Ball watching

[Welpe]

Just a general question, for those of you that do observations, what indicators do you use to tell when an official is ball watching when the ball is not in his primary?

[refiator]

I key on an officials' eyes...you can't always tell from the "angle" of the body...but is the official following the ball in flight from the lead? (should be staying "low"..not looking to the rim) You can miss low contact if you're looking "up" when you should be looking for body contact. Are you staying with the shooter when he/she is in your primary (easy to miss contact after the shot if following the shot)...Or is the on-ball official staying with the shooter after a shot? Too many times officials miss contact after the shot because they follow the shot instead of staying with the shooter.
Also...When at Trail, is the official keeping focused off-ball when the ball is out of his/her primary?
Most officials don't realize that they are ball watching, but once you get them to understand the importance of off-ball activity it gets easier for them. Its a tough habit to break, but gets easier with experience.

[rsl]

If they mark a three outside their area, you can be pretty sure. And a true ball watcher will do this, e.g., mark a three at the top of the key from lead.

[Jeremy Hohn]

Originally Posted by rsl

If they mark a three outside their area, you can be pretty sure. And a true ball watcher will do this, e.g., mark a three at the top of the key from lead.

That's a great one, but also if you see "eyes up" to the basketball from lead is another good one.

[VaTerp]

Originally Posted by rsl

If they mark a three outside their area, you can be pretty sure. And a true ball watcher will do this, e.g., mark a three at the top of the key from lead.

Was doing an evaluation of a JV official prior to my game last night and one of my partners and I both commented that it looked like the guy was doing a lot ball watching.

When he signaled a 3 from the Lead, on the Trails side of the court no less, it was a clear indicator of just how bad his ball watching was.

[refiator]

Originally Posted by rsl

If they mark a three outside their area, you can be pretty sure. And a true ball watcher will do this, e.g., mark a three at the top of the key from lead.

On the other side...Be sure if an official marks the three they stay with the shooter! How many times have you seen a three go up and no one sees the defender back the shooter out after he returns to the floor??

[tomegun]

Something I key on is body movement. I notice officials that watch the ball seem to move every time the ball moves. The ball is passed, players in an officials' primary don't move much, but the official moves with the pass. This is just one thing. Another thing that is obvious is when there are whistles or double whistles outside of an official's primary.

[JRutledge]

All you have to do is watch their head. If their head moves everytime the ball does, that is in my opinion the best way to determine. When I look at screens and cuts of the off ball players and the official never looks at them, it is clear they are not watching those players either.

Peace