Newbie question

[Foulplay]

I am currently a 3rd year basketball official planning to break into soccer officiating this fall. I attend my 3 day USSF class this August. I have been studying the Laws the past several weeks and noticed that there are no statements on mechanics for the center and assistant refs. Basketball has test for this! Where/how did you learn proper soccer mechanics?

John in TN

[Greyhound]

A commom misconception among non-officials is that there is only the Laws of the game to tell us what to do.
We also have
The Advice to referees(commonly referred to as ATR)
The Referees administrative handbook
and The Guide to Procedures which are published by the USSF. IN ADDITION FIFA and USSF publish questions and answers and subsequent decisions in other less known websites/forums. Suggest you visit http://www.us-soccer.com/scripts/run...5035+referees/

Forums are a great place to get advice and to contact experienced referees(not always what you get at an initial certification clinic) Dont let the teachers turn you off.
Other forums
Bigsoccer.com
gmcgriff.com/refonline/
finesoccer.com

Glad to see you have entered the world of soccer officiating!

[grizzlierbear]

Nothing will make it a more pleasant experience if those around you are motivated and dedicated to the principles of fairplay. I hope that your local soccer association is a strong, vibrant group that meets regularly to assess and discuss officiating in practical game and man management techniques. Use the coaches and players for positive feedback. Game management techniques and reviewing videos of yourself and others are part of an insightful program. Certainly many soccer associations and clubs are in various stages of referee development but every effort must be made to SUPPORT the referees with ongoing training, mentoring, evaluations and assessments. Seek out all avenues and do not let ANYONE take away what is a truly rewarding experience. As our colleague GreyHound, points out there are numerous venues to obtain information. I would like to suggest "The Corsham Referee Site" run by Julian Carosi in the United Kingdom. He has an excellent site including diagrams and articles that will give you a great insight into the questions you asked. " Asktheref.com" is a US based site that has worked hard to address some of your concerns and has a Q@A session that you could find useful.