Focus is an important aspect of refereeing, just like rules knowledge or mechanics. It is easy to get distracted, and all referees do now and again, but recognising your weaknesses when it comes to lapses in concentration is the first step toward solving them.
Full credit for this article definitely has to go to Mr. William R. Smith who is the rules and officials training chairman for the Southern California Municipal Athletic Federation, USA. He has officiated softball, baseball, basketball and American football for over 17 years. Mr. Smith produced the article, from which today’s topic is based, on the Referee Magazine.
What is the proper mindset for an official? Is it total concentration, staring straight at an unobstructed view of the play, ready to make the call as everything slows down and fractions of seconds seem like full minutes?
Referees’ jobs are hard enough, given a multitude of rules to remember, extensive mechanics to perfect, diversity of personalities with which to interact and the challenge of judgement calls that they are faced with every time they walk onto the pitch or court. Combine those job characteristics with the pressure of a game situation, and the most focused officials face a difficult task.
Regardless of how good you are at what you do, your performance, as a referee, will be diminished if you are not able to maintain your concentration during a game. We have all had to battle to stay properly focused during a one-sided blowout game or a meaningless contest and that is sometimes a daunting and demoralising task.
“As soon as you lose focus, that’s when something happens that calls for such concentration.” That’s a common warning, challenging you to maintain your concentration constantly during a contest. You are cautioned that, if you allow your attention to wander for an instant, something will happen in the game to exploit your lapse.
The truth is, those types of “happenings” occur throughout most games. The reason it seems that they happen only at bad times is because the other occurrences are not noticed due to your readiness and promptness to deal with them. There is no magical force that is “out to get you” as an official (even though it may seem that way sometimes!). Maintaining your concentration is important because, when you lose that focus, common game circumstances lead to uncommon mistakes.
Additionally, a lapse in concentration can cause you to be in a poor position for a call. It can cause you to interpret a rule improperly. It can make you more irritable than you normally would be when dealing with tension during a contest. Concentration is foundational in that way because if it is lacking, other aspects of your assignment will likewise suffer.
Art Hyland, who is the supervisor of men’s basketball officials for the Big East Conference, cites a feel for the game as the quality that separates exceptional officials. He says that every game is different, and a proper feel for the game is what enables the good official to apply the rulebook, as necessary, for that particular game. He also notes that kind of focus is difficult to establish after the beginning of a game. It must exist before the game begins, then be maintained throughout the contest.
Hyland also cites an interesting phenomenon among coaches and spectators: Many times, when a call is missed during a game, the coach or athletic director will assume that the official was not focused.
As a supervisor of officials, Hyland recalls many contacts about a missed call, when the coach cited a lack of concentration on the part of the official. It seemed to be a natural conclusion, he says, and often an incorrect one. Most of the time, the official simply missed the call – nothing more. The key to remember is that people will often assume you are not concentrating during a ballgame.
Outside pressures or personal-life issues are a reality for all of us and can also certainly affect anyone’s mindset during a game. The better referees are usually able to put all outside issues aside for the period of time necessary to do their job.
Bill Wampler, an Atlantic Coast Conference American football umpire, made an interesting observation when he said that he knows all too well that you can work “59 (American football games last 60 minutes) perfect minutes of football, and a lapse of concentration in that final minute can blow your whole assignment.” He notes that an official often relaxes with the rhythm of a smooth ballgame and loses the edge that is necessary when a tense moment arises.
Every game you are appointed for must begin with you entirely focused on the assignment at hand.
It is essential that you have a pre-game that sets the stage for everyone to be at their highest level of concentration when the game begins. During the game, you must establish eye contact and communicate verbally when you can to keep everyone in the game and discuss contingencies for unique game situations.
Lastly, take the time to have a post-game conference or evaluation, to form a blueprint for improved concentration in the future, even if it is only a simple look within.
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