Officials Clinics, What Makes them Good?

[Bob Mc]

I have this on another board now and am looking for as many suggestions as possible.

Looking for some input from you people on what makes an officials clinic good? What topics do you feel it is important for position leaders to speak to? Who do you want as position leaders? Who do you want for on field evaluation? What is it that makes for an experience that both new and used (?) okay, experienced officials would find enjoyable and meaningful?

[WhistlesAndStripes]

Brevity .

[Forksref]

Brev.

[Bob Mc]

tks........

[The Roamin' Umpire]

All the responses so far have said "brevity," but really, if you're in that much of a hurry to get out of there, why did you show up in the first place?

In my experience, many officials don't sit for lectures that well. So what needs to be kept short are the "one guy talking at everyone else" parts of the presentation.

The best way to pull this off is if you're actually on a field. Have some guys act like players, so that everyone can see what this foul looks like, where you should be standing, etc.

Next best after that is video. Frequent video clips can turn an otherwise OK-but-dull lecture into an excellent learning experience.

Anytime you're dealing with specific plays, throw in one or two wacky ones. Guys often like to kick these around - just be careful, or the entire time can be spent debating every last detail. The point is to pique people's interest and get them thinking.

As for who should be position leaders, if you're drawing from within your own organization, you need to recognize that regardless of who you pick, some guys will tune him out.

That said, the first trait you need is someone widely respected, to keep that to a minimum. He needs to be experienced, but it doesn't have to be an elder statesman. You also need someone who is serious about improving his own game, otherwise he won't take his role as teacher seriously, either. Finally, you need someone with good communication skills, both to help keep people's attention and to actually get his points across. If I were organizing the clinic as a whole, I'd sit down with each of the position leaders for a few minutes, just to make sure they have a good idea of what they want to cover - a little preparation goes a long way towards a good presentation.

[WhistlesAndStripes]

Originally Posted by The Roamin' Umpire

All the responses so far have said "brevity," but really, if you're in that much of a hurry to get out of there, why did you show up in the first place?

In my experience, many officials don't sit for lectures that well. So what needs to be kept short are the "one guy talking at everyone else" parts of the presentation.

The best way to pull this off is if you're actually on a field. Have some guys act like players, so that everyone can see what this foul looks like, where you should be standing, etc.

Next best after that is video. Frequent video clips can turn an otherwise OK-but-dull lecture into an excellent learning experience.

Anytime you're dealing with specific plays, throw in one or two wacky ones. Guys often like to kick these around - just be careful, or the entire time can be spent debating every last detail. The point is to pique people's interest and get them thinking.

As for who should be position leaders, if you're drawing from within your own organization, you need to recognize that regardless of who you pick, some guys will tune him out.

That said, the first trait you need is someone widely respected, to keep that to a minimum. He needs to be experienced, but it doesn't have to be an elder statesman. You also need someone who is serious about improving his own game, otherwise he won't take his role as teacher seriously, either. Finally, you need someone with good communication skills, both to help keep people's attention and to actually get his points across. If I were organizing the clinic as a whole, I'd sit down with each of the position leaders for a few minutes, just to make sure they have a good idea of what they want to cover - a little preparation goes a long way towards a good presentation.

Yeah, what he said. Interactive is the best.

[Bob Mc]

Thanks for the information. What I am asking was asked by the State organizer who wanted feedback. Yours will help. Getting opinions from some of you who have attended clinics is invaluable in being able to organize a State-wide clinic that will be beneficial to the attendees. Thank God I don't have to organize, all I have to do is submit opinions on what should be there.

Thanks!

[schmitty1973]

Sitting around all day talking about football?? Does it get any better than that?? Where do I sign up!!

[Rick KY]

Managing the time is a key aspect of any type of clinic.

Limit off topic discussion
Limit time between sessions
Hold presenters to time limits
Provide timely breaks
Turn cell phones off or to silent mode

Mix up the styles of presenting so that people don't loose interest. Use film, lecture, discussion, on-field activity with general and position specific topics.