This week I will continue where I left off seven days ago basing this column on the adaptation of the ideas set forward by Mr David Birkett, an ex-basketball and baseball referee, in an article published on the Referee magazine.

As was stated last week, mastering self-control is a very important requisite especially for new referees. Not everyone is prepared and has the required character and attitude for the criticism, condemnation and humiliation that referees must face and absorb with composure.

It is a natural reaction to “hit back” when you are being attacked and many outside the refereeing fraternity sometimes wonder how certain referees can keep their calm in delicate and tense moments.

Mr Birkett, through his experience goes further and states that veteran officials know about the need for composure, to be “the calm centre in the middle of a hurricane”. That means no shouting down or fighting with coaches, players and fans. That means keeping your wits about you when everyone else is up in arms.

Additionally Birkett wrote that “If you can survive the youth leagues and the parents, you are going to be successful. The parents are worse (in youth leagues). The pay is lower. Everything is worse, (e.g.) your dressing facilities and your lack of supervisors. Sometimes you are in over your head. That is what we try to avoid.”

Ralph Swearngin, executive director of the Georgia High School Athletic Association (USA), was quoted as saying “For a lot of us who work in training with referees, (the big thing) is giving them more training in people skills and game management skills so they can handle the coach and parents. We try to tell people not to take it personally, try to be professional, use the rules that you have to call the penalty and eject when you have to. We encourage them to find every possible way to defuse the situation and get rid of the problem.”

In fact Swearning concluded that teaching new referees how to maintain their composure in heated situations is as important a part of their preparation as knowing the rules of the game.

Birkett continues by delving into a further factor, namely concentration. He states that after a couple of games the novice referee will normally start to feel a little more confident and some are even cool when the fans describe your mother to you in intimate detail. Now, according to Birkett, the referee can actually start getting good at the skills he will need to actually call the game, as opposed to simply being out there surviving.

Of course, that philosophy does not apply to every sport, but the following principle holds true. If you can stay focused on your coverage area while blocking out the noises and sights that used to turn your head as a player or spectator, you have got half the battle won. At least you are looking in the right area. Whether you can make judgments based on what you see might be, or better still most probably is, another story.

Birkett then moved slightly forward and stated that when they are new and learning the avocation, referees often feel out of control on the field or court. They are just trying to stay alive in the middle of a game as athletes do their movements all around. If the rookie or new referee has enough sense about him to make a call, that would be great!

Awareness and confidence about yourself as an official, and as an official in charge of the game is a process that can take years to accomplish and some never do completely. But with each game worked, you will feel a greater sense of control accompanied by a lesser feeling of being out of control.

Having control comes through experience and knowing exactly what you need to do. This is something which I truly believe in. Everybody learns with every game, month or year that passes. Nobody can declare that he has arrived because each game can present some fresh and new situation. Talking from personal experience I always feel to have increased my knowledge as the years have passed and this has also led to, hopefully, more effective game control.

According to Birkett, the last and most important part of being a successful official, whether a new ref or a seasoned veteran, is having a commitment to refereeing added with a consistent commitment to getting better and an honest commitment to excellence.

I fully abide with Birkett’s statement that those officials who are committed to their pastime ultimately never stop trying to learn. For these individuals, training is a never ending scheme year after year, season through season.

Training is definitely not only becoming proficient with the rules and mechanics (the latter are highly important yet not the end to all means). There is more to commitment than training.

Training could also be going to watch fellow referees in action. From a personal viewpoint I went to see numerous local matches in my early days and still today watch dozens of international matches on TV.

Studies have always shown that most referees are appreciated and treated with respect (and here one is referring to respect from honest and true people, people who really are knowledgeable and know the particulars of the game. In my opinion, those who are following some personal negative agenda or who speak without even knowing a fraction of the real game should be disregarded completely if they do not demonstrate respect, especially after you act in full respect toward them.)

The ones who are not respected, game after game, are usually the ones who do not know the rules, do not hustle on court or basically do not care about the real effort by the players, coaches and club administration and worse still care only about the money.