In the last Ready for Play article, we discussed how coaches want good listeners. We need to discipline ourselves to completely listen to the coach’s concern without immediately jumping in with an explanation. We can ask a series of questions to determine the root cause of the coach’s concern.
Bottom line: Don’t ignore the coach! Officials are in “customer service,” and a quality company doesn’t ignore its customers. Coaches hate it when they feel ignored or dismissed.
The coach may make a statement in the form of a question. “What was the back judge looking at over there?” Comments and statements in the form of a question do not need to be answered. Provide answers when the coach is legitimately asking for an explanation.
Don’t slow down or stop the game to get the coach the answer. Wait for a timeout, change of possession, injury, or quarter change to get the answer. If the coach insists on receiving an answer now, you can invite the coach to call a timeout.
When it’s time to respond to a coach, we need to be CLEAR, CONCISE, and CORRECT.
Speak clearly. Slow down and use “by rule” statements. “Coach, the runner was pulled forward to the ground, so by rule it was not a horsecollar tackle.”
Be concise. Don’t overwhelm the coach with a lengthy explanation. The coach needs to move on to the next play. Provide the necessary information in as few words as possible. But make sure your explanation is detailed enough to provide a complete answer. “Coach, the receiver had his hand on your player, but I didn’t see him extend his arm to create separation.”
Ensure you are correct. Don’t guess. If you guess and you’re wrong, your credibility is shot and the coach will have the right to question every subsequent thing you say. If you don’t know the answer, tell the coach you’ll get the answer as soon as possible.
If the coach is questioning a rule interpretation, use “by rule” statements. If the coach continues to question you after the “by rule” explanation, he is now arguing with the rule book and not you. The customer (the coach) is not always right. (By the way, that’s why we need to diligently study the rule book. Many complaints are because the coaches and players don’t understand the rule.)
If the coach is questioning your ruling, you can say, “In my judgment…” For example, after asking the coach to describe what he saw, you can say, “I had a good look at that matchup. I saw the blocker grab your player’s jersey, but in my judgment, he did not pull and restrict your player. Your player just ran torso to torso with the blocker.”
Never give a coach an excuse! “Coach, there are a lot of players out there and I’m only one person.” Don’t be afraid to admit your mistakes. If you know the coach is correct and you missed something, you can say, “Coach, I missed it.” If you are unsure, but the coach’s explanation seems plausible, you can say, “Coach, if that’s what happened, I missed it.” (Just don’t say it too many times in the game!)
After the coach finishes his question or comment, you can positively respond (which confirms you listened to the coach):
“I understand coach”
“Thank you coach, I’ll look for that”
Coaches should get the first word and the last word. Never insist on having the last word!
Quiz
Read the quiz stem and then choose the best answer(s).
During a free kick, R35 grasps and twists K20’s facemask at the R-40. The ball rolls into the end zone. Team K chooses to enforce the foul. The foul will be enforced from the _________.
- R-40
- R-20
- K-40
Study Rule 10-4-2