New Referee on the town -- need advice

[fiasco]

Originally Posted by Smitty

That's a load of BS. All new officials have trouble letting go of watching the ball. It's something that takes time and discipline to overcome. As a new official it has nothing to do with trusting your partner.

It's not a load of BS, but thanks for playing our game.

It's a habit that can be cured by learning how to trust your partner. As the ball transitions from your area to his/her area, learn to think "my partner's got this. I'm going to watch off ball."

[tref]

Originally Posted by fiasco

As the ball transitions from your area to his/her area, learn to think "my partner's got this. I'm going to watch off ball."

I wouldn't recommend this practice!! We should give up the play only after our partner opens up to accept the play. And, if you have a count as the ball leaves your PCA we should continue the count, yes, in their PCA.

No absolutes or always folks & the floor mechanics are just guidelines.

[fiasco]

Originally Posted by tref

No absolutes or always folks & the floor mechanics are just guidelines.

Right, which is why I didn't use any absolutes or always in my statement.

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by fiasco

Right, which is why I didn't use any absolutes or always in my statement.

It's ironic that you get your feelings hurt more than just about anyone on this site, but you never miss a chance to be an a$$clown either.

[fiasco]

Originally Posted by Smitty

It's ironic that you get your feelings hurt more than just about anyone on this site, but you never miss a chance to be an a$$clown either.

LOL My feelings aren't hurt at all. But that did make me laugh.

[jdw3018]

Originally Posted by fiasco

It's not a load of BS, but thanks for playing our game.

It's a habit that can be cured by learning how to trust your partner. As the ball transitions from your area to his/her area, learn to think "my partner's got this. I'm going to watch off ball."

I agree that "not trusting your partner" isn't the cause of ball-watching for most new officials, and, at least the way it was worded in your post, came across as scolding.

Most people who watch a ballgame watch the ball. It's where the action is for most. When you move from observer to official, the natural tendency is to continue to want to know where the ball is. It's not that the newbie doesn't trust his partner, it's that he simply hasn't trained himself not to watch where the ball is.

Ball watching may be a symptom of not trusting your partner. But it's also a symptom of not knowing what to look for, where an official's primary may be, lack of focus, lack of action away from the ball, boredom, or a host of other causes. It many times has nothing to do with trust.

[fiasco]

Originally Posted by jdw3018

and, at least the way it was worded in your post, came across as scolding.

Oh, my bad. I didn't know scolding was frowned upon here.

That's a load of BS.

[fiasco]

Originally Posted by jdw3018

I agree that "not trusting your partner" isn't the cause of ball-watching for most new officials, and, at least the way it was worded in your post, came across as scolding.

Most people who watch a ballgame watch the ball. It's where the action is for most. When you move from observer to official, the natural tendency is to continue to want to know where the ball is. It's not that the newbie doesn't trust his partner, it's that he simply hasn't trained himself not to watch where the ball is.

Ball watching may be a symptom of not trusting your partner. But it's also a symptom of not knowing what to look for, where an official's primary may be, lack of focus, lack of action away from the ball, boredom, or a host of other causes. It many times has nothing to do with trust.

I agree with everything you've said.

The point I was trying to make is that one way to cure yourself of ball watching is to think about what it communicates to your partner, to coaches and others who are observing your behavior. Regardless of your intent in ball watching, one of the things you're communicating to others (whether you really mean it or not) is that you don't trust your partner to get the call right, and that you're not really concerned with off-ball action going on in your area.

When I learned that, I started making not ball-watching a priority in my mechanics. That's all.