“Small daily improvements lead to massive success over time.”
As the high-school football season winds down, many officials move on to winter or spring sports. Others finally exhale after a long grind, grateful for free weekends. Rest is good and necessary, but for football officials, completely “shutting it off” until July is risky. When we step away from the game for months, our rules knowledge fades, mechanics feel rusty, and our confidence dips.
The offseason doesn’t have to mean total disengagement. It can be a season of quiet growth; of small, intentional steps that keep us sharp.
James Clear wrote in 3-2-1 Thursday:
“Mastery requires lots of practice. But the more you practice something, the more boring and routine it becomes. Thus, an essential component of mastery is the ability to maintain your enthusiasm. The master continues to find the fundamentals interesting.”
That’s the key. We get better not through big leaps once a year but through small, steady habits we sustain all year long. True mastery in officiating, just like in coaching or playing, comes from those who keep the fundamentals interesting even in the offseason.
1. Employ an Accountability Partner
Most of us can’t grow in isolation. We need someone who will both encourage and challenge us, a trusted accountability partner who helps keep us consistent when motivation fades. Find another official who shares your desire to improve and agree to check in with each other periodically. But here’s the key, give your accountability partner permission to call you out if you start slacking off.
2. Watch Film for 15 Minutes a Week
Choose one evening, sit down, and watch Hudl film for just fifteen minutes. Don’t just look for fouls, watch positioning, communication, and how officials manage unique situations. Write down one observation per week. That habit alone will separate you from most officials next August.
3. Review the Rules Book Once a Week
Instead of waiting for summer clinics to dust off your rule book, read a few pages each week. By summer, you’ll have quietly reviewed the whole book without a cram session.
4. Keep Talking Football
Stay in touch with your peers. Text about a college play you saw on TV or a clip that raised a question. Ask, “What would you rule here?” Those quick conversations build community and keep your officiating brain active.
5. Set Goals for the 2026 Season
Write down what you want to improve—sideline management, better field positioning, deeper rule understanding. Do it now while memories from this season are still fresh. Small written goals keep you accountable when spring arrives.
6. Mentor a Newer Official
Stay connected to a first- or second-year official. Teaching forces you to clarify what you know. Send them a handful of quiz questions each week. You’ll sharpen your own skills while building the next generation of officials.
The offseason doesn’t have to be about doing more—it’s about staying connected. Even 10 minutes a day, or a single focused hour each week, keeps your edge sharp.
The offseason doesn’t have to be a long hibernation. It can be a time of quiet, steady growth. Remember, small daily improvements really are the key to long-term success.
When next season arrives, you’ll walk onto the field sharper, more confident, and ready—not because you flipped a switch, but because you built a system that never turned off.
Quiz
Read the quiz stem and then choose the best answer.
Free kick from the K-40. Team K has 10 players on the field when the referee blows the ready-for-play. K33 then steps onto the field and stands between the numbers and the sideline. K10 kicks the ball deep, and it crosses the goal line.
- No foul
- Illegal formation
- Illegal substitution
- Illegal participation
Review Rule 7-2-1, 9-6-4d