Illegal Batting/Kicking and Forward Fumble
This is the first Art of Officiating Ready for Play article in 2025! Since most are beginning to dig into the rules book and take state-mandated tests, I figured I’d start the…
Ready For Play
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Ready for Play #93; The Final Article of the 2024 Season
Note: Please do not unsubscribe from the Ready for Play articles. When a large number of people unsubscribe from a mailing list, Google primarily flags the sender as potentially sending irrelevant emails,…
It’s Tough Being a Teen
A local high school has struggled mightily in the past 2+ decades to win football games. Since 2004, they have won only 49 times. During this period, they have had one season…
Screwing Up the Overtime
Here is a Ray Lutz “Forward Progress” post from September 1, 2008 (Edited for clarity) In Colorado we use the NFHS procedure for resolving tied contests as written. Some State Associations have…
Bracketing
Here is a Ray Lutz “Forward Progress” post from September 7, 2009 (Edited for clarity and amplified) Bracketing is an essential concept for officials to understand and discuss within the crew. It…
Victory Formation
The 2024 NFHS Rules Book does not explicitly direct Victory Formation protocol. As with other officiating philosophies, opinions regarding the Victory Formation philosophy range widely. On one end of the spectrum: Regardless…
Wing “No Man’s Land”
It was a rivalry game, and the stands were packed. The visiting team had a “dual threat” quarterback who could gain significant yardage with his legs when flushed out of the pocket. I…
The Biggest Barrier to Learning
I subscribe to a few weekly newsletters. James Clear publishes the 3-2-1 Newsletter each Thursday, which reaches over 3 million subscribers. Here’s one of his quotes that I felt applies to us as…