Introducing: Learn From The Pros (LFTP)

I will start out this blog by saying:

Having goals in life is important.  

This probably isn't the first time you've heard this and definitely won't be the last.  Goals tell us where we are going, what we are hoping to achieve, and how we hope to get there.  Without goals, we are merely trying to walk up against an escalator going down (see the futility?).  You might still get where you are going........eventually.  But you will waste a lot of effort getting there.

Suppose you want to be a judge when you grow up.  That is not going to happen overnight and you will have to set realistic goals in how to attain that dream:

• Do well in school, get good grades
• Study hard for tests, ace the standardized tests
• Stay out of trouble
• Go to college and get a good degree
• Work hard and get into law school
• Study and pass the bar
• Find a job with a law-firm
• etc
• etc
• etc

The same applies to our jobs as officials and referees.  Being a referee is a great exercise (for the body and the mind) and a great way to make extra money.  But I hope that we all have goals of being the absolute best referee that we can be.

That does not happen overnight.

We have to set achievable and attainable goals and throughout that journey, be willing to learn from others (the advice, the attitudes and especially, the mistakes).  You are not going to be an all-star referee the moment you pick up that whistle.

Set goals for yourself:

• Learn to blow the whistle (you can't call fouls/violations without blowing air in your whistle!)
• Learn the mechanics and responsibilities of a referee
• Know the rules
• The violations
• The fouls
• The miscellaneous
• Learn how to apply the rules correctly
• Learn how to keep players under control
• Learn how to deal with coaches with authority, yet be humble and respectful
• etc
• etc
• etc

Introducing: Learn from the Pros (LFTP)

Going along with that setting goals, we should take example and learn from our brothers and sisters who have made it big (I'm talking about the pros here).  Learn from what they do right and more importantly, what they do wrong.

This blog series will highlight officials from MLB, NBA, NFL, and others and I'm hoping that through it, you can pick up some pointers that you can apply that your time on the court!