Staying focused

[mbyron]

On ball: usually focus isn't hard to maintain -- just watch the ball.

Off ball: count the players in your primary.

[Mark Padgett]

During the "regular" day, an almost infinite number of things happen that affect my life. Some I can control, some I can only react to. However, while officiating a game, I feel I am in total control. It's that concentration on having ultimate authority that forces my mind (such as it is) to focus on the game and not outside events.

Of course, there are some things I can't get out of my mind no matter how intense the game is, i.e.: a sick family member. Some things are just much more important than the game. I just deal with it.

[JRutledge]

Officiating for me is a "get away." Especially when I am talking about basketball officiating. There is so much to do and so much to get right; I do not have time to think about other things.

The best example I can give is I had an aunt that had Brest Cancer. I went to see her in November for about a week and saw how bad she was and it was clear she was dying. I came back and worked a high schools scrimmage (by myself at that) and it totally took my mind off the personal events for just a few hours.

Later the next year she died on June 30. There was a period where I hardly worked anything. When the football season started, it was the best thing for me.

Now maybe this is because of my lifestyle, I do not get outside things get in the way. I love being on the court and field and my personal life is non-existent for a few hours. And it helps me keep some things in perspective. What we are doing is not life or death and it is just fun for the most part. Maybe that will change as other things in my life become more important, but right now I do not allow anything else to distract me for that short period of time. I look forward to my time officiating so I can "get away" from all my other problems.

And since you are a person of God and I have been striving to be more spiritual, I have learned more and more to trust in God and not worry about those things I cannot control either. I am still a work in progress, but I try to keep things in my life from interfering with other things as much as possible.

I do not know if what I said helps, but that is what I do.

Peace

[Juulie Downs]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Officiating for me is a "get away." Especially when I am talking about basketball officiating. There is so much to do and so much to get right; I do not have time to think about other things.

The best example I can give is I had an aunt that had Brest Cancer. I went to see her in November for about a week and saw how bad she was and it was clear she was dying. I came back and worked a high schools scrimmage (by myself at that) and it totally took my mind off the personal events for just a few hours.

In general, this works for me too, but there have been a couple of times when I tried to work and shouldn't have. I simply COULDN"T let go of the outside stuff. One game in particular, the biggest game I ever had in my life, it was even in the paper that morning because it was so important. I didn't do well. Even my partner noticed. I was too distracted by the fact that my 5 year old was in the hospital with something wrong and the docs couldn't figure it out. He went in on Sunday afternoon, monday evening game and they were still scratching their heads. I should have called early Monday afternoon and turned it back, but it was SO BIG. and I wanted it SO BAD!

Oh well, live and learn. I won't do that again!

[stripes]

Very early in my career, I was at a camp and the presenter talked to the group about breaking the game into manageable sections. He was a D1 guy and they have scheduled timeout/commercial breaks every 4 minutes. He tried to break the game up into 4 minute segments and only focused on that segment.

He found that breaking the game up into smaller, more manageable pieces made it easier to totally concentrate. Concentrating for 40 minutes is much more challenging than doing it for 4 minutes. The same principle applies for HS games. Break the quarters into 4 minutes and at a dead ball, timeout, Ft, etc. take a VERY QUICK mental break. Just enough to take a breath and re-focus yourself for the next 4 minutes. If it is a TO or break between quarters, take a little longer break, but use the time to re-focus.

Refereeing is, like other have said, a respite for me and I love it for that. I have found that this works for me, but as others have said, some things are too big to totally get out of your mind.

Hope that helps.

[refnrev]

Thanks Juulie for the talking out loud thing.... I was quiet once when I was young, but didn't like it and never tried it again. Talking is also an emoting for me.... I just hope they don't put me in white jacket and take me off the court for talking to myself!

Of course, there are some things I can't get out of my mind no matter how intense the game is, i.e.: a sick family member. Some things are just much more important than the game. I just deal with it.[/QUOTE]
Thanks Mark ... that's exactly what I needed to hear. Who'd have thunk it? Padgett being the voice of reason for me

[icallfouls]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

During the "regular" day, an almost infinite number of things happen that affect my life. Some I can control, some I can only react to. However, while officiating a game, I feel I am in total control. It's that concentration on having ultimate authority that forces my mind (such as it is) to focus on the game and not outside events.

Of course, there are some things I can't get out of my mind no matter how intense the game is, i.e.: a sick family member. Some things are just much more important than the game. I just deal with it.

BWAAHAAHAA Stop it, I almost spit water all over my keyboard!

Those are by far the best one-liners you have ever had. Keep it up. I always enjoy your sense of humor.

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by mbyron

On ball: usually focus isn't hard to maintain -- just watch the ball.

Off ball: count the players in your primary.

Even better than that, at least in my experience, find the two closest competitive matchups and watch them.

Over all, the trend of the advice is basically this: Have a specific thing, or set of things, to do at all times. Then do them.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by Back In The Saddle

Over all, the trend of the advice is basically this: Have a specific thing, or set of things, to do at all times. Then do them.

OK if this set is very small, as in 2 or 3. Losing focus is often the result of trying to do too much.

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by mbyron

OK if this set is very small, as in 2 or 3. Losing focus is often the result of trying to do too much.

Trying to do too much consciously is certainly a recipe for not actually accomplishing anything. So, yes, you've got the keep the number of things your consciously watching fairly small. I would think you'd want to do only as much as necessary to keep you focused. Your unconscious will then take care of the rest.

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by Back In The Saddle

Your unconscious will then take care of the rest.

I think you may mean "subconscious". Of course, I'm usually unconscious.

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

I think you may mean "subconscious". Of course, I'm usually unconscious.

I may very well mean that. Whatever it is proper to call that portion of the brain or consciousness where "automatic" stuff lives, that's the word I mean.