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Paul Patterson is in his 7th year of officiating for
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Why three person mechanics? What is (was) wrong with two?
Many of you may ask this question, and in many games, you will pose a great question…but only if you look at the physical contact of the game. My hope is this article will get you to think beyond the physical contact level of any game and look for every opportunity to be an ambassador for three person mechanics. Three person mechanics will ultimately benefit everyone involved…officials, players, coaches…and yes, fans too!!
Some of the comments surrounding three person mechanics at the high school level are currently focusing on whether or not it is really necessary at the girls’ level. Of course with Title IX, it is a moot point and because it is greatly needed at most boys’ games, the girls will get this great opportunity as well. The question I pose is certainly not intended to be critical of girls officials, or the girls style of play, but because it was (and will be) an issue more related to money than anything else. I pose the question in hopes that with this article, you will start to understand what an important role each of you will play whenever you go out and officiate a game with two other partners.
The other comment I hear from fans and coaches is they think with three officials, there will be more fouls called! While I am not going to give you my opinion of those people, let me just state for the record
à That just is not the case.
The two biggest differences between two person and three person are:
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Don’t
ever guess on a call again!!!
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Communication
between two other partners is far more important than you ever thought it
was!!!
We all recognize there are many other differences, but if you start with the two mentioned above and apply it to every three person game, you’ll be on your way to becoming a very solid three person official.
First of all, let me address my first bullet point…Don’t ever guess again!!
As you learn to understand your primary area, rotations, secondary defenders, passing off coverage, keys to look for at every position, late whistles, patient whistles, you will also learn that every spot on the court can be covered very well with three of you. You will also find that you get a much better look at “The Whole Play” now instead of the tail end of something. What happens when everyone is focusing on their primary becomes crystal clear….you will see the entire play much better…you will be able to determine the impact of the play and the players action, and you will also be much more sure of each of your calls.
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Trust
your partner to call in their primary, and don’t guess anymore. If you are guessing with a three person crew…
something is wrong.
Communication is the second thing that will be very different in a three person crew. Potentially, there will be more double whistles, more late whistles, and generally more off ball calls, but there won’t necessarily be more fouls called.
Communication and awareness of how many calls each of you make is an integral part of your game. For example, generally speaking whenever you have a double whistle, the official who takes the call is the person who has primary coverage, unless the secondary coverage official has not had a call in quite sometime. This philosophy is even more important on foul calls. It is so important to keep everyone equally involved in the game. Another example is when you are refereeing as a C, or Center official. You will see more contact, the entire court will open up to you, but just because the ball and majority of the players are away from you doesn’t mean you get to relax!! You will be required to make many more decisions than you ever did before, because now you will see contact and have to determine if it’s worth a whistle or not. You will now have to make an adjustment and call fouls on your side of the key. These examples go well beyond three person officiating 101, and are just two of the many things you can learn if you do one simple thing…
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Challenge
yourself to continue to learn the many benefits and nuances of three person
officiating.
When you start to get comfortable with your primary areas of coverage, and you catch yourself thinking, “I’m getting this down”, then what that really means is it is time for you to move on to referee 201. You’re actually just beginning to learn how to be a better three person official.
Officiating, as in life, have some parallels. You are either learning to get better, or you are actually getting worse, because if you aren’t improving your game, there is someone else out there who is. That means you are not just standing still, but actually regressing. In any hierarchy, you are either moving up or down….you are never stagnant because even if you aren’t moving up, someone else out there is on their way up.
Challenge yourself to always continue to learn how to be a better three person official, and you will find that the camaraderie of three is far more gratifying than two….you will find you call a much better game, and you won’t guess anymore. You will find you give participants, (coaches, players, and fans) a much more consistent game. You will find you are able to provide the game a fairness much higher than ever before. You will find that the next time some one who is not an official asks, “Is three really better than two?” your answer becomes very simple. ”Not only is it better, it is a way of life because it’s the right thing to do.”
