Discreet Signals and Teamwork To Get Out of Hairy Situations
The duties of the first and second referees are delineated in the rulebook. In the best of cases, this division of duties ensures that, between them, the referees...
Video Tips for Working as the Referee with Legendary White Hat Jerry Markbreit
Jerry Markbreit is one of the most well known and respected sports officials in the world. Not just in the football community but across...
Don’t Talk To My Kids!
"Don't Talk To My Kids!" Ever heard that shouted from the sideline? Coaches don’t want officials coaching their players. They do want officials to help their...
Keep-It-Flying Approach Is Challenging
One of the biggest areas of concern during a match for coaches and referees is ballhandling. Ballhandling decisions can make or break a match. In recent years, volleyball...
Rare Rulings Well Done
No one has ever attempted to rank fouls in the order of the difficulty in calling them. However, it’s clear there is a pecking...
Zone of Verticality Comes With Its Own Set of Challenges
A meeting this past season of the Wisconsin Basketball Officials Association (WBOA) saw a lively discussion break out regarding arm positioning as part of...
Obstruction Deduction
Umpires are tasked with making thousands of split-second decisions over the course of their careers. Some of those calls are obvious, while others aren’t...
Solving the Two-Call Conundrum
Does anybody remember the old days when basketball was a non-contact sport and most fouls were easily identified and called? I can hear you...
Close Plays at the Net Present Challenges
During the course of a volleyball match, referees make many decisions. These decisions fall into two categories: 1) violations of a rule, or 2)...
Optimal Crew Positioning on Free Kicks
F
ree kicks from just outside the penalty area can determine the outcome of a game. They can be so critical that teams have multiple...
Coach Communication Done Well
Communication between officials and coaches is extremely important and is an essential element of a properly officiated game. Most coaches identify good communication as...
On Your Mark, Get Set … Stay There
Recently, I came across a couple of film clips taken from major league games played decades ago. In one, an umpire called a tag...
A Quarrelling Quandary
"B
lue, where was that?”
If you have not heard this question at least a hundred times, you’re probably still in your first year as an...
Official/Player Communication Influences Conduct
Trying to manage a football game would be nearly impossible without effective and pointed communication. Although managing players is primarily the responsibility of the coaching staff, officials can facilitate the...
The Way We’ll Play Today
B
aseball is unique in the fact its playing confines are not always specifically spelled out by the rulebook.
Yes, at the NFHS, college and pro...
Use Warnings in the Right Situations
Warnings done correctly can be very useful, but if they are used in the wrong situation, they can hurt more than they help game...
Timed Properly, Appeal Plays Result in an Out
Why should umpires like appeal plays? Because we can get an out if appealed properly. An appeal play is a play or rule violation...
Classifying Fouls Eases Enforcement
T
here are several elements to correctly enforcing a penalty. The first is to accurately identify a foul. If there is no foul, there cannot...
Five Offseason Tips for Stress Free Officiating
F
lashback. Sitting in front of my computer, I take a peek at my inbox. It’s the middle of August and I’m waiting to see...
Protocols for Inadvertent Whistles
Late in the fourth quarter, the home team was up, 16-14, and the visitors lined up at the 25 yardline for what would almost...
Make an Adjustment
Good umpiring is the ability to adjust to things that happen that you don’t expect.
Having observed many umpires, I see they have a tendency...
Get Out Of The Way Blue! What is and isn’t Umpire Interference
Know What Is, And Is Not, Umpire Interference
F
or many umpires, their definition of a job well done includes being able to walk off the...
Great Position – Great Look – Great Call
Great Position, Great Look, Great Call
A
lthough most umpires would prefer working in crews of three or four, the two-umpire system, if used properly, actually...
Rules Take Many Arguments Out of the Game
There’s a nationwide shortage of officials. It’s gotten harder in all sports to get and keep officials, and softball is no exception. Criticism from...
