Any experienced refs here?

[CanadaSooner23]

I officiated my first game yesterday (8th grade boys) and it was overwhelming at first, but by the 2nd half I felt a lot more comfortable. I'm hoping to eventually referee high school and some local small college games. Any experienced refs here that can share some wisdom and insight?

 

[BCSooners]

I officiated my first game yesterday (8th grade boys) and it was overwhelming at first, but by the 2nd half I felt a lot more comfortable. I'm hoping to eventually referee high school and some local small college games. Any experienced refs here that can share some wisdom and insight?

Be confident but not arrogant. Talk to coaches. Read the rule book. Present yourself professionally but approachable. It gets easier the more you do it. Don’t get hung up when you know you made a wrong call, it’s going to happen so just admit it & move on.

 

[CanadaSooner23]

Be confident but not arrogant. Talk to coaches. Read the rule book. Present yourself professionally but approachable. It gets easier the more you do it. Don’t get hung up when you know you made a wrong call, it’s going to happen so just admit it & move on.

Thank you! I missed one pretty obvious foul (in hindsight), I went over and admitted it to the coach after the game and he was super respectful and understanding.

 

[NorthCarolinaSooner]

I officiated my first game yesterday (8th grade boys) and it was overwhelming at first, but by the 2nd half I felt a lot more comfortable. I'm hoping to eventually referee high school and some local small college games. Any experienced refs here that can share some wisdom and insight?

I have a buddy that refs a lot of HS ball here in Texas and does a lot of college games. Alot of juco and smaller D1 games.

That doesn't help much but I know he attends a lot of camps to do D1

 

[WichitaSooner]

From coaching baseball, my biggest pet peeves are when umpires (a) don’t know the rules, and (b) are condescending and refuse to discuss things with coaches. Yes, they have the final say, but that shouldn’t mean they refuse to engage with coaches. I can live with a questionable call if they discuss and clearly know the rule. Some umpires take the “because I said so” approach, and that’s what bothers me. If a coach approaches an umpire or referee respectfully, I think they should be willing to give them an explanation and then move on. And as others have said, if you feel like you got one wrong, just admit it. I’ve had umpires do that and every time it happens, it immediately makes me feel better and respect them, and it puts an end to any lingering argument.

 

[CoachTalk]

RIP
usedtobe1

 

[CanadaSooner23]

I have a buddy that refs a lot of HS ball here in Texas and does a lot of college games. Alot of juco and smaller D1 games.

That doesn't help much but I know he attends a lot of camps to do D1

Thanks for sharing! The ref that was training me was saying there is a lot of ongoing training, which I can appreciate!

 

[CanadaSooner23]

From coaching baseball, my biggest pet peeves are when umpires (a) don’t know the rules, and (b) are condescending and refuse to discuss things with coaches. Yes, they have the final say, but that shouldn’t mean they refuse to engage with coaches. I can live with a questionable call if they discuss and clearly know the rule. Some umpires take the “because I said so” approach, and that’s what bothers me. If a coach approaches an umpire or referee respectfully, I think they should be willing to give them an explanation and then move on. And as others have said, if you feel like you got one wrong, just admit it. I’ve had umpires do that and every time it happens, it immediately makes me feel better and respect them, and it puts an end to any lingering argument.

Thanks for the insight from a coach's perspective! I'm with you, coaches that are respectful definitely deserve an explanation when they seek one. To be completely honest, the ref that was training me missed a few calls in my opinion, but what made me a bit uneasy was that he kind of took the "because I said so" approach. Maybe he truly believed he made the right call, but there was one that was pretty blatant and I was actually on the coach's side. All in all though, I felt like he was a good ref and he did give me a lot of great advice.

 

[CanadaSooner23]

He also said that perception is everything. He said when making a call (any call), be quick and decisive with the whistle and hand signal, use a loud and confident voice, and seem sure of yourself. He said that shuts down a lot, but certainly not all, of questioning from all parties (fans, coaches, players).

 

[ousooners1baby]

Good luck to you sir. I have umped and ref'd a few but nothing when it was critical or too important. One thing that drives me nuts is, while fans have become absolutely insane, we have arrived at a place in which a referee seems to answer to know one. I can't think of many jobs where you have no one forcing you to be better. It seems they have no repercussions for being poor at their job and a lot of them seem to call the game this way. (A lot of this has to do with a shortage of refs. As some have said, know the rules. Engage but enforce. Be courteous and approachable. Remember that no one is there to watch you perform. A good official is like a flat basketball. You can play with it but the game is much better when it is is properly aired up.

 

[CanadaSooner23]

Good luck to you sir. I have umped and ref'd a few but nothing when it was critical or too important. One thing that drives me nuts is, while fans have become absolutely insane, we have arrived at a place in which a referee seems to answer to know one. I can't think of many jobs where you have no one forcing you to be better. It seems they have no repercussions for being poor at their job and a lot of them seem to call the game this way. (A lot of this has to do with a shortage of refs. As some have said, know the rules. Engage but enforce. Be courteous and approachable. Remember that no one is there to watch you perform. A good official is like a flat basketball. You can play with it but the game is much better when it is is properly aired up.

I fully agree, everyone should be accountable for their job performance and want to always be improving! Thanks for taking the time to reply!