Pointers for the Newbies
 

Went to a floor clinic for newbies this AM and wanted to get feedback on what we were told from the vets on this site!

1) Step into the court to make your call..not on the side or endline

2) Stacato whistle on violation calls..tweet tweet tweet

3) USE YOUR VOICE!

4) When Reporting fouls to table: color and number verbal and signal only on foul .... don't say block or on the arm..etc

5) Switch on Fouls not violations


Thanks as always..Monday I step onto court for the FIRST TIME..Yikes!

Let's All Sing Like The Birdies Sing ...
 

As St. Ambrose said, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do".

However, here in my little corner of the "Land of Steady Habits":
2) No staccato whistle on violations. We blow the same for both violations and fouls.
4) We verbalize block, push, etc.

Agree with all but #2.

Other than the "triple tweet" thing, which is pretty much regional, it's all sound advice. I prefer the method of not verbalizing "block, push," etc.

1) Once you sound the whistle, the spotlight is on you. This is your chance to communicate, to tell 'em what you got. You do that in several ways: voice, signals and body language. There's lots of ideas, big and small, about how to look confident and believable. There's probably something positive in what you were told. Try it, and if it works for you keep it.

2) I disagree. Like your voice, signals and body, your whistle also communicates. If it's wimpy or uncertain, you've already blown your credibility. Almost always you want a single, sharp, solid blast. It sends the message that you've been there, done that, and what you're signaling is just another foul or violation like the thousands you've called before.

Save the real "attention getter" whistle for when it will help you, like when you're calling something really non-obvious, and the play is going away from you. Then you might want to tweet tweet tweet. Your unexpected whistle kind of matches the unexpected call. Or when two chuckleheads are going after a held ball and won't stop at the first whistle. Or when somebody starts a shoving match or throws a punch.

3 - 5) I agree.

+1

Only time I intentionally tweet more than once is when there are bodies on the floor (scrum) resulting in a jump ball.

Sorry, guys, I can't visualize what this statement means...."signal only on foul...don't say block or on the arm...etc."

Can someone explain the difference, or the intent of this statement? Are we just showing the scorekeeper the motion of a push, or a block, but not using the words? Thanks for helping a slow-minded person....

Puns Intended ...
 

Sounds like it. I believe that's what the NFHS Manual says.

Correct.

I've been told to say as little as possible to the table when reporting.