Getting Warmed Up

[Rich]

Originally Posted by AremRed

It's all about routine. Pregame discussion, pregame snack, pregame stretch. Counting players on the court, talking with the coaches, talking with your partners. I do some self-talk to review PCA's and mechanics; go for a little run with 3 minutes left to get my legs working. Pop in the gum with 1 minute left.

Game time.

More self-talk: white is on defense, blue setting screens. Blue 12 set a marginal screen, watch him for next time. White 55 likes to bang in the post. Ball OOB off defense, point left. Ball off offense, point right.

The good news is you usually have a few possessions to get oriented before you have a whistle.

I *expect* there will be a play on the opening tip. I've seen (at least three times in the last year) a long tap and a potential foul at the bucket. Have to be ready.

[SE Minnestoa Re]

I am a really relaxed official. I could probably take a nap five minutes prior to the game. However, I believe you need to be mentally ready to go. I use the 15 minutes on the floor prior to the game to get me prepared. I agree with Rich that you better be ready for issues on the jump ball.

I think some officials struggle early because they are too uptight. If that is the case, work on relaxing prior to the game.

I think officiating is like my golf swing--the more I think about it the worse it gets.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by SE Minnestoa Re

I am a really relaxed official. I could probably take a nap five minutes prior to the game. However, I believe you need to be mentally ready to go. I use the 15 minutes on the floor prior to the game to get me prepared. I agree with Rich that you better be ready for issues on the jump ball.

I think some officials struggle early because they are too uptight. If that is the case, work on relaxing prior to the game.

I think officiating is like my golf swing--the more I think about it the worse it gets.

Agreed. It takes the *teams* a few minutes to settle in. Try to let the game breathe the first few minutes (I'm not saying to pass up on any fouls, but don't go looking to establish anything early with your whistle unless you have to) and things are usually fine.

[Rob1968]

I try to get to the site early, and I remind myself that the rest of the day is now gone, turned off. If I have the 1st game of the afternoon, I go through my pre-game info. If there's a game preceeding mine, I watch it just to get the mood of the surroundings.
My pre-game physical warm-up includes some taichi, which is excellent for the stretching and calming/focusing.
I also like to put a pleasant song in the background, in my mind. Some studies have shown that humans often focus better with background music, during mental exercises.

[Rufus]

Everyone's said it one way or another, but routine is the key.

For the mental part is starts by arriving in time to unwind from the day, shoot the breeze with the crew, and critique the JV folks. Also talk regarding knowledge of the teams playing (style of play, season success, star players, etc.), experience with coaches involved, and any weird plays encountered during the season. Pre-game while getting changed goes over more about reminders of rule-changes, fight handling, mechanics, etc.

For the physical part I know at 3 minutes before tip/introductions we're doing coaches meeting so I back up to 4:30 to start some dynamic stretching (nothing outrageous - butt-kickers and karaokes mostly) to get physically ready.

Finally, when they're playing the national anthem I take that time to play scenarios in my head I think we might encounter based on the scouting we've done, especially low-post and ball handler/closely guarded situations.

By the time that's all done I'm locked in and ready to go. Hasn't failed me yet so I'm sticking to it.

[Raymond]

There are no tricks. You need to have a good pre-game, then step on the court ready to officiate. From the very first time you settle into the L/C/T you need to talk to yourself about what you are looking for.