This document provides information on individual officiating techniques for referees. It discusses terminology used in officiating, tools for decision making, individual techniques like positioning and calls, and mechanics like signals and foul reporting. The goal is for referees to have consistent standards while displaying their own character, and to make high-quality, quick decisions through an analytical process.

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2015 IOTIndividual officiating techniques

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MECHANICS
There is one game,
two/three referees,
but still only one
officiating team.

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1. Terminology
2. Tool for Decision Making
3. Individual Techniques
4. Clock & Foul Management
INDEX

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TERMINOLOGY1
IOT Individual Officiating Techniques
Obvious play (OP) Play that has to be covered correct in all cases (no excuses)
Primary coverage
(PC)
Area of responsibility and actions that referee has to be able
to cover always
Dual Coverage
(DC)
Area of responsibility and actions that two referees have
overlapping primaries on same area or play.
Secondary
coverage (SC)
Area of responsibility and actions that referee is able to cover
after ensuring that primary coverage is covered
Extended coverage
(EC)
At the highest level of officiating, an official has to be able to
extend coverage on two different play situations at the same
time

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TERMINOLOGY 2
Giving help
(GH)
Referee who offers assistance outside his/her primary and
makes correct call after allowing partner to make the call in his/
her primary
Regular call
(RC)
Considered to be normal call by designated referee (no assistance)
Referee the
defence (RD)
The priority when refereeing on ball is to focus the attention on
the legality of the defensive player while keeping the offensive
player with the ball in your field of vision
Open angle
(OA)
Clear view of the action in a referee’s primary / secondary
coverage area. Never leave an open look.
Closed angle
(CA)
A stacked or straight-lined view of the action area in a referee’s
primary / secondary coverage area.
Cross Step
(CS)
When play starts to progress in one direction and designated
referee takes steps to opposite direction.

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TERMINOLOGY 3
RSBQ Definition for Rhythm, Speed, Balance & Quickness.
Working area
(WA)
Area where referee normally operates most of his time in that
position.
Action area
(AA)
Action area may involve players with or without ball. Knowledge
on various play situations (pick & roll, post-ups, rebounding) will
help referees identify action areas in their primary.
EOP End of the Period
EOG End of the Game

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Analytical decision making
or
Emotional decision
DECISION MAKING TOOL

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• Analytical decision making vs. Emotional
decision
• Raise standard of quality decisions
• Raise standard of quick quality decisions
DECISION MAKING TOOL

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DECISION MAKING PROCESS FOR REFEREES

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DECISION MAKING PROCESS
Natural decision
“We simply decide
without thinking
much about the
decision process."

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FLIPISM
Flipism, sometimes written as
"Flippism," is a pseudophilosophy
under which all decisions are made
by flipping a coin.
An actual coin is not necessary:
dice or another random generator
may be used for decision making.
Flipism can be seen as a
normative decision theory,
although it does not fulfill the
criteria of rationality.

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DECISION MAKING PROCESS
When a movement is repeated
over time, a long-term muscle
memory is created for that task,
eventually allowing it to be
performed without conscious
effort.
This process decreases the need
for attention and creates
maximum effectiveness within the
motor and memory systems

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• Make sure your voice is clear and sharp,
but not aggressive.
• Know what you are talking about,
do not explain too much
• Practice key words and how to start and
use them.
VERBAL CONTROL

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2011 Referees Summer Camp – Istanbul, June 2011
IMAGE OF BASKETBALL REFEREE
Strong
Decisive
Approachable

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• Standard = always the same = boring = grey
• Standard = according to the expectations
(Customer satisfaction) but could be still
“colorful” and distinctive.
• Standard, but still able to react to changes
during the game.
• We are looking for Referees with Character
as well as an absolutely professional
approach at the same time.
CHARACTER & STANDARD

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COURT PRESENCE & DECISION

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Start of
the Play
Middle of
the Play
End of the
Play
DECISION MAKING TOOL
Collecting Information & Analysing
Active
Mindset
Mental
Image
Training
Legal
Illegal
Decision

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DECISION MAKING TOOL
No snap shots!
See the entire film!

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DECISION MAKING TOOL
Active Mind-set
Self-Talking
Look for reasons to call

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DECISION MAKING TOOL
Engaged with
Mechanics or Play?

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DECISION MAKING TOOL
Priority:
Primary Coverage
on Obvious Plays

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Fantasy Call

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Individual
techiques
Crew
coopera5on
Game
coverage
INDIVIDUAL - CREW - GAME

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1. Distance & Stationary
2. Stay with the play
3. Effective positioning (open angle)
4. Adjusting positioning (maintaining open angle)
5. Referee defence
6. Know what to look at
• active mindset
• mental image training
• visualizing
7. Understand what you see (know the game, anticipate plays)
8. Throw-in administration (general & frontcourt endline)
INDIVIDUALTECHNIQUES

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8. Making a call & communication
• blowing the whistle
• verbal
• signals
9. Reporting to the table (signals & verbal)
10. Jump ball (tossing the ball)
11. Time-Outs
12. Game Clock & Shot Clock
13. Time & Foul Management
INDIVIDUALTECHNIQUES

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DISTANCE
ü When refereeing the play, maintain an appropriate
distance from the play
ü If you are too close to the play, you lose perspective
and it looks too fast
ü If you are too close to the play, the possibility of
an “emotional call” or reaction increases
ü See the big picture
DISTANCE & STATIONARY

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STATIONARY
ü When making judgment – be stationary – eyes bounce
and concentration decreases when your feet move
ü Correct decision likely when you are stationary as
focus and concentration increase
ü But you must move to be in the right position.
ü Move, Stop, Observe and Decide.
DISTANCE & STATIONARY

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DISTANCEC

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STATIONARY& UNTIL END OF ACTION
Stay with the play until end of action.
ü Mentally - do not stop officiating
ü Physically, do not ” fade away”
and release the play

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POSITION(S)
ü On ball primary
Able to see defensive player (refereeing
defence)
ü Off ball primary
Able to see the play in primary area without
ball
ü On ball extended
Able to see any other play in progress
outside primary (possible next play, open
angle)
ü Off ball extended
Able to see as many players as possible
outside primary (not focusing all of them)

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ADJUSTMENTS
ü Move to maintain open angle – Anticipate where
need to be - Adjust to the play (steps here, steps
there)
ü Move with a purpose – go where you need to be
to referee the play (different than Working Area)
ü If initial position is correct – less need to move –
different than being STATIC

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OPEN ANGLE & 45°
Edge of the play

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KNOW & UNDERSTAND THE GAME
KNOW WHAT TO LOOK AT
ü Study and visualize the possible outcomes of various play
situations
ü Scout the players in order to be in correct position
(right/left handed, shooter…)
ü Know what to expect, identify the second motion to come
ü Stay with play in your primary until the end of action
(do not release the play too soon)

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KNOW & UNDERSTAND THE GAME
UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SEE
ü Know the game understand the
impact of action
ü Expect next movement, anticipate contact and
identify a foul. Don’t anticipate a foul.

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THROW-IN
1. Designate a throw-in spot
2. Use preventative officiating
eg. “on the spot”, “stay” or “don’t move”
3. Maintain distance from the play
4. Put whistle in mouth while holding ball
5. Bounce ball to the player
6. Start visual count
7. Observe throw-in and action
surrounding
8. This needs to be a automatic
procedure (muscle memory action)

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Warning whistle
When a throw-in is taken on the endline in the
frontcourt, an active official will blow the whistle
before placing the ball at the player’s disposal for the
throw-in.
THROW-IN / WARNING WHISTLE

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THROW-IN / WARNING WHISTLE
1. Designate the throw-in spot
2. Ensure thrower-in is at the right spot
3. Blow the whistle before placing the ball at the player’s disposal
for the throw-in.
4. Bounce/Handle the ball to the player for throw-in
5. Valid only on the endline of the front court.

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Making a call
1. Technique how to blow the whistle
2. Readiness to communicate verbally
3. Rhythm
4. Use both hands for direction of play to stay open to court
5. Same treatment in every play
6. Less is more

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COURT PRESENCE & DECISION

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REPORTINg TO THE TABLE
1. Use official and authorized FIBA
signals
2. Rhythm (start & stop)
3. Strong, Sharp, Visible and Decisive
4. Use both hands for direction
of play to stay open to court
5. Same treatment in every play
6. Reporting foul: RUN, stop, two feet
on the floor, breathe (body
balance)
7. Nature of the foul must be the
same as what really happened in
the play

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One clenched fist
Signals / stop clock for foul

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Form T, show index finger
Signals / charged time-out

44. 44Open arms with clenched fists
Signals / media time-out

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Thumbs up followed by pointing in direction
of alternating possession arrow
Signals / held ball – jump ball situation

46. 46Form T, showing palms
Signals / technical foul

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No. 00 and 0
Both hands show 0 Right hand shows 0
Signals / player numbers

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No. 1 - 5
Right hand shows number 1 to 5
Signals / player numbers

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No. 6 - 10
Right hand shows number 5,
left hand shows number 1 to 5
Signals / player numbers

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No. 11 - 15
Right hand shows clenched fist,
left hand shows number 1 to 5
Signals / player numbers

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No. 16
First reverse hand shows number 1 for the decade digit,
then open hands show number 6 for the units digit
Signals / player numbers

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No. 24
First reverse hand shows number 2 for the decade digit,
then open hand shows number 4 for the units digit
Signals / player numbers

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No. 40
First reverse hand shows number 4 for the decade digit,
then open hand shows number 0 for the units digit
Signals / player numbers

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No. 78
First reverse hands show number 7 for the decade digit,
then open hands show number 8 for the units digit
Signals / player numbers

55. 55Grab palm and forward motion
Signals / hand checking

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Strike wrist
NOTE: Normally used on contact at the waist level or below.
Signals / illegal use of hands

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Strike the side of the hand/fist towards the other forearm
NOTE: Normally used when contact occurs on the arm during the act of shooting.
Signals / illegal contactto the hand

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Indicate the contact to the head
Signals / hitto the head

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One arm with clenched fist, followed by
indication of the numbers of free throws
Signals / foul in the act of shooting
Valid only when AOS play!

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One arm with clenched fist,
followed by pointing to the floor
Signals / foul on the no act of shooting

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JUMPBALL / TOSSING THE BALL
ü Timing and Surprise element
ü Jumpers are tensed – why?
ü Avoid to have any extra
movements
ü Style of tossing the ball
ü One solid upward movement
to toss the ball
ü Level of the ball at the start.
ü Speed & intensive toss
ü In the direction of the
midcourt line
ü Surprise element – how?

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TIME-OUTS
ü Leave the ball where the
game will be resumed
ü Excellent time to
communicate (together)
ü Learn how to communicate
ü What & how, less is more
ü EOP & EOG
ü 20” close to the team
benches
ü 10” mark – activate the
process to bring them back

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TIME / FOUL MANAGEMENT
Control of Clocks
o New team possession,
pick up the game & shot clock
o Eye contact on game clock on every
start of possession
o Use game clock for shot clock if
necessary
o Use math to solve it
o Identify your important digits (personal)
o Know your numbers (time & fouls)
o Communicate with your partners

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TIME MANAGEMENT / TWO DIGITS

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TIME MANAGEMENT
Most common play situations
o Jump ball and first possession
o Out of bound play
o Throw-in
o Rebound play (new possession)
o Saving ball (out of bound play)

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Eop & eog
ü Communicate with your partners
ü Less than 24 or 14 seconds on
the game clock
ü “Last shot” signal initiated by one
and mirrored by all crew.

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No worries!
Next generation will
be always better than
previous one!
SUMMARY

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