I just passed my Grade 8 test

[Blitzz Boy]

I just passed my Grade 8 test. I got a 91. Another guy in the class got a 99!

The area I live in is desperate for refs, they say, so I am probably going to get some competition games & definitely some rec games.

Any advice for a Rookie Ref?

Also, where should I buy my uniform, flags, cards, books, etc? On line or at a local store?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[nsa]

Congrats. Have fun. Be sure to write a thank you note to your instructors. :)

What part of the country are you from?where should I buy my uniform, flags, cards, books, etc? On line or at a local store?Check prices on-line and locally. Sometimes you can buy a starter kit that has all the basics at a slightly cheaper cost, but watch out for the shipping charges.

http://www.officialsports.com

http://www.scoresports.com

http://www.lawfive.com

Start with just one jersey until you get a couple paychecks. Bring a decent looking polo shirt or even a pinny in case of a colour conflict.

[pkCrouse]

Originally posted by Blitzz Boy
... Any advice for a Rookie Ref? ... Have fun and remember that your job is to keep the game fun, safe and fair for the players. It really isn't all that hard if you keep your head about you. Don't worry about all of the horror stories you will hear on this board about coaches, parents, etc... If you keep your focus on the fun, safety and fairness of the game for the players, everything else will fall into line. Be sure to check in with us every so often to let us know how you are doing.

[Blitzz Boy]

Thanks for your advice!

I live in Tooele County, Utah. It's west of Salt Lake City. We have a brew pub and a chapter of the American Association of University Women. In a few years, I understand we are going to be getting this new invention called indoor plumbing. I can't wait to try it.

One of the reasons why I took the ref class is because I want to make sure that there is a league around when my daughter starts to play. (She is almost 18 months old)

I understand that player safety is the most important reason I am on the field.

But how often do competition or rec league kids dive? Frankly, I have not watched a lot of youth games; but I am going to start now.

Have kids watched enough Mexican League games (or even enough MLS games, because MLS has some pretty heinous divers) on TV to learn how to dive?

I am planning on stopping games every time there may be an injury.

But will I have to deal with a lot of diving and how do you tell a dive from real injury?

[seahawkdad]

I doubt you are going to see much diving in rec league youth games. I'd be more concerned about being clear about your restarts. You're going to have many, many more of those than you'll have of diving kids.

In eight years of reffing rec league youth games I never once saw a dive.

If, however, someone goes down looking like they are trying out for a grade-B war movie, suspect something.

[IASocFan]

I'd check out most of the threads in this forum - especially the stickied one: http://bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5252 Some of our better threads have been lost in the crashes.

Advice:
- Have fun. Tell the players that you're there to make sure they have fun, play safely and by the rules. Smile and enjoy the game.
- Work lines with more experienced refs, and note what they do well (and maybe what doesn't work well).
- Review your own work. What went wrong (use mistakes to become better - not discouraged). We've all made mistakes, and usually were better because of them.
- Ignore 90% of the comments from parents. Many of them are clueless. Coaches are only slightly more help. Get input from other referees.
- Have fun, and remember even World Cup Referees will make mistakes and be criticized for great calls. :)

[Gary V]

Another online source for ref equipment is http://www.honigs.com/store/shop.mpl Good customer service - once when a shirt I ordered was out of stock, they called me to see if I still wanted the socks I ordered, or if I wanted to cancel the whole order and avoid paying the minimum shipping just for a pair of socks.

Advice?
- Make sure you know your restarts cold. While you can't improve foul recognition except by experience, you must know the restart for whatever you do call.
- Look professional and they'll assume you know what you're doing, at least for the first 5 minutes. (If you're an adult, you get an extra 5 minutes.)
- Find out ahead of time (from your assignor) if there's any league-specific rule modifications.
- Don't let on that it's your first game until the game is over!

[Claymore]

Congrats!

[Blitzz Boy]

Yet another dumb question:

During the class, we watched some videos. They had highlights or perhaps more accurately; lowlights of some 1997 MLS games, and some controversial refereeing decisions and Razov's goal in the 1998 MLS Cup final. And there were some USSF videos.

Like the nitwit I am, I did not ask the instructor where I could buy these tapes or if they were a USSF "Public domain" kind of thing I could copy. I'll track him down & see if he can help.

Would watching videos help a completely green ref like me?

Edit, because I found this page:

https://www.kconline.com/officialsports.com/osi/c751.html

Would any of these help at all? I'm thinking the Law 12 Video & the "Guide to Procedures" would help the most?

[Gary V]

Originally posted by Blitzz Boy
Would watching videos help a completely green ref like me? IMO, not much, unless your first game is going to be in USL. (Yeah, right!)

Do a season of games in your youth leagues. Try to work with someone who's judgement you respect who can give you an honest critique. Then start watching some of the more advanced videos to help you improve.

Your local association, or your SDRI, may be able to loan you the USSF videos - I think there's 3 or 4 now. Or you can search ussoccer.com, I'm sure you can purchase them through that site. Those would be appropriate for beginning refs; they are often presented in the certification class.

[nsa]

Originally posted by Blitzz Boy
Would watching videos help a completely green ref like me?The game is the best teacher. Every game that you do is different. You will find that a foul at one age/skill level is nothing at a higher age/skill level. Because every game and every team presents different aspects of play, try not to lock yourself into one response that matches what you saw on the video.

With the youth game, err on the side of safety. With the upper aged teens and adults, look to the player's reactions to events to gauge how the game needs to be called. Afterall, it is the player's game. Don't sweat the small stuff.

If you want a tape or two, contact your state's youth soccer association and borrow "Myths of the Game" and "Offside!". The former is a good overview of the things we need to be aware of (although I still cringe every time they say "hand ball" instead of handling the ball). The latter uses footage from the WWC'99 to illustrate the finer points of offside and Referee-AR communication.

Instructional and Training Materials (http://www.ussoccer.com/referees/default.sps?iType=220&icustompageid=126) lists two tapes. "Myths" and "Guide to Procedures", as well as multi-megabytes of slides and such for instructors. The biggest problem with videos is that they become out-of-date with regards to current laws and interpretations. Your best bet is to stay in touch with experienced local referees, work some local tournaments so you get the feel of the referee tent (much like the give and take here and on SOCREF-L), lurk and chat here and/or SOCREF-L, and get an informal assessment after 10 or 12 games.

I may as well add, check out Jim Allen's Ask A Soccer Referee (http://www.ussoccer.com/referees/default.sps?iType=220&icustompageid=6056).

[wjarrettc]

Originally posted by Blitzz Boy

One of the reasons why I took the ref class is because I want to make sure that there is a league around when my daughter starts to play. (She is almost 18 months old)


This is funny as it is similar in line with why I got my certification. My son is 22 months old.

I've been wanting to get involved with my local amateur soccer league but didn't know anyone whose team I could join so I figured the next best thing was to be a ref.

[SparkeyG]

Originally posted by wjarrettc
This is funny as it is similar in line with why I got my certification. My son is 22 months old.

I've been wanting to get involved with my local amateur soccer league but didn't know anyone whose team I could join so I figured the next best thing was to be a ref.

At the risk of sounding like a ditto, my son is 16 months, and I took my test for the same reason.

Wierd what kids make you do. :)

[wjarrettc]

Anybody taking odds that the 3 of us will all be have our U4 coaching licenses within the next 2 years?

[SparkeyG]

No bet. ;)

My wife is already talking about being a soccer mom and is looking at mini-vans and station-wagons.

[Alberto]

Originally posted by SparkeyG
No bet. ;)

My wife is already talking about being a soccer mom and is looking at mini-vans and station-wagons.

It does my heart good.

[ProfZodiac]

Unfortunately, expect adversity. Players, even at 8 yrs. old, and coaches will question and criticize every call you make. Get used to it. Ignore it. If your league is fortunate enough to have a Zero Tolerance Policy, (like BAYS, as MassRef will tell you), use it. Don't let anyone try to intimidate you. Be hesitant with cards, but not to the point of fear. They're kids. They're stupid. Explain after a call. If they can't do a throw-in, demonstrate without throwing. Volunteer to do tournaments. Well, maybe not volunteer, but do as many games as you can. Every single game you do will have a situation you've never seen before. Ask to be assessed relatively often, like once or twice a year. Get friendly with your assignor. Adapt. Don't trust club linesman with anything but outs. Have a blue, red, and black pinny. If it's windy, check the goals. If it's rainy, check for standing water. If it's sunny, pray it stays that way, and then put on sunscreen. Originally said in a Baz Luhrmann album:
Wear sunscreen. Of everything I know, this is the only thing that's been scientifically proven. Everything else has come from my own meandering experience.

Prof

[hobbes]

I started reffing at 13, so maybe this advice doesn't apply to someone older, but there was a few small things that I thought helped win me some respect.

At the start I always made the captains shake hands. Usually they sauntered over to the centre circle, but you make them shake hands and call them 'gentlemen' they sort of react like they think you know what you're doing and the attitude changes.

I also talked to the players a lot at the early teen level. For the little kids I would have to explain some calls and at the adult level I didn't take or listen to much talking. For the older kids I would state the reason for a call and would listen to complaints. No foul language allowed, but I would explain myself to the captain if they had a complaint and it seemed to cut down on the yapping. They're not going to stop telling you how to your job completely at that age, but at least they seemed to think I wasn't there to ruin their careers.

If you can focus to the point where you can't hear the fans, you're in business. :)

And have fun.

cheers,
hobbes

[Statesman]

3 most important things for a ref:
1) Know the Laws of the Game inside out (includes foul recognition)
2) Mechanics and Positioning
3) Appearance

#1 you are well on your way, scoring a 91. Most of it is situational application from here on out.

#2 you have only taken the first tiny steps but will develop over the course of your tenure as a ref.

#3 is the biggest thing you can be stellar on immediately, right now, pronto and it will help your game tremendously. Get a sharp looking uniform -- Olympus is perfect price and quality for a youth ref. Get a nice set of shoes and keep them polished. Get a set of official referee shorts. Button your top button and keep the shirt tucked in neatly at all times. Pull the socks up to just under the knee with all 3 white lines showing, using a strap under the fold to keep them up while running if necessary. Don't let your pen show from any part of the uniform -- the pockets are deep for a reason. When making a signal get your arm as straight as it can go, hand extended at the same angle. Make your signals quick, precise, and confident. Blow the whistle with authority. Treat players and coaches with respect and professionalism. Make "sir," "please," and "thank you" a constant part of the vocabulary.

Look the part, act the part. Anything less and you're asking for trouble!