Running Backwards
 

I have a friend/ref partner (have to be careful how you use the word partner these days) that works with me on the court. He's one that I give constructive criticism to at different times. Well, I've told him numerous times not to run backwards because its dangerous and it reveals to the whole gym who the new guy is. Last weekend I'm center moving up the floor on a fast break and something catches my eye across the court. Just ahead of the two players who are smoking towards the basket I see a ref sliding on his arse with his arms angled up to the sky. Of course its my partner and he's fallen and he's doing a marvelous job of mopping the floor from the 3pt line to the end line. Whole crowd cracks up. Luckily he wasn't hurt and of course at half time I ask him why he was indicating a good three point attempt when the ball hadn't even been released.:D Well this weekend we're back on the court BV and I glance across the court and he's still running backwards! Oh well!

You can lead a horse to water...

Out of curiosity does he provide any reason why he continues to run backward?

Running backwards is hard enough on your legs because the muscles just aren't built for that motion. Let alone not being able to see a potential tripping hazard behind you....

No, just likes to do it. I've told him if you change any one thing I've commented on stop running backwards! Of course if you want your wife wiping you because you've injured your spine then continue on.

My reason for not liking has nothing to do with possibly tripping. My thing is if you are running backwards what are you looking at? Definitely not the players headed to the paint and post areas. If you are trying to help with action along your sideline you're not much help b/c you are going away from said action. If you are trying to help you need to stop and officiate.

I see absolutely no benefit to it.

I haven't run backwards since my first season of refereeing. But this last Saturday I had one possession where I beat the kids up the court and my head was turn as it always is, and for some reason my body turned and I found myself back pedaling.

It was the weirdest feeling in the world and I didn't like it one bit. Luckily, nothing bad happened and it just left me wondering what happened. :confused:

The Ball!

How does he keep up with HSBV players in transition running backwards?

Easy to do if you never come into the frontcourt!:eek:

And As Trail, When The Shot Goes Up, They Are Already Bailing ...
 

I was thinking the same thing. We've all seen those guys, haven't we?

It's funny how running backwards is not frowned upon in football, but in basketball it is.

I've been working college football as a deep guy for 6 years now and I've fallen exactly zero times. High school, 7 years and zero falls.

In football, I have receivers spread out over a much wider distance than a basketball court.

While I don't do it in a basketball game, if I had to, I could do it and maintain coverage. ;) So could anyone really.

And how much deeper than the players are you when you know they're coming your way? 20 yards? 30 yards? In basketball, you'd already be positioned on the endline as the new lead at those distances. You've got a LOT longer to anticipate your movements before the receivers get to you than you do when there is a steal at the top of the key and you have to get to the other end NOW.

....but you can't make it get in a bathing suit! :p

Enjoy, You're Welcome ...
 

In football if you fall down you do not have a hard surface to fall onto and likely your head or land on your wrists the same way. I also do not know anyone in football that gets carried off by a stretcher like they do in basketball when they fall on their head either.

Peace

He sprints to about the top of the key when he's lead and then turns and does the run backwards number, I know why not go all the way while looking over your shoulder? I've given up in trying to get him to change. Maybe he use to box!

Hell, running backwards is encouraged in soccer! In fact, it's part of our physical test.

But, there are reasons why it's encouraged in one and not the other. In soccer, if you're 10-20 yards from the sideline, and the ball is coming toward you, you want your eyes on the field while your feet are moving in the necessary direction. In basketball, the space is 15 times smaller to cover, so backtracking just isn't necessary.

More than a few years ago, I volunteered for a Y girls' basketball game, so just to experiment, I thought I'd try backtracking, just to see what the big deal was all about. (I wasn't getting paid, so why not?) The experiment failed; it was one of my worst performances on the court.

Our local summer rec league uses HS players interested in becoming officials. It works out well in that they make some pocket money and get a taste of officiating. Certified veterans help train them. We had a student 3 summers ago who insisted on back peddaling despite several attempts to correct and warn him. Unfortunately, he did trip over a player during a 10/11 game, fell backwards and broke BOTH wrists. Both arms in a cast pretty much all summer. We use him as an example now.

Perhaps that will be the purpose of Loudwhistle2s buddy.

Being a soccer guy, every once in a while I'll catch myself starting to run backwards since it comes naturally. Personally, I don't think it has anything to do with the space being covered. Frankly, your view running backwards is far superior to your view over your shoulder. Rather, I think it comes down to safety. The hazards to the official, primarily cheerleaders and people sitting in the front row, are too close for safety, which is not the case in football and soccer.

It may be superior in that you see a larger field of vision which is what you need in soccer and football but it sure as heck doesn't give you a better 'look' at what you should be officiating on a baskeball court.

I'm a little mystified here. I can see at best about 4 players while I'm looking over my shoulder while my partner has the ball and the primary defender. That means until I get to the endline and turn around, 4 and as many as 6 players are not being looked at. If I ran backwards, I would be able to cover all of the off-ball players.

So I have to ask, if not the off-ball players, what precisely should I be officiating when the ball isn't in my PCA?

With all due respect, this is 100% not true for myself.

Yes, I've backpedalled in a basketball game, but not in years - possibly a decade or more. If it all of a sudden became "ok" in a basketball game, I would switch before the "ok" sentence was finished.

Primary responsibility of the trail official is to referee the on ball defender WHILE seeing as many of the other players as possible.

So many times I see unengaged dribblers bring the ball into the f/c & the trail is locked in on the dribble. It looks like, "if he violates I'm not going to miss it!!" T go find the next matchup! L get to the endline. If you have a C thats a bonus.

BTW, whats wrong the ol' sidestep method in regards to a more open look in transition?

Sure, but it's not an issue when there's no pressure. It's when the T has heavy pressure and can't pick up anyone else that you have both uncovered players and an incentive for off-ball fouls.

There's nothing wrong with sidesteping, imo. It's a much better view in transition than over the shoulder and I use it whenever I can.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying we should run backwards; I'm just saying it's for safety reasons, not officiating reasons we don't.

You have a partner - he is covering some of the players you are not. You can't possibly see all of the players no matter where you are looking. You have your primary and focus on the key matchups and catch what you can out of your peripheral. But you have to trust that your partner is also covering their primary.

(Assuming 2-person)

If it is a fast break, the ball IS in your PCA, even if it is above the FT line....until the trail gets to the FC.

If it is not a fast break, you don't have all 8 off ball players , more like 5-6. Not much different than a half court set. There is no way you can cover the 8 players who are off ball, particularly in transition.

If they're trapping in the backcourt with more than 2 defenders, you shouldn't be running down the court anyway so looking over your shoulder is not necessary.

That's part of the reason I decided to experiment for that Y game. If I can see more in one sport, why can't I see more in another?

It still threw me off a bit for that game, and I'm sure I didn't look very solid backpedaling 40-50 feet. I figured, if you're going to try stuff like that, do it in a game that just doesn't matter. Aside from two or three back-steps here and there, I haven't done it since as the T or in transition.

I agree that it's not the right mechanic for basketball, but it has nothing to do with the view it gives.

What exactly are you looking at while backing up? If there is so much going on behind you why don't you just stop and officiate the players? If you are on the sideline as the new lead and you are backing up how are you seeing in between players coming up the court? How are you covering the crash on the opposite sideline?

So you are telling me that if you are running backwards down the sidelines your view of the court is just as good? It would seem to me half of your peripheral would be emcompassed by the fans or benches. Or do you run backwards but turn your head 90 degrees towards the court?

First off, let me note again that I sidestep or look over my shoulder as the play dictates.

The players.

Because the players don't stop. If you stop, you'll have players closer to the endline than you who are your responsibility.

The same way as when looking over the shoulder except with primary vision instead of peripheral vision.

Better.

Only if for some reason you are staring straight down the sideline instead of looking on the court. Of course, when looking over the shoulder you are only using about a third of your visual field, so hey, half is an improvement.

Why would you do that? You turn your head towards the court in the same manner as the T bringing the ball up from the backcourt.

I, too, am a soccer guy. Easthire, I agree with just about every comment you have made in this thread.

I was at a basketball camp a couple years ago and they ask us to sprint up the court and back pedal back twice in each direction. I got my two trips before many got in one trip. Of course, the purpose of the activity was to show why back pedaling was a bad idea.

Truth is, you CLEARLY get a better view of the floor and your primary when backing up as opposed to looking over your shoulder. If you know you are beyond all players and have some sense as to where the wall is and where the cheerleaders are (basketball courts have numerous markings on them to make this task much easier), looking straight ahead provides a better field of view (court of view, if you prefer).

The ONLY reason in my mind to not back pedal in these situations is for safety reasons -- broken wrists are a pain!!! This presents a pretty compelling reason NOT to go backwards...

Like It Was Yesterday . . . Dumb Things I've Done
 

This, from the "I can't believe how stupid we were back then" department:
I recall the very first state-sponsored rookies' officiating clinic I ever attended back in '76, where running backwards was something we were made to practice in that initial "get your feet wet" training seminar. Whether this was really the state-mandated mechanic or some renegade clinician's idea, I don't know. They lined us up just about shoulder-to-shoulder along the backcourt freethrow line, backs facing other end, practicing running backwards and starting and stopping as the clinician dribbled the ball downcourt. Dumb. Kinda the equivalent of smoking cigarettes as a cure for asthma, or building the Corvair with the gas tank in the dashboard, or a BATF party where the order of things was Beer, other Alcohol, then Tobacco, then Firearms shooting. Wow, were we stupid back in the day. But those days sure were fun!

How would many like to be hospitalized for a concussion or some other head trauma when your head hits on a very hard floor. Not all floors are good wood floors either. As I said before I know a couple of people carried off the floor for hitting their head while losing their balance while moving backwards. Not all of us are young, very athletic or in great shape to fall properly and not get hurt.

Peace

I don't run backwards but....
 

I agree he shouldn't run backwards. However, there is one benefit to it and its probably why most people use this poor mechanic. Your field of vision is better than when you are running down the court looking over your shoulder. This I believe is more prevalent in 2 man when the sideline is your responsibility. Also if you are running down court with your head over your shoulder like you are supposed to in 2 man you are just as much likely to trip over something in front of you because you can't see it.

I agree we shouldn't run backwards, however, just wanted to point out that there is one small advantage to it. Of course if you have players you are trying to beat down the court you need to be watching them and hope your partner can help you on any calls on the line.

I don't work soccer, nor football, but for me the risks far outweigh any benefit to backpedaling. Last weekend, when I tripped, I wasn't backpedaling. If I had been, the damage would have been a lot worse (possibly a head injury). Instead of tripping and falling on my knee and wrist (my wrist is still sore), I wouldn't have seen him in the corner of my eye and had time to adjust.

Looking over my shoulder, I can see the players well enough to know if there's a matchup I need to stop to focus on.

If I find myself stopped at about the FT line, and know I'm the only one back, I might back up (in a walk) the rest of the way. But only rarely and I don't know why I do it. I notice I do it more in 3 man when there's a press with a BC throw in.

As Rut has said, the risk of injury from falling is less in soccer and football as it is ostensibly a softer surface. That being said, I'd much rather take a fall backwards or to the side than be tripped going forward. There's a much greater temptation to try to catch yourself falling forward (which is what breaks wrists) and it's far harder to both protect your head from the ground (the neck doesn't bend back as far as it bends forward) and I find slapping out with the arms to be easier and more instinctive when falling backwards.

Some of that may be that in my self-defense class, we are almost always thrown onto our back or sides so I just have more experience in it.

1. So you run backwards faster than teenage boys run frontwards? After you have closed down for a shot you can backpedal and beat sprinting 16 year-old boys down the court?

2a & b. When I run with my head over my shoulder my eyes are facing the court. I'm with the pack or slightly ahead. My peripheral allows me to see to the front (the direction I'm going) and behind me, with my primary vision on to the court all the way to the opposite sideline if needed. Running while looking over your shoulder doesn't mean to torgue your neck so far that you can see the back of your shoulder blades.

3. As the new Lead you have more coverage than a Trail bringing up the ball. I have never seen a basketball official who runs backwards while turning his head left or right. They look the direction their body is facing and since they are on the sideline either everything to their left peripheral or right periperhal is OOB. And an official backpedaling cannot change direction and still focus on a matchup the way the new Trail can change directions while running forward with and keeping focus on the ballhandler.

In 2 man I'm less likely to sprint down the court than I am in 3-man. In 2-man I only sprint as the new Lead if it's a fast break. In 3-man I can sprint down the court after made baskets or defensive rebounds because I know the C is available to help the T. In 2-man, if there is no fast break, first thing on doing on change of possession is freezing and squaring up to the court so I can see my new matchups and find the pack. If the new Lead is backpedaling up the court that's an indication to me that he bailed out early on the shot.

Yes, I can run as fast as most varsity boy soccer players while running backwards, at least over short distances (15-20 yards) and do so frequently. But admittedly, I'm a younger official and I train for soccer.

That doesn't change the fact that you aren't using the vast majority of your field of vision for looking at play. Also, if you are with the pack, aren't you getting straight-lined?

Which is why you need more useful field of vision, not less. The rest of this point is that people with little experience running backwards don't do it well. That should be self-evident. Also, it is not difficult at all to change direction while running backwards.

Another benefit of running forwards is that if you do find yourself getting beat and can't make it to your spot in time to get a good look through the play, you can adjust and come in behind the play. Running backwards, you're screwed if you end up straightlined - you can't recover.

Do you turn to backpedal or are you are already backing up and then a situation comes up where you need to sprint backwards? On a basketball court you are stationary officiating when a shot goes up. Not to diminish your athletic ability but you are not backpedaling up the court faster than the teenagers around here running forward. Maybe a middle school game but not JV or Varsity in these parts.

How am I straight-lined? I'm looking east/west through players who are going north/south . Someone who is back-pedaling is looking at the backs of players.


For soccer officials and DBs at the NFL Combine it's not difficult. I would say a majority of basketball officials don't have that training.

Running backwards is not a natural act like running forwards. It takes more engagement from the brain which takes away concentration from other activities the brain is focusing on. It may be second nature to you but it's not to most people.

As I alluded to in another post if an official is in a position to backpedal and beat all the players up court I don't see how he was engaged in the previous play on the other end of the court. He was most likely backing away from the previous play.

Hundreds of Steps Backward...One Sad Step Back
 

I'll tell that to the "experienced" guy I work with here and on the hardcourt who took some unwanted time off from both work and his assigned soccer schedule last season due to a fall that occurred during one of his soccer games in which he broke his wrist. Surgeries, pins, time off work, lost remainder of his Big Ten schedule, still can't pick his nose with that hand, etc. I don't think he's gonna be running backwards any time again soon. And he was "good at it." ;)

Again, I don't actually run backwards when I work basketball.

I'm at best stationary during rebounding and at worse moving towards the endline that's being shot at. Regardless, I'm usually at ~ 45 degree angle to the court meaning it's a further turn to running forward than backward. Your mileage will vary with the speed of your athletes and the schools are work are not the biggest out there.

Yes, with the current mechanics backpedaling generally means the person bailed, but we aren't talking about current mechanics (or backpedaling either which is mechanically different than running backwards).

I think you answered this yourself. If you are even with them you don't have the angle to see between them. You have to be ahead or behind to see between.

I agree, but that begs the question. The point is not that we don't have the training, the point is that the reason we don't do it is safety not that over-the-shoulder is a superior view.

Looking off-ball isn't natural either but we learn to do it.

Your implying cause and effect in a situation that's merely correlation.

Just because we're experienced at something doesn't mean we never screw up at. And if he doesn't run backwards again, he probably won't be getting soccer assignments because he won't pass the physical that includes running backwards.

Seriously, you're comparing training your eyes to look off ball to learning how to run backwards, change directions, and still focus on players. Come on now. :rolleyes:

You act like it's hard. It really isn't.

Huh? Very rarely are players running side-by-side. Someone is going get out front. From the sideline I'm looking through these players.

No, I act it's an unnatural motor skill, something we don't do naturally. Something that someone puts thought into while doing it. And while doing it they also have to focus on something else that doesn't come natural, looking off ball.

BadNewsRef (and just about all others),
I have enjoyed this thread for a couple reasons. First of all, I seriously doubt that the mechanics manual is going to change anytime soon to incorporate backpedaling as a mechanic.

As I pointed out earlier, SAFETY is the real reason, in my opinion backpedaling is not included as an option for basketball referees. JRut added the head injury to the list of safety concerns.

At the same time, some of us are quite fast moving backwards -- and it has BECOME very natural which is no different than looking off ball. Both take practice. Some NEVER become proficient at running backwards. Others never become proficient at looking off ball.

Ironically, in soccer, as an assistant referee ("linesman" or "line judge", if you prefer, although not accurate), we are strongly criticized for running while looking over are shoulder as opposed to side-stepping (defensive slide, if you prefer) since we may miss an offside call or other foul due to a lower-than-optimal field of view.

I do NOT ever back pedal while reffing basketball. Side-stepping is not "natural" either, but I do frequently side-step when "C" so that I am able to face directly across the court. I also side-step while "T" as the ball is being contested while being brought up the court. I believe that in these two instances, I am much better able to view my match-up(s) while moving up the court.

I will agree with my soccer counterpart, that there are several advantages to back pedaling in basketball. Unfortunately, the safety risks outweigh these benefits.

I made it a point to notice how much of the court I could see while running down the court (forward) and looking over my shoulder. I could easily see more than half the court - the entire front court and some of the backcourt. There is no good reason not to run forward down the court.

+1. I think some folks are taking "looking over your shoulders" too literally, as in you're running forward while looking almost 180 degrees behind. That's not what it means. It means to run with your head turned to your inside shoulder to look directly onto the court which then allows your peripheral to catch anything unusual that may happen behind you.

Coach, I sidestep also, especially in 2-man crews as the new Lead helping with pressing situations...as you pointed out, like running backwards it's unnatural , but it allows you to see directly on the court.

I part of our disagreement here is basically a difference in how quickly we try to get to the endline as new L. With no pressure, I move as quickly as possible to the endline and officiate play as it comes to me. It seems to me that you pace the players to the endline. This means I have to look further over my shoulder than you do to cover players (although certainly not 180 degrees, more like 95 degrees.


But you can't do unnatural things and officiate at the same time! ;)

-1
That's exactly what it does mean. What you are describing is looking to your side. Peripheral vision is not good enough to see many things accurately enough to make an informed decision. Especially in 2 man where you are responsible for the line. I don't believe you can call the line with credibility with looking to the side. I'm in the process of teaching my daughter to drive. In backing up I'm teaching her to look back over her shoulder similar to how I do in officiating basketball. If she looks to her side her vision behind her is not as good as it could or should be. When I look back over my shoulder I have a much better view of the play behind me and the players.

All I need to see is that the ball went out on my line. I'll let my partner who is covering the ball then give me "help" if I didn't see what caused the OOB. I never (knock on wood) fail to blow my line, but I'm also not shy about asking for help. As the new Lead in 2-man I'm usually responsible for 6-9 players until the ball settles in the front court. If the action does all of a sudden come to my sideline then I'm going to stop and position myself to see the pack and to referee what's coming at me. I'm not going to keep moving away from the action.

In 3-man I get down as fast as possible, in 2-man I don't. In 2-man, while in transition I want provide some "Slot" support. Also in 2-man I'm sure I close down on farther as the Trail than 99% of the officials so most times I'm not in position to have all the players behind me when the play starts going the other way.


BTW, I love this discussion. Rule talk is good and necessary, of course, but I really get excited when the discussion is about how we "officiate" and why.

Don't run backwards is one of the first things I that was taught to me doing a local officials camp run by a former D1 official. The reason was 100% safety.

I don't think there can be any question that running backwards allows for a better field of vision, whether that be in one's PCA or outside it. I also don't think it's universal that turning and sprinting is faster than running backwards, at least over short distances (just inside the time line to baseline).

Depends on what you are trying to look at and where you are positioned on the court. If you are in the middle of the court running backwards would definitely give you a better view of everything in front of you.

When you are the Lead on the endline do you stand flat (parallel to endline) or at angle? Standing flat would give your a bigger field of vision, but not necessarily the best view of what you should be looking at.


The time line? Talking about the 28' line? What kind of play are you talking about?

I work in a lot of small towns with small gyms (many in the 80 feet range). I was referring to the half court stripe as the time line which in those gyms is only a few strides.

When running backwards you have the ability to turn your head and shoulders to get any forward facing angle you want (within reason).

I admit I still on habit run backwards but it's more instinct than anything (I played DB and LB in high school). It's always in cases where I'm in the court of play and there is a quick steal and transition and I'm trying to avoid getting caught up in the play. If I can get to the sideline and or far enough away from the action I'll reverse pivot and run but sometimes there just isn't much time and by the time I've taken a handful steps backwards I'm already at the other FT line.

Ok, I see what you are saying.

On those type of plays where I'm onto the court and there's a quick steal my first move is to get out of the way and then I turn and run. If they go straight to the basket then I position myself to see in between the defender and ballhandler from behind which may mean me coming onto the court even more. If I see that a defender has gotten ahead of the ballhandler then I'm busting tail straight for the endline with my eyes on the defender.

I don't know about that. The only time I've fallen in soccer was going forward. A small hill caught me by surprise, and I just rolled through the fall and popped right back up. It happened right in front of the visiting bench, too.

After the game, the visiting coach warned me to watch for snipers.