Holding

[Bob Lyle]

Originally posted by OverAndBack
Rookie question here:

I've been having problems lately (mostly in two-man, but occasionally three man) as a wing with coaches and players saying there should be some holding calls being made.

TWO MAN, THREE MAN! You're gonna miss a lot of stuff with less than 4 officials on the field. There's a reason that the best levels of football have at least 6 zebras on a game.

You must prioritize what your eyes look at. Somebody has to watch the ball. With only two officials, that leaves one guy to watch 21 other players and their activities. You're bound to miss 80% or more of the infractions with those kinds of odds.

When you get to a full complement of officials, you'll have assignments of coverage, just like the players have assignments. Until then, do the best you can and don't worry about what you miss.