more relaxed.

Here's my input:

1) Study the rules. Coming to this site has really helped my understanding of situations, rules, and intent. Plus it has given me some yuks.
2) Practice your signals-it'll help.
3) As lead-get off the end line and lean back slightly on your heels-it'll slow you down just a bit.
4) I learned this here and think I have the phrase right-officiate the defense. An example would be a quick turnover w/you as the lead booking down court. Find the defender closest to the ball handler first and then expand your range of vision-as opposed to trying to pick everything up all at once.
5) As mentioned by others, experience. Work a lot of youth games.
6) ***My biggest change happened at the beginning of this season. I decided I would no longer sweat what the crowd was saying. I stopped second guessing my decisions. I continue to strive not to make mistakes, but I've accepted the fact that I'll make them. This has also helped w/my ability to work w/coaches.

Thanks
 

MPLA, Juggling, Melb, Zebra, JRutledge, agr8, Derwill, Don, Juulie, Dan74.....great advice, great tips...ALL of it helpful. Thanks.

In addition to the jewels you have already received, try to work a higher level of ball in the off-season. Working summer Pro-AM & NCAA leagues has really help the HS games slow down for me. When you work bigger, faster & more skilled players, everything under that seems slow.

Watching your POA is big, but when i leared to watch the defence in my POA, i began to see lot's of things i was missing.

I got a tip from Eric Lewis (NBA) at the Caldwell camp this summer, that I use continually.

"call out in your mind the color of the defence, and whichever end of the floor you are on, and that will make you watch the defence." I started going...red...red...red..or which ever color the defense is. After a while it becomes ingrained to just come down the floor looking for defensive players.

I find it more difficult in the lead to slow down the action as lot's is happening. In the trail, I do mainly 2 man, I continue to move to get good angles. You might find me down by the freethrow line extended or almost to mid court when out past the 28 foot line. This seems to slow down the action out there.

My advice..

Officiate the game, dont watch it....

I can hardly watch a game anymore.. I watch off ball, look at picks etc. Once you think about the mindset it will help.

-Referee the defense

You need to pay attention if a team plays zone, zone matchup or man-to man. Once you figure it out, you have a better idea of what the teams will do.

This helps you get in better position and watching the matchps or plays that make it seem slower.

-Focus on your primary

Know who the matchups are and when it is coming in... The off ball play tells you wheer the ball is going....

-Relax--- the more nervous you are, the more jittery you are, the more it feels fast..

-Watch a lot of games on TV, break them down, Although TV angles are terrible a lot of times. See if what you would call compared to what the ones on the floor did, analyze why T/L/C called the play, look at where they spin, curl etc....Curls to youyour call, curls away maynot be your call...

-Referee the game, dont watch it... (get the point?)

A number of folks have given some very good feedback, here. I will give my own $.02 some of it identical to others, some a little different view.

I think that the MOST IMPORTANT aspect of getting the game to slow down for you is to get COMFORTABLE with ALL OF YOUR MECHANICS. Get comfortable with your positioning, your rotations (if you are doing 3-man), your violation reporting, foul reporting, switches after foul calls, etc. The BEST way to do this, in my opinion, is to get tapes of a few games you work -- get a girlfriend, spouse, friend, etc. to go and tape the game for you. Have them keep the camera going during the entire game. Have them get the widest angle that they can. On each call, quickly envision (and even mimick the call in front of the TV) how you would make the call and where you should go as the calling official and as the off official. Do this for a few games. I think that this can compress the learning curve.

Once you are comfortable with your mechanics, they become second nature.

As has been pointed out, KNOW THE RULES. Knowing the rules -- virtually no official knows ALL of the rule and ALL of the interpretations -- will help immensely, as well. If you are comfortable with your mechanics and you are comfortable with your knowledge of the rules, you can focus on the game. If you can focus solely on the game, you can begin to pick-up the offenses teams are running and where to concentrate your efforts looking for illegal activities.

I have spoken to officials who claim that this process took them 7 or 8 YEARS. For me, the process was much more compressed. Partly because I was so accustomed to watching game tape that watching a game that I officiated was a "typical" activity. The other part was that since I had coached for so long, I was able to quickly identify a team's offenses and defenses -- this allowed me to better anticipate where the action was gong to occur in my primary area.

Finally, don't put pressure on yourself to be perfect. When you do, you tend to fret over a call you did or did not make. Meanwhile, the game is still moving. If you can't forget about a call you made or didn't make, the process is more likely to repeat itself. Make the call or don't make the call and move on.

Good luck!!!