Dealing with Coaches

[bas2456]

Tomorrow night I have my first high school game. It's a freshman B boys game, and I was looking for simple advice as to dealing with coaches. Any tips?

[Adam]

Answer questions, ignore commentary, and nip the chirping in the bud.

[tjones1]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

Answer questions, ignore commentary, and nip the chirping in the bud.

Word.

Answer questions and work hard!

[Mark Padgett]

Tell them pre-game during the meeting that if they have any questions, wait until a break and then you'll be glad to answer them.

[j51969]

Be approachable and don't call anything you can't explain

[Nevadaref]

If a coach argues any of your calls, then puke on his shoes!

[tomegun]

1. Do not try to be clever in your communication with a coach.
2. Answer questions, not comments.
3. Do not ignore bad/unsporting behavior.
4. Be nice, until it is time not to be nice!

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

If a coach argues any of your calls, then puke on his shoes!

Did I miss a mechanics change? Aren't we supposed to stare at his pants first?

[Back In The Saddle]

Definitely answer questions. But perhaps you shouldn't exactly ignore commentary. Definitely don't respond to commentary as if it were a concern you need to address. But it is often beneficial to acknowledge comments. You can do that with a head nod, an "I hear you", an "I understand", an "I'll watch for it, Coach", etc. That way they know they've been heard and won't feel compelled to repeat themselves because they think you weren't listening the first time.

Don't initiate conversation with coaches unless you have an issue to address with them.

If a coach raises a concern, or asks a question about a call listen closely to what he/she is asking, and to what he/she is really asking. Answer with as few words as possible. Then move on. This is a skill you'll develop over time.

Often newer officials are intimidated by the prospect of interacting with coaches because they're afraid they'll get in a situation where they don't know what to say and will look weak or somehow "lose" the interaction. This interaction is an area where it's okay to fake confidence until you really develop it. Be conscious of your body language. Smile. Slow down. Breathe. Relax your shoulders. Listen, then respond. Speak softly and calmly, especially if the situation is tense. If you just don't know what to say, at least try to say something positive. "I'll take a closer look at that, Coach" or "I'll find out for you, Coach" or "You may be right, I'll watch that more closely." or "That's not what I saw, Coach" or "As I understand it, ..." etc. And sometimes it's okay to say, "You're right, Coach, I kicked that one" or "You know what? I didn't like that call very much either."

Be aware that the vast majority of Freshman B team coaches are seasoned coaching veterans, know the rules of the game quite well, and will focus 99% of their attention on their players. Or not.

Truthfully, this level of ball is rife with new players, new officials, new coaches, new table crews and ignorant parents. Understand that there will be a lot of mistakes on everybody's part, and you need to show a lot of patience. Inexperienced coaches will usually give you exactly as much crap as you will take. They sometimes times turn their frustration at how poorly their team is playing and how inadequate they feel as coaches on the officials. So be prepared to address coach behavior firmly, but professionally if it becomes an issue. Keep your comments directed at the behavior, not the person. "Coach, you know I cannot have you yelling at me across the floor like that" or "Coach, I need you to coach your team and let me and my partner work."

Most of all, have fun out there. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Tell them pre-game during the meeting that if they have any questions, wait until a break and then you'll be glad to answer them.

I would not bring this up at the pre-game meeting.

[tomegun]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

I would not bring this up at the pre-game meeting.

I would, but not in those words.

[bas2456]

Well, the game went really well.

Close game, great partner, and I really didn't have to deal with coaches unless to say "first horn blue"

There was only one time when a coach really questioned my call, but I'm sure it was the right one, and the evaluator who was there to watch me seemed to agree.

Towards the end of the game, when the score was no longer in doubt, the coach of the team in the lead started chirping a bit, but nothing out of hand that I needed to address.

Too bad they can't all be like this.

[IREFU2]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

I would not bring this up at the pre-game meeting.

Yes, I concur......I would not bring this up either. General rule is to be approachable, answer questions, not statements.

[chartrusepengui]

Originally Posted by bas2456

Tomorrow night I have my first high school game. It's a freshman B boys game, and I was looking for simple advice as to dealing with coaches. Any tips?

DON'T!

Don't deal with coaches.
Deal with a good pregame so that you don't have to deal with problems.
Deal with appropriate questions asked politely at the appropriate time.
Deal with your primary.
Deal with communication with your partner(s).
Deal with your mechanics.
Deal with what you actually see, not what you think you might have seen.
Deal with what you hear, not what you think you might have heard if necessary.

[bbcoach7]

Originally Posted by bas2456

Tomorrow night I have my first high school game. It's a freshman B boys game, and I was looking for simple advice as to dealing with coaches. Any tips?

Try to keep both coaches happy. Watch the foul count and make "extra" *wink, wink* calls if you have to in order to keep it even as possible. If a fan says anything to you, give him the one eye wild look, sneer menacingly and growl. If a coach irritates you, tell HIM, "Shut the hell up and sit yer @SS down little girl before I gotta put you down mudda fukah." Make sure to hit concessions during half time, or break between double header and announce, "I'm here for my free referee hot dog, do you warm your buns?" Then ask for a cup of coffee and tell them, "leave enough room in the cup for my booze." Wear a sweatshirt under your ref jacket emblazoned with the macot name or school name of one of the teams and make sure it's noticed. Doesn't matter which side. In pre game, spend all of your time talking to one coaching staff, while ignoring the other, crack innapropriate ethnic jokes. Say out loud at the scorers table, "I accidentally brought me reading glasses, so this might not go well." Whenever a player hits the deck, jump in the air, land in a wide squat with arms spread wide and yell, "Safe!" When you're the trail, see how many possessions in a row you can not make it across half court. If a Coach tries to confront you, break into your best Bobby Diniro, "You talking to me, you talking to me, you talking to me punk?" Pay a street person, or otherwise needy person to come into the game and loudly heckle you from half way up the stands, then the first time a coach makes a peep directed at you, call an officials time out, leap into the stands and punch out the heckler. Then go back to the coach and say, "Sorry, you were saying?"

Good luck, btw- if you were any one of the 6 referees working our two game scrimmage tonight, you did a good job. We had nobody at the scorers table because it was a running clock and no score board, so the 3 refs not in the game at the moment were sitting at the table. At one point, one of the guys (referee) hollers, "C'mon Ref, you're killing me!" I looked over and he had a big grin on his face. I'm still laughing about that one.