Advice

[gojeremy]

I had posted before that I'm going to be a new official in 2013-14. I'm going to attend a camp in a few months but is there any advice anyone has for me that I may not learn at the camp? I just want to be as prepared as possible.

[Freddy]

Originally Posted by gojeremy

I had posted before that I'm going to be a new official in 2013-14. I'm going to attend a camp in a few months but is there any advice anyone has for me that I may not learn at the camp? I just want to be as prepared as possible.

Be in shape.
Give the appearance that you're there to learn.
Don't debate clinicians.
Seek out an official or two to keep in touch with.
Watch others as they officiate and listen in on when they're critiqued.
Have a good grasp of the rules prior to attending.
Plan on going to camp next year prior to going this year.
Use the search function for answers to this question that have been given in the past.

Others' insights will be of further help . . .

[jTheUmp]

Originally Posted by Freddy

Don't debate clinicians.

This is a big one. No matter what your clinician tells you, your basic appropriate responses are "Ok", "Got it", "What could I have done better?" and "Thank you".

This is especially true in your position as a brand-new official.

[BigT]

Originally Posted by gojeremy

I had posted before that I'm going to be a new official in 2013-14. I'm going to attend a camp in a few months but is there any advice anyone has for me that I may not learn at the camp? I just want to be as prepared as possible.

Contact local rec center and start doing kid rec leagues. Getting your feet wet and some experience will make everything taught here and at camp mean a lot more to you.

Watch some local HS games from this recent seasons HS playoffs. Watch for 10 then practice for 10 in the mirror until your mechanics feel comfortable and look like the studs doing the HS playoffs.

[JRutledge]

There are three legs of officiating.

1. Rules Knowledge
2. Mechanics
3. Philosophy

All three of these work hand and hand. Yes you have to know the rules, but that takes time and experience calling or watching the game to see all the goofy stuff that takes place. Mechanics will have you fake it until you make it and make it look like you are confident and will help you get plays right. Philosophy is the thing that puts all these things together. Every rule and mechanic has a philosophy of why you stand where you do and how to call a rule. If you read this site a lot you will find that everyone has a philosophy on how they call things like "3 seconds" or when a foul is actually a foul. And some rules we are strict about, other rules we worry about less or do not go out of our way to enforce. It is a healthy balance and what people do in your area is what you should mostly follow. But the people here range in experience and range in experience over different eras and levels. Someone that works college ball might have a different philosophy than someone that works only JH ball. Still, develop a philosophy with how you enforce the rules and your mechanics, just be willing to change over time and when you realize what works best for you.

Peace

[gojeremy]

Thanks for the help. A friend of mine is a veteran official and I'm going to be involved in some summer leagues this year. So hopefully those two things will give me a bit of an advantage in preparation. Along with this forum.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by gojeremy

Thanks for the help. A friend of mine is a veteran official and I'm going to be involved in some summer leagues this year. So hopefully those two things will give me a bit of an advantage in preparation. Along with this forum.

Well that is a good start. We all need a mentor in this business. Someone we can talk to and someone we can discuss things when we are unsure or have some adversity. Also do not be afraid to have more than one mentor. As your career progresses, it is good to get the perspective from other officials as everyone has different experiences and some people are more familiar with a specific level or conference or even different partners you might work with.

Peace

[#olderthanilook]

Originally Posted by gojeremy

Thanks for the help. A friend of mine is a veteran official and I'm going to be involved in some summer leagues this year. So hopefully those two things will give me a bit of an advantage in preparation. Along with this forum.

Working summer leagues, esp if they are JV and/or V level, will be a tremendous help. Even competitive youth leagues will be valuable.

Seeing as many plays/scenarios as possible will be a huge asset.

[gojeremy]

JRutledge. Thanks for the insight about philosophy. I had never thought about that before so thanks for the advice and that is something I will work on when I start working games. I have a question about mechanics though. My friend who is a veteran official told me recently that an official can have the worst mechanics in the world as long as he/she gets the call correct. I debated him a little on this issue, because my theory is that good mechanics will help convince player/coach that the correct call was made. Also, here is another silly question but do you guys prefer to be called refs or officials?

[Freddy]

Originally Posted by gojeremy

...do you prefer to be called refs or officials?

Yes.
There are a lot of less preferable things I've been called.

[JRutledge]

Perception can be reality. You can be the best official in the world, but if you are 300 pounds, no one will believe you can keep up or got plays right because of how you look. So yes getting plays right are the ultimate goal, but part of being seen as getting plays right are what we show them. That is why your mechanics need to be sharp. You will not have great rules knowledge for some time until you have screwed up some rules so the mechanics can make you look more confident. Let us face it, coaches we deal with often are clueless and judge us based on perceptions that are not always true. Unfortunately their opinion often matters more than even fellow officials in certain situations. But the more you do this, the more you will find what works for you and then do that. When something stops working as well, change. In may nearly 20 year career I have changed things several times and considered many different attitudes about different things. Many were changed because of personal experience and talking with others.

Peace

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by gojeremy

Also, here is another silly question but do you guys prefer to be called refs or officials?

I prefer "Your Majesty".

One time I asked my wife to call me that and she laughed for about an hour.

[APG]

Originally Posted by gojeremy

JRutledge. Thanks for the insight about philosophy. I had never thought about that before so thanks for the advice and that is something I will work on when I start working games. I have a question about mechanics though. My friend who is a veteran official told me recently that an official can have the worst mechanics in the world as long as he/she gets the call correct. I debated him a little on this issue, because my theory is that good mechanics will help convince player/coach that the correct call was made. Also, here is another silly question but do you guys prefer to be called refs or officials?

Official is an all encompassing term...as technically speaking, in a NFHS/NCAA game there's a referee and 1/2 umpires and in an NBA game, there's the crew chief and the two referees.

In reality, it doesn't matter.

[#olderthanilook]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

I prefer "Your Majesty".

One time I asked my wife to call me that and she laughed for about an hour.

I've heard some coaches address you as "You're Heinous".

[Bad Zebra]

Originally Posted by jTheUmp

This is a big one. No matter what your clinician tells you, your basic appropriate responses are "Ok", "Got it", "What could I have done better?" and "Thank you".

This is especially true in your position as a brand-new official.

Along these lines...strike these two words from your vocabulary for the entire camp: "YEAH, BUT..."

Listen...and take what you can use. You're going to get conflicting advice or messages. When that happens, bring both perspectives back to your local assn. and find out which to use. Good luck. Camp should be fun.