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Effectively Breaking Down Tape

5/10/2020

Mike Preston: Interpreter’s Perspective. Former WNBA Observer. College Men’s Official.
When breaking down tape try to find a “game within the game”. Is there a problem player or a problem match-up? Is the crew dealing with it? Is a particular official dealing with it while the other officials are ignoring it? How does the game change for the better if the problem player is removed from the game.
I like to see how a crew chief is working with a newer, younger official. Does the crew chief let his/ her partner take all double whistles to the table on foul scenarios? Does the crew chief destroy his/her partner’s credibility and confidence by ruling on a marginal or incorrect foul in which the younger partner has the better angle.
Watching video for call accuracy is fine, but attention to detail is needed. For example, I watched a game where an official was 1 for 3 on block charge plays. The one correct involved a primary defender, the two incorrect calls involved secondary defenders. In other words, it’s not enough to grade calls, you have to look at the nature of the play and ask why. In this case, the official’s head was staying focused on the ball handler, rather than looking ahead and finding the secondary defender. The official was not picking up the secondary defender until contact occurred. The official was than guessing on the correct ruling. The teaching point here is when the ball handler beats the primary defender lift your eyes and go to the next defender.
Mike Millione- Trainer of Officials Perspective. College Division I Men’s Official.
1. Be your own worst critic.
2. Wear down the pause button.
3. See where your eyes are looking.
4. Be honest with yourself. You will only improve.
5. Leave each session with a list of development issues to improve on.
6. Do you work to obtain open angles?
7. Do you make position adjustments that create open angles and not visa- versa?
8. Do you rotate properly?
9. Am I lifting my eyes to officiate the next play?
10. When ruling on a foul is the contact illegal and not incidental or marginal?
11. When protecting shooters do I sequence up/down/rebound?
12. When protecting shooters on “3” point shots do I sequence screen/line/ defender?
13. When adjudicating travels, do I sequence feet/pivot/ release of ball and then waist of the defender?
14. How are you counts. Are they to fast?
15. Do I put the ball in play at the right throw-in spots?
16. Does my appearance when I run and walk looked poised and athletic?
17. Do I exude confidence with my signals?
18. Do I act in a poised way and have good body language?
19. Do I have good clock awareness?
20. Do I have good substitution awareness?
Ashley Moyer Gleich- Perspective from an NBA Official.
When I am breaking down a game, I will go possession by possession. When there is a play to review I do the following:
1. I look at my mechanics. Do I make reposition adjustments? What do my movements look like? Am I fighting to get open angles? Am I leaving open angles? Am I walking into stacks? I observe my primary and secondary coverage areas. I observe the timing of my whistle, was it a primary whistle or cadence whistle.
2. I observe my signals. Are they sharp and am I exuding confidence. Does my signal on fouls match what happened.
3. What does my body language look like? Do I show poise?
4. If I have a no call incorrect, I ask myself was I out of position, was I looking in the right area?
5. Psychological Recovery- When I miss a play, do I go to the next play, or do I go into a “box”?
Last year I started two habits that really improved my play calling when it came down to video review.
1. I watched each game 2-3 times. The first time I watched my floor positioning. The second time was for signals. The third time if I had a crew chief that I admired, I would look how they made reposition adjustments. I would take some of their signals and add them to my game with mirror practice. Finally, I watched how they interacted with players and coaches.
2. I created two folders.
I labeled them Development and Pro-Active. In the Development folder I would clip and save plays that I missed. These were plays I missed in games and also unusual plays as well as misapplication of rules. In the Pro-Active folder I would clip and save plays that were called correctly. These were “tough plays” and plays that were the correct rule application. I also will put in this folder when I demonstrate a strong signal , or good rotation in the Lead position.
3. Game Day- Preparation before going to the Arena.
I will spend 10- 15 minutes looking at plays from the two folders. I will start with the Development Folder and will end with the Pro-Active folder. This is a great way to prepare for a game. It makes you mentally and visually ready. It also reminds you of the items you need to work on as well as the positive reinforcement of your craft.
Al Battista- Lead Scout NBA Perspective- Former Division I,II,III College Men’s Official, Former NBA and WNBA Observer.
When I am scouting for officials there are attributes I look for right away when breaking down tape.
Here is a list:
1. How do they officiate plays to the basket?
2. Are they patient in the Lead position and do they know how to work the Lead position?
3. Do they know their dependable positions ?
4. Are they getting side line oriented in the Trail and Slot(Center)?
5. Are they overrunning plays in the Trail?
6. Do they officiate from the “top of their eyes”?
7. In the Lead, do they rotate effectively?
8. Do they how to sequence plays?
9. Do they “fight” to get into open angles in the Trail and Slot(Center)?
10. Do they walk into “stacks”?
11. Do they throw “strikes” when they go into their secondary?
12. The timing of their whistle?
13. Do they show effort and urgency?
14. Do they have clock awareness?
15. Do they have substitution awareness?
16. When going from T-L, do they officiate the last defender or the defender that can hurt them the most?
17. When a coach challenges them, do they “cave”?
18. Do they work every possession hard?
19. Do they have a “feel” for the game?
20. When they miss a call, do they go into a “box”, or officiate the next play?

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Good Video

Effectively Breaking Down Tape

Al Battista

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