Pennsylvania's seat belt rule

A Pennsylvania Coach · #1 (**permalink**) Fri Jan 17, 2003, 08:21am

Please read the article linked and provide some opinion.

http://www.cumberlink.com/articles/2...s/sports06.txt

Ref in PA · #2 (**permalink**) Fri Jan 17, 2003, 09:16am

Being a referee, I like the rule. I have never coached, so I cannot comment on how you feel. I do feel that a coach on his/her feet seem to be more animated. I have given coaches less than 5 T's since I recertified seven years ago. I attribute that to the seat belt rule in part. (The other parts could be that I have excellent management skills; or, I am such a crummy ref that the coaches have long since stopped harrassing me, knowing I am hopeless and clueless; or, maybe I have enormously thick skin; or, maybe I am deaf). I read about all the T's given by others here on the board, but for whatever reason I don't see it in my games and the games I watch. Yes, T's are given out, but to me it seem less here in PA compared to the rest of the country.

I concede that the seatbelt rule is harder on coaches, but it is a hardship that both coaches have to endure. If the tradeoff is less T's in a game on coaches, then I feel it is a good rule.

zebraman · #3 (**permalink**) Fri Jan 17, 2003, 09:16am

Their knees hurt from kneeling? So sit instead. Wah.

We have the coaches box here in Washington and I don't see how it makes the coaches any better. Sitting or standing, I couldn't care less either way.

Z

Stan · #4 (**permalink**) Fri Jan 17, 2003, 09:37am

In Iowa, boys coachs are seated during the game. I think it's good. I ref some and coach elementary kids. It hasn't hurt my ability to coach during a game. Call a time out and stand up to coach. It can be really loud and if your players want to hear you they can. Now if you need to stand up to scream/yell at a player for doing something wrong then sorry, you'll have to call a time out for that too. As far as basketball being singled out, if basketball was played out doors in a huge field, then we wouldn't be having this conversation.

BigJoe · #5 (**permalink**) Fri Jan 17, 2003, 09:57am

In Minnesota we have a coaching box. I don't have a problem with coaches standing up. I have only issued two T's on coaches in seven years of varsity basketball. One time the coach was out of his box toward the endline coaching a player before the throw-in. I told him, "coach, I didn't think we were working a three man crew tonight!" He got the message and laughed. Never left the box the rest of the night. Most coaches just coach their team. If they think they want to officiate the game you can arrange for them to sit at any time.

mick · #6 (**permalink**) Fri Jan 17, 2003, 10:02am

Quote:

Originally posted by A Pennsylvania Coach
Please read the article linked and provide some opinion.

My opinion : The 28' box allows a good communication area for a coach in the box and an official on the floor, while both are doing their jobs. The communication offer personalities to mesh and ideas to be exchanged. For me, with a box, more potential problems are eliminated than elongated.

The seat-belt rule should be earned, not mandated.

mick

rockyroad · #7 (**permalink**) Fri Jan 17, 2003, 11:04am

I will agree with Mick...having a box allows the coach to move to where they can talk to - as opposed to yelling to - an official to get clarification, ask questions, shoot the breeze, whatever...also, it allows the volatile coach an outlet - they can stand and pace instead of yelling at us...I have never bought into the idea that the fans are incited by or feed off of the coach - they don't need any prompting to yell at us...the seat belt rule seems pretty "tight" to me...

Rich · #8 (**permalink**) Fri Jan 17, 2003, 11:51am

I agree. I work in Wisconsin, where only the varsity head coach has box privileges. We'll never have a 28' box here, but I hear the a 14' box may be coming.

But I would have a full 28' box at all levels with the seatbelt coming after a technical. Coaches do not bother me, and as long as they weren't using the box to follow mw down to the baseline to work me during a live ball, it wouldn't bother me having the coach there.

I've called one varsity head coach technical this season -- his butt was in his chair at the time. I can't say the same about his feet -- he was pounding the floor with them and having a nice tantrum.

For the gentleman who has called 2 varsity technicals in seven years: I think that, like baseball ejections, having less technicals over a certain period of time doesn't really mean much. I've seen outstanding officials who end up with a lot of technicals mainly because of the howler monkeys they get stuck with.

I think we have less in the prep season mainly because varsity head coaches know they simply can't afford to get technicals. In many schools, a technical would land a teacher/coach in some hot water. And ejection could be a career-limiting experience.

Rich

MN 3 Sport Ref · #9 (**permalink**) Fri Jan 17, 2003, 12:18pm

as stated before in MN we have the coaching box. IMO let the coaches stand and do what they need to do to coach their team. It is their conduct that gets them in hot water w/ us whether or not they are sitting or standing. This is no different at the college level. Some coaches sit most all the time and show little or no emotion. Others wear a grove from the division line to the end line. It is their conduct and attitude that get them in trouble.

iref21 · #10 (**permalink**) Sat Jan 18, 2003, 02:26pm

I think that we have to rememeber the means of effective communciation. It does not really matter if a coach can or can't stand. As officials I think we often overlook the fact of how important communucation is. A lot of time if we take a few extra seconds to give a coach an explanation then he/she will settle down. How we respond to certain situations is the thing that we as officials need to look at. If we work hard on being an effective communicator then that in itself will demand respect from the coaches and players.