How to Referee a Basketball Game

Refereeing a basketball game is an extremely challenging and fun things to do. It's not for everyone, but if you can handle the heat, grab a whistle and get on the court. Get your zebra costume on and here's how to properly referee a basketball game.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Whistle to make calls
• Confidence
• Advanced basketball knowledge

Refereeing a Basketball Game

1. Make your calls.This might be a difficult concept, but it is far less important that you make a correct call than it is that you make a defiant call. When you are wearing the black-and-white shirt (or whatever color it is) you are the main authority on foul and violation calls for that game of basketball. Do not let the players or coaches dictate how the game flows - that is your job. When you decide a foul is a foul, blow your whistle strongly and make your call. Use a strong voice and call the foul so everyone can hear it. It is vitally important that you are 100-percent sure of your calls and you do not back down. Many calls seemingly could go either way (is it a charge or a block?), but you are the voice of reckoning when it comes to a decision. So make your call strong and loud and stick to it no matter what (even if you made a mistake).

2. Make sure you are in the right position.No matter how right your call is, no one will respect your call if you are out of position. If you re in the right spot and have a good view of the play, then everyone will listen to your whistle whether they like it or not.Depending on how many referees are officiating a given game, the positions for the referees can change. But make sure you know where you are supposed to be and get there ahead of time. For example, if you are the lead official no player should ever beat you down the court. That means when there is a turnover, it is time for you to really hustle and get in your spot.

3. Control the game.It is the referee's job to control the flow of the game. About 90-percent of the time, before two players will ever get into a fight, there are little bumps along the way. And in order to ensure that the game is under control, the refs need to make the right calls and set a calm before the storm ever enters the picture.Here's what I mean: if two players are getting into it by elbowing each other or talking trash. Calls need to be made to stop the players from getting too heated. If the proper fouls are not called and the situation is ignored, that is when the players decide to take matters into their own hands and things can get ugly, quickly. If you have to issue technical fouls to quarantine the situation, then do it. If you have to call a timeout and talk to the players involved, do that. Just make sure that everyone on the court knows that you have control of the situation.

4. Don't sit there and watch the ball.The easiest thing to do when reffing a game is to watch the ball. You'll want to watch it get passed down low, you'll want to watch the arc of the ball on a 3-point shot, you'll find yourself following the point guard all around the court as they dribble from side to side. Don't do this.Each ref has a designated spot where they are supposed to watch. It depends on your positioning and where the ball is, but make sure you are covering your area.

5. Ask for help.Don't make a call if you didn't see what happened or aren't sure who the ball went off. Ask another referee for help. Chances are they might have seen the play and have an opinion, so ask them if you don't know.This goes along with the notion of making a strong call. That's impossible if you didn't see who really touched the ball last, so ask for help. Don't be embarrassed - you are only trying to make sure that the right call is made. The players will respect you for seeking the truth rather than taking a shot in the dark - even if the ball falls their way.

6. Back up your fellow refs.Whether you agree with the call that the other ref made or not, you must back them up all the way. Do not ever admit that another ref made a bad call, or that you saw things another way - during a game is not the time for that. If you really feel they made a mistake, tell them at the next timeout when the players are off the court.You don't have to lie and say that you agree with a bad call that another ref made, but you do have to have their back. This means that if a player asks you about a call and you think they have a case, just say you didn't see it or that it wasn't your call. The point is that can not throw the other refs under the bus for any reason.This all being said, if another ref makes a terrible call (like the ball was obviously off of the other team), blow your whistle, call a brief timeout and discuss the call with the referee involved. Tell them that you really think the call should go the other way and are they sure about it. If they say they saw it, then back off, otherwise let them know what you saw.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't be afraid to hand out a technical foul if things get our of hand. It's a great way to warn a player that you are watching them.
• Generally speaking, the amount of calls on either team should be within a reasonable amount of each other. Sometimes one team may be more aggressive defensively than another, and pick up some extra fouls, but if the numbers are completely lob-sided, someone will notice and you will have a problem. Just keep this in mind as the game goes along.
• Reffing basketball is not for everyone. Any can play but only a select few should go to the other side. You need to be loud, definite and confident in your calls. If you can't do this, just stick to playing for now.

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