Gems from Camps this week

[Dan_ref]

Originally posted by zebraman
Dan-ref,

I'm interested in how you would manage a situation like that. If both teams are whining more than playing, what would you do or say to make it stop?

Thanks,

Z

I like to do it this way:

1. Ignore the whining. This will work if the players are
serious about the game & they realize they are getting
absolutely no response. Don't even acknowledge their existence. If there are genuine questions about a call
then I answer it completely: "I called/nocalled it because
I saw that you...blah blah...if you would have done it this
way...blah blah I would have given you the call." If you
think you missed it say so. If you "coach" a player like
this make sure you reward them for listening to you.

2. Subtle warning. "The more you complian the more I'll be
watching you. I can always find *something* to call,
right?" Smile & wink. This usually gets us on the same
page unless we're dealing with a genuine assh*le, then I'll
just tell them to stop it or they'll find themselves with 3 fouls very quickly. Sometimes flattery gets to them: "I
know a player like you doesn't have to lower themselves
like this, you're just too good for this kid stuff". This
is almost guaranteed to work on 13/14/15 yr old boys.
BTW, these comments are always one-on-one, in a soft tone.

3. During a dead ball following a call loudly announce that
there will be no more comments on the refereeing. Period.
You are making a big mistake if this is step 1, because
you've just told everyone you have a red @ss.

4. T the first guy who opens his mouth.

Kind of the same for coaches, ignore, work with, then T.
Assistants are told to sit down & keep quiet.

[Edited by Dan_ref on Jun 24th, 2002 at 10:54 AM]