How much do you talk to coaches?

[Rich]

Originally Posted by 26 Year Gap

The coach is not supposed to be your friend. So, do not expect to win one over. Respond to questions asked with civility. If I have made a call off ball or where a coach may have been straightlined, I will answer a "What happened?" type of question. Good coaches will use that information to help coach their players. Too many new officials are told to "not talk to coaches" rather than given instruction as to when and how. I am still learning, and will be still learning on the day I hang up the whistle.

One lesson that you (the OP, not the person I'm using here for a reply) should get out of the way (here, rather than on the court) is that coaches are not your friends. No matter how friendly and nice they are at any point during the game, they can and will turn on you in a heartbeat.

And even when calls go their way, they relate to the coach that "got screwed" more than they relate to you. Players are the exact same way.

Use this knowledge, though, when you talk with coaches. I'm friendly (until I have a reason not to be), approachable (until I have a reason not to be) and will answer any question that a coach has (within reason). Don't think for one minute that a coach's friendly nature and handshake means that it's an invitation for you to initiate a dialogue about calls that go against him to try to "explain" them away.

As a first year official, I'd worry less about this and worry more about some other things that you can control more. Be confident with your calls -- be able to look the scorer in the eye when you report and don't appear to be in a hurry to "get away". If a coach asks a question, answer it with as few words as possible and move on. Make it look like you're willing to listen to comments, even if the comments are worthless. Use strong signals and portray confidence when making calls.

It took me a long time to get comfortable with talking with coaches because when I started we (as a group)talked a lot less than we do now. I think.