Physical tests...

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by bainsey

Oh?

Last year, I ended my season with a JV boys game. My veteran partner called a team control foul on A10 during transition. He then started to line up the kids for B11's free throws.

I didn't see the foul, but an alarm went off in my head. We were in transition, so how else could A10's foul be anything but team control? I went to my partner to check on that, and we corrected it. Team B ball at the division line.

What readied me for that moment? Rules tests, or more specifically, the preparation for such tests. I can't think of a better way to drill these things into our heads.

If that is the only way you learned, then you either are not taking a NF test and your state/association/chapter gives their own or you are not having discussions or debates with officials during the season. The NF test almost never asked where a ball would be put or if someone would be ejected for certain behavior.

As we speak, our state who administers their own test will not be available until November 1 and will end taking the test on December 5. By November 1 the association that I am President will have already have had 4 meetings. As a state clinician I have been giving presentations in clinics or observed officials several hours since early June. I have also a basketball class in which I teach in the fall that will also have that starts in October and there will be 5 classes with that until November 1. And that does not include all the preparation that I have to personally make in order prepare for my class, the clinics or ask for interpretations to teach the class or run those meetings. And I will have worked 9 games before December 5 when the last date I could theoretically take the exam. And our test is an open book test with only 25 questions (50 total to review if they do the same as football did this year) with questions that not only ask what the rule applies but what we do with the ball or other circumstances of the application. And you are telling me that the only time you review rules is when the test is out? I am sure your system is different than ours on some level, but even if you have to take the exam on one day, I hope and pray you are reviewing the rules a lot more than when the test is going to be taken. I do not by any means consider myself to be a rules expert, but I am often asked many questions about rules in my role as an organizational president and a clinician with my state about how to apply rules. Most questions are not "What is an intentional foul?" Most questions are like we read on this forum where people want to know if they applied the rule correctly and did they give the ball to the right team or were they supposed to eject the coach or the player, not what the wording of an intentional foul is. Why, because they are almost never asked those kinds of questions on rules tests, but questioned if they understand the word for word definition of a rule rather than test all the other aspects of the application. And you will be amazed what people do not know how to apply when they make a call, especially those unusual rules or applications they hardly ever call.

Either you are not being honest with yourself when you actually review rules and situation (I do it mostly with other officials well off the court) or you are one of those that picks up the rulebook one time a year and it never sees the light of day after the test is over. And those are the officials that give 1 shot for an intentional foul when the ball goes in and puts the ball in at half court (more common than you may think).

Peace