Art Of Officiating

Covering conflict management, the psychology of officiating, best practices and officiating/life balance.

Art Of Officiating

Art Of Officiating
Covering conflict management, the psychology of officiating, best practices and officiating/life balance.

Kicking the Call

We’ve all kicked a call. If you say you haven’t, you’re a liar or delusional. When it happens, it’s one of those situations in which you’re all alone....

Confidence Through Strong Body Language

The score is tied in the championship basketball game with less than a minute remaining. The fans in the packed arena are on their...

Climb Your Mountain

A mountain is such a commonly used metaphor because it provides beautiful imagery to our goals and the challenges we face to reach them. Every...

Are You Choosing Your Partner Wisely?

Some sports officials do not have the luxury of choosing their game partner. Many organizations have a commissioner or game assigner that schedules each...

Be Prepared When You Travel to Assignments

Whether this is your first year or 10th year as an official, there is great anticipation while you await your schedule. You can’t wait...

How to Be Consistently Right

Should being consistent be a goal for all officials? The answer is no. Being consistently right is what our goal should be. We always hear from coaches that...

Don’t Lose Your Passion

Think about the last 10 officials with whom you’ve worked. How many of them brought passion to their game? What was your initial reaction...

6 To Do’s Before Play Resumes After a Stoppage

At a time when scrutiny of officials is greater than ever before, the need to get plays right is Job One. Most evaluators won’t...

Always Time for Teachable Moments

Whether it is during the prematch conference or a postmatch debrief, a formal evaluation or a self-evaluation, or in a classroom clinic setting, we...

Your Calls Linger After You

You may think the impact of your officiating is confinded to the time the clock is running and ends at the buzzer, but your...

Are You Good or Great?

W hat attributes separate good officials from average officials? That question has been posed often over the years. While there doesn’t seem to be a...

Top Tips to Terminate Tiffs and Tough Talks

Not all arguments with coaches end perfectly. The goal of all officials is to resolve volatile conflict quickly and to an extent that allows...

Fight Negative Comments with Finesse

Sometimes people will make negative comments knowing you’re an official. So how should you react? Here’s a vote for speaking up on behalf of...

Big Game, Big Stage

Most of us lead a simple life. We’ll never have to go through the drudgery of another game at Soldier Field or Madison Square...

Shut Out Distractions and Focus

Every game — whether it’s a youth contest or an NCAA postseason game — matters to the players. So it’s important we bring our best to every game....

Tips For Improving Sportsmanship

Turn on SportsCenter any morning and while you sip your coffee I’ll guarantee you something. Within the first 10 minutes, a big-time coach will...

Get it Right the Next Time

We’ve all had one. Or two. Or 102. That moment when stark reality hits and you realize you have just kicked the ever-living daylights...

Talk Yourself Into a Good Game

Have you ever wondered how rah-rah pep talks can move athletes toward great performances? It’s because the athletes themselves have an innate desire to...

The Association Isn’t Backing You

One problem that officials can face is being unable to find dependable support, which is needed for a wide variety of reasons. For example,...

The Big Difference Between ‘Hearing’ and ‘Listening’

There are essentially five reasons why people listen: to gain information, to empathize, to anticipate responding, to make judgments and to enjoy the reception...

Time to Drop a Sport?

If you are a multi-sport official who favors one sport over another, you may be considering dropping your least-favorite sport. Before taking that step,...

Use Your Confidence for the Good of the Game

Confidence is not a suggestion when it comes to being good in this avocation. It is at the core of what it takes to...

Finding Acceptance as the New Person in Town

When I accepted the offer to join Referee as an associate editor in January, I had next to no concerns about how I’d fit...

Everybody Wants a Problem Solver

One type of person all businesses want is a problem solver. The same can be said for any type of athletic event. They want...

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