Playoff Prep

[The_Rookie]

Playoffs start in my neck of the woods on Feb 14th..

Officials want to hold a Rules Study Session this week in Prep for Playoffs

Suggestions on what your top 5 areas of rules you would cover....

Thanks!

[mutantducky]

the fumble and high dribble. Principle of verticality. hmm. in the playoffs with the higher level of play I've found you don't need to worry so much about hand checks and some other minor fouls if not impacting play but that can vary.

Cowbells. Yeah go over them. Always watch for the cowbells.

[Rich]

Not changing anything from the regular season.

If your area has cleaned up the hand checking, don't start ignoring it now.

[JRutledge]

I would start with definitions and then read the casebook.

Otherwise I think special playoff prep is too late. You need to have been studying those things all along or going over plays and situation during the season. Reading this site or others like it also helps. Rules knowledge comes with many games, situations and watching and hearing situations happen. Because if you do not know something now, when the real bullets are flying you have to "know" rather than "remember."

Peace

[Freddy]

What would be of more value to your pool of officials now, reviewing a number of rules or reviewing positioning mechanics and coverages?

[mutantducky]

I've never heard about playoff prep before.
The only thing is I'd want to see is the refs on the same page. I've seen a few games when they aren't or maybe you'll have one game when the refs are calling it really tight, and then the next is loose. Sometimes with the playoffs you are working with new people and the chemistry isn't there. I do like working with new refs though because sometimes things just click and it goes really well.

[crosscountry55]

Originally Posted by mutantducky

I've never heard about playoff prep before.
The only thing is I'd want to see is the refs on the same page. I've seen a few games when they aren't or maybe you'll have one game when the refs are calling it really tight, and then the next is loose. Sometimes with the playoffs you are working with new people and the chemistry isn't there. I do like working with new refs though because sometimes things just click and it goes really well.

I kind of agree. If anything, have an extra-detailed pre-game. And this doesn't have to all be in the dressing room. Try to go to the game site together, maybe even have lunch or dinner together earlier in the day. Shoot the breeze, get to know each other, talk about basketball. It works wonders for being on the same page come tip-off time.