As I mentioned in another thread, I recently participated as an instructor (even though I am not licensed as such) for a Grassroots Referee field session. Some people have asked that I share some of the things that we did. 1. We broke the participants up in groups of 3 and had them inspect the field. We talked to them about what they should be checking for to make sure the field is safe. 2. Next, we gave each group a ball to inspect. The ball had been previously inflated to the maximum manufacturer specification. Then, we gave them a second ball that was at the minimum specification. The point of this was to explain that you can't tell if the ball is properly inflated by feel. 3. We gave each group a coin and had them go through the procedure for a coin toss, making sure to explain the choices that the teams has when they win the toss. 4. From there, we went into some on-field situations. We used the referees as the "players". One instructor worked with the ARs, one with the referees, and the other 2 were helping set up situations on the field. This was done in a small area, on one half of the field. Any time something came up that people were unsure about, we would stop and replay the situation for all to see. This included such situations as ball in and out of play (throw-ins, goal kick, corner kick), what to do when a goal is scored, fouls, and several different offside decisions. (This activity took a majority of the time.) 5. We talked about how to use the whistle and how different whistle tones/volume communicate different things. 6. With a ball placed in the middle of the field, we asked each referee to stand where they thought ten yards would be. Then, using a tape measure, we showed them what ten yards actually was. This lead into talking about free kicks and quick vs ceremonial restarts. Let me also give one piece of advise that was very helpful. If at any time anyone has a question, try to keep the answer/explanation short and sweet (no more than 1-2 minutes). then get back going again. Otherwise, you will possibly get off on a tangent and lose people's attention. If necessary, go deeper into questions during breaks. Overall, it was a good experience. I have not done much instruction before this, but I would do it again if asked. Hope this information helps.
I will add briefly that when doing small groups or pair ups of students, break friends apart and break apart the adults. The kids won't focus if they are with friends. Adults tend to congregate but they usually give better feedback to classmates so you want them to be apart so everyone gets more feedback.
pt ref, thank you so much, later on today, i will share what we are doing in illinois, and maybe our paths have crossed before, i have reffed and talked with some kentucky refs- ussf games in evansville- heinz podolsky, nisoa- aaron hernandez, tony crush, joshua brooks, etc
You really had to split people up to practice the procedure for flipping a coin? Of all your instruction, this one could have been done as one big group.
Do you know how many kids come away not remembering who picked what after a coin toss? Group of 3, one person ask the second to make the call, flip the coin, ask the winner what they want, ball or end, and asks the other which end they want if it wasn't selected. Finally REPEAT what the decisions are back to the others eg. "You will have kickoff in the first half and be in that [point] end."
As a slight aside.... I'm finding more and more that some people have strong difficulties flipping a coin. Maybe it was always hard for some people, but some people get some anxiety about it.
Our whole session lasted about 4 hours. Here is a rough breakdown of what we did. Introductions - 5 minutes Field inspection - 10 minutes Ball inspection - 10 minutes Coin toss - 10 minutes On field scenarios - 1 hour 15 minutes Break - 5-10 minutes Whistle - 10 minutes On field scenarios - 1 hour 15 minutes Break - 5-10 minutes 10 yards/ free kick mgmt - 15 minutes Q&A - remaining time Hope this helps.
Sounds good. Yes, I know all those guys, and have worked with them quite a bit over the years. Tony and Aaron are now both USSF National Coaches.
Lol. PT I hear you got roped into this last minute then your instructor had to drive clear across the state for another clinic the next day. Poor guy.
I assume there was no center circle painted? Or maybe that was part of the challenge, to teach them how to use field markings to assist with distance estimation. This sounds like a great training program. Too often everything is classroom and when the newbies get out onto the field they freeze like a deer in the headlights.
It went well. It gets hectic at points and the “fouls” are still hard to simulate. We were indoors (not a soccer complex) so field checks and stuff had to be skipped. It’s a fair bit of material to cram in during the period.