Handling Dissent
A few years ago, U.S. Soccer made available to all referees a very small clip titled, “Ask, Tell, Dismiss.” Michael Kennedy, former FIFA referee,...
The Eight-Minute Pregame
Arriving to the three-umpire system at various upper levels is the culmination of hard work, preparation and demonstration of the knowledge and skills necessary...
When a Lone Ranger Isn’t a ‘Good Guy’
Even if you are too young to have watched the TV show, you should be familiar with the Lone Ranger, a fictional character that...
Eyes Off the Ball
More than one clinician has joked about officials who should have to buy a ticket to officiate a game because they mostly watch the...
What Happens When the Neutral Zone Expands?
The neutral zone is one of the basic tenets of a football game. In practical terms it’s the space between the offensive and defensive...
See The Call, Be The Call
Whenever you work a basketball game, it’s always a good practice to be thinking — but not for too long.
Yes, it’s important to keep yourself mentally ahead...
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...
The Changing Role of Volleyball’s Second Referee
To the casual fan, the role of the second referee can appear to be minor: check lineups, call nets and manage timeouts and substitutions....
Talk the Talk
F
or umpires, one of the most important skills is game management. And perhaps the most important skill when it comes to being a good...
Six Key Factors Assessors Focus On
There are many myths and legends about assessors and their roles and responsibilities. Some officials do not want to be assessed because they do not understand how an...
Train Your Brain
Do you ever wonder if you have the correct type of brain for officiating? Do you find it easy to make a quick decision based...
Movement Only One Part of the Job for Umpires
It takes a great deal of fortitude to venture into the jumble of flailing arms and bodies where only linebackers dare to tread. But in addition to being...
Coordination, Communication Key to Measurements
One of the oldest sports clichés is that football is “a game of inches.” When a measurement is involved, it might be a fraction...
FIFA Referee Mark Geiger
By his own proud admission, the man is a nerd. Conjure images of that wisp of a kid you remember from high school who...
When Two Umpires Converge on the Same Base
Many of us who have been umpiring for a number of years have seen the situation in which one umpire is dutifully making his...
Active ‘C’ Creates a Successful Crew
The center official on a three-person crew is the straw that stirs the drink. When “C” is active, things go more smoothly and games are apt to be...
The Shot
As an exhausted Tom Clark settled back into the aisle seat of his Delta Airlines flight the morning of March 29, 1992, a slight...
Bench Conduct Warning Proves Worth
R ecently, the NFHS Basketball Rules Committee approved a rule change to add a coach/bench personnel conduct warning (4-48). The committee’s goal was to...
Solid Stance: Gerry Davis Profile
The honor hardly could be more fitting.
OK, perhaps having a behind-the-plate stance named after you — as Gerry Davis does — isn’t technically an...
A Little Officiating Magic
The Magician’s Oath is to never reveal the secrets of magic to non-magicians. Nonetheless, there are various “tricks” officials can use to call a game properly. Magic can...
Always Assume You Are Being Assessed
For roughly the first half of my amateur umpiring career — which lasted from 1966-2016 — umpires could go about their business without having to deal with rating...
Be A Penalty Enforcer
Being an effective penalty enforcer is vitally important, but something officials tend to neglect. Contrary to what some officials seem to think, it is not only a referee-umpire...
The Best Games Include These Three Elements
Safe, fair and fun.That phrase — that triangle, if you will — contains the ingredients to the best game you’ll ever have. And there...
Tips On Staying Present
As an umpire, even we get nervous once and a while or you start to focus on a previous play. Maybe as the field umpire, your mind...
