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  #1 (permalink)  
Old Sat Oct 21, 2000, 04:04pm
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Unhappy

Okay, let's face it. I did a lousy job. It was a rough game and I never really felt in control. Fortunately, I had a very good partner, who bailed me out of a couple of bad jams. But even he thought I wasn't doing well, although he was too kind to say so. The coaches weren't happy, and for once they were right. About the only good thing I did was that I was equally lousy for both teams. (The parents didn't think so... )

My question is, what do you do to recover from a slam-in-the-confidence? Let me re-phrase the question. I'm not asking, "What should I do?" I'm asking you more experienced refs what you do when you go home at night and know, "Today I did a crummy job"?

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Old Sat Oct 21, 2000, 05:44pm
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recover from a baaaad game

I have found that a bad game is usually a result of carrying extra baggage to game site, ie: problems at work, running late, problems at home etc etc. Hopefully it is not because you have not prepared yourself to be at the level you are calling. I like driving to a school or gym site that is some distance away. It gives me time to be alone in the car to clear my mind of those things that could detract from my ability to officiate. Warming up for a game by running into the gym at tip-off will almost guarantee a bad nite!! In the end, just forget it!!Everyone has those nights. Review what you were doing, thinking and being influenced by prior to that game and erase those items that took you out of your game.
Good Luck
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Old Sat Oct 21, 2000, 07:33pm
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Thumbs up Happens to everyone.

It happens to everyone at every level. I have had bad games and I am the only one that feels that way (other than the fans of course). Just go back to the basics. Read over your pregame again and get back in there. You are not the only one that this has happen to. Just try not to have the same things happen to you like they did during that game. You have to have a short memory like an NFL cornerback. You are going to make mistakes, just do not dwell on them and move on to the next play and game.
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Old Sat Oct 21, 2000, 07:36pm
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Smile Have fun! This ain't brain surgery.

Quote:
Originally posted by rainmaker

My question is, what do you do to recover from a slam-in-the-confidence? Let me re-phrase the question. I'm not asking, "What should I do?" I'm asking you more experienced refs what you do when you go home at night and know, "Today I did a crummy job"?

rainmaker,
You have already taken the first step.
You are beating yourself up.

The second step is to do like Glenn and Rut said, identify the problems and make 'em go away.
As a newer official trying to figger out how to work this game, I think it is important to call your game, as you understand it, and to not fall into the trap of attempting to call "your partner's game", or as you think you understand your partners game. When we begin officiating, our partners often vary from game to game, and we try to copy their "success". However, each of them has a different game, and by copying all those officials, we wind up calling a mish-mash game where we are standing. We lose any chance for consistency. So, concentrate on calling your own game.

Next, be assured that your next game will be much better. You can take that to the bank.

I muddled through 4-5 years of trying to learn, by copying my partners, and then I heard about Officials' camps. (A new concept for me.)
I tried it! I liked it!(I was feeling pretty good about myself, with fewer, and fewer self-doubts, so I thought I would try a camp.)

I was politely humbled when I left the camp, yet my confidence had soared to heights I thought I could never attain. My game improved tenfold. There is no substitute for learning this game, in my mind.

If I were you, I would contact Mark Padgett, there in Portland, in a blink. I'll bet that he'll be posting down this thread.

Hang in and hold on. And don't forget to have fun!
mick

[Edited by mick on Oct 21st, 2000 at 07:42 PM]
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Old Mon Oct 23, 2000, 12:38am
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As was mentioned before, we all have bad games. Does Tiger Woods have bad shots in golf. Yes. How does he recover? He goes to the ball and hits it again. Just go out and call your next game as if the last one never happened. I like to keep a full schedule so that one game doesn't ruin my career. Just make your next scheduled game and don't let this one drag you down

To wax philisophical here. I believe if you have a bad game it must eventually be balanced with a good game. The worse your game was, the better the one coming will be.

About the going home. I will usually go home slower when I have a bad game. I usually write a little more in my journal. Something I have done from day one is keep a journal of every game I've called with the highlights of the game. If I have a partner with an ear, then we will talk it out. I have talked things out with officials from other games, especially the varsity contest if the bad game was a subvarsity game. A good thing to do if you are a beginning official is call your mentor. That is why you should be assigned one. If you don't have an official mentor you need to get an unofficial mentor. Someone you can talk to about situations like this. I remember one game at the start of my second season that went rather poorly for my partner. After I just talked to her for half an hour after all left the gym, she went home and called several friends. I only found out about it at camp where one of the friends came in from out of state for camp.

The important thing is to realize that you are not the only official that has called a bad game and that you will call both bad and good games in the future. You may have ruined your chances of a better game down the road but probably not. Who cares? You will be back and you will do better. The good news for you is you were 100% from the line, 100% from the field and the team you were on did not lose. Get them tomorrow night.
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Old Mon Oct 23, 2000, 08:41am
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Sometimes bad games result from not having a clear, recognizable picture/understanding of a certain type of play, violation, foul or rule. If you have any doubts, go study and talk about it with other officials or your mentor. If you have access to game tape go look the specific play in question. Next time you won't miss it. Every year i have something happen and it helps me to review the tape. For years i used to have problems with traveling. I finally took the time and energy, to the point where it is now much easier for me to recognize what is or is not a travel. You will bounce back, good luck.
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Old Mon Oct 23, 2000, 10:55am
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Lightbulb realization during game that you are "off:

Sometimes, I think during a game that I may be a little "off". We all know the reasons: head not in the game because of thinking of personal stuff, very tired, not feeling well, etc. Whenever I am alert enough to realize it during the game (sometimes with a little prompting from my partner), I try to concentrate on the things I can change immediately, such as hustling more, making sure I am in position, practicing proper mechanics on calls, etc.

It doesn't always help me make better calls, but it does increase the odds of doing so.
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Old Mon Oct 23, 2000, 11:24am
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Thanks to everyone for the encouragement and advice. I realize that I'll do better next time -- although I didn't have the intestinal fortitude to try it on Sunday. I gave my games up. I'll be okay next weekend, though.

As I looked back after reading all these "helpful hints" I see that personal problems, and a very tough game, combined with not being healthy made this a bad day all around. It didn't matter at home where no one cares whether the dishes are washed, but out on the floor every little uncertainty is magnified a-hundred-fold.

Next time, I will spend more time before the game getting my head screwed on straight. And before then, there are a couple of bad game situations I need to review and learn from.

Can someone tell me how to print this stuff out so I can save it for next time?

Thanks again,

juulie

[Edited by rainmaker on Oct 23rd, 2000 at 11:29 AM]
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Old Mon Oct 23, 2000, 12:04pm
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Location: Houghton, U.P., Michigan
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Get back on that horse, girl!

Quote:
Originally posted by rainmaker
Thanks to everyone for the encouragement and advice. I realize that I'll do better next time -- although I didn't have the intestinal fortitude to try it on Sunday. I gave my games up. I'll be okay next weekend, though.


Can someone tell me how to print this stuff out so I can save it for next time?

Thanks again,

juulie

[Edited by rainmaker on Oct 23rd, 2000 at 11:29 AM]
julie,
Try E-mailing it to youself. Or copy and paste elsewhere, maybe to your word processor program.
mick
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Old Tue Oct 24, 2000, 05:36pm
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Talking

rainmaker, your lucky! When all the dishes aren't done at my house, Somebody cares.
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