A&H

Warm Ups

C

CiaranK

New Member
Level 6 Referee
This may seem a daft question but am wanting to pick the brains of more experienced/older heads than mine. I am getting games as an Assistant and on a number of occasions now I've had Referees that don't want to do any warm up.
I like to warm up thoroughly as in the past I have suffered with tight hamstrings and had a slight back injury at the start of this season.
I don't want awkward atmospheres but I don't want to injure myself through not warming up and then losing game time.
Any ideas to the best way of handling this?
(Sorry for not posting much before now, had family deaths and a death of a friend in the last couple of months so just been getting my head down).
 
The Referee Store
If the referee doesnt want to warm up thats his problem. Just be honest with him and do what you wanna do. I wouldnt have thought it would be a problem
 
Thanks for the replies, I have done a shorter warm up on these occasions but it was very clear that it was not welcomed. With their being enough grief in life just wanted some ideas to work round the issue. Rather not make an enemy when I can make a friend. You'll always have enough of the former.
 
It is a tricky one and to some extent you're caught between a rock and a hard place. My advice would be to put your health first and just try to be as politic and supportive as you can be to the referee in every other way. At the end of the day, him not warming up also increases the chance that you'll be required to go in the middle when he goes lame during the game!
 
Got to do what you got to do.

Maybe it says something about the officials, but I see it a s a good way of showing both teams that you are there as a team, each can eye each other up, and they also see the "f*ck they're serious eh - refs warming up? Lads, you can see what we're up against today".

WORST case it's streaches and some high knees, heel flicks on the spot in the changing rooms.
 
It's possibly worse when you're on the line and don't warm up.

You could be stood idle for some time if play is up the other end then be required to put in a sprint, which is a risk on your hamstrings if you haven't warmed up for what your body needs.

Also, there will come a time when a referee takes you on a mammoth warm up.

"It's a warm up, not a f*ck up". I'm not warming up to impress anyone, I know my own body and you know yours, be prepared to say I'm not doing that if they're going too far also.
 
As long as you clear with him as to how long you need for your warm up so that the ref has enough time to get through all his prematch talk and be ready or kick off.

the refs you have been with that don't want a warm up, very fit or "in physical decline"? I am guessing later?
 
Thanks for all your help. The Refs that don't want to warm up are in the physical decline era.
I've been with a few that have liked a really good warm up and that doesn't bother me. I've yet done a warm up in football that is harder then the warm up we do at the Boxing club though I think my days there are numbered.
 
No decent ref should get annoyed if you want to go and do a warm up, so if you find one that does it is best to just tell them that you like to do one and if they don't mind you'll be doing "a few laps of the pitch and some stretching". Clearly saying "if you don't mind" means "I'll be doing it" but you're making him feel in charge by seeking permission. It's a bit like being married in that regard.

If the ref goes in a bit early, again you could "ask" to stay out for some stretching etc., but wherever possible you should be a team at all times so it's a bit of a difficult one to manage.
 
Jacko said:
It's possibly worse when you're on the line and don't warm up.

You could be stood idle for some time if play is up the other end then be required to put in a sprint, which is a risk on your hamstrings if you haven't warmed up for what your body needs.

Also, there will come a time when a referee takes you on a mammoth warm up.

"It's a warm up, not a f*ck up". I'm not warming up to impress anyone, I know my own body and you know yours, be prepared to say I'm not doing that if they're going too far also.
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Spot on with that first line.

Never had a ref actively discourage a warm up.

9/10 refs will warm up, the other 10% have always said - you're welcome to go and do a warm up if you like - never been a problem.
 
Thanks Monotone, that sounds a diplomatic way.
Shame I may not have been as lucky as you Paul, I'm getting it roughly 50/50 this season.
 
It's quite funny thinking how often I've gone into a changing room saying "we doing a warm up then lads?" to be laughed at...Sorry lads, but my tight hamstrings, quads and calfs ain't getting better sitting drinking coffee, I'll be out there if you need me :rolleyes:
 
One solution is to enquire of the other assistant as to whether they want to do a warm up? If yes, then its easier for you to go out.
If on your own, then you need to get changed and the warm up done earlier than with the referee, so he can do any extra briefing just before you go out.
 
Couldn't do a warm up on Weds evening because of extremely disorganised manager keeping us waiting for his team sheet.

Now have a tight hamstring so having to miss my game on Sunday!:mad:
 
Sorry to go off on a tangent here, but on the subject of referees and injuries, I wanted to gather some opinion on your handling of mid-game flare-ups. Last season I had two situations where, having felt fine to referee and free from pain during the warm-up, I suffered a recurrence of troubling knee pain linked to a medium-term running injury. Initially, I thought it would be a niggle I could easily run off, but the pain soon became so acute that it was almost an intolerable distraction. It was quite a large pitch, and the sprints were not pleasant in that condition. I had two club ARs and there were no spare referees to my knowledge present; luckily I made it through to the end on both occasions, though it probably would have been more sensible to stop. I just had no idea of the procedure and, being brutally honest, fearful of the criticism that might have ensued from an abandonment. Thanks for any feedback.
 
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