After finishing a match, what is the next obligation of an official? Should you have a postmatch conference with your team, or should you simply grab your things and go home? There are also other considerations, such as whether there is time for a postmatch conversation. Is a postmatch conversation necessary? These are common questions from officials. Many experienced officials will tell you the postmatch conversation can be one of the most rewarding experiences of the match. Let’s discuss several key elements for a proper postmatch conversation.
Develop a Plan
Before the match, make sure to develop, with members of the officiating team, an exit strategy out of the gym (or court area) and head to a quiet place for a postmatch conversation. More and more high schools and colleges are providing a changing space for officials. A quiet locker room or office is an ideal location for prematch and postmatch conversations. If there is not a locker room or office for the officials to meet, find a quiet area away from match personnel and spectators. This can be someone’s car during the high school season or a corner of a referee room during the travel season. If it is appropriate, invite line judges and the scorer/assistant scorers to the postmatch.
Postmatch Conversation
The postmatch conversation usually is initiated by the first referee (R1) of the match. If scorers and line judges are available (certified officials), start the conversation with them. Some common questions for the scorer and assistant scorer include:
- How did the match go for you?
- Did you feel we communicated well?
- Was there anything in the match you wish we would have done differently or that we could have helped?
- What was something we did that you want us to continue to do with the scorer and assistant scorer?
After the conversation feels complete, let the scorer and assistant scorer leave the meeting and focus attention on the line judges. The following are common questions and interactions with line judges:
- How did you feel during the match?
- Do you feel you were able to get your eyes to the line before the ball came?
- How was eye contact with the R1?
- Did you feel supported?
Of course, those questions are only examples of conversation starters. As an R1, it is important to discuss several plays that happened during the match to offer praise or recommendations for the future. It is also important for officials to help line judges improve their craft, but hold back on the urge to provide a line judge clinic after the match. The two line judges might be tired from working the previous match, so try to choose one or two items to give praise or recommendations to improve. Feel free to invite the line judges to stay for the referee postmatch if you and they feel comfortable. Many certified line judges are also referees and value postmatch conversations with the referees. They also might decline, which is fine as well.
For the referees, here are common start-up questions and interactions:
- How was my eye contact?
- Did you feel supported when I talked with the coaches?
- What did you think about the ballhandling line that was set?
- Did you agree with the backrow decisions?
Similar to the other examples, the sample questions are conversation starters. Discuss plays from the match that were difficult or out of the ordinary. If one of the referees missed a call, discuss how to make the correct call next time. In general, discuss the good and the bad with the idea in mind that you both want to keep improving.
Postgame Conversation No-Nos
Be disengaged. There have been many times when one official is trying to have a good postmatch conversation while the other is checking a cellphone or packing up items. If there is something pressing in your life, feel free to let the other official know, and maybe the postmatch can happen at a different time (maybe during the ride home if traveling quite a distance).
Be argumentative. Just because someone saw a play differently does not mean you or the other referee are wrong. Absorb the information, then process it later. Feel free to discuss the feedback with a trusted mentor to hear his or her perspective. There have been multiple times when I believed the feedback I received was “wrong,” but my mentor verified it was indeed correct. Even if whatever was said did not sit well with you, respectfully move on in the conversation. Officials are more than likely just trying to help.
Take too long. An easy match when everything goes smoothly should not have a postmatch conversation that takes 30 minutes. It might not even be appropriate for a five-set match that had many decisions to have a 30-minute postmatch conversation. Be respectful of each other’s time and either discuss the most important portions of the match or agree to continue the conversation at a different time.
Overall, postmatch conversations can be extremely helpful. You can often walk away feeling assured that you and your partner tried your best. Postmatch conversations are great opportunities to get better. The main advice expert officials have given has been to take notes during the postmatch conversation and to be open to feedback. Returning to the original question, “Do we have to do a postmatch conversation?” The response would be, “Why would you not take advantage of this great opportunity?”
Robert Doan, Ph.D., has been a high school, college and USAV official for more than a decade. He is a resident of Charleston County, S.C.
