Posture

[phansen]

NFHS 2 person

Is bending over to get a better look at a play considered ok? Or should officials stay upright all the time only moving thier feet to get a better look?

[Scrapper1]

If you need to move your head, then move your feet. JMHO.

[JRutledge]

For the most part yes. Always exceptions to this, but you do not bend over in my opinion unless you have players on the floor. But that is not a common thing.

Peace

[Indianaref]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

But that is not a common thing.

Peace

Must not be doing girls games

[JRutledge]

Thank God nope!!!

Peace

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by phansen

NFHS 2 person

Is bending over to get a better look at a play considered ok? Or should officials stay upright all the time only moving thier feet to get a better look?

Don't bend over to look at a play. Move your feet: "move to improve." Bending looks lazy.

[ref3808]

There's no bending in officiating.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by ref3808

There's no bending in officiating.

You've obviously never carried some of my partners.

[Freddy]

Originally Posted by phansen

NFHS 2 person
Is bending over to get a better look at a play considered ok??

So, Ben Dover might be the name of a good proctologist, but not of a good basketball official?

(sorry...waited all day for BillyMac to fire that one off, but he must be busier than usual at work today)

[twocentsworth]

By all means, do what u need to in order to see the play and make the best possible call. Officiating is all about getting the call right; you have to see the play to get it right; and to see the play - u need to have the best angles. Hopefully you've "moved to improve" your look...but if bending is needed, go ahead.

Put another way...if Jim Burr does it to help him make a call, then it's good enough for me.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by twocentsworth

By all means, do what u need to in order to see the play and make the best possible call. Officiating is all about getting the call right; you have to see the play to get it right; and to see the play - u need to have the best angles. Hopefully you've "moved to improve" your look...but if bending is needed, go ahead.

Put another way...if Jim Burr does it to help him make a call, then it's good enough for me.

Wow, so much bad advice in one post!

1. Officiating is not all about getting the call right. That's near the top of the list; but we're also responsible for managing the game, and part of that is managing our own appearance. Bending looks lazy.

2. Even if the only priority were getting it right, proper mechanics give you the best chance of doing that. Bending is not proper.

3. Standard instruction for officiating all sports: ignore how the big dogs do it. They're usually amazing officials in spite of their poor mechanics. Learn and practice the correct mechanics.

[Tio]

Originally Posted by phansen

NFHS 2 person

Is bending over to get a better look at a play considered ok? Or should officials stay upright all the time only moving thier feet to get a better look?

Don't be a baseball umpire. There is another forum for that.

Move the feet and the eyes will follow.

[Amesman]

To complement what others have said, you might think bending, twisting, etc. to see better is the best way to go. But how would you feel about a shorter official, stretching on tiptoes or jumping up and down to get better looks into the post or at taller players? Move to improve, indeed.

[Moosie74]

Originally Posted by mbyron

Wow, so much bad advice in one post!

3. Standard instruction for officiating all sports: ignore how the big dogs do it. They're usually amazing officials in spite of their poor mechanics. Learn and practice the correct mechanics.

I agree. I work as game day staff for a D-League team and was working in an area by the floor a couple of days ago and so I watched the officials to see what I could pick up and use in my game.

I got insight on eye contact, communication, some positioning, transitions and a few other things but then I saw other stuff that wouldn't be right for me to use.

Reporting fouls at the spot and yelling it to the table. Communicating from under the basket to the table and a few other things that seemed fine with crew but not for my games.

When an official learns the proper mechanics and positioning without the shortcuts it makes that person able to call a game under any circumstances appropriately.

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by twocentsworth

By all means, do what u need to in order to see the play and make the best possible call. Officiating is all about getting the call right; you have to see the play to get it right; and to see the play - u need to have the best angles. Hopefully you've "moved to improve" your look...but if bending is needed, go ahead.

Put another way...if Jim Burr does it to help him make a call, then it's good enough for me.

More aptly, Jim Burr can get away with it.