Not making the call frustration.
 

Before I get started I want to say this is my first year officiating. I have been doing something that is driving me crazy. It upsets me when I don’t make a call. I don’t show it on the court but on my drive home and that evening it bothers me.

Here is my issue and looking for ideas.

I will see a violation or foul but don’t blow the whistle. Sometimes I will start to raise my arm but I don’t blow the whistle and the play continues. I want to break this bad habit. How much time after the incident is it to late to blow the whistle? Is it better to have a late whistle then no whistle at all?

Thanks

Kevin

Good news
 

Good news is it does get better.

I would rather be slow and right, than fast and wrong. So don't kick yourself too hard over this, this is perfectly natural.

For your own sake. LET IT GO!
I have tried to look back on calls that I may have missed, only to have that affect the way I officiate the next time. Just learn from it, file it away, and move on. First year is rough, and if you are killing yourself over missed calls you are going to make it even worse.
A late whistle is still a good whistle and you know that you have seen the entire play. If you get it and get it late, next time you see it you'll be able to get it that much quicker. Our job is to get the call right. The call being a second later does not make the call wrong.

It's not as late as you think. Blow the whistle.

It gets better as you see more games. Make a concerted effort to see the whole play before you make a decision and you will start to see your timing improve.

I've seen college officials do the thing where they start to raise their hand as if they're going to call something, then quickly put it back down. It happens!

The others give good advice. A slow whistle can still be a good whistle, and I'll second the notion that a late whistle isn't as late as it seems.

My whistle and timing have gotten exponentially better since my first year, but this stuff still happens. I had play last night where a player jump-stopped and gathered the ball and then passed it. If he had dribbled again it would have been a carrying violation, but he didn't. My whistle was too quick and I called a carry. It was during the JV game and no one said anything, but I knew I screwed it up and felt like a moron.

Why a carrying violation?

Late and right is much better than quick and wrong. Patient whistles are fine.

I will second the other posters who said to let it go. I'm 3rd year so I sometimes let missed calls get to me still. While it's good to know what to work on, it's best to be relaxed, focused and confident. When you're on the court you and your partner are the rules experts, the one in the best position and the only ones without a vested interest in the game.

Some advice I learned here: "Be in the right place, look in the right place, call the obvious."

I missed a travel in my last game. Ball was out on the other side of the court just above the FT line extended. I was the trail. My eyes got over there late because I had some screening action I thought was more important at the moment. Player lifted the pivot foot before releasing the ball on the dribble. A pretty obvious travel, I'm guessing, although I didn't see the beginning, so I didn't put air into the whistle. I heard the coach and, for once, I think he was right.

I think it bothered me for about two seconds. Seriously. If it bothers me longer, it affects the next call or the next sequence. We *all* miss things. Let it go. Don't feel pressure to get the next one.

Probably my biggest flaw, and something I'm constantly working on. I'll say to myself, that's a travel, and assume nobody saw it....guess what? Everbody saw it. I strongly agree, you have more time than you think to process a play and make the correct call. Last game I had, there was a quick double dribble, player went up for shot. I saw it, froze, and heard bench and coach give a moan. I called it, albeit a second late. No reaction at all from anybody, it was clearly the correct call and maybe a nano second late, but right. Watch D1 guys, they do it all the time.

Did the same thing my 1st year...
 

It does get better and the game will slow down as all veterans say. Hang in there!

I had a late backcourt call last week. The dribbler got trapped just past the division line, had the ball knocked away, touched it himself and sent the ball over the line and then gathered it up. My mind thought that looked funny until it hit me that was actually a violation. Was late a little but I called it.

I've been reffing for over 30 years so this isn't my first rodeo. I am also a clinician. My biggest concern isn't that you might be missing a call (we all do it) its that you are beating yourself up about it.

We lost one of our best officials in the area 10 years ago when he couldn't let it go. It would just eat on him. Once we were coming back from a game where he had a tough (but correct) call late in the game. He was just bemoaning that he may have messed up.

Then the magic words--"When you have a tough call, you just make it and get over it. When I make a tough call, the doctors put me on suicide watch."

Care about what you do. If you don't care, you won't be worth a hoot. But you have to let it go.

As others have said this has happened to us all, still does from time to time...and with time, things do get better. I have seen 30+ yr veterans miss calls. Having said that, I do however think it is probably better to have an on time whistle on violations and a patient whistle on fouls.