Officiating two sports concurrently

[jTheUmp]

2 sports in consecutive seasons, perhaps. (Football, then basketball, then baseball)...

Starting football & volleyball at the same time... that would be more difficult from a rules mastery standpoint.

A quick example of "knowing the rules as an official" vs "knowing the rules as a player": why does the kicker kick the ball into the ground in the vast majority of onside kick attempts? As a player, I had no idea why we did that... once I started reading the rulebook as an official, I read the free kick rules and had the lightbulb "A-ha, that's why it's done that way" moment.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by jTheUmp

2 sports in consecutive seasons, perhaps. (Football, then basketball, then baseball)...

Starting football & volleyball at the same time... that would be more difficult from a rules mastery standpoint.

Those sports you just mentioned are running basically at the same time in many ways. I worked JH basketball during my first football season. I worked basketball during the baseball season. And during the summer under the right situation you can work all 3 (especially now). Also volleyball here can run in the fall and spring based on gender or club and youth games.

Also mastery of the rules comes with time, not in one or two seasons. As a football official I am still learning to master the rules and this was will be the end of my 16th season. There are things I have yet to see or when I see them I have to think through the rules. Football has the most difficult rules as they change and each level is so different. You also have to know more than rules, you better know the mechanics or your rules knowledge will not be applied properly.

Peace

[Rich]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Also mastery of the rules comes with time, not in one or two seasons. As a football official I am still learning to master the rules and this was will be the end of my 16th season. There are things I have yet to see or when I see them I have to think through the rules. Football has the most difficult rules as they change and each level is so different. You also have to know more than rules, you better know the mechanics or your rules knowledge will not be applied properly.

Football rules are certainly complex. And football is the only sport where some officials feel they don't really need to know the rules or enforcements because there's someone on the field wearing the white hat -- it's his job.

I have always been a rules wonk, but I never *really* learned the rules well until I became a white hat on a Friday night about 8 years ago. The last thing I want is to have to guess or have to make something up, so I spend the entire season and a lot of the offseason with my nose buried in the football books. I spend more time working on football rules than on the rules of all the other sports I work combined (and probably double that).

I've always used that as an excuse for not wanting to work college football, but to be honest having to keep the two rules sets straight means I really need to know both of them very well. It's a win-win for me.

[Texas Aggie]

How long you played or been around the game means nothing as an official.

I don't agree with this. I know what JR is trying to say, but this statement is clearly incorrect. Sports differ, but you will pick up baseball much easier having played a bunch of it. You shouldn't see your first HS fastball from behind the catcher.

Anyway, dual sports at the same time CAN be a problem. I did volleyball in years past and now do football and basketball. I don't like working basketball until I'm finished with football, but around here, that's impossible. Stopping the action for basketball conflicts with how things work in football. It can be done, I just don't like it.

However, volleyball shouldn't be a big deal in that respect. Around here it would be tough to do both football and volleyball at the highest HS levels. VB plays Tuesday and Friday varsity (Fri/Sat tournaments early in the season) and FB is Friday, a little Sat. and early in the week for subvarsity. Plus, by the time November comes around, both playoffs start and you could end up with a conflict.

The VB guys and I compare notes early in the BB season about our respective (FB and VB) seasons, playoffs, etc. I have never heard of anyone around here that does both FB and VB -- at least not at any high level. Other states may be different.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Texas Aggie

I don't agree with this. I know what JR is trying to say, but this statement is clearly incorrect. Sports differ, but you will pick up baseball much easier having played a bunch of it. You shouldn't see your first HS fastball from behind the catcher.

You are right that certain sports are different, but players most of the time had no idea what we did and why we did them. Even calling the plate as and umpire you still have to have some training in timing and have some philosophies are to where to set up and what to do and what not to do. Playing does not teach you that aspect. If that was the case they would only use former pro players to umpire MLB games. As someone said the SEC used to almost exclusively use former players to officiate the football games and that has been in many cases a disaster. I think mostly what playing does is help you understand the strategy of the game and technique, but just like any player not all players understand the game they are playing at the same level. This is why I say that playing really has no big affect on your ability as an official at least in football. I know as a basketball player I had to get over many myths that I thought were illegal and had to retrain my thinking to understand the rules.

Originally Posted by Texas Aggie

Anyway, dual sports at the same time CAN be a problem. I did volleyball in years past and now do football and basketball. I don't like working basketball until I'm finished with football, but around here, that's impossible. Stopping the action for basketball conflicts with how things work in football. It can be done, I just don't like it.

However, volleyball shouldn't be a big deal in that respect. Around here it would be tough to do both football and volleyball at the highest HS levels. VB plays Tuesday and Friday varsity (Fri/Sat tournaments early in the season) and FB is Friday, a little Sat. and early in the week for subvarsity. Plus, by the time November comes around, both playoffs start and you could end up with a conflict.

The VB guys and I compare notes early in the BB season about our respective (FB and VB) seasons, playoffs, etc. I have never heard of anyone around here that does both FB and VB -- at least not at any high level. Other states may be different.

Well if you are working a sport where the two sports run at the exact same time I would think that would be more difficult. But I have worked football and basketball at basically the same time but of course one was lower level or JH games and the other was in their full seasons.

Peace

[SE Minnestoa Re]

In the spring I concurrently work high school baseball and softball and NCAA softball. While the three sports are similar, there are different rules. I think to do this one needs to know all three sets of rules well and have enough concentration to remember what game is going on.

[Texas Aggie]

If that was the case they would only use former pro players to umpire MLB games.

I'm not talking about levels of play, at least not too much. It isn't about what we do or how much the players understand what we do. Its more about knowing the game. A hoops official needs to know the difference between a man and zone defense, a single post and double post offense, a guard and a forward, etc. He doesn't necessarily need to know what a match-up zone is or how it compares to a basic zone.

A football official needs to know the difference between a guard and tackle, a safety and linebacker, what a screen pass is, etc. He doesn't necessarily need to know the difference between a cover 2 and the old strong/weak safety.