A&H

Fitness = Credibility?

RustyRef said:
Appearance definitely plays a part. But that can be overridden by what you actually do once the game starts, you can still be close to play and in credible positions and change those initial perceptions, equally you can look the part but then be in the wrong positions.

As a level 3 I wasn't the youngest, perhaps didn't look the most athletic, and will readily admit I was sometimes carrying a bit of a beer belly, albeit a fairly small one. But fitness and positioning was by far the strongest point of my game and it drew a lot of positive comments and was always the highest marked competency. One observer said in the debrief that he was worried when he saw me but that I was the best he had seen all season for fitness and positioning, wasn't too sure what to make of that but I took it as a thinly veiled compliment.

Even now as a level 5 getting close to the big five o I still get compliments from players as to how close I am to decisions.

The argument is a bit pointless at professional level as those referees have all passed the fitness test, and I can assure you that if you aren't very fit you do not pass that test.
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Agreed. As someone who draws similar compliments, and have done all through my career so far, having done the new l3 walk run walk run test I can assure folks that the PL test is not walkthrough.
 
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JamesL said:
Agreed. As someone who draws similar compliments, and have done all through my career so far, having done the new l3 walk run walk run test I can assure folks that the PL test is not walkthrough.
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can also confirm this, as a L4 who has tried this and not got past half way!
 
es1 said:
can also confirm this, as a L4 who has tried this and not got past half way!
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I can see some current l3s not making it when it's introduced and can see some l4s being held back because of it too.
 
JamesL said:
I can see some current l3s not making it when it's introduced and can see some l4s being held back because of it too.
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absolutely right and exactly why i'm starting to try it now. i'm not the fittest L4, far from it, but i can pass the cooper test comfortably (with a month or so training) but this is a different animal. i feel absolutely drained after a couple of laps but hopefully if i keep up the training i'll get there soon enough
 
es1 said:
absolutely right and exactly why i'm starting to try it now. i'm not the fittest L4, far from it, but i can pass the cooper test comfortably (with a month or so training) but this is a different animal. i feel absolutely drained after a couple of laps but hopefully if i keep up the training i'll get there soon enough
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Stick at it man..the last 10 were really hard going for me but I passed it. The trick is to run to the timings and not arrive at a gate early. That way you are exerting the lest amount of effort required into each run section.. Easier said than done I know.
Dutch referee blog has the audio timings. The training file has more intervals than needed which I can see the benefit of.
If I ever have to do it for real I think I'll head down the Beach and do it with resistance from the sand hopefully that will make the track easier
 
JamesL said:
Stick at it man..the last 10 were really hard going for me but I passed it. The trick is to run to the timings and not arrive at a gate early. That way you are exerting the lest amount of effort required into each run section.. Easier said than done I know.
Dutch referee blog has the audio timings. The training file has more intervals than needed which I can see the benefit of.
If I ever have to do it for real I think I'll head down the Beach and do it with resistance from the sand hopefully that will make the track easier
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cheers mate, yeah good advice, no point going faster than necessary!
 
Justylove said:
I'm intrigued as to how you did this. Did you head to the local running track to do it, or have something marked out elsewhere?
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just a local pitch. i pace out the 75m and put cones down at each end and for the 25m walk. doesnt help that it's possibly not 100% accurate and also uphill/downhill slightly. but better than nowt
 
JamesL said:
Stick at it man..the last 10 were really hard going for me but I passed it. The trick is to run to the timings and not arrive at a gate early. That way you are exerting the lest amount of effort required into each run section.. Easier said than done I know.
Dutch referee blog has the audio timings. The training file has more intervals than needed which I can see the benefit of.
If I ever have to do it for real I think I'll head down the Beach and do it with resistance from the sand hopefully that will make the track easier
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I don't think the developer updates/supports it anymore, but I have an app on my Garmin that allows you to set up the run-walk intervals. The great thing about this app is how it gives you two warning buzzers - one with 10 seconds left in the interval and another one with 5 seconds in the interval. The first buzz is a single buzz, and the second buzz is a "double buzz". If I had more time and programming skills, I'd develop an app similar to this. I am making sure I never delete it from my watch!

Also fully agree with running to the time of the test. In a perfect world, you will coast/walk into the finish line with a second or two to spare. When I ran the 150/50 fitness test with a 45 second-45 second interval, I could have run the intervals faster. However, the test is pass-fail. I got into a rhythm and would be able to slow down to get into the finish line at about 43 seconds.
 
Jtpetherick1 said:
I think we've all discussed a certain SG1 referee (who may be on TV as I write) in relation to match fitness before. Clearly, the referee passes the necessary PGMOL fitness tests each season so I'm not really keen on rehashing that discussion but I'm curious...

Do you think (apart from the obvious advantages of being fit in terms of keeping up with play/being in the right positions etc) fitness affects your refereeing in terms of your self-confidence and the confidence that it gives to those involved with the game. Clearly, the PGMOL feel that the SG1 referee I mention is fit enough as to referee 'well' but I wonder what we make of it in terms of the mindset of those on the pitch?

Do the players give you/your decisions more credibility if you're fitter, or is it a case of they'd only notice if you're unfit?

Again, not interested in discussing the SG1 referee, but it did prompt my thinking in terms of the wider issues of being fit. (Hence the forum its in.)
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England seems to be the only association that does not regard the appearance of fitness to be a major criteria for their top level match officials.
 
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