Finally...

[jTheUmp]

Originally Posted by johnny d

Studying the 3-man mechanics and actually doing them in game situations are two very different games. I have seen very good 2-man officials, who have turned into very good 3-man officials struggle on the court when they first start doing 3-man. I think the biggest reason is that they are more worried about where they are supposed to go and when they are supposed to go there rather than concentrating on officiating the game. Add in the extra intensity of a playoff game and I think you are really asking for trouble by putting officials in situations that are not part of their normal routine.

I can definitely agree with this based on my experience last season... after doing exclusively 2-person games for my first 3 years, my first experiences with 3-person were a big adjustment.

Luckily, I got to work 3-person in a couple of preseason scrimmages, and my first few 3-person games were JV/Varsity doubleheaders, so I could get the "where am I supposed to go, what am I supposed to look at" kinks out of my system during the JV game.

If my first "on court" 3-person experience had been in an actual varsity game... it wouldn't have gone well.