Umpire mechanics

[ajmc]

Originally Posted by refbuz

I would check and see what your commissioner(s) want you to do. I ONLY stand over the ball if there's a time out or an injury. There's no need to stand over the ball until the RFP between downs anymore as most centers should already know that they can't snap the ball until they hear a whistle, but I am also reiterating that fact to them to the point where they are tired of hearing it. .

Perhaps the most effective tool the Umpire has is his voice, and the fact he's close enough to the players to be able to use it effectively. In situations like this, how effectively the Referee and Umpire communicate is also important, but you can calm players down simply by reminding them to "wait for the whistle" as you retreat into the defensive formation.

A good Referee will wait until you're clear and settled before signalling the ball RFP with his whistle.