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Refereeing in Canada |
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"How To" Guide to RefereeingSpot Judge The job of the spot judge is to assist the head referee at the table. In doing so you will make sure competitors are not wearing any watches, rings, hats, support bandages, and that the elbows are bare. As the competitors are setting up you will assist in making sure of the following: - elbows are on the pad before the grip is taken - shoulders are square - there is a hand's width between the hands and the shoulder/head - grip is in the centre of the table - that the wrist facing you is not bent or bends before "Go" - no one early started Once the match starts you must watch for the following: - all fouls - flash pins on both sides of the table since the head referee cannot always catch them Positioning: Before the competitors get to the table stand back away from the table to get a good look at them so you can check for the watches, rings, etc. Once competitors get to the table stay standing until you get your competitor's shoulder's straight. Then crouch down. Once you are down help centre the competitors and make sure the shoulders are staying straight. Also watch for the wrist on you side that it is not bent or does not bend before "Go". It is hard for the referee to tell on some people if their wrist is bent if they can't see it, so don't be afraid to speak up. It is also your job to watch for early starts. As the referee is getting ready to start the match make sure you are ready. Your eyes should be in line with the pin pads. It is easier to see a pin if you are looking straight across the table instead of down on t he table. Your head should be about a foot from the table. The closer you are to the table the less the peripheral vision you have. You may have to move your head to the right or left side of the hand peg to give yourself the best view. Make sure you can see both pin pads and both elbows before the match starts. You should also have yourself set up so that you can get back up in a hurry either to watch for a shoulder pin on the other side of the table or move to avoid getting hit by a flying foot. You may also need to hold onto the table legs to keep the table from moving. Head Referee All of the above also applies to the head referee. Setting up Before the competitors have taken their grip make sure that your chest is centred with the table and when you put your hands out in front of you to set up the match they are centred the other way. This allows you to centre the competitors quicker and easier. When setting the arm wrestlers up do not try to use force or talk in a harsh tone, that only gets the competitors more pumped up and harder to deal with. Talk to them in a moderate tone but be firm and tell them what you want. ex: "I'll start the match as soon as you both come down off the knuckles." Communicate with your spot judge. Check for his hand signals for centre and don't be afraid to ask for help if you're not sure if the wrist on the other side of the table is straight. Always check your spot judge before you start the match to make sure he is in position and ready. Make sure everything is the way you want it. Don't let the arm wrestlers coerce you in to letting them go with a grip you are not happy with. You have to see the knuckles on both hands and the wrists must be straight. If you are giving warnings for failing to set up make sure you are positive that it goes to the right person. One person may complain that the other is causing the problem when it could be the complainer who is causing the problem. Watch the hands and you'll tell who's causing the problem. You also don't want to put them in a referee's grip if only one person is causing the delay. Make your starts loud and clear. Calls: Once the match starts you should drop down and align your eyes with the pin pads and again keep your head back from the table about a foot to give yourself the best vantage point. When you need to stop the match; again make it loud and clear. Both competitors must be able to hear you. If only one hears you and stops pulling they could risk serious injury. Do not hesitate when making your calls. If you see something call it. Never change your mind; you will lose your credibility if you do, and everyone will argue with you over every call in hopes of getting you to change your mind. If however you make a call such as a win, and the spot judge calls an elbow foul you must determine immediately what happened first; the foul or the win. If you have an inexperienced spot judge take them to one side and ask them if they feel the elbow came off before or after the pin. An experienced spot judge can tell you on the spot what happened first. The most important part of being a referee is keeping the competitors from getting hurt. Most times this cannot be avoided but we must strive to stop the ones that can be. The first and most important call for a referee is break arm position. This is when a person turns their shoulder in and pushes towards the pin pad and is no longer looking at their hand. They are no longer using muscle, they are using the humerus bone which runs from the elbow to the shoulder. They must be told to immediately turn around and look at their hand and at the same time realign their hand and their shoulder. If they do not do so immediately the match must be stopped and the offending party is given a foul. Also you should explain at the time what they are doing wrong. The other dangerous position is the hyper-extension which occurs when a person stretches their arm completely out with their body below the table. They do this in order to keep themselves from being pinned. Again no muscle is being used, just the bones and joints of the arm. However they run the risk of hyper-extending their elbow. When a person is at this point the match should be stopped and the offender would be given a foul (loss if in the losing position). You will find that one of the hardest calls to make will be a shoulder foul (touching). If a person is very fast and you are unfamiliar with their style you may not be able to catch them. If you know that one of the pullers is a shoulder roller then get your spot judge to watch specifically for it. But make sure you are not both concentrating so much on the touching that you are going to miss other calls. Communication between you and the spot judge can remedy this. If you have a clear view let the spot judge know so he/she can watch for other things. Be certain that the person was touching before you call a foul on them. You must be able to see light between the hands and the shoulder. You can't call what you don't see no matter how much the other person protests. Catching shoulder rollers is very difficult but gets easier with experience. Another one of the more difficult calls to make if a "causing the slip-out" foul. This call is hard to determine because it happens so fast. There are signs to help you determine who caused the slip-out. Where were the competitor's hands before the slip occurred, in the upright or losing/winning position? Was one person pulling their fingers through the other's hand or did the person on top let go? Who regripped last and did it contribute to the slip-out? These are the questions you must ask yourself before you can determine blame for the slip-out. To determine if a person is trying to hold the grip the tips of their fingers are white from applying pressure. If they have natural skin tones then they were not trying to keep the grip. The only problem with this is that you must see both hands to make sure both were trying. If a person has closed their hand into a fist under the other person's hand they are determined to have caused the slip since they are no longer attempting to retain a grip. When a person opens their hand to regrip and a slip occurs they are fouled for the slip. Never assume that a person has caused the slip because they are in losing position, it is very easy for a person in winning position to let up on the grip and cause the slip if they know you are going to blame the person in the losing position. Remember, if a person has control of the grip then they are not considered in losing position. If you cannot determine who caused the slip-out then you must apply the straps. If you do not apply the straps correctly and a slip-out occurs then no one is to blame. You cannot issue a foul or loss for causing a slip-out if the competitors were strapped up. Elbow fouls are always one of the most controversial calls to make. Many people believe that if no advantage was taken then you should not make the call. However, you may not think that an advantage was gained but the elbow came off for a reason; either to get better finger position or to move to a more favorable position on the elbow pad. In either case an advantage was gained. Arm wrestling is a game of centimetres; all you need to do sometimes is get a little higher or lower on a person's hand and it can be the difference between winning and losing. You may not notice it right away or not at all. Therefore it is imperative that all elbow fouls are called whether the are straight up, out the front, or off the back or sides. Always remember that if a person's tricep or forearm has contact with the pad and the end of their elbow is in inside the perimeter of the pad but not touching, it is not an elbow foul. It only becomes an elbow foul when the end of their elbow extends beyond the outside edge of the pad or the tricep/forearm also loses contact with the elbow pad.. In all other circumstances the second the elbow loses contact with the pad an elbow foul is to be called. A loss is much easier to see if your eyes are in line with the pin pads and not looking down on them. You cannot tell exactly when the fingers/wrist go below the pin line if you are looking down on the match as opposed to looking straight across the table. The instant the competitor's wrist/fingers drop below the pin line the match is over. They do not have to touch the pin pad. Remember, it must be the loser's wrist/fingers that go below, and if in straps it must be the skin, not the strap. To determine a loss in the losing position the grip must be 2/3 of the down (from centre where the match started to the pin pad). This is a referee's judgment call since the are no lines to go by and the point is always different depending on the length of arms. If you are unsure check with your spot judge to see if he/she had a better angle. If you are still unsure restart the match. Once you have made a call don't let the arm wrestlers argue with you. If it was a foul get them set up again for the next match. If it was a loss and they are continue to argue ask them to leave the table area and get the next competitors ready. If necessary threaten them with unsportsmanlike conduct that can have them removed from the tournament. If they still continue to harass you have them removed from the facility where the tournament is taking place. After a tournament listen to what people have to say or ask different people for their comments, both good and bad. Some may be angry about losing and be blaming you or their criticism may be justified. However never admit you were wrong; admit you are human but not wrong. You may get some good advice. You will probably get some whining about a call you missed but don't let it bother you. If you can go through a tournament and only miss one or two calls all day you did a great job. |