I'm on TV ... ok, actually not. It's just a tape from my last game.
I spend a lot of time reviewing old game tapes. This is part of a systematic mental training program, which started with asking myself questions about my motivation to be a referee and the goals I'd like to achieve, and eventually lead to practicing relaxation (breath control, progressive muscle relaxation), using imagery, and other interesting activities, which would't come to most people's minds when thinking about referees.What I do is, I look for situations where I got in trouble, blew a call, didn't react in a proper manner to a coach challenging one of my calls, and so on. I replay the scene a couple of times and try to visualize it with as many details as possible, everything I can tell from watching the tape, as well as all the things I do remember from the game itself, e.g. my feelings in this moment. That means I produce something like a verbal description of the situation containing all the aforementioned details. Then I reproduce the film sequence from this description using my imagination. Of course it wouldn't help if I just tried to internalize my mistake. Instead, I correct the error in my description. I change the movie's outcome to a happy end ... that means, me being a good ref and getting it right :-) This version of the movie I try to internalize, I replay it 10 times or more, again trying to visualize as many details as possible. Sounds weired? I can assure you, you are not alone, thinking I'm nuts ;-) Most of my colleagues do not approve of that psycho stuff either! But I think it's their loss ...
Here are a couple of observations from the last tape I got, from a game I worked in 1st division (it was only my 2nd game on that level):
A triple whistle on a foul ... something that should NEVER happen and would have cost us a couple of beers if anybody had noticed ;-). I am trail, player penetrates to the basket on the strong side after receiving a bounce pass to the top of the key. He scores and there is a foul, so at least we got that call right! But, as I can see on the tape I am to far away from the player when he gets to the basket. I was in a good position when he got the ball, but I didn't penetrate with the ball to be in better position for a possible foul call and the following rebound situation. We are asked to do this in order to get a better angle (do not look at the players from behind) and I wasn't there. I only started moving towards the baseline when the offensive player had already left left the floor for his shot attempt! Now I try to visualize how I anticipate the drive to the basket and react accordingly.
When I move sidewards I move my feet like a player does on defense. What makes the whole procedure look goofy, are my arms. One arm is bent with my hand near my hip while the other hangs straight down with my hand pointing to the floor between my feet. I think it would look better (as if I had control over my body to some degree) if I bent both arms ... At least in my mind it looks good!
I call a foul on a drive to the basket. Offensive player scores, but I say the foul was on the ground and the basket doesn't count. Good foul call, but wrong on the basket ... The offensive player had the ball in his hands when he got hacked, basket should have counted, even though he had just started the shooting motion and made one more step before releasing the ball.
There was more, of course ... but I'll leave it like that.
Check back tomorrow for my preview of the weekend.
Cheers,
BBallRef
posted by BBallRef @ 3/02/2006 11:54:00 PM
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