Teaching new church league refs
 

I have some Ideas from Billy Mac from the last couple of years, but if you were teaching a class what you would focus on?

I have 2 hours total. 1 hour in class, 1 hour on the floor.

The students are all HS players so they have basic ideas.

The players they will ref are from 1st grade to 8th grade.

Thanks in advance.

I would be careful in assuming they have basic ideas. They probably have a lot of myths mixed in their basic thoughts.

I would focus on Rule 4 in the classroom.

On the floor, basic coverage areas and allow several minutes for questions.

A Few Things ...
 

1) Lead, and trail, primary coverage areas, and boundary responsibilities.

2) Keep the whistle in your mouth at all times (except for the jump ball).

3) Give strong signals. Report fouls slowly.

4) Review "Misunderstood Rules" in classroom.

If the players are very much learning, I'd tell them to ignore the small infractions, such as a small travel or something that looks like a double dribble. But, when they do decide that something needs to be called, to call it and to stand by it.

Definitely go over the PCAs - get them trained on that from the start.

But don't mention things that will never happen, like above the rim play. 3-pointers - meh. Might not even have a line in the church gym.

Also stress they can slow down when reporting fouls. There's no rush.

Cover transition and helping if there's a press.

Those are my suggestions, for starters.

Terrapin - Send me a PM (if you like) with your email address. I have some stuff I can send you that I use when teaching my young officials.

I would pare Billy's myth list down to the most commonly missed rules.

Traveling rule on a throw in.
Team control on a throw in.
Back court (and when three points actually applies.)

Spend some time showing what these plays look like.
Spend some time on positioning.

I would consider choosing a few of the HS kids that you suspect know the game better than some of the others, and then teach these kids a few simple elements. Then have them teach the group as a whole. You can see how the HS kids interpret what you taught them by how they're informing the others.

Great idea if we had time. Because of the snow, we are way behind schedule.

Games start Saturday. We have 1 day to do classes. In the past we have had 3 days of classes. But I feel confident we will be OK.

I would try to be there the first few games, at least the first single game for each official, to provide some instant feedback. And make sure the coaches are behaving.

I have done this a couple of times. My agenda is below. First and foremost I try to get them to be comfortable blowing the whistle. In fact, I make them blow their whistle instead of raise their hand to ask a question. Then, I try to give accurate descriptions of each foul and violation they may actually have to call in the first few games. If you teach a group of thirty and end up up with 1 or 2 good recruits, call it a success.

Good luck!

Best quick advice
• Blow your whistle
• Raise your arm (either hand or fist)

Basics
• Coverage areas, angles, off-ball

Mechanics
• Throw-in administration, jump administration, free throw administration

Violations
• Travel, Double dribble, carry, out of bounds, back court, 3 seconds, backcourt, kick

Fouls
• What is a foul?
Displacement, RBSQ, Advantage/Disadvantage
• Types of fouls (demonstrate each one)
Hold, Push, Illegal use of hands, Player control, Trip

Probably the most important point...

Teach them what defenders can legally do (i.e., verticality and moving to maintain LGP) and tell them to referee the defense. If the defense did nothing wrong, then they didn't foul. If there is enough contact for a foul and the defender didn't foul, then it is an offensive foul.

If they can do that, they'll get most of the fouls correct. Leave the advanced concepts (such as Advantage/Disadvantage, etc.) for when they get more comfortable. It is enough at first just to see a basic foul and know what to do.

Mechanically, just get them to box in the players and move to get a view through the play along with basic coverage areas.

I was with you right up until here.....

The question I have, is why don't you use already existing officials for this league? These kind of leagues are the way officials around here make some extra money and to fill out some parts of their schedule for younger officials?

Peace

Rut - I don't know about his particular situation regarding this, but in my local kids rec league we go up against other groups to get gym space from the school district. One of the points that helps us get priority on space is that we hire and teach HS kids to ref the little guys and the school district Board really appreciates that.

Of course, our policy that any kid in grades 3-12 who wants to play gets to play regardless of their family's financial situation is a big plus for us, too.

Nothing wrong with that. I just ask because many leagues have gone to rules that allow them to have licensed officials work as a mandate. It makes little difference, but with liability always in the backdrop and time to teach others rules, that seems to be what is done here. I know there are some leagues that might have HS kids work or non-licensed adults, but it seems to the norm they contact an existing high school assignor or local officials association and use their officials. I get emails literally every day to work some league somewhere and cover everything from middle school to men's leagues in many places.

Peace

The concept of control -- player control, team control, no control -- and when control starts and ends. These affect so many other rules.

My one Youth League uses all kids and non-licensed adults. Another uses kids and non-licensed adults for all 15U and below, but, the B16-18 division uses licensed officials. Then we have several others through our association that use strictly licensed adults. I don't know what the liability is.

Just shows to go you......:rolleyes:

I took this list from 10-6-1, but I missed the last one (block):

Types of fouls (demonstrate each one)
Hold, Push, Illegal use of hands, Player control, Trip, Block

I'd love to update my training. How would you best summarize fouls for a short training?

10-6-1
A player shall not hold, push, charge, trip or impede the progress of an opponent by extending arm(s), shoulder(s), hip(s) or knee(s), or by bending his/her body into other than a normal position; nor use any rough tactics.

There is a percieved issue that licensed officials go through a lot of training in order to work games. The same applies to Pop Warner/Bill George Football leagues and Little League or Youth Baseball around here as well. In baseball and softball for example, most leagues have such a rule that there are many officials just licensed so they can work those leagues and almost never work high school at all. I am not so sure I think all of that is necessary, but someone is telling them to go that route. Just wondering.

Peace

I have trained HS kids to officiate for county youth leagues, but last year the county decided to use adults. They did not require NFHS tests, but made they made their own certification test from the previous year's NFHS test. The adults worked out much better than the HS kids, but only because they got more respect from parents. I don't think they are better officials.

I have also trained adults for our local church leagues. There, they often required team members to ref the game before or after the game they played in. So, it was a victory to get consistent referees who at least had a couple of hours of training.

Legal liability has never been raised as an issue. Are there really laws about these things? :)

Perceived liability is often about fear more than anything else. It does not mean that there is actually a court case, but if there have been threats of litigation or possible inquiries, a lot of these leagues do not have the resources to fight a lawsuit even if they did nothing wrong legally.

Peace

Tell them not to be afraid to make a call late.

"I see it......no, wait.......yeah, that's what happened! Oops, too late now."

It's not too late. Blow the whistle.

For what?! Participants sign waivers...

I do not know what a waiver has to do with the officials you hire and if they are perceived as being competent to do their job. I doubt that a waiver is going to prevent from all litigation. I know just as an official is we do not apply a safety issue we can open ourselves for some liability if we ignore certain safety rules or procedures. Concussion procedure comes to mind.

Peace

A waiver doesn't exempt another party from liability in cases of negligence. For example, if you were to ignore the rules pertaining to blood or concussions, you could be sued for negligence and that waiver wouldn't be worth a damn.

Here ya go, Jack. Print these and hand them out.

www.southeasternbasketball.org/doc/DTM-over-the-back.doc

www.southeasternbasketball.org/doc/DTM-over-and-back.doc

www.southeasternbasketball.org/doc/DTM-thats-traveling.doc

www.southeasternbasketball.org/doc/DTM-three-seconds.doc

PM me an email address and I'll send you some more.

But the rules for blood and concussions are made (in the case of high schools) by NFHS are they not? Which means unless the church implemented the same blood and concussion policies, there can be no negligence because the official owed no duty with regard to those issues.

And it could be made to protect the guys regardless who are reffing, if it was done carefully.

Don't these leagues usually adopt a standard rules set of some kind? I know that many youth leagues or Men's leagues agree to apply some rules like the NF or the NCAA. And if they want to modify those rules, they modify those rules by stating what will be applied or not applied. And if those leagues choose to not have a rule for concussions it is possible someone will sue on that basis if they are not diagnosed or properly not allowed to play.

Peace

I do try to attend as many of the games as I can. I usually ref 2 games ( we have 11 games on Saturdays ) We use certified officials for the HS games and some MS games. I try to stay for about 3 more. My son is 15 this will be his 2nd year of reffing. He is very good from all the stories I have brought home since he was 4 years old.

Over all our coaches are good. It really is a Church based league.

We have 2 returning kids from last year, we have 3 adults that help as needed and we use certified officials for the HS games.

We always need more officials. I will have 6 new officials in my class on Wednesday.

Great point thanks.

Great Stuff Thanks guys, you all have been so helpful.

If my brief experiences with church leagues are any indication, those new officials had better practice their technical foul procedures :D

Really? We never T's at the lower level. I think we only had 1 or 2 at the HS level last year. Year before that we had a bad team in and they got a boat load, but they are not allowed back.

This really is a Church based league. You MUST attend church or you can not play. Many leagues do not have that rule.

Thank, uh... goodness.

There is a page at the end of the rule book which has about 20 basic concepts of the game. It would make a great handout. It is entitled "Basketball Rules Fundamentals."

Basketball Rules Fundamentals ...
 

1. While the ball remains live, a loose ball always remains in control of the team
whose player last had control, unless it is a try or tap for goal.
2. Neither a team nor any player is ever in control during a dead ball, jump ball, or
when the ball is in flight during a try or tap for a goal.
3. A goal is made when a live ball enters the basket from above and remains in or
passes through unless canceled by a throw-in violation or a player-control foul.
4. The jump ball, the throw-in and the free throw are the only methods of getting a
dead ball live.
5. Neither the dribble nor traveling rule operates during the jump ball, throw-in or
free throw.
6. It is not possible for a player to travel during a dribble.
7. The only infractions for which points are awarded are goaltending by the defense
or basket interference at the opponent’s basket.
8. There are three types of violations and each has its own penalty.
9. A ball in flight has the same relationship to frontcourt or backcourt, or inbounds
or out of bounds, as when it last touched a person or the floor.
10. Personal fouls always involve illegal contact and occur during a live ball, except a
common foul by or on an airborne shooter.
11. The penalty for a single flagrant personal or flagrant technical foul is two free
throws and disqualification plus awarding the ball to the opponents for a
throw-in.
12. Penalties for fouls are administered in the order in which they occur.
13. A live-ball foul by the offense (team in control or last in control if the ball is loose),
or the expiration of time for a quarter or extra period, causes the ball to become
dead immediately, unless the ball is in flight during a try or tap for goal. The ball
also becomes dead when a player-control foul occurs.
14. The first or only free-throw violation by the offense causes the ball to become
dead immed iately.
15. A double personal foul involves only personal fouls and only two opponents; no
free throws awarded and the ball is put in play at the point of interruption. A
double technical foul involves only technical fouls and only two opponents; no free
throws are awarded, and the ball is put in play at the point of interruption.
16. The official’s whistle seldom causes the ball to become dead (it is already dead).
17. “Continuous motion” applies both to tries and taps for field goals and free throws,
but it has no significance unless there is a foul by the defense during the interval
which begins when the habitual trying or tapping movement starts and ends when
the ball is clearly in flight.
18. Whether the clock is running or is stopped has no influence on the counting of a goal.
19. A ball which touches the front face or edges of the backboard is treated the same
as touching the floor inbounds, except that when the ball touches the thrower’s
backboard, it does not constitute a part of a dribble.
20. If the ball goes through the basket before or after a player-control foul, the goal
shall not be counted.

Thanks Billy.

Mark,

If it's a CHURCH league, I believe the kids SHOULD attend a church. JMO.

I ref in a 2nd church league and that is not a rule. And you can tell the difference in the kids behavior.

In my experience it has never made much difference as to who attends the church or not when doing those leagues in the change of behavior. If they do not act better in private school teams where they have actual control over things the player or coach does with the school, I see these leagues as much of the same in their behavior. They just call it a "church" league.

Peace

The church leagues that occur in my area are mainly mens rec league type things; haven't seen them in a few years, but the short experience I did have was positively awful.

As for the "church" in "church leagues", my experience has shown me that religion of any kind is no guarantee of positive or sportsmanlike behaviour. I certainly don't think it hurts, but Catholic HS teams in my neck of the woods tend not to be any better than secular ones. That goes for public or private schools.