Whistle in or out during free throws?
 

Usually I have my whistle in my mouth at all times during the free throw, with the exception of when I'm L administering, I spit the whistle out right as the ball reaches the rim, just in case it caroms off the rim and hits me in the mouth (yes, it's happened).

I'm starting to rethink this practice after last night. I'm T on free throws. Just before my partner is about to administer the ball on the second of two free throws, I hear some commotion behind me at the bench. I turn to look and see a sub at the table wanting to come in before the free throw. By pure instinct, I start to put air in my whistle. Not a full blast of air, because I'm thinking to myself that my partner has probably already administered the free throw, but my instinct to blow got the best of me and I put enough air in my whistle for everyone to hear. The scorer hears my whistle and blows the horn to signal the substitute.

As I turn my head I see the free thrower has the ball. Groan.....

I motion for the sub to stay at the table and nod at the free thrower to proceed. His coach is standing behind me a little upset that I've blown my whistle and "distracted" his player right before he's to shoot.

Trying to think how to avoid this in the future.

First, I should have turned to check and see if the shooter had the ball before putting air in my whistle. I'm just thinking maybe if I had the whistle out of my mouth at that time, that would have given me enough pause to be able to catch myself before the shooter had the ball. Also, should my partner have re-administered the free throw?

Where is your whistle during the free throw? I'd like to start the habit of waiting to put it in my mouth until just before the shooter releases the ball.

Thoughts?

Mine is always in...but I've never really thought about why that is to tell you the truth.

In my mouth.

Should have stopped and readministered.

It's really no different from any other play -- if the ball is live, you need the whistle in your mouth. (i admit that if the ball will become dead after the FT, there's much less of a chance of needing the whistle.) The solution is not to take the whistle out, but to train yourself not to blow it when you shouldn't.

Live ball = whistle in mouth

Gotta be prepared to blow it as opposed to looking for it.

I believe your whistle killed the FT attempt, by rule.
6-7-5

Similar Mentoring Topic
 

Contrariwise, I always have a dickens of a time convincing new officials to spit the whistle out of the mouth when the ball is dead and nothing is going on. Having the whistle between the teeth all the time all game long seems to make them look more like a traffic cop or something.
Along with that, it's difficult to get them to break the habit of manually removing the whistle from the mouth blowing it. And frequently holding onto the whistle with a hand while whistle is in the mouth. Almost as if the lanyard really has no use during the course of the game.
Then again, I probably did the same thing at that stage.

Where are you positioning yourself as L that the ball could carom off the rim and hit you? I get wide (and deep, if there's space) enough that I think it would be nearly impossible to get hit by a free throw that touches nothing but the rim.

I would also suggest that you may be a little too lenient as far as when a sub is ready (by rule). I think we all are, but you may be a little too much.

Having said all of that (I'm saying this a lot lately because there are very few absolutes in this game), if you are trying to get a sub in for whatever reason I think most of us have been there too.

I keep my whistle in my mouth for this general reason...if anything happens and I need to shut it down I can without fumbling to find my whistle.

It was the first shot on a two-shout foul, and I was positioned next to the low block. I've been told by some evaluators to stand there and by some not to stand there.

You're probably right. I tend to err on the side of getting the player in, but perhaps it's time to be a little more patient on that end.

Ohh you're doing NCAA-W?

Move under the basket to catch the ball as it goes through, or at least put your hands up.

My whistle is either on the baseline or in my pocket to mark the possession arrow...I didn't realize there was another use for it!:D

High School Mechanics ???
 

fiasco better be doing this in an NCAA-W game, and not in a high school game. I can't comment on NFHS mechanics, but we don't stand in the "old" first lane space, below the block, in IAABO mechanics.

So do I. Always have. Always will. And will always be doing high school games.