Letting it get out of control

[jeffpea]

it's my opinion that 99% of the time, the problems that arise in games are the result of officials not blowing the whistle enough....the games that get out of control, the crazy sitautions that occur, and the resulting phone calls from assignors is becuase the officials didn't blow the whistle enough earlier in the game.

"blow the whistle and the players will adjust." - Hank Nichols (former NCAA Coordinator of Division 1 Men's Basketball Officials)

[deecee]

I am a staunch proponent of doing our job. Blow the whistle and its up the teams to adjust OR foul out.

10 years (and knock on wood) 0 ejections, 0 incidents. Plenty of T's though but train wrecks in our game dont just happen. You can see them coming a mile away and as a good official you should be aware of the health of the game you are doing and when needed corrective measures should be taken to avoid flare ups. Either a quick chat to potential problem players, maybe some quick fouls to ease the tension, double fouls. Send the message that you are there and you will deal with things that need to be dealt with in the swiftest severest action.

Or just call a coach a candypants and get eveyones mind off the game as they watch you and the coach throw down.

[Mark Padgett]

I had a 5th grade boys game yesterday in which A1 and B1 dived to the floor after a loose ball. Their shoulders bumped pretty hard but neither kid had an advantageous position over the other and neither one actually initiated the contact. The ball went OOB off A1 and I called it just as a violation. Coach A yelled, "Why wasn't that a foul?" I replied, "Because it was mutual combat, coach".

[deecee]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

I had a 5th grade boys game yesterday in which A1 and B1 dived to the floor after a loose ball. Their shoulders bumped pretty hard but neither kid had an advantageous position over the other and neither one actually initiated the contact. The ball went OOB off A1 and I called it just as a violation. Coach A yelled, "Why wasn't that a foul?" I replied, "Because it was mortal combat, coach".

Made it what I think you meant.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

I had a 5th grade boys game yesterday in which A1 and B1 dived to the floor after a loose ball. Their shoulders bumped pretty hard but neither kid had an advantageous position over the other and neither one actually initiated the contact. The ball went OOB off A1 and I called it just as a violation. Coach A yelled, "Why wasn't that a foul?" I replied, "Because it was mutual combat, coach".

Are you sure you didn't mean Mortal Kombat (registered trademark)?

MTD, Sr.

[deecee]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

Are you sure you didn't mean Mortal Kombat (registered trademark)?

MTD, Sr.

I think this is plagiarism from my previous quote. How about a citation.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by deecee

I think this is plagiarism from my previous quote. How about a citation.

Since you didn't provide the requisite trademark citation, there's considerable doubt as to whether you were referring to the same thing.

[stilllearning]

Originally Posted by jeffpea

it's my opinion that 99% of the time, the problems that arise in games are the result of officials not blowing the whistle enough....the games that get out of control, the crazy sitautions that occur, and the resulting phone calls from assignors is becuase the officials didn't blow the whistle enough earlier in the game.

"blow the whistle and the players will adjust." - Hank Nichols (former NCAA Coordinator of Division 1 Men's Basketball Officials)

I guess I would flip what you're saying and say that 1% of the time it could be the officials fault. My thought is that the quote your referring to is talking about fouls other than the stuff we would call t's. There was nothing in the game I was working that would have led you to believe that A1 would fall down, get frustrated and slap the girls leg. If a kid "decides" to act out with something they know will get them a tech then that's their fault. Kids know better and know that if they shove another player during a dead ball that it will be a tech. Even if they themselves had just got shoved they know that if they respond it will be called. The kids are responsible for their behavior. Not us. But I need to hear all this because I could be off base with my thinking and don't want to stay there if I am. That's part of why I posted as I'm still learning. What do you think? Respectfully submitted.

[jeffpea]

Originally Posted by stilllearning

I guess I would flip what you're saying and say that 1% of the time it could be the officials fault. My thought is that the quote your referring to is talking about fouls other than the stuff we would call t's. There was nothing in the game I was working that would have led you to believe that A1 would fall down, get frustrated and slap the girls leg. If a kid "decides" to act out with something they know will get them a tech then that's their fault. Kids know better and know that if they shove another player during a dead ball that it will be a tech. Even if they themselves had just got shoved they know that if they respond it will be called. The kids are responsible for their behavior. Not us. But I need to hear all this because I could be off base with my thinking and don't want to stay there if I am. That's part of why I posted as I'm still learning. What do you think? Respectfully submitted.

I totally agree that kids (heck, everyone) is responsible for their own behavior. In general, would you say that players react in frustration from only one play, or several plays over the course of the game? My answer is that frustration builds over time. Very, very infrequently will one play cause a player to "blow his top".

When contact occurs in a game that affects the play (and an advantage is gained) and a foul is not called, players assume that a penalty will not be enforced and continue that behavior/action later in the game. Physical play ultimately escalates into situtations that become a problem - hard fouls, intentional fouls, unsportsman-like plays, etc. It is usually a result of not blowing the whistle earlier in the game.

If officials blow the whistle and establish early what contact is a foul and what is not, then the players will adjust (or sit on the bench after fouling out). When officials are rather passive and let too much contact occur between players, that is when problems build and become a problem later in the game. That is when officials, by their lack of game control, create the circumstances that often lead to problems in games.

I hope you are reading this in the moderate tone that I intend to communicate. Too many times posts on this board are extrapolated to their extremes and viewed in a "black or white" perspective. I'm not advocating that passing on minor contact will lead to a fight in the 4th qtr., nor do I think that "the more fouls called in a game, the better"....I believe that, in general, officials could, and should, call more fouls than we do in games. It will make for a better game and will definitely lead to less problems (and phone calls from assignors) in the future.

[btaylor64]

Originally Posted by jeffpea

I totally agree that kids (heck, everyone) is responsible for their own behavior. In general, would you say that players react in frustration from only one play, or several plays over the course of the game? My answer is that frustration builds over time. Very, very infrequently will one play cause a player to "blow his top".

When contact occurs in a game that affects the play (and an advantage is gained) and a foul is not called, players assume that a penalty will not be enforced and continue that behavior/action later in the game. Physical play ultimately escalates into situtations that become a problem - hard fouls, intentional fouls, unsportsman-like plays, etc. It is usually a result of not blowing the whistle earlier in the game.

If officials blow the whistle and establish early what contact is a foul and what is not, then the players will adjust (or sit on the bench after fouling out). When officials are rather passive and let too much contact occur between players, that is when problems build and become a problem later in the game. That is when officials, by their lack of game control, create the circumstances that often lead to problems in games.

I hope you are reading this in the moderate tone that I intend to communicate. Too many times posts on this board are extrapolated to their extremes and viewed in a "black or white" perspective. I'm not advocating that passing on minor contact will lead to a fight in the 4th qtr., nor do I think that "the more fouls called in a game, the better"....I believe that, in general, officials could, and should, call more fouls than we do in games. It will make for a better game and will definitely lead to less problems (and phone calls from assignors) in the future.

I might be an "extrapolator" here but, for the sake of everyone, hear we would be safe to say that by "too much contact" you mean ILLEGAL contact, correct?? Cause I know in the leagues I work there is a lot of very physical contact and it is still legal. So to say "too much contact" would not be correct, but if I am reading too much into it I apologize. I just don't want people on here thinking that mere fact that there is a lot of contact that it should be a foul. Too much contact is not a foul, illegal contact is a foul.

WOW!!! Am I becoming the new Jurassic cause I just feel like this is something he would say?????? ha

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by btaylor64

Too much contact is not a foul, illegal contact is a foul.

Well said!

[jeffpea]

Originally Posted by btaylor64

I might be an "extrapolator" here but, for the sake of everyone, hear we would be safe to say that by "too much contact" you mean ILLEGAL contact, correct??

Please refer to the first sentence of paragraph #2 of my post:

"When contact occurs in a game that affects the play (and an advantage is gained) and a foul is not called, players assume that a penalty will not be enforced and continue that behavior/action later in the game."

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by jeffpea

"When contact occurs in a game that affects the play (and an advantage is gained) and a foul is not called, players assume that a penalty will not be enforced and continue that behavior/action later in the game."

But in whose eyes is that advantage gained?

The player will invariably feel that the contact affected the play and put him/her at a disadvantage. The official...not so much so.

One side is naturally biased; the other side can't afford to be biased.

That's the flaw in your reasoning imo.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

But in whose eyes is that advantage gained?

The player will invariably feel that the contact affected the play and put him/her at a disadvantage. The official...not so much so.

One side is naturally biased; the other side can't afford to be biased.

That's the flaw in your reasoning imo.

Exactly. How many times do we see a player try to squeeze through two defenders, there's contact, and the player and coach wonder why there's no foul? There's contact and *they* feel it affected the play, but the reality is that both defenders are legal and there simply wasn't space to go through. And we have either nothing or a traveling violation as a result.

I'm not much impressed with the impassioned cries of "the game's too physical" and "the officials don't call enough" -- because of all the gnashing of teeth done about this, it's only ever on fouls not called against the other team. Or it's by mediots who are paid to stir up trouble.

[jeffpea]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

But in whose eyes is that advantage gained?

The player will invariably feel that the contact affected the play and put him/her at a disadvantage. The official...not so much so.

One side is naturally biased; the other side can't afford to be biased.

That's the flaw in your reasoning imo.

in whose eyes is that advantage gained?.....yours...when you're watching a game, be it a soph game, another hs game, small college game, game on tv, etc. i don't care what fanboys, coaches, or players think...this is a chat room of officials...

i think you may be combining the complaints that you hear from fans/players/coaches during games with the opinions of officials (mine, in this case) that are shared in this forum. they are two different things coming from completely different perspectives.

just watch how much contact is allowed to happen that affects the play. it's the reason why the NCAA has instituted the "automatic" fouls last year - contact that causes the ball handler to fall = foul; contact that interrupts RSBQ (rhythm, speed, balance, quickness) = foul.