November 2009 – extricate.org

Bonding the referee team – Lessons from judo and football

The team of referees on the mat at a judo competition is a team of three: The referee and two corner judges. In football you have the referee and two assistants (running the line). There is one distinct difference right at the beginning here: In judo, although the referee controls the contest, the ‘majority of three’ rule applies and thus he or she may be overruled. In football the assistants do just that… ASSIST. The referee has the final say.

However, there are good hints and tips I have picked up along the way. These have become especially evident on the football side where for the vast majority of games I am the referee and needing to brief two new (club provided) assistants at each match. They are strangers to me when I arrive unlike the comfort zone of most judo competitions where I know all the referees!

So here are some points which have really helped me:

Start as you mean to go on: Your strength as a team does not begin with the start of the contest or match. It should be as soon as you get together. Learn the names (I am terrible with names when meeting people so this something I try and make an effort with now) and use them. I found out just how well this worked when it was the referee using MY name regularly when I was assisting at a football match. It really helps the bonding process.
Brief the team: (Football perspective here). Vital. I was staggered when one club assistant told me after my briefing that some referees he has helped out don’t even bother doing a briefing. Nice! Remember that the briefing is not just about telling the assistants what you want them to do, and assess their knowledge: It is to help get to know them so that you are comfortable with each other. Club assistants are likely to have been abused before in previous games so definitely get the point across that you will help protect them as well. For most ‘park’ games I like doing this briefing in the centre circle prior to the coin toss as it gives a very public display of everyone working together.
Constant communication: Be it verbal or a simple thumbs-up (This sort of thing can look unprofessional in judo but there are subtle ways), keep the communication going. “Thanks Steve!” after Steve has helped you out from a tricky spot goes a long way. And it will help someone who is new and a bit nervous gain the confidence they need after those first few decisions. Important for assistants/corner judges to do this as well if there is someone new and perhaps nervous running the show!
You are a team: Support your team-mates. If a mistake occurs never ‘pass the buck’ as ultimately in a lot of cases it is the team that has failed. Work out how to resolve it as a team (if possible), otherwise make sure you also learn from it AS A TEAM. It is also good to try and stay together in breaks to discuss decisions that have been made and bring out the whole mentoring concept.
Give the referee the benefit of the doubt: If you disagree with something SLIGHTLY then take a few moments before deciding to express your opinion. Remember the referee had a different view to you so is it possible that they did the right thing with that in mind?

Any experiences from working in one of these teams? Or have you observed things that have worked particularly well? Or even particularly badly?

Bringing up the fitness and now… STRETCH!

I recently rejoined the gym on my work campus as running outside was just not happening any more. The current weather in the UK has put paid to that. I was soaked through just walking back from the gym to the office (30 seconds!) due to the lashing shower that suddenly appeared.

The adage which applies is “Get fit to referee, don’t referee to get fit”. Absolutely true and my ‘judo fitness’ has very much helped me hit the field of play running. I have yet to struggle to keep up with play but of course most of my games are at ‘parks’ level until I climb the ladder a bit more.

However, my body has not adjusted to the style of exercise too well. Lots of changes in speed (walk..jog…SPRINT…walk…stop…SPRINT) and direction have put quite a stress on my hamstrings and achilles. The achilles in particular forced me to rest but is now mostly under control. My hamstrings are tight as anything as it is due to my years of computing so this needs resolving. Some Asics Gel Lethal 11 boots are helping there!

Firstly, I’m working on running in the gym, working towards the Cooper test. I have no need to take this test for a long time but it is a nice benchmark. Starting point is 2500 metres in 12 minutes which I can manage fine on a treadmill but of course that is easier than doing it outside (even with a 1% incline). It’s good to start teaching my body the pace though. I’ll be mixing that up with interval training.

Secondly, lots of stretching. I’ve been neglecting this FAR too much. Obviously this is concentrating on my problem areas as mentioned above but I’m making sure I do EVERYTHING so I don’t just transfer the problem somewhere else. Early days but so important.

There we have a mix of aerobic and anaerobic exercise and stretching. I haven’t thought about core strength much yet but it will need to feature to help keep things balanced… hmm…

Nothing below the belt – Proposed judo rule changes

Rule changes for judo shiai are coming, and they are a big talking point right now. They have been officially trialled at the Junior Worlds and this was considered a success by the IJF. As a result, the trial has been extended at select senior competitions over the rest of the year. If things continue to go well it strongly looks like the rules will become official from 2010.

Here is the Word document detailing the changes.

Some may choke slightly with one of the first lines:

The IJF’s wish is to defend fundamental judo values.

Lest we forget the introduction of the blue gi and koka?

Working through the document, we start with FORBIDDEN in big red text referring to direct attacks or blocking via contact below the belt. You can see where this is going: No more leg grabs or even kata guruma. So this is removing direct usage of throws from the gokyo. Okay, you won’t find any leg grabs in the gokyo but they are still an accepted part of judo and have been used to powerful effect.

The punishment is somewhat severe. On the first offense, a shido penalty (as expected) is given. But the second is a direct hansokumake! Harsh. Two lapses of judgment and you are off the mat.

Now, a judoka CAN use these techniques if they are as a result of a sequence of techniques. Classic example might be ouchi-gari and with the arm coming down behind the leg to assist with completing the throw.

Secondly, they may be used as a counter. The classic would be against a failed uchimata and using Te guruma.

Here we are presented with our first problem as referees, and this has been demonstrated at the Junior Worlds. If Tori attacks and is fully committed, and Uke proceeds to counter by way of a technique below the belt, all is fine. However, there have been cases when Tori has more ‘offered the leg’ or feinted. Uke has gone for the counter as a ‘twitch’ reaction and been penalised for it. Not an ideal situation.

Naturally many are not happy with the above changes. It may be the intention of the IJF to ‘defend fundamental judo values’ but is removing techniques (and not for safety reasons) the way of going about it?

Why is this happening?

Ultimately, it comes down to judoka at the top events (such as the Olympics) being of a very similar level. This is naturally assisted by the qualification system: A nation has to be of a certain standard to even take part. The chances of ‘WOW’ ippons is therefore reduced. And what happens in a stalemate? Boring judo.

In particular, drop kata-gurumas which are immediately squashed by Uke and end up with a bit of fumbling on the ground, then ‘Matte’, then the whole thing again. It’s not interesting to watch. Remember, the IJF want judo to get more TV coverage and thus they need more excitement in the matches. Ban the techniques, liven up the judo, job done?

We shall see. The Junior Worlds did prove to feature positive judo but of course it favoured nations that traditionally use more stand-up techniques anyway (Predictably, Japan did excellently!). Competitors work around the rules, however, so it will be interesting to see what ‘mongrel’ techniques start to appear as the year progresses.

In relation to all of the above, the document also emphasises the need to penalise for ‘extreme defensive position’. Think ‘wrestling stance’ for this one. Adopting such a position in a negative judo way was previously a penalty anyway, so this is more of a clarification than anything new. It is also one I am glad to see pointed out again, as I am personally quite ‘hot’ on penalising negative judo for obvious reasons… it’s negative! STOP DOING IT!

As I have had told to me by IJF referees and taken on board, and have mentioned before on this blog, referees have a duty to penalise negative judo to absolutely make it clear that competitors need to be more positive. Moaning about ‘bad’ contests afterwards when you had the ‘power’ to do something about it, and in a strange way ‘educate’ the competitors, is no good. And also strongly remember that it is not just about penalising the negative, but giving their opponent the opportunity to shine.

Overall, I feel it is a great shame that we are having to prevent certain techniques and strategies. Referees at international level could have been advised to simply be stronger on penalties for negative judo. Now, I remember the guidance coming out on this matter previously, but from watching video footage of recent international events (pre Junior Worlds) … I just didn’t see it happening. Plenty of false attacks and negative judo, but not many penalties as a result.

You can’t blame competitors for being defensive sometimes. After all, one Ippon and they could be on the way home, especially with the ridiculous new repechage system. That was a bad idea. “Who wants to see losers fight losers?” was a heard quote and made me pretty annoyed. The competitors deserve more of a chance to prove themselves than they are currently being allowed.

We shall see what happens…

Formalising the imbalance, and goodbye rolling Ippons?

I was refereeing at the South Coast Junior Open at the weekend. I remember my very first judo grading was at this very venue (Worthing Leisure Centre). It was also good to see Winston Gordon in attendance coaching!

One interesting point came out of the briefing. At EJU level, referees are being urged to downgrade any ‘rolling’ Ippons down to Wazari. On a personal level, this is one I very much agree with. There have been so many weak Ippons scored and this was evident in the Olympic footage as well. In my eyes, an Ippon throw should always have that “OOOH!” factor, including the old “If that was on concrete, Uke would not be getting up again” aspect.

This is always going to be down to interpretation as that is the nature of the rules on this matter. For a throw:

When a contestant with control throws the other contestant largely on his back with considerable force and speed.

Let’s have strong emphasis on ‘considerable’ from now on! Shame we ever moved away from it.

Now, I was privileged to be part of a strong team at the weekend. We did not have a single contest go to a decision, and only a handful entered Golden Score. How is this achieved?

Firstly, a certain amount of luck in us having competitors who went out there to do judo and SCORE. They do the work, we referee it. It’s important to never lose sight of that.

But what CAN the referee do?

Apply penalties accurately and QUICKLY. For some age groups the contests are only two minutes in duration. If the referee is waiting 90 seconds before deciding a judoka is being passive then they have taken too long. If the penalty is there GIVE IT. Especially since the first shido is now ‘free’… it’s a warning, that’s the point!
Clamp down on false attacks. Again, if it is a false attack (I’ve covered what constitutes a false attack before) then GIVE THE PENALTY. Let the player know it is not acceptable. This is also giving their opponent every chance to do their own judo as well rather than someone just falling to the ground every few moments. I’ve started seeing drop seoi-nage attemtps when Tori sometimes rotates less than 45 degrees.
FORMALISE THE IMBALANCE. This sums up the two previous points. It is clear when there is an imbalance between players. This may manifest itself in one of those players scoring (great!) but the referee must also reflect it in the use of penalties WHERE APPROPRIATE. If you get to the end of the contest, and it went to decision, and you are thinking, “That was rubbish, just a load of drops and nothing much happening” and you only ever gave one penalty…. shouldn’t you have done something to wake it all up?

“Don’t be too harsh, especially with children”. This is missing the point. Penalties are given when deserved. Not giving a penalty just because of age is NOT acceptable, in my opinion. Of course, the referee must make allowance for grade level and experience (common sense). In addition, proper explanation of a penalty may be appropriate too! Giving a penalty does not make the referee an ogre. Using hand signals which make him or her look like they are shooting the child in the process probably does…

I was happy with my performance on the day and have various feedback to work with. In particular, I was happy with my corner judge work, especially when things have gone a bit wrong on the scoreboard and I had kept a mental note of which scores should have gone where! You should never be in the position when asked a question about the current contest and you have to respond “I don’t know” …