Art Of Officiating
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Covering conflict management, the psychology of officiating, best practices and officiating/life balance.
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...
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 Evolution of Explanations
Sports officials and microphones have a long history. In fact, one of the earliest instances involved Major League Baseball in 1929.
On Aug. 25 of...
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...
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,...
How To Handle a Kicked Call
A
s a longtime NCAA Division I college women’s basketball official, Mark Zentz says there’s a surefire way for him to know when he’s blown...
Try Angles
There is one thing I find more important than all others in getting my calls on the field and on the court correct: the...
Have an Appreciation for Other Officials’ Hard Work.
A cartoon that appeared in another publication depicted a young boy on the department-store Santa’s lap. The youngster says to Kris Kringle, “I don’t...
Get More Postseason Games
“Why didn’t I get any playoff games?” Across the officiating world, that is probably the most frequently asked question by established and even some new officials. Postseason games are...
Coaches Mentality
Coaches and officials can have an adversarial relationship because of the primary difference between official’s and a coach’s mentality: Coaches care who wins and...
Does the Stop Signal Work Anymore?
Check out this portion of a discussion thread from a basketball referee online chat circa 2007:
“Anybody ever notice how a lot of the talk...
Why Are You Talking?
When it comes to the necessities needed in becoming a successful sports official, the art of conversation might not seem to be high on...
How You React to Disappointment Defines You
Officiating is an interesting and challenging line of work, no matter your involvement. Whether you are an active official, assigner or administrator, decisions you...
Put a Bad Game in the Rearview Mirror
Every official has had a bad game he or she would rather forget. Whether it was a kicked call, problems with a partner or...
Creating Your Officiating Legacy
The average American can expect to live about 79 years. That’s roughly 28,835 days to leave your mark on the people you know and the places you go....
Earn That Good Reputation
Ever try constructing a tower out of playing cards? It isn’t easily built. Once achieved, it’s something to be proud of. But one wrong...
Increase Concentration in One-Sided Games
One-sided games are no fun for anyone, except for the team that wins, of course. Generally speaking, the losing team and the officials just...
Connect the Head and the Heart
Sports officiating is an emotional challenge. Gonzaga University’s Rachelle Strawther knows this firsthand after her experience running a sports and officiating soccer program in...
Get Great Series: Better By Next Month
If someone told you a they had a way to get better by next month, would you do it no matter what it was?...
Bounce Back from a Bad Game
Ever had one of those nights when, for whatever reason, you’re off your game? Whether it’s because you were distracted by issues that have nothing to do with...
Ride The Rhythm Of Your Season
Rhythm generally means a movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite/different conditions, and every sports official knows...
Work Through the Noise
Suppose you ask most veteran sports officials privately. In that case, they will tell you the quality of officiating has never been better than...
Consistent Mechanics Make for Consistent Calls
Over the years we've all seen and worked with officials who seem to think that mechanics manuals are like buffet lines — chock full...
‘Big Time’ Attitude is for Small People
Virtually every local association or chapter has at least one official who has “made it big,” the member who has worked a state championship...