The Ref Stop

New AR question - how to distribute your view and focus

C

CrossRef

New Member
Level 7 Referee
hi there, I am a pretty new referee. I've been AR for several matches. However, I find it quite difficult to focus both on the offside line and the ball in play. Sometimes the strikers and defenders are basically on the same line so I have to keep focused, but then I can't focus on the ball and it is impossible to call the throw-in correct. So the question is when to focus on the ball, when to focus on the offside line?

A side question is even when I am focus on the ball, sometimes it is difficult to tell who made the last touch. It really shocked me, I never expected this to be possible, I always thought it would be an easy task to tell these throw in and corners. Is there ticks that I am missing?

Thanks!
 
The Ref Stop
It's incredibly hard. As you say you need to be aware of a minimum of two things at once which often isn't possible.

Best suggestion is to be side on to the pitch and keep watching both the defensive line and ball at the same time As best you can.

Might mean lots of moving your head frequently to check but facing sideways keeps everything well within your view, even its just peripheral vision.
 
As @es1 says side on body position to the field of play gives you the best vision.

Its a challenging role. It's also worth noting that you aren't solely responsible fort the direction and looking at the referee before indicating is essential to make sure you're in agreement.
 
CrossRef said:
hi there, I am a pretty new referee. I've been AR for several matches. However, I find it quite difficult to focus both on the offside line and the ball in play. Sometimes the strikers and defenders are basically on the same line so I have to keep focused, but then I can't focus on the ball and it is impossible to call the throw-in correct. So the question is when to focus on the ball, when to focus on the offside line?

A side question is even when I am focus on the ball, sometimes it is difficult to tell who made the last touch. It really shocked me, I never expected this to be possible, I always thought it would be an easy task to tell these throw in and corners. Is there ticks that I am missing?

Thanks!
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Use your football knowledge. It’s more important to focus on offside if an attacker is about to pick a pass. It’s more important to focus on feet if the play is near you close to the sideline.

Talk to yourself. If you are looking along the offside line at a lot players, use their boot colours.

Listen as well - at grassroots with no fans you can hear the contact on the pass so you don’t have to look two places at once (use with caution).

Use your referee - ask before the match for tips. In the match: Eye contact. Don’t panic. Change flag hands before you raise the flag, makes it easy for your ref to see.

If you struggle with following the ball, consider doing some faster ball sports to improve your concentration;)
 
Many of the ARs I have seen tend to lose focus and concentration with the 2nd rear most defender and therefore not only are they not in an ideal option to determine offside but then have to attempt to catch up with play! The secret is to be alert & aware & on the move at the earliest opportunity, especially when the ball is played upfield from deep defensive positions. You may not be able to exactly judge if a player was offside from the time the ball was played (though you can also listen as to when the ball was played), but you will be in a more credible position to help advise the Referee with the advice you provide - be it either flag raised or kept lowered.
 
Thanks for all the advices. There are several practices that I have already employed:

1. side on to the pitch
2. focus on the offside line and use the sound to tell when the ball is played by the last attacking player.
3. concentrate and mark the second last defender --- I can do it most of the time unless there is a long pass and players are sprinting at full speed.

It works in most situations. However, when the ball is close to my sideline, the angle between the ball and the offside line is the largest, even if I move my head frequently sometime I lost track of whose throw in it is - currently I put offside as top priority --- which means even if the ball is close to my sideline the middle has to make the judgement, which makes me feel like I am not doing my job well.If I am distracted then I know what's wrong and how to avoid it next time. The fact that I am concentrated all along makes it more frustrating.

Probably there is no other way but to practice AR as much as possible. BTW what do you do if you are unsure of a throw in or a corner? Just keep your flag down and let the middle to make the call?
 
Agree with all above. I also use the sound of contact but just like flash lag, the use of sound is tricky as sound doesn't travel at a great deal compared to light (considering an inch can make a difference in an offside call). But as mentioned above, it is a good tool at grassroots.

One thing not mentioned above is more use of eye movement compared to head or body movement to shift focus. Eye movement is much faster than head or body movement.

Ability to read play is very important. You need to be able to tell a pass is coming say a second before it is made. Then you prepare for the 'multi-focus' moment and it won't catch you by surprise.

You get better at all this with experience and it will come to you naturally.
 
CrossRef said:
Thanks for all the advices. There are several practices that I have already employed:

1. side on to the pitch
2. focus on the offside line and use the sound to tell when the ball is played by the last attacking player.
3. concentrate and mark the second last defender --- I can do it most of the time unless there is a long pass and players are sprinting at full speed.

It works in most situations. However, when the ball is close to my sideline, the angle between the ball and the offside line is the largest, even if I move my head frequently sometime I lost track of whose throw in it is - currently I put offside as top priority --- which means even if the ball is close to my sideline the middle has to make the judgement, which makes me feel like I am not doing my job well.If I am distracted then I know what's wrong and how to avoid it next time. The fact that I am concentrated all along makes it more frustrating.

Probably there is no other way but to practice AR as much as possible. BTW what do you do if you are unsure of a throw in or a corner? Just keep your flag down and let the middle to make the call?
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As to your final para, with it being a contested decision or your just not sure for whatever reason, my advice would be to raise your flag vertically to inform the Referee that the ball has left the FOP (touchline/goalline), but you are unsure to let the Referee make the decision. Alternatively, be decisive with a decision which will assist in selling it, which will be easier if it’s a defensive throw in etc, rather than an attacking throw-in or corner kick.
 
Practice makes perfect. The more you run the line, the more comfortable you get.

Lining is completely and utterly different to refereeing, but I don’t think people realise this until they actually do it

Offside is your main role as an AR, followed by ball in/out. Everything else are just add-ons. Worry about getting the first 2 correct, then you can worry about giving fouls etc.

Don’t be afraid to tell referee in their pre-match that you’re new to lining. They should then tailor their pre-match around this
 
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Runner Ref said:
Practice makes perfect. The more you run the line, the more comfortable you get.

Lining is completely and utterly different to refereeing, but I don’t think people realise this until they actually do it

Offside is your main role as an AR, followed by ball in/out. Everything else are just add-ons. Worry about getting the first 2 correct, then you can worry about giving fouls etc.

Don’t be afraid to tell referee in their pre-match that you’re new to linking. They should then tailor their pre-match around this
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Definitely - a skill in its own right and the main reason for the creation of the Specialist AR.
 
A lot of great tips above, and as others have said, the key is practice. Don’t try to do implement everything above all at once. Pick one or two things each match to focus on.

And I’ll add one more tip. Depending on the field, it can can be hard to stay aligned to be looking straight across, and obviously if you look at an angle, your calls will be off. If you step back just far enough to see the touch line in your peripheral vision, it can help you stay square to the field so you are looking directly across the field. This is especially helpful on fields with bad back drops, such as a tree line that isn’t parallel to the touchline. (Or on a field I used to go to that had a smaller U12 field also marked, but it was put on angled against the big field at about 30 degrees.)
 
As long as you remember your primary goal is offsides you're doing something right. A good tip I have for this is start memorising the back lines numbers, specifically if someone is constantly sitting deep and playing people on. If you don't flag and follow it with a "4 was playing him on" it massively defuses everything. People just accept that.

Once you've run the line a few times, the defensive line gets a bit easier to take in at a glance. Freeing you up to look at the field of play more. So I am mostly watching the ball in play, and regularly scanning the line.

Then the only other thing I would say is. Being aware of where the referee in the middle is. As if he is no where near you. Then all eyes on you. Try and think, what isn't the referee watching.

E.g. If someone smashes the ball long. Chances are referee is on his bike and will miss afters. So watch out for that.
 
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hi @OldNavyRef , can I ask does "4 was playing him on" mean number 4 of the defending team is sitting deep which makes the attacking player onside? If it is the case then why flag is needed?
Remembering the back 4s number will definitely help. Thanks!
 
CrossRef said:
hi @OldNavyRef , can I ask does "4 was playing him on" mean number 4 of the defending team is sitting deep which makes the attacking player onside? If it is the case then why flag is needed?
Remembering the back 4s number will definitely help. Thanks!
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I think he left a "don't" out of his post ☺️. Nonetheless the tip is a very good one. Giving a reason behind the decision and being specific about it massively helps selling it. It shows confidence and you weren't just guessing.

Reminds of an incident couple of years ago when "didn't" flagged for close call goal, the center back asked me "who played him on". Your right back I said. "What's his number?" he said. And I say, I did't ask him, he is not my type ☺️. He didn't like the answer but walked off.
 
When I'm on the line I think of myself as a referee who happens to be in a good position to spot offside.

I follow play much more than I scan the line, but I try to keep the last defender in my peripheral vision so I'm in the right place if there's an offside decision to make.

It's worth bearing in mind that players have absolutely no idea whether they were off or not, and the defender who puts his arm up is nearly always the one who played him on, and he knows it. He's not really claiming offside he's trying to fool his team mates it's your error, not his.
 
A lot of what others have said is perfect. I'm new to lining this season as well and a lot of these tips have really helped me. What I will say about when you are unsure about throw ins etc, just selling it is quite often the easy option. Stick the flag up and display confident body language. If you really can't tell, or don't want to sell it like this, then something I do is keep the flag down in front of me (ie central, sort of in both hands at once), and make eye contact with the ref, who will then usually take the hint and lead.
 
What the R wants on TIs is something that is a good pregame topic. Know what the ref today wants you to do if unsure. (Overall, eye contact is your friend as an AR is all things.)
 
The key thing is to remember that you aren't there to watch the game. It can be so easy to watch the game as it is in your non-active half, but then suddenly the ball is hammered clear and you are 10 yards off your offside line and in a world of trouble. The way it was told to me is that 80% of your focus should be on what is in front of you, you can keep glancing left to get a glimpse of the play but the focus must be immediately in front of you.
 
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