Eight Tips That Will Make Your Next Game Better

Follow these eight tips and your next game will be better.

1. Get the ball in play quickly. One of the great aspects of most sports is that the action is nearly non-stop. You can take advantage of that and help the game move along smoothly by getting the ball in play quickly after a stoppage.

When the ball is dead and little is happening, it’s prime-time for trouble. Players stop worrying about offensive plays and defensive schemes and start focusing on other players or the officials. The same is true for coaches. When the ball is dead they’ve got little to worry about and begin unnecessary conversations with opponents and officials.

When the ball is dead, get the ball back in play as quickly as possible without rushing or sacrificing duties. The faster the ball gets back in play, the more likely players and coaches return their focus to the game.

Here’s a basketball example: You’ve just whistled a violation after the dribbler stepped on the endline. The dribbler is unhappy because the dribbler thought there was a push before the violation. The dribbler begins complaining to the covering official. Then, the coach chimes in. What’s the quickest way to end the conversations? Get the ball back in play as soon as possible. When you put the ball back in play, the dribbler must now get back on defense. The dribbler and the coach still may not like your call, but they’ll have less chance to talk to you about it. That keeps you out of trouble and keeps the game moving.

2. Relax before you review. After the game, it’s a good idea to review what happened during the game. The postgame review is another important part of the learning process.

The first order of business immediately after the game is to relax. Officiating can be stressful and postgame relaxation helps get you back to normal.

At a reasonable time after the game, review the game with your partner. Some like to review before taking a shower and relaxing. Others like to wait until the postgame dinner. Do whatever is convenient and comfortable for you and your partner.

3. Cover the points of emphasis. Were the pregame points of emphasis handled effectively? Many times, rough play is emphasized. Did you control the game effectively? If the points of emphasis were not handled properly, discuss remedies for your next game.

4. Establish a tempo. Did you let the game come to you or did you assert yourself when you didn’t need to? Did the game develop a flow? If not, is there anything you could have done to keep the game moving?

5. Address bench decorum. How did you handle the benches? Did you let the coaches go too far? Were you approachable?

6. Discuss strange plays, rulings. Discuss and review any strange plays or rulings. If necessary, confirm your ruling with the rulebook and casebook. Make sure you’ve got the rule down so you can apply it correctly if it happens again.

7. Solicit constructive criticism. One of the ways to improve is to get opinions and advice from others. Your partner is a great source. Always ask if there’s anything you could have done differently or better.

After asking, accept the constructive criticism. Don’t be one of those officials that asks, "How’d I do?" expecting a shower of praise. If you don’t want to know the truth, don’t ask. Take the criticism offered, analyze the comments and apply the changes if you feel it’s appropriate.

Be ready to offer a critique when asked. It’s frustrating for an official who wants to learn to invite criticism only to hear, "You did a good job." There must be something that needs improving! You ought to be able to give your partner at least three things to think about after every game.

8. Write a journal. Consider keeping a journal during your season. Write down strange plays, your feelings about your performance, notes about your partner, things you did well and things you can improve on. The journal is a great way to look back during and after the season to see if there are patterns. If the same things keep appearing in your journal, you know there are things that need to be addressed.

Reviewing the journal is also a great way to start thinking about officiating before next season.

It's a Slam Dunk! NBA Refs 100 Percent

NASO received a major endorsement this fall for its advocacy efforts and educational programs when the National Basketball Referees Association (NBRA) voted to include NASO membership with the NBRA package.

"This is another important step for NASO," said NASO President Barry Mano. "Having a professional group like the NBRA come on board 100 percent sends an important message to all officials that NASO is working for all officials at every level."

NASO has worked closely in recent years with the NBA to conduct several "Sports Officials Appreciation Nights" at NBA games. In most cases, former NBA Director of Officiating Ed Rush, who also served on the NASO Board of Directors between 1996 and 2000, conducted pregame educational sessions with local officials. Other projects with the NBA included NASO/REI helping to develop a youth basketball officials’ guidebook for the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program. The NBA is represented on the Officiating Development Alliance and current NBA official Danny Crawford serves on the NASO Board of Directors. Two NBA officials have also received the coveted NASO Gold Whistle Award; recently retired Tommy Nuñez in 1999 and Bob Delaney in 2003.

Oct. 21 is NFHS National Officials Day

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) created National High School Activities Week in 1980 to increase the public’s awareness of the values and needs of interscholastic activity programs. During this special time, the nation’s high schools are encouraged to promote the values inherent in high school athletics and other activities such as speech, music, drama, band and spirit squads.

Tuesday, Oct. 21 is National Officials Day recognizing the nearly 500,000 individuals who serve as contest officials and judges.

The NFHS recommends that schools consider the following ideas to recognize and thank their officials: (1) Host a breakfast for officials who help in sports and fine arts. (2) Conduct class competitions of "You Make the Call" and feature questions regarding sports rules. (3) Have a round-table discussion with students, officials and parents. (4) Donate sportsmanship book or video to school library on behalf of officials. (5) Send certificates of recognition and appreciation letters to officials. (6) Post signs thanking officials. (7) Provide NFHS Sportsmanship cards to all officials who work contests at the school.

If you participate in any such activities at a high school in your community during NFHS Activities Week, we’d like to hear about it. Send an E-mail to NASO’s Communications and Development Manager Bob Still at bstill@naso.org and share your experience.

"Officials and Sportsmanship" is Theme for '04 Conference

What role do sports officials play in sportsmanship? That will be the central question addressed Aug. 7-9, 2004, in Washington, D.C. when the NASO "Sports Officiating 2004" conference convenes.

Members are encouraged to mark their calendars now and to note the change from June to August dates. The decision to move the conference to August was made to accommodate many leaders at the high school level who have indicated a desire to participate but were conflicted with the earlier time of year.

Specific session details are being developed by the NASO staff and will be announced in the coming months. There are several certainties: the NASO Gold Whistle Award will be presented at a glorious banquet; the NASO board of directors will conduct its second board meeting of the year and the Officiating Development Alliance will gather again.

Previous conferences in recent years have focused on critical issues facing the profession such as recruitment and retention, training, evaluations and accountability.

"Sportsmanship is the number-one reason cited by officials for quitting," said NASO President Barry Mano. "We need to address what role officials can have in this area so that we can stop the negative trend."

NASO Special Report on Accountability Now Available

Sports officials accept the responsibility of being accountable but want better communication with their administrators as to what is expected in both on field and off field behavior. That’s one conclusion from the new NASO Special Report: Accountability in Officiating released last month by NASO.

The 64-page report summarizes varied opinions from leaders in the sports industry on what accountability means and what role sports officials play. It also includes the results of a survey on accountability conducted by NASO.

"The issue of accountability in officiating has long been misunderstood," says NASO President Barry Mano. "Who hasn’t heard the cry from coaches, both famous and local, that officials aren’t held accountable? That we show up to work the games and disappear immediately after, leaving any number of messes in our wake?

"As officials, we know we are accountable. When it comes to accountability, we understand and readily accept that we are accountable to our games, but also that the games – and the people who run them – are accountable to us."

Officiating leaders from across North America gathered in Portland, Ore., for NASO’s "Sports Officiating 2003" Conference in June. The three-day event included 16 specific educational sessions totaling more than 18 hours of focus on the subject of sports officials and accountability.

"Our 2003 conference in Portland was one of the most important in NASO’s history," says Mano. "The quality of education coupled with the involvement of a substantial number of key organizations reinforces the belief of NASO’s board that this event has become the signature annual gathering of officiating leaders and others. The footprint of this event will be visible far and wide for some time to come."

The NASO members who attended the "Sports Officiating 2003" conference received a complimentary copy last month. The report is available from NASO for $10 to non-members, members price is $5. Contact NASO at 262/632-5448 to order your copy now.

More for the Basketball Referee

Basketball referees, get ready. Referee/NASO are pleased to announce three new titles for the basketball officials library. The new Workbook Series publications are titled, Working the Lead, Working the Trail and Working the Center.

The Workbook Series breaks down officiating responsibilities by position, giving you condensed, specific insight into working the lead, trail and center positions. Each book uses dozens of Referee’s exclusive PlayPic™ and MechaniGram™ illustrations and is based on NFHS mechanics. The Workbook Series also offers Quick Tips and quotes from highly regarded Division I, WNBA and NBA officials. All three books in the Workbook Series are up-to-date for the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons.

The freshly updated Working the Lead and Working the Trail are must-have tools when working two-person mechanics. The books look at the toughest plays from the particular perspective of the lead or trail and give you straightforward, common sense guidance on your responsibilities. New to the series this year is Working the Center. Working the Center is designed for three-person mechanics and covers where you should be looking and when, your primary area of coverage, how to handle double whistles and rotation and switch responsibilities.

The books may be purchased as a set or individually. The list price for each book is $12.95 and the NASO-member price is $10.35. The list price for the set is $32.95 and the NASO-member price is $26.35.

For further details and ordering information for the new publications, see this month’s issue of Referee, or call toll free 800/733-6100. To order online, visit www.naso.org. For group discount details, contact Referee/NASO Group Sales Manager Patrick Miles toll-free at 800/733-6100 or via e-mail at pmiles@naso.org.

November Issue Mailed

The November issue of REFEREE has been mailed and has lots of important news and information.

Here’s a preview:

Look for your issue of REFEREE any day. www.referee.com