February 20, 2005

Thoughts on Refereeing

(This originally appeared in a similar form in a discussion on the forums of Fencing.net)

As many of you know, I do a lot of refereeing around the area. If its an event in North Texas, more than likely you can find me there refereeing. I work many of the regional/sectional events, and try to make a couple of national events each year. Slowly, I'm working my way up the referee ladder and starting to make a name for myself on the national stage. I've been fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from some of the best referees out there. The incomparable (in so very many ways!) Andy Shaw really taught me the fine details of being a referee, beyond how to call the action.

Recently, 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 attended. 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. It takes years of practice and work to develop your own “voice.” 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. You’ll add in a little bit of this and a little bit of that as you figure out what works for you and what just makes you look pretentious. I started refereeing seriously about 6 years ago, and I’m now finally starting to have my own “voice.” I figure in about another 10, 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.

You MUST be honest. Completely, totally and utterly. When it comes down to it, this is really all you have going for you as a referee. You can live down a bad day where your right-of-way tempo is off, or you totally misapply a rule. But people will never forget if you are dishonest in any way. A good rule of thumb: if it might be construed as morally suspect, it probably is. Never attempt to "make up for" a bad call by "giving it back" on the next touch. How you deal with potential conflicts of interest will tell the most about you as a referee of honesty. Many times, on the local level especially, you'll have no choice but to referee a clubmate, a student, a friend. If you develop a reputaion for honesty, and practice honesty, you'll be able to referee these bouts without the fuss that another, less scrupulous, referee would engender.

Respect the fencers, the coaches, the other referees, the bout committee - in short, every one. The fencers are there competing, and hopefully, giving it their all - give them your utmost attention and best effort. The coaches are there supporting their fencers, and trying to teach them - do your best to give them the information they need to support their students. The other referees are there working just as hard as you are - support them, and don't undercut their authority. The bout committee is working hard too and under constant time pressure - help them to accomplish their job by doing yours in an efficient, honest manner.

And relax - its not as hard as it looks!



I can't take credit for most of this, as its an almagram of what I've learned from others (Thanks to Andy Shaw, Jerry Benson, Bill Oliver, Damon Scaggs, Gerrie Baumgart and others) . But hopefully put together in a form that others can find useful.