basketball-schiedsrichter.de - Schiedsrichter

	Anforderungen
	Quelle: Referee Mai 1998
	Entwickle einen Konflikt-Management-Plan!
	Originaltitel: Develop a Conflict Management Plan When most officials think about getting ready for a game, they think about a pregame conference with their partner. The majority of pregame conferences focus on rules, mechanics, court coverage and foul-calling philosophy. Rarely discussed but equally important is a conflict management game plan. "Clear your head" to officiate. One of your first challenges is to forget (at least temporarily) other parts of your life prior to the game. Most officials have full time jobs, families and other things that occasionally create stress. When you’ve had a stressful day, it is imperative you shelve your problems while you officiate your game. Why is it so important? When you’re thinking about other things, you’re distracted. You can’t afford to be distracted because the game will suffer. You have a duty to the game and its participants to be ready to officiate. There are many ways to temporarily forget your problems. In fact, many people enjoy the avocation of officiating because it gives them the chance to forget about everything else for while. Still, you may need to use some specific techniques. Consider listening to an officiating audio cassette in the car on the way to the game. The National Association of Sports Officials (phone 414/632-5448; e-mail: naso@execpc.com) offers a library of audio cassettes for officials in a variety of sports, all designed to get you thinking about a specific officiating topic. It’s a good way to get thinking officiating. Read the rulebook, casebook, officials manual, Referee magazine or any other written material that helps you focus on officiating. By diving into officiating specifics, you’ll begin to focus on them. Use your sense of humor. Telling jokes with your partner or talking about a funny movie you’ve seen well before the game will get you laughing and help you relax. Consider taking deep breaths and stretching out. That will help loosen tension-filled muscles that have been tightened because of the stress. Getting your body ready to officiate will also help your mind get ready to officiate. Decide what deserves a response. Part of your management plan must include when you’re going to respond to people. You are going to be verbally challenged a lot and to varying degrees. Every statement or question does not need a response. Questions may or may not be answered. Statements require no answer. Realize that coaches and players are often simply venting their frustrations when confronting you, usually ending their discussion quickly. For example, if a basketball coach says, "She’s camping in the lane," what’s more effective, ignoring the statement or saying to the coach, "No way; she’s been fine all night"? Most of the time, ignoring a harmless statement or acknowledging it with a simple head nod ends the matter. But when you defend your position, the coach instinctively feels defensive, then goes on the offensive, continuing the debate. Being "worked" by coaches is as much a part of officiating as making judgment calls. To a point, let them talk, but don’t let them influence you. Ask yourself, "If I say something, will it do more harm than good?" Think often of this old cliché: "Be quiet and listen. Do twice as much listening as you do talking. That’s why you’ve got two ears and one mouth." Understand game context. The intensity of the game, the closeness of the score and the time left in the game all play a part in how much and what type of conflict you must deal with. With a close score at the end of a game — no matter the sport or level — emotions rise. It’s merely human nature rearing its competitive spirit. A foul called in the early stages of the game may draw few complaints from players, coaches and fans. A similar foul call in the waning moments of a tight game will undoubtedly draw a more emotion-filled response from all involved. That is normal. With an understanding of game context, you can better handle emotional situations. Expect emotions to rise. Consider allowing the participants a bit more leeway because of the context of the game. That doesn’t mean you let a player or coach get away with extreme unsportsmanlike conduct simply because the score is close at the end of a game. It does mean, however, that the way you handle that end-of-game situation will likely have great impact on the result. Consider the emotion of the situation and tolerate a bit more than you normally would in other situations. Controversial practice? Perhaps. Officials who want things defined with cookie-cutter parameters won’t adopt that philosophy. Successful officials understand that officiating is not black and white; it is shades of gray. Have the courage to implement penalties in tough situations. Also have the courage to not implement penalties in tough situations. Always consider the context when implementing your conflict management plan. Often it is best to use as much preventive officiating as possible. This article originally apppeared in the 5/98 issue of Referee.