Study materials

[PocketSidewalk]

Originally Posted by Welpe

I second the Redding Guide. It is an invaluable tool.

Definitely do not start at page 1 and just go. You will drive yourself crazy.

As a new official, I have to agree with Welpe on this. My first attempt at studying the rules was to sit down with the rule book and read it from beginning to end. But the rule book is really not meant to be read this way.

I found myself reading a section of the rules and then having to cross-reference what I was reading with other rule book chapters and case book plays in order to completely understand what that rule meant. This method works fine if you're only interested in say 1 or 2 particular sections. But if you're trying to go through and learn all the rules, it's a very tedious and slow-paced method (no matter how enthusiastic you are).

I though the Simplified and Illustrated book was also helpful.

As for the Rules by Topic that is also published by NFHS, I didn't find it that helpful. It's well-organized in addition to including case book plays, but the language in the book is mostly pulled directly from the rule book (which I think can be tricky to comprehend at times).