OT: Working Volleyball

[pfan1981]

Just my .02,

I ref both volleyball and basketball for a couple years. I have attended camps for both. Obviously basketball is more physically demanding and a lot more to keep track of since the players interact physically with one another. Also, the coaches and players get more heated with basketball.

That being said, any officiating is mentally demanding. I dive into the rule and casebook in both sports I officiate to better prepare myself. Additionally, I work on mechanics and professionalism at all times. Volleyball is more straight forward as far as situations and rules. The lineups and alignments can be a beast to keep track of as well as the touches at the net on a hard spike. There are subjective calls in volleyball just like in basketball. One ref could call a lift in volleyball differently each game just like in basketball where a ref might call more hand-checking and less aggressive play.

Volleyball is easier than basketball, but requires work and practice in order to perfect it just like any sport.

I'm rambling now......ugh.........I will tell you what I say to people when they give you a hard time for being a teacher.....

"It's not a private club. Anyone can join. Feel free to sign up. And then we can talk."

pfan

[SCalScoreKeeper]

I am a basketball scorekeeper with 8 years experience & a 1'st year volleyball official after a lengthy (6 yr) tenure as a volleyball scorer.Volleyball is quite the mental exercise-having to keep track of rotations,watch the ball handling,monitoring the net & center-line,and making sure your line judges and table crew are doing their jobs.Basketball is the better physical workout-but the previous poster is right.If you're doing your job correctly at the end of the night you'll be tired.I did three volleyball matches in two days last week & was wiped out.This week I'll work 4 in 4 days (2,off,1,1) and would've been 5 in 4 if my MS match didn't cancel.

[Moosie74]

Based on this I checked into the local VB officials association. Seems like a good way to keep busy for a couple of months after softball and before basketball.

I checked with the president of the officials board, he said there is a very small number of officials and they like to have people who work other sports.

Most days are junior high and JV games or JV/Varsity and the same officials work both matches and he said that most of the competent officials move on to college play after their 2nd or 3rd year, we mostly only have D3 and JUCO schools.

[SCalScoreKeeper]

Moosie74-you'll have a lot of fun.our unit has a former division 1 softball official who is R2 on a lot of high level public school matches out here in her second year.your skills in handling coaches from basketball and softball will come in handy-all you need to do is learn volleyball.I as a first year got a handful of middle school matches on my own and some small school varsity along with a lot of line judging.What state do you work?

[Moosie74]

Originally Posted by SCalScoreKeeper

Moosie74-you'll have a lot of fun.our unit has a former division 1 softball official who is R2 on a lot of high level public school matches out here in her second year.your skills in handling coaches from basketball and softball will come in handy-all you need to do is learn volleyball.I as a first year got a handful of middle school matches on my own and some small school varsity along with a lot of line judging.What state do you work?

I live in Maine, there are a lot of schools with programs here that are either a couple of years old or just starting up in the next couple of years so the quality of play shouldn't be all that intense to start.

I always believe that new officials learning game management and dealing with people is the hardest part so with that out of the way, focusing on the game itself will be easier.

I am looking forward to giving it a shot.

[SCalScoreKeeper]

welcome to the club Moosie-join us over on the vb board.

[26 Year Gap]

Originally Posted by pfan1981

Just my .02,

I ref both volleyball and basketball for a couple years. I have attended camps for both. Obviously basketball is more physically demanding and a lot more to keep track of since the players interact physically with one another. Also, the coaches and players get more heated with basketball.

That being said, any officiating is mentally demanding. I dive into the rule and casebook in both sports I officiate to better prepare myself. Additionally, I work on mechanics and professionalism at all times. Volleyball is more straight forward as far as situations and rules. The lineups and alignments can be a beast to keep track of as well as the touches at the net on a hard spike. There are subjective calls in volleyball just like in basketball. One ref could call a lift in volleyball differently each game just like in basketball where a ref might call more hand-checking and less aggressive play.

Volleyball is easier than basketball, but requires work and practice in order to perfect it just like any sport.

I'm rambling now......ugh.........I will tell you what I say to people when they give you a hard time for being a teacher.....

"It's not a private club. Anyone can join. Feel free to sign up. And then we can talk."

pfan

Agreed. Just finished my 3rd year of VB. Working at certain things, but alignments is still the weak point. As I get to understand the game more, that will come.

And, I changed careers and am now a teacher.

[pfan1981]

Originally Posted by 26 Year Gap

Agreed. Just finished my 3rd year of VB. Working at certain things, but alignments is still the weak point. As I get to understand the game more, that will come.

And, I changed careers and am now a teacher.

Welcome to the club lol. If you are not mentally tired after doing vball then you aren't doing it right.

[Moosie74]

Originally Posted by pfan1981

Welcome to the club lol. If you are not mentally tired after doing vball then you aren't doing it right.

I watched the Miami-Wake Forest Volleyball game that was on TV last night. It was mentally tiring just watching it trying to take it all in.

I think working any sport is mentally demanding, because as you start out, you're thinking about where you are, where you should be, what the call is, what the rule is, etc. Throw in the the physical part and it's that much more of a challenge.

I know a guy who is a flagger at a local NASCAR track, he is gets tired from all the mental and organizational tasks he's doing while the cars are racing.

The throwing of the flags is very little of all the things he does.

Its the same thing though to officiate something well you have to have the energy invested in it

[Lcubed48]

Originally Posted by 26 Year Gap

Agreed. Just finished my 3rd year of VB. Working at certain things, but alignments is still the weak point. As I get to understand the game more, that will come.

And, I changed careers and am now a teacher.

I agree with you about alignment/rotations. It continues to be a work-in-progress. One of these days I may just call a violation for it.

Congrats and kudos to you on your new career.

[Zoochy]

As a down Official (R2), I keep a piece of paper in my pocket that have the original alignment. On this paper I record subsitution and serves. The 1st time they serve I place a '1' near their number. The 2nd time thru I turn the '1' into a '+'. The 3rd time I circle the plus sign. I cheat and look at this throughout the set. It has helped me in identifying overlapping many times. Maybe someday I will be good enough and won't have to use my cheat sheet.

[Eastshire]

I did VB for about three years. It was by far the most mentally challenging of any sport I've worked. I put it down to the constant decision making as R1. They only thing that comes close is calling balls and strikes in baseball but that's only once every 20-30 seconds.

At any rate, I've never come away from a basketball game any where near as mentally fatigued as I did from an average VB match.