learned a referee lesson this weekend

[fluidfencer]

I earned a referee rating of 8 in foil, which means I do well at smaller local events. I also do well with the youth events, where an encouraging patient attitude helps.

Our club had a regional tournament this weekend, which ended up a B2 tournament in foil. There wasn't and A fencer competing, but a bunch of Bs and Cs.

I realized after the pools that I wasn't quite ready for that level of competition as a referee. I did well in many instances, but I didn't get some of the nuances that you find when two Bs compete. I don't compete at that level either, which makes things a little more difficult.

So what am I going to do about it? I plan to referee at more local events and during practice, before tackling another couple of Bs. That's only fair to them.

Fortunately, the errors I made didn't affect the outcome of any bout. I sure needed a drink after that day. Unfortunately I had to leave and drive 3 hours to my son's swim meet. By the way, I will be studying to become a swimming official this spring... oh joy.

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by fluidfencer

I sure needed a drink after that day.

See, THAT'S that problem and why you're only an 8.... you think the drinking comes AFTER the event.... :)

-B :)

[peet]

The practice ref'ing in the club that you already plan on doing is the main thing. Even when you are not actively ref'ing, but just watching good fencers, referee the bout in your head. Another very helpful thing is to shoulder-surf other highly qualified referees as often as you can at high level competitions, NAC's if possible.

As you do, see if you can make a decision as to who's touch it is before the ref makes his/her call, and then see if you agree with the ref. When you do not agree, assume that they are usually right, and try to see what about the action they saw differently from you. Gradually, patterns will emerge that indicate what kinds of actions you are missing. Then you can watch more closely for those kinds of actions.

HTH,
-p

[oso97]

Originally Posted by fluidfencer

I earned a referee rating of 8 in foil, which means I do well at smaller local events. I also do well with the youth events, where an encouraging patient attitude helps.

Our club had a regional tournament this weekend, which ended up a B2 tournament in foil. There wasn't and A fencer competing, but a bunch of Bs and Cs.

I realized after the pools that I wasn't quite ready for that level of competition as a referee. I did well in many instances, but I didn't get some of the nuances that you find when two Bs compete. I don't compete at that level either, which makes things a little more difficult.

So what am I going to do about it? I plan to referee at more local events and during practice, before tackling another couple of Bs. That's only fair to them.

Fortunately, the errors I made didn't affect the outcome of any bout. I sure needed a drink after that day. Unfortunately I had to leave and drive 3 hours to my son's swim meet. By the way, I will be studying to become a swimming official this spring... oh joy.

Practice practice practice. Watch good referees referee. Try and make the calls before they make them. Use the hand signals (They actually can help you make the right calls). Find a good referee in your area and ask them to mentor you.

[noodle]

snag some vids and try and attune your instincts to the ref's in the video.

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by oso97

Practice practice practice. Watch good referees referee. Try and make the calls before they make them. Use the hand signals (They actually can help you make the right calls). Find a good referee in your area and ask them to mentor you.

I VERY much agree with this. Making the hand signals will make you a better referee. Get rid of the clipboard. Hold a small, folded up, piece of paper in your hand for the score, but have your hands mostly free. Not only will your signals actually be legible to the spectators, but your calls will improve. At least I find that's the case for me. I am a noticibly better referee without the board and when making good signals than when either of those is not the case. Something which I discovered and adjusted to doing about 6 months before the FOCs started hammering the point home that they wanted people to stop using the clipboards.

-B :)

[oso97]

So this past weekend I was involved in a project mentoring a bunch of new referees at a regional event. I wasn't the senior referee present, nor am I an official referee examiner/observer, but I had been hired to be the BC Chair and Head Referee and do the assignments. I've also been involved with training developing referees for awhile, and providing opportunities for developing referees to work, be mentored, and trained. As such, I've had opportunities to work closely with three different referee examiners/observers in my region on a number of occasions, and had some chats with a couple of different FOC types.

At one point, I had an opportunity to have a long chat with a new referee, and was repeating to him some of the stuff that has either been hammered home to me over the years, or I've heard repeatedly by FOC examiners in seminars that I've hosted, etc. It was the first opportunity though that I had to put it all together in one coherent package. I'll try to repeat as much as I can remember, in a semi-coherent form.

There is no one single "referee skill." Rather, good refereeing is an amalgam of a number of different skills, all of which work together to make a "good referee." One has to know the rules. One has to know how to apply the rules in different circumstances. One has to be able to make the proper "factual call" (i.e. see ROW properly in ROW weapons and see infractions of the rules). One has to be able to present the "factual calls" that one makes in such a manner that the competitors, coaches and other referees have confidence that the call was the correct one, or at least be able to understand why the call was made in a particular way in a close situation.

Obviously one has to study the rules. And know them backwards and forwards. This is what the rulebook and the test are for.

One also has to know how to apply the rules. This is where the referee seminar comes in (and does other things). Its also important to a) watch a lot of fencing, and see how the rules are interpreted. and b) get out there and referee and apply the rules and learn how they are applied. Trust me, once you mess one up, and get overruled by the BC for misapplying it, you won't screw that one up again. Get a feel for when to call halt and when to bring out the cards.

Being able to make the proper "factual call" is something that comes with experience. That's something you have to do yourself. You have to see a LOT of actions, in all their many permutations and combinations. See how "good referees" make the call. Talk to them. If possible, talk to another good referee (quietly) standing directly behind another good referee who is working. Ask questions if you don't understand why a call was made a particular way. For some people the ability to make the right call comes more easily that others. But I believe that most people with a fundamental knowledge of fencing can learn to make the right call the majority of the time, even in the most difficult of times. (Witness what happens when a good referee blows a complicated call - even the beginners and spectators know it). Calling the action correctly is hard yes, but not impossible. It helps to not look at the scoring box – let your peripheral vision pick up the red and green lights (they’re red and green for a reason, those are the two colors the human eye can most easily see in peripheral vision). Train your peripheral vision to look for things like covering target area, parrying with the off weapon hand, stepping off strip, etc. Its not hard, but it does take some practice.

And then there is presentation. Also known as strip presence. Gravitas. Respect. Personality. Whatever you want to call it, its just as important as making a ROW way call properly. It is the most difficult skill of all, in my opinion. Most regular working referees I think would agree. This is what separates the sheep from the lambs. (And its just as important in epee as in foil and sabre).

Some thoughts on presentation: Look the part. Wear your blue blazer and gray slacks. Be well groomed without being flashy. Use the hand signals. Stand erect with good posture. Lose the clipboard. Use a timer that counts down, not up. Develop your routines for inspection and always use them the exact same way. Use a calm, clear voice that projects just enough for the fencers to hear, without being overwhelming. Stand still when you make your calls. Maintain a constant distance from the edge of the strip.

Always make the calls the same way. Never let them see you sweat. There is no such thing as a “hard call.” To your audience, they’re all easy (even the complex ones). Use the opportunity presented by “easy calls” to build confidence the fencers, coaches and spectators have in you by making them in a even, clear pace. When a difficult call comes along, make it in exactly the same manner as the easy one - as if that tempo attack into the compound counter-riposte is just as clear and evident as the one-light straight attack. When an action is so convoluted that the action isn’t clear to you, don’t try to make up action. However, the referee does not abstain (or say “I dunno”). How you handle these situation is difficult, but will be remembered. You have to convey to the fencers that they did not present the action in terms you were capable of seeing, without giving them the opportunity to think you are an idiot. Just make the hand signal for “no touch” and instruct them to come on-guard. And have a poker face when you do. The same poker face as when you make the one-light straight attack call. When you make that call of a tempo attack into the compound counter-riposte, the fencer who was hit has to respect that you made the right call. If you’ve presented every call up to then in the exact same calm, confident, easy-going manner, they will nod and quietly come back on guard, even if they first think they did have the touch, because they’ll respect that you can make that call.

Of course if you screw it up royally, they’ll know it too.

And then you have to deal with fencers who try to work the referee by playing games. Let the focus of energy action be between the two fencers, never between the referee and the fencers. When they try to play games, use that same calm, clear voice that projects to direct their energy and attention back to their opponent. Let the coaches interject their energy – but only to their fencer. If a fencer (or a coach) tries to get something started with you, don’t play their game. There is a fine line there, though, between defusing the situation calmly and doing it with haughty arrogance. One step over that line, and you’ll know when you did. Body language says a lot. Again, watch how the good referees do it and learn from them.

Find your own referee “voice.” By “voice”, I mean more than just the voice in which you make your calls. Its everything about you, from the way you look, to the way you walk, to the way you act, to the volume, pitch and pace with which you give your verbal commands and calls of action. Its your own strip presence. Don’t be surprised though if you find yourself mimicking a referee that you respect and you see working – this is a good place to start. It takes years of practice and work to develop your own “voice.” You’ll add in a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I started refereeing seriously about 6 years ago, and I’m now finally starting to have my own “voice.” I figure in about another 5, it will be all my own and recognizable as such.

And no, having an Eastern Block last name and/or speaking in an accent is not a substitute for good presentation. But it can be part of your “voice” if that is who you truly are.

Practice Practice Practice. Not just making the ROW calls, but your presentation thereof. If you practice in club making sloppy calls, it will show in competition.

I hope these thoughts help.

[oiuyt]

This is a great description of the things that anyone should be looking to develop in him/herself to become a (better) referee.

-B :)

[oso97]

Thanks. I want to add though that I can't claim credit for most of the ideas in there. They come from a variety of other sources.

[Damon Scaggs]

Congratulations fluidfencer on receiving a referee rating! The sport obviously needs as many competent referee's as it can get! It's also good to see you know your current limitations and are willing to work to improve your abilities. Becoming a good referee requires training just as becoming a good fencer does.

oso97 has a very good post with tons of good advice. I thought I would add a few additional thoughts that might help:

1. Find a mentor. The perfect choice would be someone who will shoot straight with you. Someone who will tell you when you are right and when you are wrong. They should be a current active referee at a fairly high level. Watch them work. Ask them questions. Look for types of calls where you consistently differ and try to understand why and adjust. Also pay close attention when they try to teach you that it isn't all about the calls. Your strip presence is just as important. I was lucky and have had some of the best mentors in the country. Andy Shaw taught me originally what it really took to be a good referee. After he retired Bill Oliver, George Kolombatovich, Jeff Bukantz, Sharon Everson, Bill Goering Ralph Zimmerman and others continued to teach me. Find people like these and draw on their vast experience. I think you'll find that most national level referees are willing to help with the development of newer referees.

2. Go to club and referee and invite argument. You would never do this in a competition, but in a club bout you can ask the fencers which one was beating and which was parrying. Was that action a poor attack or an intentional preperation as part of a second intention action. If you have strong fencers in your club you can learn a ton of calls and different approaches to fencing.

3. Also go to club and work on strip presence. As oso97 put it you are trying to develop your own style. It sounds a bit corner, but there is a certain rythym to it. The way you make calls should be the same no matter if you are 150% certain of the call or you have some doubt. It's amazing how much trouble you can avoid with good control of the way you make your calls.

4. Work work work work. You probably heard in a referee seminar that it takes a good 1000 bouts at any particular level to be completely comfortable there.

5. Don't take religious positions with respect to calls. If you find yourself differing from the main stream, find a way to adjust. When you reach a point where you have earned a spot on the FIE arbitrage or rules commission or the executive committee then you can change the sport. Until then your goal is to try to be in the mainstream of the sport. Sure, there is always some variations amongst referees, but it's really fairly small.


Good luck with it! If you cross paths with me at a competition feel free to ask questions.


Damon Scaggs