Brand New Official

[ChuckElias]

I was checking the baseball thread and saw this one, which reminded of a few similar threads from the past. Here's a post I made years ago, but I still think is pretty good for the new guys/gals:

Here's my humble suggestions for improving as a brand new official. Seems to me that there are only 2 or 3 things that you totally control when you're just starting out. They are: 1) your knowledge of the rules; 2) your mechanics; 3) your appearance.

1) Know your rules cold. Read the book all the time, read the cases when your not reading the rules. Talk to fellow officials who know the rules about situations. Listen to your board interpreter at meetings. Know the rules cold.

2) Practice your mechanics as much as possible. Do this at home in front of a mirror. Watch yourself. Say "Tweet" (don't actually blow a whistle, or you'll go deaf) and make a foul signal. Or stop the clock and give a traveling signal. Do this as much as you can. If you can see yourself doing it, you'll know if your arm is really straight. (If your arms get tired, take a break and study your rule book.) You'll get into the habit of using a fist for fouls and open palm for violations. Get your signals right out in front of your chest. Practice reporting the foul to the table. Again, try to do this in front of a mirror if at all possible. It feels silly, but it helps, honest.

3) Don't scrimp on your uniform. Get black beltless pants (I prefer non-pleated Sansabelts, but you can buy other brands that still look nice). Get a good pair of black shoes and make 'em shine! People really do notice. If you have long hair or a slightly "unusual" hairstyle, get rid of it. (My first year I didn't want to cut my hair and I was called "pretty boy" by a fan. That convinced me real fast.) If you wear jewlery like a bracelet or chain or a watch, don't wear them on the court.

Finally, you just have to go out and work games. Lots and lots of games. See as much baskeball as you can. If you're not working a game, go to a HS game and watch the officials. Take your rule book so you can study the rules during the time-outs. Then talk to the officials after the game, if they're available. Ask them about a situation from the game and why they handled it as they did. Then offer to buy them a couple beers at the local watering hole. Ok, that last part is probably not as important as the other stuff, but you get the idea.

Best of luck to you. Let us know how your first few games go. Have a great season.

Did I mention that you should study the rules?

I'll also echo those who have said to watch yourself on video, if possible. It's a great way to evaluate what you're doing well and what you need to work on.

(I will now slink off to the baseball thread. . .)

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by ChuckElias

Practice your mechanics as much as possible. Do this at home in front of a mirror. Watch yourself. Say "Tweet" and make a foul signal. Or stop the clock and give a traveling signal. Do this as much as you can.

In front of a mirror is a good technique, but even better is in front of the television set while watching a basketball game, it could be college, or professional, men, or women. It helps a new officials to make quick decisions, and to respond with the correct mechanics, whistle, signal, etc. Even the new official's calls don't match those on the television, at least he, or she, will get the timing, and the mechanics down.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

In front of a mirror is a good technique, but even better is in front of the television set while watching a basketball game, it could be college, or professional, men, or women. It helps a new officials to make quick decisions, and to respond with the correct mechanics, whistle, signal, etc. Even the new official's calls don't match those on the television, at least he, or she, will get the timing, and the mechanics down.

You do this in front of the mirror so that you can see what you look like. That is why you get video of yourself working a game and preferably do it with a video that you have someone tape you specifically as opposed to using a coach's or school tape where they focus only on the court and not your mechanics. What you are suggesting Billy might be good for making decisions, but not for "How you look" officiating or signaling as Chuck was I am sure trying to state.

I think honestly one of the best ways to learn is to watch other officials in person. When I was coming up I would work a lower level game and stay and watch the varsity officials. Then I would ask the officials to talk to them at halftime or after the game and learn from what they called or how they handled situations. For some reason that does not happen a lot anymore with younger officials and those same officials complain when they are not getting anything they want out of their careers as they have not learned to be a student of the game. And being a student of the game is not working a game and then before the sweat is dry they are out the door.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

You do this in front of the mirror so that you can see what you look like. That is why you get video of yourself working a game and preferably do it with a video that you have someone tape you specifically as opposed to using a coach's or school tape where they focus only on the court and not your mechanics. What you are suggesting Billy might be good for making decisions, but not for "How you look" officiating or signaling as Chuck was I am sure trying to state.

I never suggested that new officials stop looking in the mirror ("In front of a mirror is a good technique"). I suggested that whistling at the television should be an additional "study aid". I spent several years on our local "mechanics clinic" committee. One of the biggest problems for new officials was to simply blow the whistle and give some type of signal when they saw something. A "train wreak" would occur and they wouldn't blow the whistle. When questioned why they would indicate that they weren't sure who the foul was on, or what type of foul it was, so they just passed on it. In other cases the ball would go out of bounds with no whistle. When questioned why no whistle, they would mumble something about not being sure how the ball ended up out of bounds. Others stated that they were reluctant to sound their whistle because they were unsure about which signals, and the order of the signals, to show after the whistle. We constantly had to tell these rookies to just blow the damn whistle to stop the clock, and then worry about making a call.

Blowing a whistle and giving signals while watching a game on television is a good way to quickly end this "whistle anxiety".