What a Referee Wants Coaches to Know
By Peter F. Swan, Connecticut Interscholastic Wrestling Officials Association
Time is running out on your wrestling team in the third period as your captain scrambles to escape. The score is tied against the cross-town rival who beat him in the finals last year, and your kid breaks free just as they go out of bounds.
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The referee isn’t holding up a finger to signal a point, but is pointing toward the center of the mat and gesturing to your athlete – who just escaped, any fool can see that he wants the wrestlers to resume the down position. Does the ref know what he’s doing out there?
As a long-time wrestler and coach who just transitioned to refereeing a few years ago, I’ve seen this situation from a lot of angles, and the first thing I ever noticed was this: Things look different from the center of the mat.
I remembered a few things that I had said and done as a coach, particularly in my first few years in that position, that I would now like to take back. But it’s too late for that. I can, however help you see what the ref sees, so you can avoid making the same mistakes that I did.
Remember, the referee is the only person in the room who sees the match with unbiased eyes. He calls the match as he sees it, and you, naturally, will not always agree. After reading this article, you still won’t always agree with the ref, but perhaps you’ll understand him a bit better and bring that understanding with you to the next wrestling meet.
Every match requires dozens of calls and non-calls. A clean takedown in the center of the mat – you don’t even need an official to score that. Many of the points scored are obvious to everyone sitting, but that’s not why we’re out there.
Many other scoring situations are not so obvious: edge-of-mat calls, near-fall points, and pin calls require a degree of judgment, experience, extremely close observation, and, crucially, an unbiased perspective.
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you travel around, and see how often they come up in a given match. That scoring maneuver at the edge of the mat? Whether or not the wrestlers went out of bounds prior to the score is debatable; and everyone watching must recognize that…
Referees must make snap judgments constantly:
Rapidly developing situations require quick responses from the referee, and of course those decisions may favor one or the other wrestler. Over the course of a season, about half of these decisions will go against your team.
You are likely to recall those times that your team was “robbed” and simply accept the judgments that go your way as obvious calls. On the other side of the mat, those “obvious calls” are the calls that the other coach is going to remember! But after all…
The ref doesn’t care who wins:
Referees do not pre-judge the match or “ref to the singlet.” If you think that your team is getting all the bad calls by the ref, you are making a pretty bold assumption about his lack of professional objectivity. It’s been said that whenever, both coaches are equally unhappy, the ref did a pretty good job. Sure, it’s even better to have both coaches happy, but the fact is that some calls will go either way during the course of a meet, and human nature dictates that the ones that go your team’s way will seem obvious to you, and the calls against your team will stick in your craw. Don’t forget that…
Some rules require judgment calls:
For example, if a legal pinning combination turns into an illegal hold, the ref must often stop the match to break the hold before an injury occurs. He must then decide whose “fault” it was that the hold became illegal: Was it the defensive wrestler’s movement in trying to escape, or the offensive wrestler’s over-aggressiveness, or even an intentionally punishing hold? Each of those requires a different call: potentially dangerous (no penalty) or an illegal hold (a one-point penalty).
The third situation can range from a penalty point to a flagrant misconduct call, ending the match.
These choices depend solely on the ref’s split-second evaluation of something he can’t possibly know for sure: the intent of another person in their actions. All of this is required of the referee, even though…
He doesn’t know your athlete:
The referee does not know, as you do, that your wrestler is a great kid who would never act in an unsportsmanlike manner. A kid who works his butt off in practice and would never stall in a match. Furthermore, he’s been well-coached and would never apply an illegal hold, or deliberately punish his opponent.
No, the referee knows none of these things, and so must rely solely on what he sees, and on his own experience and best judgment. That judgment can only be objective when there is no emotional commitment, such as your own.
Wrestling is a tough sport, and because there is a thin, gray line between tough and brutal…
The ref must prioritize safety:
Referees must stop potentially dangerous situations before someone is injured, and try to prevent illegal holds rather than penalize them. At the same time, he doesn’t want to interrupt the flow of the match, or release a wrestler from a predicament by stopping the match unnecessarily.
These aims can be mutually exclusive, and he must often choose among them. When possible, the ref should err on the side of safety, because dangerous situations develop very quickly. A tough, physical match can grow heated and hazardous quickly, so…
We all need to retain our composure:
You spend hours every day with your athletes, years teaching them and training them. You may be a substitute parent for some of them, keeping an eye on their grades, helping them consider options for their future, staying involved with their lives, and helping them make good choices.
You have personal and emotional ties with the athletes that you send onto the mat. You care about their physical and emotional health, and you cannot possibly remain objective about the battle they engage in that circle. I hope that all refs understand this, and grant a little leeway when you express some of that concern.
There are limits, however. The coach is a role model not just for his team, but for all the spectators as well. The people in the stands will follow his lead, and, to an extent, mimic his behavior. Try to keep this in mind when you disagree with the ref’s judgment, and…
Help maintain an atmosphere of mutual respect:
Some calls, such as stalling, are extremely subjective: Remember that the ref has the only unbiased eyes in the house. You, as a coach, have an avenue to question the ref: approach the head table and he will grant a brief conference.
To avoid abuse of this privilege, the ref can charge you with misconduct. So be professional, clear, and succinct. Ask your question and listen to the answer. You may not agree, but you will understand, and probably make your point much better than by yelling something unpleasant from the sideline.
By maintaining your cool and professional demeanor in these situations, you will likely make your point without incurring a penalty, as well. A tough, hard-fought bout can be emotional and tense, so…
Remember that wrestling is a sport:
Despite all the admonitions of the importance of this match and how the athletes will remember it all of their lives, retain perspective.
For most, wrestling is a small part of the day for a few months during several years of the boys’ adolescence.
The character-building life lessons of wrestling are not diminished by recognizing this fact. The takedown that we stopped because a leg was twisted at an odd angle may be the season-ending injury that didn’t happen. Or it could be simply two points that were never awarded.
It’s a trade-off created by a split-second decision, and although injuries will always happen in this sport, the ref will prevent them if he can. Sometimes, an advantage is lost, or points are not scored, because of such a preventive measure.
However, the rulebook states that a wrestler should never be put in a position where points must be surrendered to prevent injury. That’s just one subtle point in the rule book; there are many more directives, and…
The referee knows the rules:
The national association updates and revises the rulebook annually, and all referees must pass a written test that includes a general knowledge of the book and command of rule changes. Referees also hold interpretations sessions during the season, where questions about specific situations or general interpretations can be discussed at length.
Often, coaches are invited to attend, or they can ask when such meetings are held. It may well be educational for a coach to sit in on such meetings. The goal is to arrive at a fair and consistent interpretation that adheres to the rules in both letter and spirit.
In addition to the nearly 100-page rulebook, we also study an 80-page casebook that acts as a national clearing-house of such interpretations. We rely on these and our own experience to help us make clear and consistent calls, so…
It isn’t helpful when coaches “assist” the ref from the sidelines:
Guidelines suggest that we hold or delay calls or scoring in certain developing situations. Escape points, for example, may be “held” until the situation continues into a reversal or retention of control.
Control, near-fall, and pins are determined by meeting certain criteria, yet there is room for variation in the application of these criteria. The referee wants to award pins that have been earned, yet not end a match as a wrestler successfully struggles to avoid giving up a fall.
There can be a quarter-inch difference between the two, a difference that’s impossible to see from the edge of the mat; but…
The ref has a pretty good view of the action:
Not only is the referee very close to the action, but he has the freedom to move into the best vantage point. Watch a good referee during the course of a match, and you will see him adjust as the wrestlers circle, slide over to make edge-of-mat calls, and change levels fluidly with the athletes.
The ref is constantly moving to anticipate the direction of a move and get into position to observe any infractions before they happen. Refs know what to look for in different situations, and try hard to get in place to watch for it. Nevertheless…
The ref cannot see everything that occurs:
There is a lot to watch for, and 360 degrees of action to observe. Sometimes the ref must look at two things on opposite sides of the athletes.
An obvious example is a headlock situation, where the hold must remain legal even as the pin is imminent. Both cannot be observed simultaneously, so the ref must judiciously and quickly switch sides. With one referee to a match, there will be infractions that are not seen, pins and near-falls that are not awarded, and calls that rely on the judgment and experience of the referee. Yes, those final two qualities vary, so remember…
Referees are human:
As hard as they try to get in position to make every call, to catch every infraction and nail every close one, the refs will sometimes err. If two hundred decisions constitute a wrestling meet, the ref might miss a couple. That’s a one percent error rate, but those are the ones that parents, fans, athletes, and coaches will remember.
The ref will sometimes realize that he may have missed a call, and briefly regret it, despite the 99% he got right. But then he must shrug it off, because after all…
The ref has a job to do:
He must stay in the moment and keep his mind on the match, forgetting distractions such as judgment calls. He has to stay in control of the match itself, the mat area, and the room in general.
He would very much like to have the coaches working with him in that task, because the behavior of the coach tremendously influences the rest of the room. Treat him with respect and he will return the favor; ask your question clearly and calmly, and you will likely get an answer in the same manner. Verbal abuse from the sidelines will only distract him.
Even if you feel that he is the single worst referee in the state, let him do his job, as well as he can. The ref is not perfect, and some are less perfect than others. If there is really a problem, discuss it with him after the match. He may be receptive to your thoughts, if presented in a non-confrontational way.
If necessary, follow up and address the problem through the proper channels. But during the meet, let him do his job, and keep your mind on yours.
Support your team, win or lose, and let all the athletes take pride in the classiness of their coach.
