Practice, Practice, Practice
Why does it seem a bit goofy for an official to stand in front of a mirror and practice signals, but it’s normal for a player to spend hours working on a post-up move to the basket? Why would it seem strange to witness a basketball referee in his backyard tossing a jump ball to imaginary players, but there’s no problem with a baseball player hitting off a tee in his garage, practicing his swing?
Truth is, many officials don’t practice at all. Think about it: Is it really fair to the players and coaches who have put hours, weeks and years into their games for officials to show up without a second of practice? To that end, officials need to act more like players and coaches. We must practice what we do.
For his first two years in the NFL, referee Ed Hochuli was a back judge on former referee Howard Roe’s crew. Hochuli says that before every game, Roe stood before a mirror, practicing signals. One day, Hochuli jokingly asked Roe if he’d finally gotten them down pat. Roe turned to Hochuli and answered seriously, “It’s important to get it just right.” Hochuli agrees that attitude helps officials improve. “You’re never too qualified to improve,” said Hochuli. “Being picky pays off.”
Techniques. There are lots of things officials can practice — some mental, others physical. This brief list shows just some of the things you could practice that will help you in your games.
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Practice tossing the ball underhand to your crewmate. Too often poor tosses among crewmates bounce aimlessly or sail overhead. It looks bad and slows things down. Work on it.
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Count the offense/defense. You can easily practice this while watching any game, live or on TV.
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Know your keys. Line of Scrimmage or Deep Officials – As the offense lines up, call out your key.
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Also, do your best Howard Roe imitation and practice your signals, even if you’re not the referee. Make sure your signals are strong and crisp. While practicing them, think about the proper yardage and penalty administration.
