I'm a second year official and I always ask vetran officials that I work with for feedback on my mechanics/calls. The last 2 people have told me that I need to slow down my calls and reporting - which is easy to comprehend, harder to do. No one really has said how to improve on this, only that it will come with time. Does anyone have any tips on "slowing down" the calling process?
for example when you whistle a violation- what goes through your mind? Do you step away from the play after a whistle? anything else come to mind?

thanks again
GTW

I see the foul, then blow the whistle making the appropriate foul signal. I move towards the offending player and mention his color and number. Then I trot towards the reporting area (which is now larger than in the past), stop all movement, make eye contact with the scorers, and in a loud, firm voice announce the color then number of the player, and the number of shots (if any).

Obviously the hardest part is coming to a stop before reporting the foul. This does get easier with experience. My advice to new officials is to concentrate on the stop and making a clear report to the table. Remember that the game can't and won't resume until you are finished and ready.

Another problem new officials have is a burning desire to secure the ball when it bounces away. My advice would be to forget about the ball and take care of the duties you need to take care of. Again the game can't resume without a ball and the ball will somehow find its way back to you.

My advice would be to have someone take a few minutes of video of your officiating. When you first start officiating, you feel as if you need to hurry through the calls and hurry at the table because everyone is waiting for you. When you see yourself on tape, you'll realize that you are going so fast that nobody is ready and you look like you're in a rush. Once you see yourself on tape, you can visualize what it looks like on the floor and it will help you slow down.

Z

My limited experience
 

has been that the most helpful thing was to concentrate prior to the game on slowing down. I practiced in the mirror moving my head to simulate following a play, blew the whistle (family was gone), raised my hand, verbalized, then moved my feet.

In the past I whistled and started walking and everyone said I was hurrying. The mirror practice really helped along with pre-game "slow down" thoughts.

good advice so far
 

thanks for the tips so far. I'm actually most interested in slowing down at the point of the call not so much reporting. My partner said I whistled a travel and signaled it before he had a chance to look over and this put him in an awkward position because he did not know what the call was should anyone ask him. any tips for the moment of the call?

GTW

GTW -

The question you're asking is a good one. It tells me that you're genuinely interested in getting better.

The thing that really helped me to slow down at the spot, be it a foul or a violation, was to take deep breath after blowing my whistle. It sounds simple, but it really helped me.

You're the lead and you see a travel...

Blow your whistle

raise your open hand

take a deep breath

take a step away from the action (this gives you a wider picture and allows you to see any dead ball junk going on)

say "travel", and give the signal

make eye contact with your partner
and
point to the inbound spot (especially important if your partner is going to be the person handling the ensuing throw-in).

I hope that helps some. I think you've gotten some good advice from the other posters. Set up a video camera in the living room and pretend you're officiating a play. Go through the above sequence calling every foul and violation that is in the book. Do it again. Do it again. Watch yourself on tape. Do it again. Watch yourself.

Have a friend go to a game and keep the camera focused on you for a quarter. Watch the tape.

The last thing I would suggest is to develop some self-talk. "Ok, that was a travel, now I'm going to call it." Tweet...take a deep breath...

best of luck and keep coming here. There are a lot of people with great info for you here.

JKT

Practice in a mirror.
 

One of the best ways is to just practice in a mirror. Or simulate the sequence in your house or outside doing your mechanics. You will be surprised what that will do for your thinking process and the speed in which you practice. I am also one of those "white hats" for football and I do the very same thing in a totally different sport. I know guys that are at the big time that still practice in the mirror and go over what they well say. One of the oldest tricks in the book.

Peace

The mirror is a great way to practice. Also, you can stand in front of the TV during televised games and practice your whistle and signals.

When I first started, one of the things passed onto me was slow, fast, slow, fast. Slow at the point of the violation or foul, fast as you jog to your reporting spot, slow as you report your foul and fast as you jog to the next position. I actually had a very experienced guy tell me that I was standing too long at the spot with the "stop clock" signal before I indicated the violation. It is easier to go faster than slower.... now that I'm slow enough :D

I wasn't working a game on the floor tonight but was at the game. The visiting coach asked me to keep the book for them at the table. I had some interesting observations of the officials. The home scorer had to have the official come back three times because she didn't get the number on the foul. If the official would have taken the time to stop in the reporting area, make eye contact with the scorer and then report the foul, like he should have, this would never happen. This pair returned from halftime in the locker room with one minute left on the clock and asked where the visiting team was. I asked them if they had given them the three minute warning. The official by the table said it was the tables job! I tried to hold back but I just couldn't. I said that he should check his rule book under the referees duties. I said it was his job to make sure that they were to be notified. Well then the official got flustered and said it was the Athletic Directors' job anyway. I'm surprised I wasn't replaced. But I kept quiet the rest of the game. It gives you a good perspective on what makes good reporting of fouls to the table to work there a couple of games.

Of the suggestions listed above the most helpful for me have been the self-talk, and the taping. I don't find mirror work helpful at all. I can do great in front of the mirror day after day, and still be screwing up on the floor. Self-talk helped a lot. I wrote myself a little patter, and memorized it. I don't use it now, but it got me out of some bad habits.

The other thing that helped was one particularly noisy game where the table simply couldn't hear anything. I had to carefully signal everything in order to get the point across. Realized later, my whole pattern had changed for the better on that particular evening. If you're doing the kind of games where ther are like five spectators, try to find a good MS tournament and work yourself into the consolation or championship game. You can learn a lot in a very short time.

Hey Joe, in 10 years of officiating, you want to know how many times I've notified the visitors at the 3 minute mark? Care to guess?

Chuck

I'd guess it would be about the same number that I have,but probably not more.:D

It's not possible for me to have done it more times than you have. ;)

Chuck

I suppose you have done it the same number of times as I have. But you also know that it is your duty to see that they are notified. You also are on the floor with three minutes left on the clock at the intermission at halftime which would not put you in this situation. I guess my problem was that these guys didn't know that it is the referees duty in the first place rule 2 section 4 art. 4.

Did you ever think that maybe you could have(and should have) helped these two officials,rather than getting mad at them?